The Beautiful Capitol Building in more peaceful times
I disappeared for a while. Between prepping to be away from home for the next few months and the holidays, I let the blog posts languish. But I am back with renewed inspiration and reading goals.
In my previous reading update, I was nearing my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 185 books, I ended 2020 having read 189. That last week of the year, the time between Christmas and New Year's is a reading heavy time for me. My next post will review my favorite 10-15 reads of 2020.
I have relocated from DC to FL for some time, no firm plans at this point, but one goal is to avoid seeing live snow this year. I do love being inside and cozy, watching snow falling. (I dislike when it hangs around making walking the sidewalks a slushy obstacle course.) One of my most favorite walks is around the Capitol Building while it is snowing or just after it stops when the whole world is quiet. (The events of the past week, the desecration of this temple of democracy is heart breaking. I shed copious tears watching and reading about the invasion and attempts by some to thwart the democratic process with terroristic methods. I make no apologies for these strong words.)
Read:
December 2020
- Holly Black's How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (purchased book) - I have not read anything by Holly Black that wasn't fantastic. If you are just starting her work, I would recommend The Curse Workers series that begins with White Cat or her most recent The Folk of the Air series that begins with The Cruel Prince. The stand-alone The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is also a favorite of mine.
- I finished A Promised Land by President Barack Obama (purchased from Audible) before driving to FL. I find Obama's voice pleasant to listen to. Add to this, my preference for non-fiction read by the author and this was a 5 star read for me. This is the first of two books about his Presidency. This volume ends with the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. With this installment coming in at 768 pages and ending before the end of his first term, I wonder if he will move more quickly through 2012-2016. I anticipate a fair bit of reflection on his entire presidency at the end of the 2nd book. Whatever the case, I will again purchase and listen.
- Super Fake Love Song (purchased book) by David Yoon - I almost stopped reading this around chapter 3. Early in the novel, Yoon uses some stereotypes of students who play sports, students who prioritize their academics, and musical students that I disliked. I was also turned off by the portrayal of teachers as indifferent at best and hostile at worst. As a high school educator I can speak from experience when I say these types have been a minority in schools where I have worked. But, I chalked Sunny's attitude up to self-absorption and moved on. I am glad to say my faith in Yoon was well placed as Sunny's story progressed.
- Christmas at the Island Hotel (elibrary book) by Jenny Colgan - This was a well-timed read just before Christmas. Colgan's novels are not without conflict and angst, but the characters are engaging, the settings serve as integral to the characters and their relationships, and the resolutions are satisfying.
- The City Baker's Guide to Country Living (elibrary book) by Louise Miller - I can't rave about this one because of some unrealistic coincidences that served to move the plot along. But I read the whole book and did not feel like I wasted my time.
- Carry On Warrior (library audiobook) by Glennon Doyle - I have read Doyle's books in reverse chronological order after starting with Untamed (I bought this audiobook and WILL listen to it again now I have finished all her books.)
- Second First Impressions (egalley) by Sally Thorne - This is the 3rd and final book I will read by Thorne. My first was The Hating Game, which I gave 3 stars. Next was 99 Percent Mine, which I did not finish. This one was a 2 star read. The dialogue is unrealistic and choppy. The story was boring and the characters only prompted indifference.
- For Everyone (library audiobook) by Jason Reynolds - This isn't really a book, but a long poem. It is self-reflective for Reynolds but contains nuggets of wisdom for everyone about living a creative life. I listened to his reading but am planning to buy the print version to reread and reference.
- The Cold Millions (ebook purchase) by Jess Walter - I agreed to read this novel in order to participate in a small book club with two friends. I read Beautiful Ruins a few years ago, but was unsure about this one because of references to violence in the book's description. I am happy to have given it a try. I don't always like novels that switch from character to character, but these interwoven stories in early 1900s Spokane, Washington were well-balanced and paced. I am looking forward to our Zoom meet up to discuss. The history was also intriguing enough to push me to further research, which is not always the case.
January 2021
- Act Your Age, Eve Brown (egalley) by Talia Hibbert - I am disappointed there are no more sisters in the Brown family. I hope Hibbert will discover some cousins whose stories need to be told. Funny, romantic, and satisfyingly realistic are three ways I would describe all three of Hibbert's stories of the Brown sisters. [Get a Life, Chloe Brown (#1) and Take a Hint, Dani Brown (#2) - Though there is no need to read these in order.]
- The Lost Love Song (egalley) by Minnie Darke - I read Darke's debut Star-Crossed last January and liked it enough to recommend and send through the mail to a friend. I don't read too many books that take place in Australia, so I appreciate the change of scenery. This one has a number of settings including Edinburgh, which are an element of the story of the lost love song. I liked this one better than the first in part because of the larger cast of characters who are caught up in the story of the song. (An interesting companion read would be Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.)
- "The Prince and the Troll" by Rainbow Rowell and "Hazel and Gray" by Nic Stone. These are part of a series of five short stories by YA authors that reimagine classic fairy tales. The other three are "The Princess Game" by Soman Chainani, "The Cleaners" by Ken Liu, and "The Wickeds" by Gayle Forman. I purchased all five stories before their release and am looking forward to finishing the series in the next few weeks. So far I like the innovative twists on tales many of us know well.
- Ready Player Two (library audiobook) by Ernest Cline. Like many others, I LOVED Ready Player One, which I listened to early in my re-discovery of audiobooks after a year or two hiatus. Wil Wheaton, King of the Nerds, was well chosen to read both books and a primary reason I chose to wait for the audiobook from the library. Having just finished listening to this over the weekend, I am still not sure how I feel about it. It was slow to get going with lots of review. I needed it, having read the book when it was released in 2011 and have not seen the movie, but this means it took almost 4 hours into the book before the inciting incident. The action section of the novel was the strongest for me. The ending is where I just cannot decide. I don't think I liked it, but that does not mean it wasn't an appropriate end.
- Fangirl Manga volume 1 - by Rainbow Rowell, adapted by Sam Maggs, illustrated by Gabi Nam - This is the 1st of 4 planned volumes and so far I am enjoying the visual adaptation, which I wasn't sure would work...but it does. The story line and dialogue align with the novel so unless a reader is a big fan as I am, there is no need to read both.
- The Good, The Bad, and the Dumped by Jenny Colgan (elibrary book) - This was an early book by Colgan that seems to have been re-released. I finished the read, but was tempted more than once to stop. This is an example of an author growing and improving with each book. If you are interested in Colgan's work I would recommend staring with the Little Beach Street books or the Scottish Bookshop books.
- Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor. I am just finishing this while I am polishing up this post. I started listening on the drive to FL a few weeks ago and have continued both in the car and at home. I was attracted to Kastor's story after listening to What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I ran my first 5K in October of 2019 in Baltimore after taking up running more seriously at the beginning of 2019 to support a friend who was planning a 10K for her 60th birthday. The 10K was meant to take place in Richmond in April 2020, which happened only as a virtual event. I chose to defer my registration to the April 2021 event, but depending on vaccine distribution, it may be October 2021 before I participate in another race. Whatever happens I have found inspiration in listening to others talk about their running lives. I doubt I will move past a 10K, but who knows what my running future holds.
Reading:
- I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow when I was in Florida in April. I think many of the books I read back when I naively believed the COVID isolation period would be short will stick with me because they were of comfort or engagement when we were trying to figure out how to modify our lives to be safe. I began reading Harrow's recently published The Once and Future Witches (egalley) a few weeks ago, but took a break to read other books from the library. I have not gone back yet because it did not draw me in strongly. I am intrigued enough that I will try again before I forget the part I have already read.
- After resisting the call of a book I had decided NOT to read for any good reason at all, I started Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. There's no reason to dwell on regrets for having not picked it up sooner. But I am glad to be reading now. The banter between Gideon and her life-long enemy Harrow is a perfect mix of snarky and mean. Rich with detail the descriptions still fly by as Muir builds this world.
- Angel Mage (library ebook) by Garth Nix - This is the second of Nix's stand alone novels I am reading after loving The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. The first was Newt's Emerald. I have his The Old Kingdom series on deck for later in the winter, which begins with Sabriel.
Listening:
- Since I just finished my previous listen, I have not started another yet. I will need to decide soon for my planned afternoon walk. I am wavering between two. 1. Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith. I saw her live when this book was released. I have listened to her read both Just Kids and M Train finding that I love her laid back style. This one is a short 4.5 hour listen. Might be perfect for a week of walking. 2. The Best of Me by David Sedaris. His work is always hilarious and also read by him but hard to listen to at the gym with other people around since it is only ever a matter of time before I snort laugh aloud.
What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?
**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***
