My Reading Frenzy

What I've Read - What I am Reading - March 22, 2021

I read quite a few short books this week, but also finished one I have been reading for two weeks and another it took over a week to listen to. More and more I appreciate the intensity offered by middled grade books that cater to an audience that wants a good story in a small package. I think it may be more difficult to write children's books that cannot draw out descriptions and plot lines without losing their audience.

 

Read:

• A Court of Silver Flames (purchased hardback) by Sarah Maas - I finished this one at the end of the week. I am glad to have read it, but I probably don't need to read any more Maas books. I thought I wouldn't read anything else by here after opting not to read The Assassin's Blade or others in the Throne of Glass series, but I liked the A Court of Thorns and Roses series better and am happy to have seen what I think is the end of the story. As much as this installment was one of my favorites, I will not continue even if Maas does. 
• Sunny (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - This was definitely my favorite of the four novels, both because of the dairy format, but also because I could see myself in Sunny's introspective nature.
• Lu by Jason Reynolds - I really liked Lucas's story because his family dynamic was different from the others. 
• The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane (purchased) by Julia Nobel - boarding school in England, American girl sent by a too busy parent, missing other parent, secret society - Check, check, check. I enjoyed the heck out of this book.
• Yes, Chef (library eaudiobook) by Marcus Samuelsson - I don't know if it is a phase or a new life-long attraction, but I want to listen to chef memoir after chef memoir with no breaks. Though I am on a "not by choice" break because of what came in next from my library holds. But I'll be back to my food memoirs soon. I wasn't loving this one at first, but as Samuelsson progressed in his career I found the story more interesting. His early days in Ethiopia combined with being raised and first cooking with his Swedish grandmother set him up for a unique cooking profile. I'd like to eat at Red Rooster, his NYC restaurant.

 

Reading:

• The Secret of White Stone Gate (purchased) by Julia Nobel - I wanted to read this second installment right after finishing the first, so I purchased it to be ready. It has many of the positives of the first book, but has not drawn me in as much. I feel like the characters are going around again in the same mystery without making much progress toward a resolution, especially considering there will not be a third installment.

 

 

Listening:

• Truth & Beauty: A Friendship (eaudio library book) by Ann Patchett - I discovered this book while listening to Patchett's book of essays This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. This one is the story of Patchett's friendship with poet Lucy Grealy.

 

 

Up Next:

Some familiar titles here, with a new one at the top.

• You Should See Me in a Crown (elibrary book) by Leah Johnson - This one is open on my Kindle to start after I finish The Secret of White Stone Gate. It came in from my library holds a few days ago so I need to get reading before it is due back.
• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - I am eager to read this second installment.
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.

 

 

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.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - March 15, 2020

I went two weeks again between posts, but have also not been able to carve out as much time for reading, so there are probably as many "reads" and "readings" after 14 days as there usually are after seven. I should have more time this week and am feeling more energetic with the time change. I don't like changing the time twice a year, but I do like sunlight later in the day.

 

 

Read:

• Patina (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - I loved seeing the whole track team through Patina's eyes and hearing details about her life that were only ancillary to Ghost's story. I am sorry not to have read this series sooner, but glad to be now. Reynolds has found a really engaging way to draw us into the lives of these four runners. It has taken me some time, but I see how Reynolds likes to explore situations from different perspectives as he did in Look Both Ways. 
• Notes from a Young Black Chef (eaudiobook purchased from Audible) by Kwame Onwuachi - There was so much I did not learn about Onwuachi from watching Top Chef, a point he made in the book, about the way the show is edited to create a persona for each chef that may or may not align with their true personality. His story also caused me to be disappointed that he is no longer a DC chef. 
• I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (purchased Manga) by Yoru Sumino - Think The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews rather than The Walking Dead. I decided it was time to try Manga. Happening upon this book is what made me decide to take the plunge, because the blurb revealed it to be a realistic, almost-romance and the entire story was contained in one volume. I did not want to get myself into an on-going series. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the way manga must be read front to back and each page right to left, then left to right and back again. Once I got the hang of it, it was not an issue and provided an additional layer of mental stimulation.
• Spoiler Alert (egalley) by Olivia Dade - This one takes place in the world of fanfiction and cons (conventions). I purposely chose to read this right after One to Watch because both have been praised for positive portrayal of a plus sized main character. I wanted to compare the approach. I found Dade's characters to be more sophisticated, with more depth. This is in part because there are far fewer characters than the group of bachelors in One to Watch. There were interesting differences in the family dynamic with Bea having a loving family while April's was toxic that added a layer to each woman's expereinces. I also appreciated Dade's clever word play between April and Marcus. This as well as Marcus as a fully fleshed out character made this the novel I liked better, so if you were going to read just one of these I would recommend Spoiler Alert. I am looking forward to Dade's next novel All the Feels, due out in October. I may also look into some of her backlist.

 

Reading:

• A Court of Silver Flames (purchased hardback) by Sarah Maas - I am a bit over halfway finished and enjoying this story immensely. Maas is an excellent storyteller, creating characters I care about and situations that fit well into the sophisticated world she has created.
• Sunny (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - Two weeks ago, I was reading Patina, the second in the series, hoping that when it ended, the 3rd book would pick up where it left off. In true Jason Reynolds fashion, he surprised me by revealing what happened in Patina's relay without beginning Sunny's story with hers. This installment may be my favorite so far because I like the use of Sunny's diary entries to tell his story. I also feel more connected to Sunny because the entries show his introspective side which feels familiar to me.

 

Listening:

In order to decide on my next listen, I searched for a list of "best chef memoirs" and found a wonderful list. Many I put on hold at the library or in my Goodreads list, but only found one available when I finished my previous listen. 

• Yes, Chef (library eaudiobook) by Marcus Samuelsson

 

Up Next:

Again, these are at the top of the list, but I have moved books that have come in via library holds as well as new purchases ahead for a few weeks. 

• Lu by Jason Reynolds - This is truly my next read after I finish Sunny because it came in from the library before Sunny and I am in a time crunch.
• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - I am eager to read this second installment.
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.

 

 

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.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - March 1, 2021

Last week I added a new list "Up Next," which includes the titles at the top of my TBR list. You will find, which I already knew about myself" that I may or may not really choose my next reads from those I mentioned. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read:

• Ghost (library ebook) by Jason Reynolds - It is not a surprise that I loved Castle's story. I just started the second book in the series, Patina, which I am glad to say picks up right where Ghost left off, but this time from Patty's perspective. Really an innovative way to tell four different stories (the next two books are Sunny and Lu.)
• Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton -  Even since getting hooked on Top Chef, I have been seeking memoirs by chefs. I have listened to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, David Chang's Eat a Peach, Padma Lakshmi's Love, Loss, and What We Ate (She's not a chef, but a judge on Top Chef), two books by Ruth Reichel Save me the Plums and Garlic and Sapphires (She's a home cook and a food writer/restaurant reviewer), and now am listening to Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi.
• Amari and the Night Brothers (purchased hardback) by B.B. Alston - This book was fantastic. The magical world Alston has created was a delight to visit. I have to believe there is another book on the way.
• One to Watch (library book) by Kate Stayman-London - This romance was promoted as a body-positive story, which is one of the reasons I chose it. It also has a multi-faceted and well-written main character in plus-size fashion blogger Bea Schumacher. I found the messaging a bit heavy handed at times, but overall I enjoyed Bea's journey.

 

Reading:

• Patina (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - Before I even finished Ghost, I put this one on hold at the library and it came through just at the perfect moment to start after finishing One to Watch while I was waiting the required 10 minutes after my 2nd COVID shot! (Thank you SCIENCE!)

 

Listening:

• Notes from a Young Black Chef (eaudiobook purchased from Audible) by Kwame Onwuachi - I am just at the beginning, but so far Onwuachi's early life led him almost inevitably to becoming a chef. 

 

Up Next:

Four of these have been carried over from last week - I ended up reading one from this list this week and then reading a one library book that is due back soon and starting another.

• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - I am eager to read this second installment.
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.
• A Court of Silver Flames (purchased hardback) by Sarah Maas - I have stuck with Maas's series over the years and people I trust say this one is not to be missed. They also said this was not a book they thought would be appropriate for high school students. I will be interested to see if I agree. I have found that people who do not interact much with teens are more conservative in their outlook than I am.

 

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.***