tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41949905119992797132024-03-20T08:20:54.497-05:00Climbing Mount To Be ReadAllisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.comBlogger303125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-79770644687212620282023-07-02T15:40:00.005-05:002023-12-30T23:12:18.245-06:002023 Books So FarA list of books read in 2022.<div><br /></div><div>1. Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens - Technically read through most of 2022, but I finished it in 2023. I specifically read this the way it was serialized and I think that made all the difference in reading Dickens.</div><div><br /></div><div>2 - 4. Abhorsen Trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen) by Garth Nix - A fun reread that kept me interested.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie - Very haunting book. Another one off my classics club list.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. Hammer in the Sky (and other Wonder Tales) by LL Rose - A collection of speculative fiction short stories. Some were truly haunting. Received as a giveaway on StoryGraph.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. Across the Wall and other tales by Garth Nix - short stories by Garth Nix. Primarily read to get more Old Kingdom tales.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. Clariel: the Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix - This was a DNF a long time ago. I enjoyed it much more this go around. </div><div><br /></div><div>9. Goldenhand by Garth Nix - Final tale to Abhorsen story (as of now). Wow... this was really interesting and tied up many of the loose threads.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. Angel Magic by Garth Nix - A bit tougher compared to his other books. Different magic system and not sure I was a huge fan.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix - Vaguely Austen type fantasy. OK. Not my favorite but it was decent enough.</div><div><br /></div><div>12. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - One of my classics club books. Just as good as I remember from reading it nearly 20 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>13. A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer - Beauty and the Beast retelling. Story itself was fine. Not sure I'm interested in reading the rest of the series</div><div><br /></div><div>14. Weyward by Emilia Hart - Fantasy or magical realism involving witches. Feminist read. Loved it. Right in my wheelhouse.</div><div><br /></div><div>15. The Last Word by Taylor Adams - forgettable thriller. Quick read but otherwise nothing special.</div><div><br /></div><div>16. East of Eden by John Steinbeck - Read for classics club. Surprisingly engaging and one of my favorites so far.</div><div><br /></div><div>17. Possession by A. S. Byatt - Read for classics club. I wanted to like this more than I did. Full review coming soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>18. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Readalong with my mom. Obvious reread. So much fun!</div><div><br /></div><div>19. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen</div><div><br /></div><div>20. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.</div><div><br /></div><div>21. The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford - This has been on my TBR forever and I was very excited to read it. It was underwhelming. </div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-25797594268134875132023-07-02T15:26:00.003-05:002023-07-02T15:26:27.403-05:00Oh Look! I have a blog!Clearly I don't post here much anymore. I'm still reading a ton, but I've found reviewing to be a bit of a frustration the last few months (years). <div><br /></div><div>I do like the idea of writing book reviews and may even come back to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Looking at what's going on with my blog, I see a few different things</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Classics Club: I was supposed to finish this in 2022. I asked for an extension to 2024. I finished three more books from the list that I still need to review (Peter Pan, Handmaid's Tale, Possession). I DNF'd The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare. I still have Vanity Fair and Don Quixote plus the Volume of Austen's Juvenilia to read. I'll admit, I'm not super thrilled with any of those last three - particularly as I also have read a number of other classics for challenges that weren't part of this list. I'm inclined to swap those last 4 books out for other things I read and call it done. I have a second club list in the wings that I'm particularly excited for, but I think I'll wait for a bit before I consider it. I also might just keep going with my current one and see if I can knock a few more off before 2024...</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Newford Collection: This definitely fell by the wayside. His books can be hard to find and often involve doing a lot of ILL in order to acquire them. My library has a ton of his books available on Hoopla, but not through Libby or in physical format, so I don't have an easy way to read them and haven't taken the time. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. Review pages are out of date and won't be updated. I'll pull them down soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>In general, I am reading a ton. I bought an e-reader a year or two ago. Originally, I'd planned on using it solely to read classics as I find most of the library editions have tiny print and are difficult to read. However, I quickly integrated it with Overdrive and now do most of my reading on the device. As such, I tend to read books I can easily get from Overdrive. I'm looking to put up a list later this month.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, if anyone still reads this blog, hello! </div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-83603804710018386502023-03-12T14:44:00.003-05:002023-03-12T14:44:43.921-05:00Peter Pan by J. M. BarrieI read Peter Pan every few years. I don't know what chokehold this story has on me, but I love it so much even as problematic as it is. I had considered reading it aloud to my daughter as I read it, but we'll need to have a few conversations first before I do so thanks to some of the content. <div><br /></div><div>Pan himself is such a creepy, magical character. I'd be very much like Wendy had I met him as a kid. I always wanted to. </div><div><br /></div><div>Barrie captures childhood and development well considering this was written in the early 1900s. How the kids act, especially Peter. They're decidedly kids and act with the lack of judgment that kids so often have. </div><div><br /></div><div>The last chapter, in particular, hits different as an adult. I read it, and just burst into sobs. My spouse thought I was nuts. Something about the gay, innocent, and heartlessness of kids and the fact that Peter forgets is just so devastating even though you know that's how it has to be. </div><div><br /></div><div>A very pleasant reread and lovely break in the longer books on my classics club.</div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-16974826462506206842023-03-12T14:36:00.003-05:002023-03-12T14:36:56.137-05:00Martin ChuzzlewittThere are some Dickens books that everyone knows. There are some that everyone at least knows the title of. And then there are some that seem clearly forgotten. This is one of those.<div><br /></div><div>Roughly 12 years ago, I decided to read Dicken's novels in the order he wrote them. I started with Sketches by Boz and continued forward. It's been a long project. Chuzzlewitt came up when I made my Classics Club list. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before reading this one, I looked up the serialization schedule. I tried to read it by that, meaning I'd read the first couple chapters and then take a short break - either reading a lighter book or taking a day off of reading in general. In doing this, the structure of the book suddenly opened up and made a lot more sense. </div><div><br /></div><div>I liked this one. The amount of sass in the narration was really fun whenever Dickens was writing about one of the villains. His critique on the US was also quite apropos and honestly probably still applies to today. Funnily enough, apparently, his US readers hated this book and essentially "canceled" Dickens after reading this because it wasn't to their taste. </div><div><br /></div><div>The characters were entertaining enough though there's definitely a point where you just want to punch a few of them in the face because their comeuppance doesn't seem to be coming quickly enough. Of course, in the end, it all comes together like any good Dickens novel does. I definitely enjoyed this one.</div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-84273809739893501472023-03-12T14:14:00.002-05:002023-03-12T14:14:19.448-05:00Anna Karenina by Leo TolstoyHuh. Apparently, I never reviewed this book even though I finished it last year. I'm not going to summarize this.<div><br /></div><div>I went into this book with a lot of trepidation knowing the general thought on Russian literature as being "difficult." In general, I didn't find this difficult to read. It was much like Dickens. Lots of words and description, but if you're paying attention, easy enough. I did find that I had to focus though. I couldn't just sit and read for hours. This was a spend maybe 20 minutes reading a day type of book. </div><div><br /></div><div>Having never seen any of the movies and knowing only that the story involves Anna Karenina going outside her marriage with a man name Vronsky, I wasn't sure what I was going to read. I was not expecting the giant treatises on farming from Levin. </div><div><br /></div><div>In general, I really enjoyed the early part of the book. While I didn't necessarily agree with the various characters, it was pretty fun. Around the halfway point, I found the book to be more of a slog. While I don't mind morally corrupt characters, there usually has to be some other quality in the book to keep me interested in the story. This one, I just found it to be frustrating a dull. </div><div><br /></div><div>I especially hated now Anna was a horrible person for going outside her marriage, but her brother was hardly knocked down every time he cheated. Clearly that was a main part of the novel, but I still hated it. I can see why many people don't enjoy reading classics as you see a lot of those double standards. (I'm thinking Tess of the D'Ubervilles...)</div><div><br /></div><div>Glad I read this, but I likely won't read it ever again.</div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-17516321407475481562023-01-05T20:43:00.007-06:002023-01-05T20:43:52.465-06:002022 Wrap Up and 2023 ThoughtsWow. It's been a while since I wrote anything here. I stopped reading for a while due to all sorts of reasons, and when I started back up, I wanted to read without the work of reviewing. But I'm back. I think.<div><br /></div><div>Favorite books from 2022: </div><div>- The Ladies of the Secret Circuis by Constance Sayers</div><div>- The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd</div><div><br /></div><div>Most Weirdly Accurate to Life: </div><div>- The End of Men by Caroline Sweeney-Baird </div><div><br /></div><div>Longest: </div><div>- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy</div><div><br /></div><div>Shortest: </div><div>- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill</div><div><br /></div><div>Full list of what I Read<div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman </li><li>Carrie by Stephen King</li><li>Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy</li><li>The Hawthorne School by Sylvie Perry</li><li>The Memory Theater by Karin Tidbeck</li><li>The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross</li><li>The Road by Cormac McCarthy</li><li>The Sleep Solution by W Chris Winter</li><li>Fair Play by Eve Rodsky</li><li>The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde</li><li>The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins</li><li>Catching Fire by Suzanne Colling</li><li>The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde</li><li>Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins</li><li>The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde</li><li>Questland by Carrie Vaughn</li><li>Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas</li><li>The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian</li><li>The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud</li><li>The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud</li><li>The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud</li><li>The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud</li><li>The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud</li><li>On a Night of a Thousand Stars by Andrea Varyura Clark</li><li>Fencing With the King by Diana Abu-Jaber</li><li>The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers</li><li>The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu</li><li>The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird</li><li>The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik</li><li>The Woman in Black by Susan Hill</li><li>Cartographers by Peng Shepherd</li><li>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson</li><li>The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson</li><li>The Girl who Kicked a Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson</li><li>The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik</li><li>Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu</li></ol><div><br /></div><div>Coming up in 2023</div><div><br /></div><div>I have two main reading focuses this year. </div><div><br /></div><div>First, I extended my Classics Club list to 2024. I'd like to finish as many of the books on that list as possible before the year's end. Currently through most of Martin Chuzzlewitt!</div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly, I have an absolute backlog of professional development books that I am really looking forward to reading. I've just been so distracted by the wonderful shiny books on my Overdrive wishlist!</div><div><br /></div><div>Have a great New Year all!</div></div></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-83000298797847462682022-04-18T00:00:00.001-05:002022-04-18T00:00:00.188-05:00Fair Play by Eve Rodsky<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564080588l/44071899._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564080588l/44071899._SY475_.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
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<b>Title: </b>Fair Play</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Eve Rodsky</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 352</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> April 12, 2022</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Premise:</b> Rodsky begins the book discussing the domestic labor so many partners do all by themselves at home. This labor tends to go unrecognized and can eventually cause enough resentment for couples to split. Rodsky decided to figure a way to break this system and came up with the Fair Play game method.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br />She breaks the domestic labor into 100 different tasks. Partners are to take time to discuss which of these tasks they value in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>their home, discuss what full conception, planning, and execution of those tasks are, discuss what the minimum standard of care for those tasks are, and then deal them out in ways that make sense. Once one person holds a task, they hold all of that task from conception to execution with a minimum standard of care.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br />Of course, no card is meant to be held forever and partners are encouraged to meet once a week to review and redeal as necessary.</span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><b>Thoughts:</b> I really like this idea. My partner and I are fairly equal in what we do around the house. The problem is we both handle everything, which means we both are doing full conception, planning, and execution of many duplicate tasks. This means we’re harried all the time AND things fall through the cracks when we assume the other has taken care of things. I think a system like the one described here where we know who is responsible for each task is fantastic and would really lighten our mental load.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br />I also love the fact that the author stresses the Minimum Standard of Care. This means that both partners can do the task without it being a problem. I foresee that being crucial in the discussions.</span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br />I just need to schedule a time with my partner to talk about this now!</span></div></div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-38907204364293839412022-04-16T00:00:00.001-05:002022-04-16T00:00:00.192-05:00The Road by Cormac McCarthy<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="289" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Title:</b> The Road</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Cormac McCarthy</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 241</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> April 2022</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> <span style="font-family: times;">The Man and the Boy walk south on The Road, hoping to find food and a warmer climate before winter. In the post-Apocalyptic world, food is scarce and other humans are more likely to be cannibals than friendly helpers. Everything has the potential to be dangerous, and time is most definitely against them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>Thoughts: </b><span style="font-family: times;">Bleak. So bleak. I did appreciate every time McCarthy put in a scene of reprieve from the struggle. Especially considering some of the scenes are so disturbing that I had to put the book down and walk away occasionaly.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">This was my first McCarthy novel. The lack of punctuation made for a difficult read, but it also really changed the tone of the book for me. Without those clues, I read most of the story in a monotone in my head. It seemed very fitting to the book.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">This was not a fun read, but it did hold my interest to the very end.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-18705529071164921652022-04-14T20:38:00.002-05:002022-04-14T20:38:16.180-05:00The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534202295l/40409247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534202295l/40409247.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Title: </b>The Beast's Heart<b> </b></div>
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<b>Author: </b>Leife Shallcross</div>
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<b>Pages: </b>416</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> April 2022</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><span style="font-family: times;">For countless years, the Beast has spent his days destroying everything in his forest until he dreams of the fairy who cursed him, leading him back to his castle. There, he learns to become civilized again, but realizes he will only be able to break the curse by finding someone who can truly love him for who he is. And thus, the tale of Beauty and the Beast begins.</span></div>
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<b>Thoughts: </b><span style="font-family: times;">What I Liked - The magic. One of the fun things about retellings of this story is seeing how the magic in the Castle manifests. This one seems to come about in three different ways. Unseen servant type magic, something from the fairy, and then magic from the character’s thoughts.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">I appreciated the use of the magic mirror to tell the story of the rest of Imogen’s family while she was staying with the Beast. Speaking of her family, I appreciated that the sisters were really goodhearted.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">And I LOVED how, even though she was brought to the Beast’s castle under false pretenses, he immediately lets her go and she decides to stay. She’s not stuck there under duress.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">What I Would have changed - The Beast. He comes across as super whiny. As the book goes on, he seems to become less sure of himself and goes about everything in what feels like the worst way possible. His excuse is the curse and his explanation is past trauma, but it feels like he doesn’t even try to figure out a smarter way. Just falls into, “This is how I am.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;">I don’t know that this is my favorite retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it was definitely a fun, lighthearted read.</span></p><div><br /></div><div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p></div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-67145205559022571442022-03-09T20:12:00.004-06:002022-03-09T20:12:45.278-06:00Books, Books, and More Books!<div>No real summaries of any of these considering I read most of them in late December - early February. Here are some vague impressions.<br /><br />Also, I don't have much to review currently as I've been very focused on children's literature for work and will not be reviewing that here. </div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>The Devil and the Dark Water</b> by Stuart Turton<div> - This mystery definitely kept me reading through the entire thing. I will admit that I was roped in by what seemed to be more of a supernatural story though it turned out not so supernatural in the end. I remember tearing through this around Christmas, but it wasn't very sticky. In fact, I honestly couldn't tell you how the characters solve the mystery. Nor can I remember their names. Fun book to read at the time, but clearly not memorable.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Gracekeepers</b> by Kirsty Logan</div><div>- Super atmospheric with a bit of Irish fairy tale woven in. It took me a bit to realize it's set in what's clearly a distant future where oceans have risen on Earth and land masses are essentially small islands. This feels right at home with books like The Night Circus or just about anything by Patricia McKillip and thus it's right in my wheelhouse. Reading it was like reading a dream. You just have to trust the story will take you where it wants you to go. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Carrie</b> by Stephen King</div><div>- One of those everyone knows something about this story even if they've never read it nor saw the movie. I'd always skipped this as I tend to not like horror. However, I didn't realize this was more psychological horror over paranormal/supernatural horror. Entertaining and quick read. Definitely felt for Carrie. Didn't realize how much of the novel was written as reports and news articles.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Dealing With Dragons</b> by Patricia C. Wrede</div><div>- I missed this book as a teen which is honestly shocking because it would have been right up my alley. The main character is quirky. The dragons are great. This was a fun read, though definitely young. I could imagine myself reading this series to my kids as they get older, though I don't think I'd go out of my way to read them myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Hawthorne School</b> by Sylvie Perry</div><div>- Thriller set in modern day Chicago. A mom wants what's best for her 4-year-old and enrolls him in an alternative school. The Hawthorne school takes bits from Swedish Forest Schools, Montessori, and Reggio. And while things seem to be going well to start, she notices he seems off, discussing ceremonies in the woods and shunning his classmates. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was a weird one for me. The premise was interesting enough, but the reader figures out what happens way before the main character. THough to be fair, that's how cults work isn't it? People get sucked in and don't believe their friends' and loved ones' misgivings until it's too late. Quick read and great bit of brain trash.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-39858572795488502932022-02-16T20:28:00.003-06:002022-02-16T20:28:28.810-06:00A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> A History of What Comes Next</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Sylvain Neuvel</div>
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<b>Pages: </b>299</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> February 2022</div>
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<b>First Sentence:</b> We were the Ninety-Eight</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> Mia's family has pushed humans throughout history to develop the technology necessary for space travel. And now it is Mia's turn. But the Germans that Mia's family has helped are now all members of the Nazi party, and Germany is about to surrender. It's up to Mia to save the knowledge all while trying to figure out who and what she is.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts:</b> Contains spoilers: I tore through this book so quickly. A sci-fi historical novel? Yes please! Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. This book wasn't it, but it was so interesting. </div><div><br /></div><div>Neuvel really researched the events in the novel. In fact, he has backmatter on all of them. I really liked how he threaded Mia and her people into the events in an incredibly plausible way. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was interesting seeing the two sets of aliens, the all female Kibsu and then the all male Trackers. It was pretty clear early on that they were connected from a long, distant past. I would have liked a bit more explanation there, but perhaps it's coming in the next book.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, this was an interesting read and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. I do wish I had listened to the music from the playlist included with the book, but I was reading so fast, I never really made time for it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-56118497520874930052021-12-15T20:05:00.002-06:002021-12-15T20:05:53.808-06:00A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title: </b>A Master of Djinn</div>
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<b>Author:</b> P. Djeli Clark</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 390</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> December 13, 2021</div>
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<b>First Sentence: </b>Archibald James Portendorf disliked stairs.</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> Genies and other magical beings have come back to Egypt. In 1912, Fatma el-Sha'arawi investigates a homicide of a secret society dedicated to al-Jahiz, the mystic who brought djinn back into the world. However, the person who claimed the Brotherhood claims to be al-Jahiz himself, back in the world and eager to destroy mankind.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts: </b>I received an ARC of this back in the spring in exchange for an honest review. </div><div><br /></div><div>Worldbuilding/Setting: I'm a sucker for steampunk and fantasy. Especially when it mixes with real world. The world building here worked for me especially since it was set in Egypt instead of the more traditional Western cultures many books. Nothing here really threw me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Characterization: While I appreciated that the main characters were all women, I was disappointed in Fatma. She definitely came across as different to prove she's not like other women. I know many women go through this, me included. But to never see it addressed, it just felt like it was celebrating internalized misogyny. That being said, I appreciated that all the characters came across as competent in their jobs, both men and women. </div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, the storyline was interesting and I did enjoy reading it. </div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-43255497473427677672021-11-24T18:24:00.004-06:002021-11-24T18:24:38.022-06:00October/November BooksA number of my reading projects finished up at around the same time right when life got really busy, and I never wrote the reviews. Since then, all the other books I've picked up have either been duds or are children's books that I won't be reviewing. So here's some short reviews with close to a month space from when I read them...<div><br /></div><div><b>When No One is Watching</b> by Alyssa Cole</div><div><br /></div><div>- A thriller involving gentrification and the idea that it's more sinister than just upper middle class white people moving into a predominantly poor black neighborhood. </div><div><br /></div><div>The book moves at a decent clip with all the writing conventions designed to keep you reading. The story wasn't fully that farfetched especially as more white people are becoming aware of the systemic racism that built, shaped, and continues to exist in our country. I especially liked the resolution and who was involved in helping save the neighborhood. I don't know that thrillers are much of my wheelhouse, but this was definitely a welcome read post the book I'd read before it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>A Night in the Lonesome October</b> by Roger Zelazny</div><div><br /></div><div>- I came across this title in late September on a reddit thread of all places. Someone mentioned they read it one chapter a night every October. I had no idea what I was in for, but I grabbed it all the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>Told from the eyes of Snuff the dog, companion to Jack the Ripper, we discover a group of eccentrics living in the Victorian English Countryside participating in The Game. Will the Openers bring the Old Ones into the world, or will the Closers manage to keep them out? Each chapter takes place in the span of one day in October. </div><div><br /></div><div>This book was delightfully quirky and perfect for Spooky Season. Recognizable characters such as Dracula and Frankenstein make an appearance. The Lovecraftian influence was perfectly creepy. There was plenty of humor in the right places. I particularly enjoyed how the story unfolded as each night progressed. Reading only a chapter a night was kind of fun. It really added to the flavor of the text with the beginning of the month being set up and then having things ramp up as Halloween was around the corner. I don't know that I'll read this every October as some do, but I could pick it up again.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Anna Karenina</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>by Leo Tolstoy</div><div><br /></div><div><div>While this probably should be its own review, it took me almost two years to read this book with some hefty breaks in between. It started out strong for me. I was invested in the characters and wanted to see what would happen. There was even some humor in the writing. But then we'd get to Levin's chapters and the treatises on Russian farming, and I found myself losing interest. </div><div><br /></div><div>Levin's Arc: I felt that I needed a primer on late 19th century Russian history while reading his arc. Obviously there was a lot about tradition vs. modernization that played into his story, but knowing little about the politics and social climate at the time in Russia, I found myself just bored with the arc. But in the end, he found happiness, and I'm glad the book ended with his happy though a bit morally preachy story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anna's Arc: Ooof. So much drama! And so much hypocrisy. Seriously? Oblonsky can sleep with all the women and still be in society but Anna cannot! I know. 19th century and gender etc... But Anna. Oh my goodness Anna! It seemed like she chose the most self-destructive action at every turn to the point where she ended up killing herself. And boy did Tolstoy make her as unlikeable as possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, I feel like this book would have gone better for me had I read up a bit on the time period, and if I had read it in a shorter time span. There was just so much information to keep up with! I didn't find any of the characters particularly enjoyable. And while that shouldn't be criteria for a book being good or not, it can make it difficult to enjoy the book. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Since reading it, I'm finding many mentions of how amazing this novel is. Much like Count of Monte Cristo and Wuthering Heights, I feel as though I'm missing something. Perhaps the issue really is that I just don't like reading unlikeable characters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Up next on my nightstand are a couple fantasy books that I'm looking forward to. We'll see what comes of those!</div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-3610023077777593132021-10-14T13:52:00.002-05:002021-10-14T13:52:20.526-05:00Smoke by Dan Vyleta<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title: </b>Smoke</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Dan Vyleta</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 448</div>
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<b>Finished: </b>August 2021</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">A bit of a lighter review here. I read this back in August and never wrote about it, but by now my thoughts are a bit more fleeting. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I picked the book up due to the premise. The idea that smoke issues from people when they lie or sin. Between that and the Dickensian feel of the novel, I was intrigued. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The book moved quickly enough. I kept reading in order to find out more. However, I feel like what I expected the book to be was different than it actually was. I was more interested in bits that were mentioned but not pursued. Perhaps the sequel explains more of what I'm looking for, but I'm not interested enough to move forward with it. </div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-68144326363501351312021-08-02T18:54:00.000-05:002021-08-02T18:54:06.646-05:00The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> The Hidden Palace</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Helene Wecker</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 469</div>
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<b>Finished: </b>August 1, 2021</div>
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<b>First Sentence:</b> Of all the myriad races of thinking creatures in the world, the two that most delight in telling stories are the flesh-and-blood humans and the long-lived, fiery jinn.</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> The Golem, Chava and the Jinni, Ahmad continue their exploration of humanity following the events of the first book. The Jinni pushes Chava to do things for herself while Chava tries to get the Jinni to actually care about others around him. Meanwhile, Sophia Wilkes travels to Syria to try and find a cure for her illness, eschewing her family name in the process. News of the Ironbound Jinni Travels through the Jinni communities, capturing the interest of a jinniyeh who's immune to iron. And in New York, a girl helps her father build a Golem. Over the course of 15 years, their stories intertwine set in the backdrop of the early 20th century. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts: </b>I read this book in two days. Much like the first one, it swept me along it's journey and didn't let go until I finished it. Wecker's writing style is very lyrical which always draws me in. The addition of the mystical over a very detailed real world is very compelling as well. Her characters are well thought out and develop well through the story. Her sense of place is fantastic. This is a stunning follow-up to The Golem and the Jinni. Honestly, I don't know what else to say other than go read it. After reading the first one of course.</div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-54734777150934847742021-07-12T15:58:00.001-05:002021-07-12T15:58:04.601-05:00Five BooksI've read plenty in the past few months. Instead of giving full reviews for each one (considering some were from months ago and have fuzzied out a bit in my mind) I'll put some thoughts here.<br /><br /><b>The Stone Sky</b> by N. K. Jemisin<div><br /></div><div>- Essun knows she must travel to the other side of the world in order to catch the moon even as she helps Castrima make their way to Rennanis. Nassun and Schaffa, meanwhile, make their way to Corepoint in order to break the world. Meanwhile Hoa takes us to his past with the story of how the Seasons started.<br /><br /></div><div>Dedication: To those who've survived: Breathe. That's it. Once more. Good. You're good. Even if you're not, you're alive. That is a victory.</div><div><br /></div><div>Much like the first two, I found myself compelled to read to the end and figure out what the hell had happened to this world even through the ugliness of the characters. In particular, I was very interested in the story Hoa told of how he and his people broke the world and became the first Stone Eaters. The mirrors between his life and Essun's were interesting to catch though depressing when one realizes that few things change. People dislike those who are different. They distrust those who are different. And they will do horrible things to those they think they are better than. <br /><br />The book concluded the story satisfactorily for me. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes dark, high fantasy. But be prepared because it is dark.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Memory Theater</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>by Karen Tidbeck</div><div><br /></div><div>- The denizens of The Gardens spend all their time partying, playing croquet, and hunting their servants whose time has come to an end. Dora and Thistle escape the gardens even as Thistle's mistress is cast out for bringing Time to the Gardens. It's up to Dora and Thistle to find Augusta to retrieve Thistle's real name, while Augusta will do just about anything to make her way back to The Gardens.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another dark fantasy, this one tells of a world outside of ours. A Fairyland of sorts. Though the people who live in this world of Faerie, known as the Gardens, are cruel. The Gardens part of the plot is somewhat disheartening and definitely not for those with a weak stomach. However, once the main characters escape from the garden, things pick up. I particularly enjoyed seeing the titular theatre. <br /><br /></div><div><b>Once Upon a River</b> by Diane Setterfield</div><div><br /></div><div>- The Swan Inn on the Thames is famous for its storytelling. One Midwinter's Eve, the locals gather around to listen, only to be interrupted by an injured man carrying a corpse. Hours later, the corpse comes to life as a girl. A girl who's claimed by three different families. </div><div><br /></div><div>This one was hard to put down. In general, the writing style was lovely. It felt like I was reading a fairy tale or legend even though it's a modern book set in turn-of-the-century England.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Golem and the Jinni</b> by Helene Wecker</div><div>- Chava, a golem made of clay to serve a master, finds herself masterless in New York at the turn of the century. Ahmed, a jinni from Syria, also finds himself in New York with his only memories from his life thousands of years ago. Both feel out of place as they struggle to find their way in this giant city where they don't fit in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blech... that's a horrible summary for an exquisite book. This is a reread as the second book is coming out this year. I neglected so many of my responsibilities in order to read this! Wecker writes a compelling story about two very lost people. I thought her cast of characters to be very interesting. I particularly enjoyed how everyone came together by the end. Poor Chava is particularly interesting. The Golem only wishes to help everyone, but to do so would completely give away that she's not human. And so she's stuck helping as she can without being noticeable. I really liked how she rubbed off a bit on the jinni as well. I have the second book on hold for whenever it is that it arrives. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Witch's Heart </b>by Genevieve Gornichec</div><div><br /></div><div>- A witch refuses to tell Odin the information he wants about the end of the world. As punishment, her heart is torn out of her body and she's burnt at the stake three times. The witch crawls to the edge of the forest where Loki gives her back her heart. She renames herself Angroboda, and there she makes a home for herself, Loki, when he visits, and her eventual children. But Odin is a hard man to deceive and it's only a matter of time before he gets what he wants.</div><div><br /></div><div>This one started off a bit rough for me. The flyleaf (and my description) make it seem like Angroboda's punishment is a huge part of the book. In reality, it's mentioned in the first couple of pages to set the scene. As Boda's relationship with Loki starts out, it felt very immature. In fact, I was struggling with the very YA feel of the book. However, once her children were born, I found myself more invested.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is a retelling of Norse mythology events from the point of view of Angroboda. Her view of the gods is a very negative one. The book moved slower than I expected. Recommended for fans of mythological retellings particularly from a women's perspective.</div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-45432690608828578212021-04-14T20:29:00.000-05:002021-04-14T20:29:04.234-05:00Children's Books Read in March<div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Golden Specific</b> by S. E. Grove</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Book 2 in the Mapmakers Trilogy. This was incredibly compelling, and I could not put it down. I found it to be a great continuation of the story with a satisfying ending point for part of the story. I'm still fascinated by this world and the different Ages. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Crimson Skew</b> by S. E. Grove</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The conclusion to The Mapmakers Trilogy. This book takes place almost immediately after the second part. I found the storylines to fall in line quite nicely though I do feel that two side characters were a bit forgotten. Still, the trilogy concluded satisfactorily for me. I'd definitely recommend the entire trilogy to middle grade fantasy readers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Cathedral of Bones</b> by A. J. Steiger</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A horror novel in the Lovecraftian Mythos. I picked it up actually thinking it was fantasy, and I suppose it does kind of fit that bill. But it's more horror. A little slow to start, but once the main character left town, things picked up. The book is billed as Middle Grade but I definitely feel it's more 7th grade and up. Main character is 16 and the storyline is pretty dark. A good bridge for kids wanting more than the standard middle grade affair but not quite ready for YA.</div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-10115584857790234242021-03-25T09:00:00.003-05:002021-03-25T09:00:03.149-05:00The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> The Obelisk Gate</div>
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<b>Author:</b> N. K. Jemisin</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 391</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> March 17, 2021</div>
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<b>First Sentence:</b> Hm. No. I'm telling this wrong.</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> As Essun struggles to fit in at Castrima, the Comm is threatened by an Equatorial Comm that wants nothing to do with orogenes or roggas. Meanwhile, her daughter Nassun finds shelter in Found Moon with Schaffa, the corrupted Guardian.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts:</b> The dedication in this one is "To those who have no choice but to prepare their children for the battlefield."</div><div><br /></div><div>This book picks up almost entirely where the first book left off though we now add Nassun's story into the mix. I feel about her much the way I feel about all the other characters. I may sympathize with how things have happened, but I don't find her all that likeable. </div><div><br /></div><div>This book is a strange balancing act of compelling and depressing. The world-building is top notch and I really want to see what these obelisks are and how Essun is going to solve everything that's happening. There's a number of mysteries at play that will hopefully fall into place in the third novel. And there's a Revolution brewing that I desperately want to end happily.</div><div><br /></div><div>The prejudice, the hate, and the acts of violence that come from that are just depressing. I don't trust most of the characters, and I start crying when certain bits come across. Which is the point. I must say, Jemisin manages to really do a fantastic job of portraying the anger of a class of people who've been enslaved, mistreated, and attacked simply because they're different. But if you're not looking for that, then this may not be the book for you.</div><div><br /></div><div>After finishing this book, I immediately started the final in the trilogy. I'm so very curious to see where this is all headed.</div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-23828545493629051012021-03-15T08:00:00.001-05:002021-03-15T08:00:07.884-05:00The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> The Fifth Season</div>
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<b>Author:</b> N. K. Jemisin</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 449</div>
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<b>Finished: </b>March 7, 2021</div>
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<b>First Sentence:</b> Let's start with the end of the world, why don't we?</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>This is the story of Damaya, a young orogene sent to the Fulcrum for her ability to control rock. This is the story of Syenite, a 4-ringed orogene sent to be a mate to the mighty ten-ringed orogene Alabaster. This is the story of Essun, orogene in hiding who must hunt for her husband, the man who killed her son all while the world ends.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts:</b> The book opens with the body of a toddler who was beaten to death by his father. I have to admit, I considered dropping the book then and there. It's not a happy image, nor is it one I particularly want in books I read for fun. I pressed on, however. The prologue includes someone ripping the world apart by controlling the bedrock of the continent, a boy made of rock being born out of a geode, and a woman who must enact revenge on her husband. Happy stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>This isn't the happiest of books, but I found myself engrossed in the story. Right off the bat, this is a book with its own world, its own vocabulary, and its own social system. It's not explicitly spelled out either. There's a glossary in the back, and with careful reading, you can pick it up fairly quickly, but if you don't like that, this may not be for you. </div><div><br /></div><div>If, however, you're of fan of worldbuilding, then this could be right up your alley. It's billed as an epic fantasy, but I feel it runs into more dystopia than anything. The world they live in is clearly a far-future version of our world</div><div><br /></div><div>The characters are frustrating. All of them were a bit tough for me to like. I don't know that you have to like a character to make a book rewarding, but I found them to be on the acerbic and standoffish side. Of course, it did make sense considering they were members of what is essentially an enslaved people. And those that enslaved them are such masters of gaslighting it makes your skin crawl.</div><div><br /></div><div>The writing style was interesting. Two of the characters' POVs were in the third person while the third was in the second person. I've never read a book in second person POV. It took a few chapters to figure it out. </div><div><br /></div><div>N. K. Jemisin is a black author. Her dedication reads "For all those who have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question." She's also described herself as an author who likes "to write about ordinary people -- all kids of ordinary people -- in extraordinary situations, preferably in non-Earth worlds which nevertheless reflect our own. I'm trying to write decolonized fiction, for our postcolonial world. And at the end of the day I just want to tell a good story" (from her author blurb on Amazon). It's very clear that that's what she's doing with people in power controlling others. And it's interesting to see what happens when the controlled end up in communities where they can control themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also interesting to note, the characters are default darker-skinned. This is one of those things that shouldn't be surprising, but if you read enough fantasy, it seems in general that characters tend to be default white, so that was cool to see once I figured it out. I was also pleased to see LGBTQIA+ representation as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>The book ends on a cliff-hanger so if you find yourself enjoying it, make sure you have the second one either checked-out or on hold already so you can keep moving along. I have a feeling the books are going to move along as one big story.<br /><br />I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys epic fantasy or dystopia and maybe even sci-fi fans.</div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-18878355471697077652021-03-12T14:04:00.001-06:002021-03-12T14:04:09.331-06:00A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Title: </b>A Study in Scarlet</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Arthur Conan Doyle</div>
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<b>Pages: </b>142</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> March 1, 2021</div>
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<b>First Sentence: </b>In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army.</div>
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<b>Summary: </b>Dr. Watson, just home from Afghan wars, finds himself in need of a roommate. He takes up lodgings with the enigmatical Sherlock Holmes who, it turns out, is a consulting detective. Watson writes up the strange case of a dead man found in an abandoned house and how Holmes solved it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts: </b>Reading the source material for Sherlock Holmes is always interesting because I came to the source material after I was already aware of the character. My first remembered experience with Sherlock Holmes is from the Disney movie The Great Mouse Detective. Following that, I saw some various BBC versions - some actual Sherlock Holmes adaptations. At one point we listened to some Sherlock Holmes audiobooks on a family vacation. I remember the Speckled Band. Then there's all the various movies, Sherlock and Elementary, Data pretending to be Sherlock Holmes on Star Trek. <br /><br />All that to say, I've seen so many Sherlock Holmes characterizations that coming back to the source was interesting. The book itself is broken into two parts. The first part is the set up of meeting Sherlock, the mystery, and the investigation leading to an arrest. The second part begins in America with two people on death's door being saved by Mormons. It was such a jarring switch that I actually thought the ebook I was reading had a different story in it. Nope, all good. It's just the context for why the murderer became a murderer. After we get all that context, we get the wrap up of how Holmes solved the case and the aftermath. <br /><br />Weirdly enough, because I'm more familiar with pop culture Holmes, I found myself comparing the original to what I know. He's a cocky jackass for sure. I'm not sure if I'll continue reading more Holmes. <br /><br />This does count as one book off my Classics Club list and I'll be using it for a category in Back to the Classics, though I'm not yet sure which one.</div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-42908654474861133332021-02-27T13:00:00.005-06:002021-10-14T14:01:51.313-05:00The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417983088l/18668056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="270" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417983088l/18668056.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Title:</b> The Glass Sentence</div>
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<b>Author:</b> S. E. Grove</div>
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<b>Pages: </b></div>
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<b>Finished: </b>February 18</div>
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<b>First Sentence:</b> It happened long ago, when I was only a child.</div>
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<b>Summary:</b> (from Goodreads) <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods. Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.</span></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.</span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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<b>Thoughts:</b> This is a re-read of this novel, and I enjoyed it just as much this time around as I did many years ago when I first read it. <br /><br />Characters: All feel in place in a middle-grade fantasy. Flaws are fairly minor or serve to make the character more likeable which could lead readers to feel the characters are too archetypal, but I don't mind it so much in middle grade literature. Sophia has a quiet strength that pulls her out of the Strong Female Character stereotype that sometimes prevails in women-led novels. Theo seems like the standard brash sidekick. Pirates Calixta and Burr are fun. The villain is very villain-worthy. There's enough of a reason that she doesn't seem just evil for evil's sake, but she's very disturbing.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Setting: World-building is pretty good. I would have liked to know even MORE about the ages, but I understand that's not the point of this book. New Occidant has enough familiarities for it to feel familiar even as it's different. The Baldlands are so completely different. <br /><br />Writing: The books moves at a decent clip. I continually found myself frustrated when I had to put it down. Point of view is primarily Sophia's in third person though Shadrack has a few POV chapters as well. His chapters are spaced fairly far apart, but they're really nervewracking. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is a solid middle grade fantasy similar to Inkheart or the Golden Compass. </div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-80727888349595416172021-02-27T09:57:00.000-06:002021-02-27T09:57:12.164-06:00Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580914500l/49189334._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="346" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580914500l/49189334._SY475_.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Title:</b> Master of Poisons</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Andrea Hairston</div>
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<b>Pages:</b> 507</div>
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<b>Finished:</b> February 24, 2021</div>
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<b>First Sentence:</b> We are more likely to deny truth than admit grave error and change our minds. </div>
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<b>Summary:</b> Poison desert ravages the land. Djola, Master of Poisons and right-hand mand of the Emporer is banished to live a life among pirates for suggesting people work together and those higher up make sacrifices to solve the problem. Awa, a young smoke-walker travels her own road of danger as she goes against what the Empire believes to be true. </div>
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<b>Thoughts:</b> This is a slow burn book. I started it at the beginning of January and it took close to two months to read. I found this book while looking up fantasy based on African legends. I don't know enough of any African folklore to say whether this one followed any, but I was definitely expecting more along the lines of Redemption in Indigo. <br /><br />This is epic fantasy told in a style that I imagine is more similar to oral storytelling. The sentences have a cadence unlike any I've read recently. It took a while to wrap my head around, but once I got there, I was fine with it. Time tends to jump too. The book starts with many chapters that take place in one day, then suddenly jump years. It's jarring at first but you get there in the end. There's also a bit of a learning curve with this world's language. Most fantasy I read is decidedly western in its setting. There's familiarity in the creatures and the names used. It took a bit more time to understand the setting here as well.<br /><br />Mainly, the book itself was oddly paced. It mostly alternated between Djola's and Awa's points of view. The first few chapters were quick and I was on board with what was happening. But when Djola's point of view chapters were stuck in his eight-year pirate journey where he just felt sorry for himself, I floundered. He wasn't a particularly likeable character, which doesn't kill a book for me, but his self-pity was tough to take at the moment when I was reading it. <br /><br />Awa was more likable in that first half, though as her story became what it was and she became angry and disillusioned with the world, I found her fairly tough to deal with as well. The story itself picked up when Djola's and Awa's paths finally converged at which point the final 200 pages were a quick finish. <br /><br />The setting was an interesting take on climate change. This was man-made climate change though through environmental means and magic. It mirrored a lot of what we see happening now with those on top not only being unwilling to try anything new but also digging in deeper with harmful practices that artificially keep the poison desert away. Hezram's dream/nightmare gates were especially distressing and poignant. <br /><br />I also appreciated that the book didn't end with a complete turnaround. Awa, Djola, and their allies didn't save the world. They just managed to figure out a less-harmful temporary solution so they could breathe and figure out a more permanent solution. </div><div><br /></div><div>This book definitely falls on the epic side of the fantasy continuum. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy long sagas such as Lord of the Rings or the Eragon series especially if they're looking for something a little less white male centric. While the empire itself is very patriarchal, there are matricarchial societies within the Empire and there's a subset of people called the Green Elders who live a life as non-binary individuals. Of course, both the matriarchial societies and the Green Elders are persecuted for these things, but, as is usually the case when people want to make changes in the world, they play a large role in the climax of the story and the band-aid solution to get some breathing room. </div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-43454655886333870932021-01-02T10:13:00.002-06:002021-03-12T14:19:55.378-06:002021 Back to the Classics and Chunkster<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I really like the Back to the Classics and have decided it will be one of two I sign up for this year to help motivate me as I work through my Classics Club list. I'm not assigning any books, though I've gone ahead and categorized my remaining books where they fit. I'll link everything at the end of the year. I'm also signing up for the Chunkster Reading Challenge as most of these books are fairly hefty.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />1. <b>A 19th century classic</b>: <a href="https://mounttoberead.blogspot.com/2021/03/a-study-in-scarlet-by-arthur-conan-doyle.html">A Study In Scarlet</a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">2.<b> A 20th century classic</b>: East of Eden, Endless Night</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />3. <b>A classic by a woman author</b>. Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Endless Night</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />4. <b>A classic in translation</b>: Don Quixote, Anna Karenina</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />5. <b>A classic by BIPOC author</b>: ???</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />6. <b>A classic by a new-to-you author:</b> Vanity Fair or Anna Karenina or Don Quixote<br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">7. <b>New-to-you classic by a favorite author:</b> East of Eden or Endless Night<br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">8. <b>A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title: ???</b><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">9. <b>A children's classic</b>. Peter Pan</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">10. <b>A humorous or satirical classic: </b>Martin Chuzzlewit</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />11. <b>A travel or adventure classic: ???</b><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">12.<b> A classic play: </b>A Winter's Tale</span></div></div>
Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-31014195790804027882021-01-01T06:00:00.002-06:002021-01-01T06:00:03.602-06:00Looking Forward 2021As I said in my post yesterday, I've been thinking about my reading and what I want out of it. I work in a children's library, and when I started this blog, I had been reading mainly children's literature. I wanted to start reading adult literature, but wasn't sure where to start so I joined a few book challenges and was using this blog to track progress and write reviews. <div><br /></div><div>For the last two years, I'm noticing that I haven't been as interested in my challenges and I'm not reading much children's literature at all. I've liked the challenges because they do help me grow as a reader. Reading outside my comfort zone has been fun in some ways. But at the same time, I tend to then get frustrated when I read something that doesn't "count" for a challenge, even if I'm enjoying reading it. Basically, I'm really good at starting off focused, and then I get distracted and look at all the pretty things. It's a problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>So this year I'm doing things a bit differently. With the exception of potentially two challenges, I'm not signing up for or making my own challenges. I'm just setting some goals. There are some challenges that I will be using to provide roadmaps, but I don't plan on signing up and counting books for them. So without further ado, my 2021 reading goals. </div><div><br /></div><div>Goal 1: Make progress on my Classics Club List<br /><br />Technically five years is up in January 2022, but of the 11 books remaining on my list, six are over 500 pages long. Two clock in at close to 1,000. I don't see myself finishing by 2022. I also foresee needing some motivation because, while I always feel like I get a lot out of reading classics, sometimes it's a bit of work to get through them. I will vaguely follow the <a href="https://karensbooksandchocolate.blogspot.com/2020/06/back-to-classics-2021.html">Back to the Classics</a> challenge simply because it's a great motivator. There's also a <a href="https://impressionsininkblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/10/chunkster-reading-challenge-2021/">chunkster reading</a> challenge I found that could be a fantastic motivator as well. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Goals 2 and 3: Read more children's books and read more diverse books. </div><div><br /></div><div>Professionally, I cannot overlook children's literature. At the very least, I need to keep up with what's out there. On top of that I really want to focus on diverse literature for kids. While I don't plan to sign up for challenges, there is a <a href="http://www.belleslibrary.com/2020/12/the-2021-childrens-books-reading.html">Reading Children's Books For Adults</a> and a <a href="https://celebrityreaders.com/2020/11/27/2021-diversity-reading-challenge/">Diversity Reading Challenge</a> that look like they could be a great road map if I need help there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Goal 4: Read books I enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really enjoy fantasy adjacent novels for just plain fun reading. There's a <a href="https://booksinwonderland.com/fantasy-reading-challenge/">fantasy challenge</a> that could be fun for a road map of discovering new fantasy because it's always fun discovering new stuff! But aside from that, I've really enjoyed trolling the New section on Goodreads and grabbing something from there. Almost every book I've read since September is from there, and I've enjoyed every one!</div><div><br /></div><div>Goal 5: ETM Study<br /><br />Recently I've been studying with a group called Education Through Music. Their way of teaching music has really resonated with me, and every time I attend a workshop, I come back with more ideas for deliberate, successful teaching both at my library and my private music studio. They have quite the book list to study regarding things like motivation, teaching practices, brain development, child development, and the like that are really fascinating. I always keep meaning to read them... but never do. <br /><br />As for my Mount To be Reads and DeLint novels and the like... I'm still going to keep those lists, but I'm not making them as much a priority at this point. </div><div><br /></div><div>I feel good about these goals. They give me some direction in my reading because some of my reading does need direction, but since they're goals rather than challenges to be participated in, I can move them aside for other things as desired. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wishing you all a Happy New Year and Happy Reading!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4194990511999279713.post-16000633322167024102020-12-31T06:00:00.001-06:002020-12-31T06:00:07.738-06:00Looking Back: A Wrap up of 2020 in Reading<div>What an interesting year it's been. I had signed up for a number of challenges at the beginning of the year with the caveat that I was going to use them more as guides to my reading as I wasn't sure what was going to happen due to being pregnant and due in May. <br /><br />The year started out all right. I decided the best way to tackle the challenges were to essentially cycle through with a focus of two books from the first challenge, then one book of all the others. I also decided to read Anna Karenina over six months by basically reading it for 20 minutes a day. And I did all right. I finished most of my first cycle by March 10th along with a couple of parenting books thrown in. On March 15th, our state issued Shelter-in-Place orders for Covid-19. Luckily I had my next "cycle" of books checked out, but it took a while to make my way through two of them. I managed my way through a third while in a stage of early baby days where the baby would only sleep while on me.<br /><br />And then I didn't pick up another book until August at which point I basically threw all my lists out the window and focused on parenting books and new releases. It felt appropriate with 2020 being the dumpster fire that it was. <br /><br />I managed a grand total of 23 books this year. Not a strong suit by any means, but honestly, with how I felt about reading over much of the year, I'm pretty pleased with that. It has given me much to think about in my future reading and which directions I wish to take this blog but that's a post for the New Year. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope everyone else had a more productive reading year than I did even as we all struggled with the challenges thrown at us and I hope for a much better 2021 for everyone!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman", times, freeserif, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><ol></ol></div></div></div></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16570909066204046214noreply@blogger.com0