Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

Title: Fair Play

Author: Eve Rodsky

Pages: 352

Finished: April 12, 2022

Premise: 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. 

She breaks the domestic labor into 100 different tasks. Partners are to take time to discuss which of these tasks they value in  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. 

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.

Thoughts: 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. 

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.

I just need to schedule a time with my partner to talk about this now!

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Title: The Road

Author: Cormac McCarthy

Pages: 241

Finished: April 2022

Summary: 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.

Thoughts: 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. 

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. 

This was not a fun read, but it did hold my interest to the very end. 

The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross

Title: The Beast's Heart 

Author: Leife Shallcross

Pages: 416

Finished: April 2022

Summary: 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.

Thoughts: 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. 

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.

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. 

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.”

I don’t know that this is my favorite retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it was definitely a fun, lighthearted read.

Books, Books, and More Books!

No real summaries of any of these considering I read most of them in late December - early February. Here are some vague impressions.

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. 

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

 - 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.

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan

- 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. 

Carrie by Stephen King

- 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.

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

- 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.

The Hawthorne School by Sylvie Perry

- 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. 

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.

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel

Title: A History of What Comes Next

Author: Sylvain Neuvel

Pages: 299

Finished: February 2022

First Sentence: We were the Ninety-Eight

Summary: 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.

Thoughts: 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. 

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. 

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.

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.