November Reading Wrap Up

November is done. The year is almost done. That is crazy. Time, right?

This was the very first Thanksgiving I haven't spent with my dad. Usually I travel to South Carolina to visit him and my stepmom and their various animals, but since I have my own little monster this year and Tom was, as always for the holidays, away for work, I really didn't want to make the trip by myself. I know, I know, they say traveling with children at this age is relatively easy. Except a 2+ hour flight followed by 2 hour car ride, while trying to schlep not only the boy but all of the accessories babies require (OMG so much stuff) sounded all kinds of awful and stressful. BUT luckily my dad and stepmom came up to visit the week before so while we didn't have a Thanksgiving meal together, we were able to spend time together.

But the reading. How'd that go? Not too bad, largely due to audiobooks. And there was a bunch of Harry Potter in prep for some HP trivia. Oh and while this is unrelated, I saw someone point this out and it just made me so happy

It's wild how like...JKR is so skilled at so many aspects of writing, especially in little character moments, but when it comes to implications of throwaway lines she just...not a single thought.
Like in Chamber of Secrets, when Harry is talking to Tom/Voldemort and is like, you framed Hagrid, Tom is like, yeah he was always trying to raise monsters.
He says that Hagrid tried to raise werewolf cubs under his bed like...
Oh you mean like, children? Like human children?

I love HP so much, for the stories and the characters yes, but also for the shit like this.

Oh, and before we get to the stats, how about a quick picture of the little monster in his Thanksgiving best?

Anyway, onto the stats!

Number of books read
6
I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
Where Should We Begin?: The Arc of Love by Esther Perel
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

OK so the Esther Perel one may be a podcast? But I got it through Audible and instead of "episodes" it has "chapters" and basically I'm counting it as an audiobook.

Number of pages read
1,440

On that note about Perel, I can't find a page count. But I did some math to figure out how many pages could be read in a minute. Obviously there will be variations but basically I found a page count for a book, how long the audiobook was, and went from there. If you're curious, I came to about 1/2 a page for every minute.

Fiction
67%

POC authors
0%

I will do better. I'm sorry

Female authors
67%

US authors
33%

Rereads
83%

Book formats
audiobook: 50%
hardback: 17%
paperback: 33%

Me w/ the audibooks (plus baby strapped on me)

Where'd I get the book
Chain bookstore: 33%
Gift: 33%
Kindle/Audible: 33%

Decades published
1990s: 50%
2000s: 17%
2010s: 33%

Resolution books:
83%
I'm a Stranger Here Myself, Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets were all published before 2000
Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Tales of Beedle the Bard and Where Should We Begin are all by authors from outside the US (UK and Belgium)

Mini-Reviews: January 2018

November almost got away from me. Guess that's what happens around this time of year. As soon as you hit October things start picking up and I swear it's a sprint through the holidays. But I'll go into more of that with my November wrap up post.

For now, let's see if I can get through a few more mini-reviews! And I'm finally into 2018 so for a brief period I will be within a year of getting these things out, which is pretty exciting.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

This was a re-read, sure, but one I realize I had never written about here. I picked it up again after Tom and I had visited the Strand. While waiting for me to finish browsing, he picked up a copy of this and started reading the ending because it's one of his favorite pieces. Which inspired me to revisit the entire book and even knowing how it ends (or at least mostly remembering how it ends) it was still great. There's a reason it's sold so many copies and if you haven't read it yet, you should probably get on that. Also I should probably read some more of her stuff since this is, I think, the only thing of hers I've read.
Gif rating:

The Girls by Emma Cline

This was a selection for book club and one that had made the rounds when it came out. ALSO this review is slightly easier as I had written out thoughts and emailed them to someone right after reading this so score one for past me. Anyway, this book was fine. I was entertained and it's a sorta-version of the Manson family and I like crime stuff so this fit my interests but ultimately wasn't that memorable. I was happy that the story focused mostly on the girls and little on Russel (the Manson figure), which would have been boring so that's a good thing. Oh but I have a note about how the author used the word "moist" a lot so that's a negative.
Gif rating: 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

I love this play. Love love love love love this play. I will randomly quote pieces from it. When I was studying abroad in Italy and for Italian class we had to put on a short skit, my friend and I translated the "Do you think death is a boat?" scene and no, no one in the class got it but whatever, we were amused. I heart Shakespeare but I don't even know if that much knowledge of Hamlet is necessary to enjoy this. Read a cliff notes summary and you have enough background. But I acknowledge that an existential, absurd play about two minor characters from Hamlet who have no idea what is going on but just sort of go with things and should probably figure out which one is which, but does it really matter? And while I could go on and on and include a whole bunch of lines (ultimately the entire play? probably), let me just share with you that boat scene.

Rosencrantz: Do you think Death could possibly be a boat?
Guildenstern: No, no, no...death is not. Death isn't. Take my meaning? Death is the ultimate negative. Not-being. You can't not be on a boat.
R: I've frequently not been on boats.
G: No, no...what you've been is not on boats.

...Look, I understand why no one in class got it. Anyway.
Gif rating: 

All January 2018 books read
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Where The Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
The Girls by Emma Cline
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Mini-Reviews: Wrapping up 2017

I realize 2018 is almost done and I'm just getting through the last of the mini-reviews for 2017 but that is what it is. Will I be able to catch up on 2018 before 2019 is over? Only time will tell.

To see the first part of December mini-reviews, check out the last mini-review post and man it has been a lot longer than I thought. October was a blur of, honestly, watching a lot of Disney movies on Freeform. They showed Monsters, Inc and Monster University about every other day and I think I watched at least part every single time. #priorities

December 2017 (part 2)

Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell

This is made up of two short stories by Rowell, one of which (Kindred Spirits) I had read and reviewed previously, and which I loved and have reread a few times. Midnights is an equally adorable sweet love story about high school friends Margaret and Noel at an annual New Year's Eve party growing together each year. The dialogue is fun and cute, something Rowell does oh-so-well. And the stories are short so really, there's no reason not to read this. I may go reread them right now...
Gif rating:

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

While I haven't listened to the podcast in awhile, I still have a special place in my heart for Welcome to Night Vale so I was pretty excited to read the book. First things first, you should probably listen to the podcast before reading this. At least some of it. You don't need to get all caught up (cos there are soooo many episodes) but at least get a feel, learn who the main characters are, get a feel for the style. Because I don't think the book will make any sense without some background. Not that it makes a huge amount of sense anyway, but that's Night Vale. The book was...fine. Overall, I'd rather listen to Cecil's comforting tones instead of reading it so maybe the audiobook would be better? But I also wasn't 100% into the story. I prefer getting these small glimpses into the lives of the Night Vale residents via community radio. A longer story delving deeper didn't really work for me since it got fairly tedious.
Gif rating:

You Don't Have to Like Me: Essays on Growing Up, Speaking Out and Finding Feminism by Alida Nugent

I don't remember when I first started following Nugent as the Frenemy but I was a fan and hey, this is a book about feminism and funny stuff and collections of essays from hilarious ladies is my jam so yeah, of course I was gonna check it out. So I enjoyed it but also, at this point, I honestly don't remember much of it. I liked it at the time but it didn't really stick with me. I may give it a reread (or at least skim through it). So I guess, if you like this sort of thing, check it out? Maybe from the library or something. Entertaining if not super memorable.
Gif rating:

Now onto the 2018 mini-reviews

*Full list of December 2017 books read
Reset: My Fight for Inclusion by Ellen Pao
Neurocomic by Dr. Matteo Farinella and Dr. Hana Ros
Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
You Don't Have to Like Me by Alida Nugent

October Reading Wrap Up

Time is flying and that's crazy. I mean I realize that's what time does and it marches forward* and all. Anyway, October is done and once again I had almost no Trick-or-Treaters (except two children who came to both my front and back doors and were legit surprised when the same person answered both) so I have a big bowl of candy and what oh what will I do with it? The goblin had his first Halloween wherein he spent most of the time looking around confused and/or napping. But what an adorable piece of sushi he was.

At some point I will stop adding pictures of him to the top of the blog posts. But not yet. 

Anyway, October reading. I messed up the pattern I had going (1 book in July, 2 in August, 3 in September) by reading too many books in October. Or reading/listening since audiobooks played a part in this. Mildly disappointed, though since I read 5 in October I could go for a Fibonacci sequence pattern instead. Except I'm not going to do that. 8 books in November. Ha. 

Let's get to those stats, shall we?

Number of books read

5

My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag by Jolie Kerr

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

Number of pages read

1,711

Fiction

20%

Turns out when I'm looking for easier reading, I turn to nonfiction. Probably because it's easier to put down and pick up again without having to remember lots of characters and plot points. 

POC authors

0%

I'm mad at me too

Female authors

60%

US authors

100%

Rereads

40%

Readalong/Book club selections

20%

Book formats

audibooks: 60%

ebooks: 40%

Where'd I get the book

Kindle/Audible: 100%

Decades published

1990s: 40%

2000s: 20%

2010s: 40%

Resolution books

40%

Which sounds impressive but it is only because 2 of the books I read were published before 2000. Both Bryson books, ones I have read many many times, although this is the first time I listened to them so that was fun.

Oh November, what will you bring? 

*Unless you're in the afterlife which, according to The Good Place (which you're watching, yes? Because it is super fantastic) is Jeremy Bearimy instead of straight.

Kids Books, I Have Thoughts

Since the little guy came along, I've been reading a lot more kids books. Because obviously I'm reading to him already. And we have lots of children's books due to excellent gift choices from friends and family AND the fact that my mom saved our children's books. I've already gone through 2 of those boxes and have a few more to dig through so there will be many books for the boy and right now the biggest problem is lack of bookshelf space. So far I have a large stack of Dr. Seuss books and dinosaur books. So many dinosaur books. Really hope he's into dinosaurs because that is definitely a theme in these books (And clothes. And music.*)

No dinos here, but look at this face

But here's something I've come to realize reading a bunch of children's books out loud after not having done that for many years: a lot of these books are so bad.

There are those that aren't great in terms of content. So far I haven't come across any in our collection that are SUPER terrible but there are pieces of some that I'm like "perhaps we'll skip this section". Or some that are just outdated in terms of facts (turns out dino books from the '70s don't have the whole evolution thing down yet). Or the Berenstain Bears book about how everyone is either a "he" or a "she" that maybe we won't be reading.

There are those stories that don't have the most...exciting plots, but I'm not worried about those. Tell me all about animals on a farm or about picking up a friend at the airport**.

But the books that bother me the most are the ones that are just poorly written. If you're going to write a children's book that rhymes (as so many do and I am down with that), yes, you need to make sure the words rhyme, but maybe lets pay some attention to meter and foot as well. You don't need a PhD for this, just try reading your stuff out loud and if it sounds off. Because this stuff is going to be read out loud.

So let's see, what books have been a success (at least from my pov. The boy isn't yet voicing his opinions in any reliable way)

Anything Dr. Seuss. I had a lot of his stuff growing up (including a couple that were my dad's growing up) and there can be some small parts here and there that are a bit...outdated. But overall I don't find myself cringing while reading them and Seuss understands the importance of making them sound good, of finding the rhythm to the words. Current fav is Yertle the Turtle.

In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek, illustrated by Christine Roussey. It's an adorable book about all of the feelings (sad, happy, silly, angry) that you can have and that it's OK to have these feelings.

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss presented by John Oliver of Last Week Tonight. LGBT love story about bunnies at the White House and voting out the stinkbug in charge who does not want two boy bunnies to get married and this is the type of stuff we need right now.

Little Feminist collection (Activists, Artists, Pioneers and Leaders) by Emily Kleinman, illustrated by Lydia Ortiz. The board books are short (1 sentence per page, about 4 pages per book) which is about the attention span he has right now.

Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd. A classic about a mom following around the little bunny who wants to run away (without being like that other book where the mom breaks into her adult son's house) and it is cute and also mentioned in Where'd You Go, Bernadette which is just bonus points.

There are more we've read and enjoyed but the goblin stirs so we'll have to stop here. Oh and if you have recommendations for children's books, I'm all ears!

*Did anyone else have the Wee Sing series growing up? Because they were swell.
**Legit the subject to one of the books we have and big fan when we learned THAT'S what the book was about. Sometimes life is mundane, but it is nice to pick up friends at the airport. So those are two good lessons

September Reading Wrap Up

Hey, did you know that September ended? Like over a week ago. Turns out days and weeks and months start to blend together on maternity. But he's started smiling and making noises so it's give and take.

I mean, look at this face

I have also continued to increase the amount of reading I'm getting done. One book in July, two in August and now three in September. I mean, not counting children's books, which I am also reading to the little one but not keeping track of. AND I finally got a library card so getting back into a good reading groove. Or at least working my way back that way.

Stat time? Stat time.

Number of books read
3
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
Choose Your Own Disaster by Dana Schwartz

Number of pages
933

Fiction
33%

POC Authors
0%

Female authors
67%

US authors
100%

Rereads
33%

Book formats
ebook: 100%
Still doing most of my reading on my phone given how much easier it is to read with one hand while I'm holding something in the other hand (baby, bottle, pacifier, etc. Life is super exciting now)

Where'd I get the book
Kindle: 100%

Decades published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
0%
I will get better here. Hopefully soon

Let's see how October goes! Better ? Maybe

Mini-reviews: November & December (part I) 2017

So let's try again for these mini-reviews. Those reviews that I already wrote and then were lost, probably to end up with all the missing hair ties and socks the dryer eats.

I was saying that I am impressed with how quickly I am getting through these mini-reviews. It helps that right now I'm on maternity and it's not that I suddenly have TONS of time because maternity is like a vacation (it is NOT) but the munchkin does do a lot of sleeping which gives me some down time. Sure, writing these posts happens in bursts but I'm getting more done than when I was pregnant and had more time but lacked the mental energy (dammit work, for zapping that). We'll see what happens with posting once work starts up again but hopefully I'll be able to catch up with the mini-reviews before then.

It turns out in November 2017 I only have one book I read that I haven't already reviewed*, but there are a bunch in December, so here are the reviews for November plus half of December.

November 2017

Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Excellent coming-of-age book about Mexican-American high schooler Gabi dealing with a number of things: parental and cultural expectations, dating, a gay friend dealing with discrimination, another friend who is pregnant, a drug-addicted father, a pregnant mother, a brother getting into all kinds of trouble, and self-image, as Gabi spends a lot of time emotional eating. There's a lot going on, with some heavy topics, but it feels natural, not overwhelming.
Gif Rating: 

December 2017, part I

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao
Memoir of Ellen Pao's life and especially her gender discrimination case against the venture capital firm she used to work for as well as her time as interim CEO at reddit, working to get rid of some of the seedier parts of the site. She talks about her upbringing, her accomplishments (degrees in Engineering, Law and Business from Princeton and Harvard) before getting to her time at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. She talks about how intense the work is and what she has to do, as a woman to be taken seriously, while being passed up for promotions and being shut out of opportunities that were set up for men only. I enjoyed the content and believe Pao but the writing isn't great. It's not terrible but it can be repetitive and there are times where Pao really hammers in her degrees and accomplishments. Important topic but not my favorite writing.
Gif Rating: 

Neurocomic by Hana Ros and Matteo Farinella
Graphic novel about the inner workings of the brain, told as something of an Alice in Wonderland type story. It gets into the science of dopamine and neurotransmitters and some of the history of how we know the things we know. Or they know. I dunno how much of the science I've retained but that may be more on me than the book and the way the information is presented. Fun story and hey, maybe you'll learn something. And if not, hey, there's a giant squid at one point, so that's fun.
Gif Rating: 

*Full list of November 2017 books read:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness by Jessica Valenti

Mini reviews were written and now they're gone and I am not happy right now

Guess what. I wrote an entire post of mini reviews. Book covers. Links. Gifs. The whole works. And then Blogger decided to get rid of all of it (after confirming 2 saves) and now I'm annoyed because I only have so much time to write this stuff so this is just a post to tell you I HAD a mini review post done and it is not gone and I am feeling all sorts of annoyed

Rewriting it will have to happen at some other point since the little one stirs

Mini reviews: September and October 2017

Another mini-review post! Look at me, with that follow through.

I was looking through my spreadsheets for what I read but never reviewed in September of last year. Turns out, there's only one book. Everything else in September was an ARC or else a reread and something I had already posted a review for. October was the same. So once again, I decided to combine those months into a single post. I may get through this fast than I anticipated. 

September 2017

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

I mean, it's Bill Bryson, so of course I loved it. Yeah, he's cranky and curmudgeony but that is part of the charm as he travels around England. Or rather straight through, as he picks the longest straight line through the land he can manage. Because why not? Something of a sequel to Notes from a Small Island and just as entertaining. Basically if you like Bryson and/or Britain, something to try. 

Gif rating:

October 2017

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

I'd had this book somewhat on my radar and then saw it in a small bookstore with a note that described it as "The Bluths in NYC". How can that go wrong? Well, it can if the book is nothing like that. I would like to find the employee that wrote that description and ask them to defend this position. Yes, it's rich people in NYC and Arrested Development involves rich people in California but that is not enough to compare the two. ANYWAY, I went into this book with the wrong expectations which I'm sure colored my experience but overall I thought the book was fine. A family fighting over a nest egg they're supposed to inherit and each of the grown children have preemptively spent their portion of what they believe they will be receiving. I thought the book would be funnier than it is and couldn't get the disappointment that it wasn't out of my head. But don't go into it looking for that and overall it's not a bad story. It's fine.

Gif rating:

 

If you're curious, here's the full list of what I read in September and October of last year.

September

Artemis by Andy Weir

Sociable by Rebecca Harrington

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Locke & Key by Joe Hill

We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates

October

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

On Writing by Stephen King

It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree by A.J. Jacobs

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Everything's Eventual by Stephen King

August reading wrap up

August reading has been better than July reading. Not like that was hard. Getting into something of a routine with the Pipsqueak* so managed to get some more reading done. I mean, not much more. But some.

And I managed to read to him a bit. One of the "How to raise the small thing you brought home from the hospital with you" books says it's good to read to them, even if at this age they don't understand what you're saying, so go ahead and read to them whatever your reading. It suggests New Yorker articles you've been meaning to catch up on or Moby Dick. Which is why I read to him a book about autopsies. Not quite as classy as the book was going for, but he seemed interested so whatever.

Addams Approve

Spoiler for stats to come, but it's all re-reads. And not only that but all nonfiction. Apparently that is the mood I have been in. Fiction requires more imagination. I've also stuck to ebooks since it's easier to read on my phone (something I had never done before this month) since I can hold the phone in one hand and deal with whatever needs dealt with with the other hand. There are physical books I'd like to pick up so maybe next month I'll figure that out but for now the phone was easiest.

Reading stats!

Number of books read
2
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melineck
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Number of pages
560

Fiction
0%

POC authors
0%

Female authors
100%

US authors
100%

Rereads
100%

Book formats
ebooks: 100%

Where'd I get the book
Kindle/Audible: 100%

Decades published
2000s: 50%
2010s: 50%

Resolution books
0%

I'm not sure what it says about me that I picked two nonfiction books dealing with death. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some back episodes of My Favorite Murder to catch up on.

*He has about 100 nicknames including Munchkin, Angel Face, Goblin, Sir Poopington. Sometimes we call him by his name. He is going to be a very confused child.

Mini-reviews: Summer 2017

As has been clear, I have not been posting much here. For REASONS sure (he's still adorable). Which means, as mentioned previously, I am super behind on reviews. Like super behind. Like we're officially over 12 months behind on some books. Whooops.

Because I am so far behind (so far) I want to do some mini-reviews to try to get up to speed. Some of these I may write full reviews about, others it may just be the minis*.

I last did a mini-review roundup last September. Some of those books got full reviews, others, not so much. I was thinking, to give these mini-reviews some structure I'll stick to books read in a given month. That'll also help me keep track of how much I have to do (a lot). This ALSO gives me an excuse, for this first roundup, to just repost the ones I did before but include the Gif rating. I was planning on reposting those few mini-reviews I had done before but adding the Gif rating and TURNS OUT, with the exception of one book, they're all from the same month. So. Nice way for me to ease into things. Also the small one is making noises so I should probably see what's up.**

So here are some mini-reviews for books I read last summer that never got their own full reviews

July 2017

Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
A very slow, very quiet book which is odd considering the topic is about a woman who is murdered. Relationships between sisters, and some stuff about sex workers and the seedy underbelly of Japan. There are even multiple POVs and unreliable narrators and stuff I usually like but not in this case. It was just...strange and pretty boring and difficult to follow and meh.
Gif Rating:

August 2017

My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag...and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha by Jolie Kerr
It's a book about cleaning. And how to clean. And it was great. This is not like Marie Kondo's which was more a way of being with some advice that no, I am not thanking my purse every day. This is more practical instructions. Part of it is her tackling different projects (deep cleaning the kitchen, tackling clothing stains) and another part is her answering questions and she is SUPER nonjudgemental and will provide advice for cleaning your sex swing because dammit, cleanliness is important. Thank you, Glynis, for the reco. And I'll prob do a full review of this one. Eventually.
Gif Rating:

One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul
Another collection of essays by a funny lady. Perhaps not quite as successful as others in this category, but still entertaining, especially a story about the power clothing can give you and a particular skirt. I was expecting it to be a bit less memoir than it was but that's FINE and it was still entertaining.
Gif Rating:

*If it's a mini-review only, that means the book was fine. It wasn't a favorite (or else I'd want to write about it and convince you all to read it) and it wasn't horrible (or else I'd want to write about how awful it was and steer you away).

**Though, did you know that babies can cry in their sleep? Like full on yelling, in addition to all of the other noises. And I promise, he's actually asleep. This Friends clip is an accurate portrayal of what his sleep is often like. It is...unnerving. Babies are weird.