tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18126414605542256292024-03-04T09:00:31.297-05:00What Red ReadA chance for me to write about something I love, reading, and make my English degree somewhat justified.Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-82483464028823524232024-03-04T09:00:00.001-05:002024-03-04T09:00:00.138-05:00February Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2ENwEc7NE27mzmhInrqHAaZi1BsP4VHLnBm0dHa1Z_OqS5lI0AfQ5Bs7N4TytAfThZgR-D4Imwd9lFMegJUSJ1mDEDWODKh1poLmwiNrKub4ce3JwA0N9zjoSSCzdB3zPjZHD614V2YAgHCAGk_ftLht-jklKmNP3UvwdWrYNnfqHQExYNBXTegFMttE/s3888/Feb%20calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2ENwEc7NE27mzmhInrqHAaZi1BsP4VHLnBm0dHa1Z_OqS5lI0AfQ5Bs7N4TytAfThZgR-D4Imwd9lFMegJUSJ1mDEDWODKh1poLmwiNrKub4ce3JwA0N9zjoSSCzdB3zPjZHD614V2YAgHCAGk_ftLht-jklKmNP3UvwdWrYNnfqHQExYNBXTegFMttE/s320/Feb%20calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>We've made it through another month and I'm in a pretty good mood because the weather was very nice today and it's amazing how that can make all the difference, especially after heavy rain the day before. The little monster and I spent time doing a "nature walk" (i.e., did our normal walk around the neighborhood but this time he brought his digital camera to take pictures of robins and squirrels) and it's really the little things.</div><div>Let's see what February looked like in terms of reading</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnHvTaq9wZQN0UtqlacRaR8wRPHmfDgiZEID_7jtC8QM6eWB1MgMKZfHRa9tLgZ8g9seQyO6W3lnKbBDD7fmoi8clhcVT97Ws7YpeCjP5mQ6svUNjE5EkDlhD9JHEHuApNHJYsgAXDaEphJ5OLNL2Kts_PFqKmn45hmMZKEn4Wo3ELrTEj8Zo3Wu9tbNS/s1966/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%2011.04.56%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1966" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnHvTaq9wZQN0UtqlacRaR8wRPHmfDgiZEID_7jtC8QM6eWB1MgMKZfHRa9tLgZ8g9seQyO6W3lnKbBDD7fmoi8clhcVT97Ws7YpeCjP5mQ6svUNjE5EkDlhD9JHEHuApNHJYsgAXDaEphJ5OLNL2Kts_PFqKmn45hmMZKEn4Wo3ELrTEj8Zo3Wu9tbNS/w400-h122/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%2011.04.56%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>Reading journal from both Jan and Feb since I already forgot to include in my Jan wrap up<br /><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Total books read</b></div><div><b>4</b></div><div><i>Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and a Quest to Belong Anywhere</i> by Maria Bamford</div><div><i>Off The Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture</i> <i>and Why People Will Believe Anything</i> by Kelly Weill</div><div><i>The Thursday Murder Club</i> by Richard Osman</div><div><i>Beauty Queens</i> by Libba Bray</div><div><br /></div><div>I also started <i>Doppleganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World</i> by Naomi Klein that, while an interesting was a bit dry and also long and I was not feeling it at the time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORneRGWHNLPh1D8xs74oH9CbvecVF4Tgpo5J1qZouh66vz7ZdW4gCbcf_wW_zhsdorQKwarx7Ni2CFeAyl-eoLNjM0cqVWMgBbXUlTuPn9yyWzgy7Hww_JVHlBlFqn5sYsVKNVNfh8vTHehY9AWj1ciJld6wTIr866rpi3i7liD7gmxs0v2JMKij96U7O/s3000/Sure%20I'll%20Join%20Your%20Cult%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORneRGWHNLPh1D8xs74oH9CbvecVF4Tgpo5J1qZouh66vz7ZdW4gCbcf_wW_zhsdorQKwarx7Ni2CFeAyl-eoLNjM0cqVWMgBbXUlTuPn9yyWzgy7Hww_JVHlBlFqn5sYsVKNVNfh8vTHehY9AWj1ciJld6wTIr866rpi3i7liD7gmxs0v2JMKij96U7O/w200-h200/Sure%20I'll%20Join%20Your%20Cult%20cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><b><i>Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and a Quest to Belong Anywhere </i>by Maria Bamford</b></div><div>There was a period in the late '90s/early '00s when Comedy Central regularly aired stand up comedy specials (crazy, I know) and I still quote a number of these today. Maria Bamford was among those so of course I was excited to listen to her book. She talks about, as the subtitle says, her mental illness and the various Anonymous groups she joins because who doesn't love belonging to a group? The book meandered a few times and while I love Bamford's voice and delivery, this probably works better as a physical book, given the audiobook often said to refer to some PDF that I did not have</div><div>Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAkdCkg8-X3RTKSl06V_6hSureCdUWD3aMLF6WHUB7FEeNAUbzbYMVrEiWjvN6QUS9LR9-Q5sIN6XXT59_ABTWVGt5tpW7i7Ekmvw-aQDJ40sgF2lXM04W3NIXs8an8ao50WRvZM4PzaB7ZEbFAj6YX0wU387vT9vrUvzFl_5C3yP9mrwPhsJTPH6O_5k/s2786/Off%20the%20Edge%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2786" data-original-width="1839" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAkdCkg8-X3RTKSl06V_6hSureCdUWD3aMLF6WHUB7FEeNAUbzbYMVrEiWjvN6QUS9LR9-Q5sIN6XXT59_ABTWVGt5tpW7i7Ekmvw-aQDJ40sgF2lXM04W3NIXs8an8ao50WRvZM4PzaB7ZEbFAj6YX0wU387vT9vrUvzFl_5C3yP9mrwPhsJTPH6O_5k/w132-h200/Off%20the%20Edge%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div><b><i>Off The Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture and Why People Will Believe Anything</i> by Kelly Weill</b></div><div>OK well I picked up this book because I thought it was about conspiracy theories in general and I still think that title suggests that but instead it was focused on flat earthers. Which is fine and it is a group I do not quite understand because of the mounds and mounds of evidence of, you know, not being round. But it is interesting to see how in general this conspiracy started back in the 1800s and how it has grown. Ultimately, I would have preferred this be about conspiracy theories more generally (and looking through a few other reviews, I wasn't alone in that assumption) and this got a little repetitive for me but it was interesting nevertheless.</div><div>Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-b9Fuc6vLKIWPmKshfOxaJDccGoFoC8Msw0osdVbHfUUaUIAf0Yfr8nedyi35sNhyphenhyphendEx8cuF4EhaOywLDBjqkY3WiF1tNTk7_ZGK-sZOboTwYOmhFRUbYKZjOlCRQJDIc3mus5pOwyLUJm7_TdlRhDTi_b5cVdBXv1QQYbc_xuZ61j-_KD9GMe5T8a4DU/s346/Thursday%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-b9Fuc6vLKIWPmKshfOxaJDccGoFoC8Msw0osdVbHfUUaUIAf0Yfr8nedyi35sNhyphenhyphendEx8cuF4EhaOywLDBjqkY3WiF1tNTk7_ZGK-sZOboTwYOmhFRUbYKZjOlCRQJDIc3mus5pOwyLUJm7_TdlRhDTi_b5cVdBXv1QQYbc_xuZ61j-_KD9GMe5T8a4DU/w130-h200/Thursday%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" width="130" /></a></div><div><b><i>The Thursday Murder Club</i> by Richard Osman</b></div><div>Man, I love this book. A friend (hi friend!) was reading the fourth in the series so <i>naturally</i> I had to go back and listen to this again. Was it just as good the second time around? Yes, of course it was. Were there moments that meant nothing the first time around but then as I got to know the characters I realized the significance of things on a second read? Yes, a bunch of those. Will I read it again? Absolutely.</div><div>Rating: 5 stars</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTHt49-aU7uEf7V3x-Q5c7mrkDAuHOrZtIiCkBuD5B6R6Ll5IbKu7m4gZZu0LwDtFLy55J8_0tJRGYshMQjAtHATBr83xKoXjnidl3R6mr2oOiSxAt-ufuEGvz2hIs5VwWTFfSU7Vj-EEJmDzVt9ARNaCJTU89zLRM2rnY9lewmUBr5rUZ_rjpmAG2dgG/s475/Beauty%20Queens%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTHt49-aU7uEf7V3x-Q5c7mrkDAuHOrZtIiCkBuD5B6R6Ll5IbKu7m4gZZu0LwDtFLy55J8_0tJRGYshMQjAtHATBr83xKoXjnidl3R6mr2oOiSxAt-ufuEGvz2hIs5VwWTFfSU7Vj-EEJmDzVt9ARNaCJTU89zLRM2rnY9lewmUBr5rUZ_rjpmAG2dgG/w131-h200/Beauty%20Queens%20cover.jpeg" width="131" /></a></div><div><b><i>Beauty Queens</i> by Libba Bray</b></div><div>Here's another re-read. I had been listening to <i>Doppelganger</i> for I can't remember how many hours but I was on day 4 of listening when I decided I was not enjoying myself and since I am reading for enjoyment, perhaps my time could be better spent elsewhere. But when none of the other books on my TBR list were available from the library, I decided to dig into my archives and check this one out again because I remembered it being silly and fun and funny. And guess what, it was all of that again. Is it little silly at times? Sure, of course. But it's all in good fun and I enjoyed myself just as much the second time around.</div><div>Rating: 4 stars</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Pages read</b></div><div>1,280</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fiction</b></div><div>50%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Female authors</b></div><div>75%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div>0%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>US authors</b></div><div>75%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Reread</b></div><div>50%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Format</b></div><div>audiobook - 100%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div>library - 50%</div><div>gift - 50%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Decade published</b></div><div>2010s: 25%</div><div>2020s: 75%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Resolution books</b></div><div>25%</div><div>Only <i>Thursday Murder Club</i> as it is by a UK author.</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-23792033376166764992024-02-01T09:00:00.001-05:002024-02-01T09:00:00.142-05:00January Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTry4Bh7NVYv9A0ljhFiYcAl4W0PgqPq99dleLG5ehyC-8OfLz_CpVmtnFfprC_iUJnQp7lJ3QsDJ88zpl8fQj-sMYEZuCw9llCoRA8VDYtGfd1yR5-AqQeh2Pjlt4Jo1rdkYIgKxqLT5VVEfRdt9P_9xjaLrqtVCU3x2zB2rnLnAemR0Fpa__E-xBZqJr/s3888/january-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTry4Bh7NVYv9A0ljhFiYcAl4W0PgqPq99dleLG5ehyC-8OfLz_CpVmtnFfprC_iUJnQp7lJ3QsDJ88zpl8fQj-sMYEZuCw9llCoRA8VDYtGfd1yR5-AqQeh2Pjlt4Jo1rdkYIgKxqLT5VVEfRdt9P_9xjaLrqtVCU3x2zB2rnLnAemR0Fpa__E-xBZqJr/s320/january-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Look at that. Another January is behind us. I didn't really make any resolutions for the new year. I rarely do. Usually because I don't know what to aim for. I am trying to keep in mind that resolutions can be <i>fun</i>. They don't have to be stuff about losing weight or...what are other stereotypical resolutions? Anyway, not that. Maybe I'll aim to make new recipes this year. Keep on reading. Maybe try to make something, though honestly trying to make something is less appealing while we're still in between where we will be staying long term (because making something means acquiring things for the making which means I will need to pack up and <i>move</i> those things and right now, I have a room in my house just full of boxes and I don't need to add to that more than necessary). Maybe I'll make some March resolutions. Who knows? What I do know is January is over which means I have some reading stats to share.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question</i> by Michael Shur</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>How To Sell a Haunted House</i> by Grady Hendrix</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Everyone Here is Lying </i>by Shari Lapena</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>A Line to Kill</i> by Anthony Horowitz</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Stone Blind</i> by Natalie Haynes</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB51NUyrDGt7FKxAyJ4nycF4i3CXZCNzMqWL8sgkM4b5LL5GdkU81PyPsXZtMnh-WkKSLEJnM-AvHmawaQ0F7vcBNn5QoriQyk5msYeCE9dNPlUut0K4RvYR06VJV8gL7oN29BlPA5YG1EiXJ1ac9zw6beUjpvVi807865uUDQzTS5AmFUXT37Lq5hW3lC/s2125/How%20to%20Be%20Perfect%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB51NUyrDGt7FKxAyJ4nycF4i3CXZCNzMqWL8sgkM4b5LL5GdkU81PyPsXZtMnh-WkKSLEJnM-AvHmawaQ0F7vcBNn5QoriQyk5msYeCE9dNPlUut0K4RvYR06VJV8gL7oN29BlPA5YG1EiXJ1ac9zw6beUjpvVi807865uUDQzTS5AmFUXT37Lq5hW3lC/w132-h200/How%20to%20Be%20Perfect%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question</i> by Michael Shur</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is a pretty good book to start the year with, right? This is a good goal. I also read this book last January, so who knows, maybe this is a good New Year / Be Good reminder. A primer to moral philosophy, told in a very accessible way by the guy that created (among other things) <i>The Good Place</i> which is one of my fav TV shows.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l4WKYhKlc5Uh8K34rJMdsELwlMINJ7ADx_yGIB9CGXUkq6O1oW7XduNQLT9lScPpt_vWrlwKqkxdkjh1JMilp5wD-tvSLwZgYdHxobr30RVE-MXNvMuQd7XL0H_yIHMM53e9RRHvIsiqL4TEO_hzkS2437dd5jh17Qb9SG0BCAyDMQPo0ZoTjznmU6x9/s2560/How%20to%20Sell%20a%20Haunted%20House%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1695" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l4WKYhKlc5Uh8K34rJMdsELwlMINJ7ADx_yGIB9CGXUkq6O1oW7XduNQLT9lScPpt_vWrlwKqkxdkjh1JMilp5wD-tvSLwZgYdHxobr30RVE-MXNvMuQd7XL0H_yIHMM53e9RRHvIsiqL4TEO_hzkS2437dd5jh17Qb9SG0BCAyDMQPo0ZoTjznmU6x9/w133-h200/How%20to%20Sell%20a%20Haunted%20House%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>How To Sell a Haunted House</i> by Grady Hendrix</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hendrix has really become a go-to author for me. I have learned not to get lulled into a false sense of security when the premise sounds ridiculous because I know that even with a silly sounding plot, the story will be truly scary and touching. This time Louise has to travel home after both her parents die suddenly to deal with the family home. She and her estranged brother will need to work together the clean the house of all of their mom's puppets and dolls. But something is off with the house and is Louise <i>sure</i> those dolls aren't moving? Very creepy story about sibling relationships and family secrets.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxIap09HN3DmV7j_q6zCf1ePA5rQlApVlw66RSX_Rt58lCquHAmFEBXFKANBFGEkRHYfEWf6zfEMR7cb3FrUzyiv8tRDOIVLXiaQC7QCmUJjVVso299DjBOEAyavnOtSrUcki4SmN-j6qF3ZJM2Okk3qaiH8aMzFXXdiwwhQPb87GCHdrVFL2_ermz4P6/s400/Everyone%20Here%20is%20Lying%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxIap09HN3DmV7j_q6zCf1ePA5rQlApVlw66RSX_Rt58lCquHAmFEBXFKANBFGEkRHYfEWf6zfEMR7cb3FrUzyiv8tRDOIVLXiaQC7QCmUJjVVso299DjBOEAyavnOtSrUcki4SmN-j6qF3ZJM2Okk3qaiH8aMzFXXdiwwhQPb87GCHdrVFL2_ermz4P6/w133-h200/Everyone%20Here%20is%20Lying%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Everyone Here Is Lying</i> by Shari Lapena</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A nine-year old girl goes missing in an otherwise safe suburb and what could have happened to the girl. True the father came home early the afternoon the girl went missing, after the affair he was having ended badly and lost his temper when he saw her there after getting in trouble in school again. But what really happened? The story is told through multiple points of view and it seems that no one is really being totally truthful about what happened, what they know, what they suspect. The first half of the story was much stronger for me but as more and more of the mystery got answered, honestly, the less and less interested I was in the story, which really feels like the opposite of how that should go. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQBW3o2-qzoenNhwRpQG9ewPI3Yg1K-6dYket2kUMuUe0dKNg__ozvy_8dB94Yi6bEVqnrIyPhnIawECFFt6G0_XbRT1-CS9QgeJWO_g9Rj6L-6x5nZ-SDUbEhIYPODbL6RH9ThKL-txN34GyQbjgjkaE9sQ9RKRXfJhfijxzHG8LubfdxlS3S_jcA7K0/s1000/A%20Line%20to%20Kill%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQBW3o2-qzoenNhwRpQG9ewPI3Yg1K-6dYket2kUMuUe0dKNg__ozvy_8dB94Yi6bEVqnrIyPhnIawECFFt6G0_XbRT1-CS9QgeJWO_g9Rj6L-6x5nZ-SDUbEhIYPODbL6RH9ThKL-txN34GyQbjgjkaE9sQ9RKRXfJhfijxzHG8LubfdxlS3S_jcA7K0/w133-h200/A%20Line%20to%20Kill%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>A Line to Kill</i> by Anthony Horowitz</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another book in the Hawthorne/Horowitz series. This time there's a murder on a remote island at a literary festival (a small literary festival). The island is on lockdown as they (and by they, really Hawthorne though it's fun that Horowitz tries) to solve the murder. These books are fun. Hawthorne has a lot of tropes you'd expect from a super smart detective and watching all of the new ways he exasperates Horowitz is a good time. Bonus is that my library seems to have the books with little to no wait so also a key reason I've already finished 3 in the series.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRUQ1lB_yBHTl2Y9rL-4KS8VwzQlwRISlqn20eRQzb6nIcEg-AyvQks9x5G6zARyJLjHYk-ZZraic91GN4yCZIOC_lLAFFPbqHHvR4TMueoWjr_8D_UgV7rOpM2ri3U1NRM3bDOleT4lB7setpcpJu9A6Jpgx1A0tnV07HrTVs3d04M9KLi33arW6iutr/s976/Stone%20Blind%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="648" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRUQ1lB_yBHTl2Y9rL-4KS8VwzQlwRISlqn20eRQzb6nIcEg-AyvQks9x5G6zARyJLjHYk-ZZraic91GN4yCZIOC_lLAFFPbqHHvR4TMueoWjr_8D_UgV7rOpM2ri3U1NRM3bDOleT4lB7setpcpJu9A6Jpgx1A0tnV07HrTVs3d04M9KLi33arW6iutr/w133-h200/Stone%20Blind%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Stone Blind</i> by Natalie Haynes</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The story of Medusa. The story of Perseus. The story of Athena. Their stories are all intertwined, so of course you can't have one without the other. The story about who is a monster and who is a hero. A story about wrongs done to young women and the young women who are punished for having been wronged. Haynes has multiple narrators (Medusa sure, and Athena but other gods and demigods and titans and a crow and an olive tree and many more) but she manages to keep everyone straight, the narrators serve their purpose (yes, even the olive tree). The story has humor and cruelty and even when you know where the story is going, you hope that this time maybe things will turn out differently. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,830</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">0%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Reread</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 60%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Gift: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Everyone Here is Lying</i> is by a Canadian author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>A Line to Kill</i> and <i>Stone Blind</i> are both by UK authors</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-33557823109616059482024-01-05T09:00:00.005-05:002024-01-05T16:15:44.957-05:00My Favorite Reads of 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWafy_bS3ChKKkcTCskmd_PdwkWa31QLXCa59P4GsMdcm5cla0Kjjux64VVcASfHj897ECVc3GBoREs9jE55OZruoPl2liksCmSSbh2JM5XnR9ucGjWk8UZBYUs5H1o151LIpCvrNfADfmpiszWjKPwafAeZHKppfjTjh_LxVHmKioyh0arbqwYsZsaqf/s640/favthings.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWafy_bS3ChKKkcTCskmd_PdwkWa31QLXCa59P4GsMdcm5cla0Kjjux64VVcASfHj897ECVc3GBoREs9jE55OZruoPl2liksCmSSbh2JM5XnR9ucGjWk8UZBYUs5H1o151LIpCvrNfADfmpiszWjKPwafAeZHKppfjTjh_LxVHmKioyh0arbqwYsZsaqf/s320/favthings.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another year gone by, another post to reflect on my favorite books for the year. Some were new. Some were rereads. A lot of rereads. Considering I'm also starting 2024 with a reread (one of the ones below!) seems like I'm starting the year off right.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top New (to me) Reads</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGdUdzn0B6IoOD4N9xyFSdgMi52gl7Yt4K21PTgkmhrfctsKahXllE-9P9KG_Jm7bJtSSiEbWsxN2eMBqnOeHhmb7R9xgkJDEtimqlX4R9zYForwcE8DG08d_S5Kp887GW6CkrASpahpqa2xC0jnJzCz6IhxezJ-PiaXwvflwYD9Z59VBPl3km5ijkCm-/s2838/Bullet%20That%20Missed%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2838" data-original-width="1848" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGdUdzn0B6IoOD4N9xyFSdgMi52gl7Yt4K21PTgkmhrfctsKahXllE-9P9KG_Jm7bJtSSiEbWsxN2eMBqnOeHhmb7R9xgkJDEtimqlX4R9zYForwcE8DG08d_S5Kp887GW6CkrASpahpqa2xC0jnJzCz6IhxezJ-PiaXwvflwYD9Z59VBPl3km5ijkCm-/w130-h200/Bullet%20That%20Missed%20cover.jpeg" width="130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT7eIQrPwZRpZte-dc-WtMzI74fvGXA_V6stMEFf44etjX_b30RadsCiThKJn3FLEEBDn6vVPWipVs_8KCu_Hku95bs84do4BGPxwxKsnrmCXMtDbrnvFpLDKhwG5wgmu7xqQzjXsG_BOOCAnkpK6tL8StRdO85uA5F2iGdQfyW93C_8KLYbaaLTqNl13/s400/Vera%20Wong's%20Unsolicited%20Advice%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT7eIQrPwZRpZte-dc-WtMzI74fvGXA_V6stMEFf44etjX_b30RadsCiThKJn3FLEEBDn6vVPWipVs_8KCu_Hku95bs84do4BGPxwxKsnrmCXMtDbrnvFpLDKhwG5wgmu7xqQzjXsG_BOOCAnkpK6tL8StRdO85uA5F2iGdQfyW93C_8KLYbaaLTqNl13/w129-h200/Vera%20Wong's%20Unsolicited%20Advice%20cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWOi_Provn1iPOIgwdl6gmk1LA5nucifFoFlJGLR8w1_Z0nlwxur5I9B8EL0ZskL-rtfZv7gpAKbXN1VHhaejoSoGtfX5aq9z15ItSa0D9JPt-9zck8KnmOk_KHQ9ERl-v800bN_BnqLVRn_K5FR7QjO1fjCgm8rFkkvBE_gfQBkN_LAT5zhyMnU_bXD3/s2560/Last%20Devil%20to%20Die%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWOi_Provn1iPOIgwdl6gmk1LA5nucifFoFlJGLR8w1_Z0nlwxur5I9B8EL0ZskL-rtfZv7gpAKbXN1VHhaejoSoGtfX5aq9z15ItSa0D9JPt-9zck8KnmOk_KHQ9ERl-v800bN_BnqLVRn_K5FR7QjO1fjCgm8rFkkvBE_gfQBkN_LAT5zhyMnU_bXD3/w133-h200/Last%20Devil%20to%20Die%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgDxfNUXMhcwO5LG8OjqkoJPCQO6Om3MQAmn3KBF9M9G7eZWn0G8X6cu_AMMucQwHBTOWyL_ufpH8ySznpRdBxJoSpucIlM9n2m6f-F9z7a-yKM9eEExqECSI05wC9fZcn4cJ52NqayNs5uHeqfcfwsWf4AaownMYHjlg6cc3060pYrGilymUTb3a3suA/s400/Everyone%20in%20my%20Family...cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgDxfNUXMhcwO5LG8OjqkoJPCQO6Om3MQAmn3KBF9M9G7eZWn0G8X6cu_AMMucQwHBTOWyL_ufpH8ySznpRdBxJoSpucIlM9n2m6f-F9z7a-yKM9eEExqECSI05wC9fZcn4cJ52NqayNs5uHeqfcfwsWf4AaownMYHjlg6cc3060pYrGilymUTb3a3suA/w129-h200/Everyone%20in%20my%20Family...cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAzqZ9ce7rm0CxNJGKWmfaDzsE7wNxqt3ud2Uko5J2_O62cMyMLT1lf7SvZJPOc7BXB3Qide8gkFHjqMGwSpXJyOGAHfTzUKq4ZBV9lDViDU_Oix3HcK6KUBvoXN9vYdEkjMj_cNYKk4yE4pgeB-ngUEBh58YWSNKTSQ9daTH_se_pKo03EAhl4q1yTFz/s2361/Yellowface%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2361" data-original-width="1560" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAzqZ9ce7rm0CxNJGKWmfaDzsE7wNxqt3ud2Uko5J2_O62cMyMLT1lf7SvZJPOc7BXB3Qide8gkFHjqMGwSpXJyOGAHfTzUKq4ZBV9lDViDU_Oix3HcK6KUBvoXN9vYdEkjMj_cNYKk4yE4pgeB-ngUEBh58YWSNKTSQ9daTH_se_pKo03EAhl4q1yTFz/w132-h200/Yellowface%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgEX-1JOgCeTOPiAaEHt-LlVZ1D_ODnLg1QRPZrGjMcz866zeOspu-S5yz5CRBun97u8-WOj0RL-xz6QAbwAXql-6Fao_MMf40VeFnRE043CpYawYdFE2Uw5VAsqoPhoTzMSIRvetvqX3aXJBTPFx9zevA8HLcVZQXieCHysBu7p-_l44L-blQKiZivFz/s2775/Iona%20Iverson's%20Rules%20for%20Commuting%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgEX-1JOgCeTOPiAaEHt-LlVZ1D_ODnLg1QRPZrGjMcz866zeOspu-S5yz5CRBun97u8-WOj0RL-xz6QAbwAXql-6Fao_MMf40VeFnRE043CpYawYdFE2Uw5VAsqoPhoTzMSIRvetvqX3aXJBTPFx9zevA8HLcVZQXieCHysBu7p-_l44L-blQKiZivFz/w133-h200/Iona%20Iverson's%20Rules%20for%20Commuting%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5Scx2v89lC_G05j_VdR4tlnms1mvk681F0cqhRbpu27IPiGFK_2R3_iiSjRa_-YyOj5vu11Q75FDwgz9d-8w5yL3uomEYvtPn87Ywa9Nl77Fm8Gead6ZlbhZBZnd9D84ncFkMdBn9rWoLwGGLrOKJRJuAEDO8Q3HKKstrsVrBz6VeKkBSftv625uElNb/s2125/How%20to%20Be%20Perfect%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5Scx2v89lC_G05j_VdR4tlnms1mvk681F0cqhRbpu27IPiGFK_2R3_iiSjRa_-YyOj5vu11Q75FDwgz9d-8w5yL3uomEYvtPn87Ywa9Nl77Fm8Gead6ZlbhZBZnd9D84ncFkMdBn9rWoLwGGLrOKJRJuAEDO8Q3HKKstrsVrBz6VeKkBSftv625uElNb/w132-h200/How%20to%20Be%20Perfect%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div></div><br /></div><i>The Bullet That Missed</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</i> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Last Devil to Die</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone</i> by Benjamin Stevenson</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Yellowface</i> by R.F. Kuang</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting</i> by Clare Pooley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question </i>by Michael Shur</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top Rereads</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQsVkCet8R5_vqrVQUa847T9B90K-U1conNs_A8g1cD7L4PFgeefwwKDnV9pggPEbHRKrf6tAI1y66qqFExEbiIZqxxYj6gry3lnEn4D0aRG3p5eMdsurHMFVAQ5ZKtDO3EBKLEJD3b4PqUmzysJLEF0YLcTRLsj3pazWDxuYBp4ql0Abn6HHAphXYPtp/s400/Cultish%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQsVkCet8R5_vqrVQUa847T9B90K-U1conNs_A8g1cD7L4PFgeefwwKDnV9pggPEbHRKrf6tAI1y66qqFExEbiIZqxxYj6gry3lnEn4D0aRG3p5eMdsurHMFVAQ5ZKtDO3EBKLEJD3b4PqUmzysJLEF0YLcTRLsj3pazWDxuYBp4ql0Abn6HHAphXYPtp/w134-h200/Cultish%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="2264" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5w65XPj3UnE5vljs9pHTcBqwgvMowxvqDaYcdgwY8VOhQ7LC8a_BuuEFwqkvkYhGaODg7vnNh4IJolNsYXT7jCGY640bqjSAWbYPhsGs4vlkY1DKY4yf9n9-pXjI6OcOxCgyn6WmP2OitaAPLA8uieJ7sqGjSpgHJyYYU5Brnd9iAHweJuY3hJaxWInw/w133-h200/Attachments%20cover.jpg" width="133" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_iga_ocHsMWpj4nDZQl-x7z-0z9aEXxedcQ3I5iZ3QxTOLaBCuY0EjGnLxW1w2GA1S3AQeORAfvGbVBOOzxIQ2P2hj_92heKmMmFZU3SerqZUrmLGyrk8aHc2n7TxJuj5DHZ-6UnnxdgJwblz_F43O8nmsGjolNTn3HnwVdISzHszW0ZIrk4SU1HeG4b/s1454/Rosie%20Project%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="948" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_iga_ocHsMWpj4nDZQl-x7z-0z9aEXxedcQ3I5iZ3QxTOLaBCuY0EjGnLxW1w2GA1S3AQeORAfvGbVBOOzxIQ2P2hj_92heKmMmFZU3SerqZUrmLGyrk8aHc2n7TxJuj5DHZ-6UnnxdgJwblz_F43O8nmsGjolNTn3HnwVdISzHszW0ZIrk4SU1HeG4b/w131-h200/Rosie%20Project%20cover.jpg" width="131" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9oMNZnpXb2JD63agC9j90QSyEdnOis6Ck9Rj1VkEqYm2wUQH2f51tY9qy1uqMi5sx3OXhqhnNMQxkX-zpYKbIND-QRfuznUYKMLPP4aRl7ZjvhCZFmBfDr6l-5iTSGQnHY45Rp7WLGgJM_FtIAbCw-3JQIx9tucaf-LQjXlzKUGKA7UNwDHNQFJAfjoc/s324/World_War_Z_book_cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="219" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9oMNZnpXb2JD63agC9j90QSyEdnOis6Ck9Rj1VkEqYm2wUQH2f51tY9qy1uqMi5sx3OXhqhnNMQxkX-zpYKbIND-QRfuznUYKMLPP4aRl7ZjvhCZFmBfDr6l-5iTSGQnHY45Rp7WLGgJM_FtIAbCw-3JQIx9tucaf-LQjXlzKUGKA7UNwDHNQFJAfjoc/w135-h200/World_War_Z_book_cover.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0LO7xYg8ZegFJAQpSjiwHrREgWAdsZd55grQJPvZtqJi3YPRTMVy-qphloA90QTm1ZUrnBgO_79JC337A1J_fktoq-h-48VFN-xaT9rNoMoR2F-P2tHsPVumNYp5IA46Tfvz2rWaK0U4VAyVTzLvy8lD2KzOBMBVBte_BYCqEOKISOryBVw6DP6vvtha/s700/My%20Best%20Friend's%20Exorcism%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0LO7xYg8ZegFJAQpSjiwHrREgWAdsZd55grQJPvZtqJi3YPRTMVy-qphloA90QTm1ZUrnBgO_79JC337A1J_fktoq-h-48VFN-xaT9rNoMoR2F-P2tHsPVumNYp5IA46Tfvz2rWaK0U4VAyVTzLvy8lD2KzOBMBVBte_BYCqEOKISOryBVw6DP6vvtha/w137-h200/My%20Best%20Friend's%20Exorcism%20cover.jpg" width="137" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWO0oZwpazGO7e46BkFLYz-vb_-8uJGNRtQcbSmiWhfYxFCOY8-EsHg9Mp_IaepFmr1py201KLLtZd836twXz5dluhomPN1By-w7CU2AAJsieG2mHbx-dtkopK2JODlCz5GTp2KIkII2AgurFl7JVrjsRZimOfLj1OtgSSMHuT0sukxZk43LWRgRxuGTI/s473/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWO0oZwpazGO7e46BkFLYz-vb_-8uJGNRtQcbSmiWhfYxFCOY8-EsHg9Mp_IaepFmr1py201KLLtZd836twXz5dluhomPN1By-w7CU2AAJsieG2mHbx-dtkopK2JODlCz5GTp2KIkII2AgurFl7JVrjsRZimOfLj1OtgSSMHuT0sukxZk43LWRgRxuGTI/w134-h200/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism</i> by Amanda Montell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Attachments</i> by Rainbow Rowell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rosie Project</i> by Graeme Simsion</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>World War Z</i> by Max Brooks</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>My Best Friend's Exorcism</i> by Grady Hendrix</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-40720729453530423742024-01-03T09:00:00.001-05:002024-01-03T09:00:00.142-05:002023 Year End Stats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05eDJOIkjmqijvT8V4-cTbjiXFlCLFNE7okLIt2o9QFLxAkwq7gC9cbuTZ5SkPLLXCtjV6_fQx0dhrqSB5KZT16SbhSpBHmlL-C2Bj0WRLPr5AOsmJpmA_Mi7uFax242wjz47x35W2ev_Vpho93JFUPWvDX-XECEDCgeBcs4Jwn1_5oWMBqxPqV5dtxnQ/s220/Fry%20New%20Year.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="220" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05eDJOIkjmqijvT8V4-cTbjiXFlCLFNE7okLIt2o9QFLxAkwq7gC9cbuTZ5SkPLLXCtjV6_fQx0dhrqSB5KZT16SbhSpBHmlL-C2Bj0WRLPr5AOsmJpmA_Mi7uFax242wjz47x35W2ev_Vpho93JFUPWvDX-XECEDCgeBcs4Jwn1_5oWMBqxPqV5dtxnQ/s1600/Fry%20New%20Year.gif" width="220" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I may not get many real blog posts done, but you can always count on me for some stats posts. (Somehow this will end up being my last stats post because I've said this. Oh the universe, how it likes its jokes.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2023 was a busy year for me. We moved the end of 2022 after deciding we needed more space, particularly outdoor space, than our townhouse offered. We figured we'd rent a place for a year (not even a year) and then buy something else. HAHAHA said the housing market. We weren't able to stay in our other rental for another year and with the little one starting kindy, we didn't want a move to mean he'd have to change schools mid-year. So instead we moved over the summer to another rental, right down the street from our old townhouse. We're still in boxes and we're going into another year with most of my books packed away. Books, how I miss you.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also had lots of work stuff happen, some of which I alluded to even in the last year end wrap up. But basically the business I work on was being sold off which meant once the sale happened I wouldn't have a job. There were a lot of questions of what to do, what's the next move, a lot of very difficult decisions but I started a new job in November and so far all is going well there. It's nice to not have this unknown sitting over me as it had been for the past year and a half but it's been a lot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then there's the reading. 2023 started out really strong. Will 2024 be the same? Who knows! I certainly don't!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I still don't have a fancy infographic for the stats. I could make some graphs but honestly, it would be a lot of work and things wouldn't format the way I wanted them to (like they would in a fancy infographic) in here and I'm already getting tired thinking of doing that. So it'll be a list. But I will do some comparisons to my historic averages (2013-2022). And BTW I've now officially tracked my reading for 10 years and that is making me feel old. I mean, that and a bouncer looking at my friends and I and waving off <i>any</i> need to see ID. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">61</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is the most I've read in the last 10 years. I dunno why. Can I do it again? </div><div style="text-align: left;">Also Goodreads says it's only 60 and I dunno what book is missing and I don't feel like cross checking. I will say I trust my sheet better mostly cos I'm better at keeping up with that.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 52.8</div><div style="text-align: left;">Year with the most books: 2023 (I just said that) / Year with the fewest books: 2016 & 2018 (48 books)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">19,144</div><div style="text-align: left;">This may have been the most books, but 2013 still wins for the most pages. (Thanks <i>Under the Dome, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i> and <i>A Clash of Kings.)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 17,620</div><div style="text-align: left;">Year with the most pages: 2013 (21,681) / Year with the fewest pages: 2018 (13,525)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Month with the most / fewest books read</b></div><div>March (8 books) /July (3 books)</div><div>Historic average: every month averages either 4 or 5 books EXCEPT for July which now averages 3. I dunno what it is about the summer. but apparently it's vacation time from everything, including reading</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Month with most / fewest pages read</b></div><div>March (2,435) / July (889)</div><div>Historic average: September (1,692) / May (1,279)</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Fiction</b></div><div>69%</div><div>Historic average: 59.8%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div>23%</div><div>Historic average: 18.2%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Female authors</b></div><div>61%</div><div>Historic average: 57.5%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Author's nationality</b></div><div>US: 61% (Historic average: 68.2%)</div><div>UK: 25% (Historic average: 19.9%)</div><div>Australia: 5% (Historic average: 1.7%)</div><div>Ireland: 3% (Historic average: 0.4%)</div><div>Singapore: 3% (Historic average: 1.5%)</div><div>China: 2% (Historic average: new country - apparently it's been over 10 years since I last read a book by a Chinese author)</div><div>Japan: 2% (Historic average: 1.5%)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Translation</b></div><div>0%</div><div>Historic average: 4%</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rereads</b></div><div>16%</div><div>Historic average: 19% </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Book format</b></div><div>audiobook: 85% (Historic average: 40.4%)</div><div>ebook: 10% (Historic average: 29.4%)</div><div>paperback: 3% (Historic average: 26.2%)</div><div>hardback: 2% (Historic average: 4.2%)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div>Library: 69% (Historic average: 24.6%)</div><div>Kindle/Audible: 18% (Historic average: 36.0%)</div><div>Gift: 11% (Historic average: 8.7%)</div><div>Indie: 2% (Historic average: 17.2%)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Decade published</b></div><div>1890s: 2% (Historic average: new decade!)</div><div>2000s: 5% (Historic average: 16.1%)</div><div>2010s: 34% (Historic average: 58.1%)</div><div>2020s: 59% (Historic average: 10.2%)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Top Genres</b></div><div>Mystery: 25% (Historic average: 10.2%)</div><div>Literary Fiction: 16% (Historic average: 9.8%)</div><div>History: 11% (Historic average: 4.4%)</div><div>Rom com: 8% (Historic average: 3.8%)</div><div>Memoir: 7% (Historic average: 6.8%)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Resolution books</b></div><div>54%</div><div>Historic average: 48%</div></div></div></div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-75117541780348716502024-01-02T09:00:00.001-05:002024-01-02T09:00:00.127-05:00December+ Reading Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoLuMu5j5eYCDrDYMFWLXQ0iachoywY_Z-VfxZ61f8KVxSs5ChRA4k6hbh_1GSERelLjCI7ZBh6VBXbVs3waoZ0T75EhjT3XlkXqc5miSLHVGG9oc3fOvl_vkM5Sk9pZyye9a2-SMzWIMpSaT48PUzEefqr2OxtVAZHLBwO9OdZzgg_If0nCl1Zbv9mn5/s600/december-calendar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoLuMu5j5eYCDrDYMFWLXQ0iachoywY_Z-VfxZ61f8KVxSs5ChRA4k6hbh_1GSERelLjCI7ZBh6VBXbVs3waoZ0T75EhjT3XlkXqc5miSLHVGG9oc3fOvl_vkM5Sk9pZyye9a2-SMzWIMpSaT48PUzEefqr2OxtVAZHLBwO9OdZzgg_If0nCl1Zbv9mn5/s320/december-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Last wrap up of the year. Crazy right? I started with very optimistic intentions for this blog this year but that didn't quite pan out. Though perhaps I'll save that for the year end round up.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">December was a slower month for me, reading-wise. There was a lot going on and in general I feel like i had less time for reading and even with (or perhaps because) that time was more limited I listened to podcasts or Xmas music instead of books because those are easier to dip in and out of for extended periods or to not have to worry about giving full attention. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also had a brief worry where my library switched systems and thus I had to resign into my Libby account. But that took some time AND when I got signed out I lost all of my library holds. SIIIIIIGH back to the end of the line.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But the good news is the new library set up means many more books are available and they finally got a copy of <i>Homicide and Halo Halo</i>, which is the second cozy mystery book in the series starting with <i>Arsenic and Adobo</i> (they've had the third book for ages which is not especially helpful) and I was able to pick it up exactly 1 year after I finished the first book. So that was fun.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, here's what December looked like</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllGaHJFCFbzVYKOmTO6891UHYhQ7lqKtWxibyBLCpqo7kLSi6JvYrf3GG5JceTRmaZj89PKlDAoZOVjTLkdCtzdUyNiOg0rtm_4ffIo24xRYF7WvpzCWds096qn7a6qd-UqUTjTzpBuf-y_64MT2blpCPN7RcFk8f_hJ3temJE77sqbMg5LkApr0GIT9d/s1946/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-01%20at%2010.25.55%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="1946" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllGaHJFCFbzVYKOmTO6891UHYhQ7lqKtWxibyBLCpqo7kLSi6JvYrf3GG5JceTRmaZj89PKlDAoZOVjTLkdCtzdUyNiOg0rtm_4ffIo24xRYF7WvpzCWds096qn7a6qd-UqUTjTzpBuf-y_64MT2blpCPN7RcFk8f_hJ3temJE77sqbMg5LkApr0GIT9d/w400-h61/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-01%20at%2010.25.55%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Word is Murder</i> by Anthony Horowitz</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Sentence is Death</i> by Anthony Horowitz</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free</i> by Linda Kay Klein</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Homicide and Halo Halo</i> by Mia P. Manasala</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5IqLQS5ybIBnFJGkUEGtUI0K90KFJUslx3S6RZSVOf_ylRlmhVb79JFyALx_Eg-otRvmIxbFDHLUaeSCHqeabi_elALtudQhWWFa2aeOyD0COoHCqWWGXlaC0UfZ7QKrP3R97ds6voywZSv6pt4OiykTWa8kLo7H04Bjku9K7ORgvT8dTDI-7Bv6JaRJ/s499/Word%20is%20Murder%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5IqLQS5ybIBnFJGkUEGtUI0K90KFJUslx3S6RZSVOf_ylRlmhVb79JFyALx_Eg-otRvmIxbFDHLUaeSCHqeabi_elALtudQhWWFa2aeOyD0COoHCqWWGXlaC0UfZ7QKrP3R97ds6voywZSv6pt4OiykTWa8kLo7H04Bjku9K7ORgvT8dTDI-7Bv6JaRJ/s320/Word%20is%20Murder%20cover.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Word is Murder</i> by Anthony Horowitz</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I just wanted a simple, engaging murder mystery and there was a lot that my library didn't have when I stumbled on this book. I had read one Horowitz before (<i>Magpie Murders</i>) which was fine. Not my fav but. I figured I'd give something else a try. This is the first in a series with a gruff former-detective-turned-consulting-detective (Hawthorne) and the guy he partners with to write a book about his case (in a meta turn, Horowitz himself). Hawthorne is all of the tropes from a Sherlock character you'd expect: brilliant, blunt, kind of an oddball. He's brought into a case where a woman planned her funeral that morning and was murdered that evening. That'll draw you in. Horowitz is the reluctant writer who finds himself intrigued by the case and endlessly frustrated by Hawthorne. But he agrees to stay on, following the detective around as they detect and try to figure out who is responsible. The plot is ultimately a bit silly but what murder mystery plot isn't? And this was fun enough that I started in on the second book in the series immediately, and not only because it was available.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXZnU0QiwObmvU6mWIcFvEFXW9TD2huHBBRf26YcS_h5lJyK1QuNlw0z2W6cxhMiv2P9FbMsDe36VqLBuxspsS6hBMiZYKAHpRFwJlrx3ihpsRV2lU-hI-yJJRF2mRIQ4AFLuR1x57fbiy-CM7XpCT31nlJ2jv03hUxWQtiNapb5qj36jcoG9JaL0YmJv/s1000/Sentence%20is%20Death%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXZnU0QiwObmvU6mWIcFvEFXW9TD2huHBBRf26YcS_h5lJyK1QuNlw0z2W6cxhMiv2P9FbMsDe36VqLBuxspsS6hBMiZYKAHpRFwJlrx3ihpsRV2lU-hI-yJJRF2mRIQ4AFLuR1x57fbiy-CM7XpCT31nlJ2jv03hUxWQtiNapb5qj36jcoG9JaL0YmJv/s320/Sentence%20is%20Death%20cover.jpeg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Sentence is Death</i> by Anthony Horowitz</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hawthorne and his ghost writer Horowitz at it again to solve another murder the regular police force can't seem to figure out. This time the victim is a well-known divorce lawyer who was bashed in the head with an expensive bottle of wine. Wine that the guy didn't drink. His last heard words were "You shouldn't be here. It's too late..." There's a message scrawled on the wall. From the killer? From the victim? Who knows? More kind-of-silly-but-that's-fine murder plot stuff, more frustrations for Horowitz from Hawthorne and the lead detective on the case who doesn't approve of a PI being brought in. I'm sure I'll read more in the series (is there more)? </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Q3cyvL-oz3QsEv_wljFjAFaNOjLUeHbxYEkTChmLpxK2rIxVeRN2rvdNaojVs0gPq0YsGQVOhyphenhyphen0cMA6vkUy4Gc6qYNHtRRUTESoESqcrApTu2oR7zV1ddud_WV9i_SNadg8amPO_UOVyZRLKhSQxsprL99YvCQqQFqzayHVNXfCzCtMXlqcKE_nWTQo/s2113/Pure%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2113" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Q3cyvL-oz3QsEv_wljFjAFaNOjLUeHbxYEkTChmLpxK2rIxVeRN2rvdNaojVs0gPq0YsGQVOhyphenhyphen0cMA6vkUy4Gc6qYNHtRRUTESoESqcrApTu2oR7zV1ddud_WV9i_SNadg8amPO_UOVyZRLKhSQxsprL99YvCQqQFqzayHVNXfCzCtMXlqcKE_nWTQo/s320/Pure%20cover.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free</i> by Linda Kay Klein</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Quite the title, right? Klein dives into the sexual shame she and many women that she grew up with felt. She talks to these women about the ways purity culture affected them as young girls and what it meant for them as they were growing up. Why did she feel the need to take multiple pregnancy tests despite the fact that she was a virgin? What did the guilt and shame do to these women as they got older? Why is it the woman's job to make sure that the man doesn't "stray" by seeing a rogue knee? The book was strongest when Klein was focused on herself and what she was going through. Not to say the interviews shouldn't have been there, but it felt like Klein inserted herself too much in those interviews (sharing her reaction to the things the women shared, setting the scene with what food they were eating, what the seating was like) that weakened these pieces. It's an important topic but could have used some more editing.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.25 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t948koc2VzL5SnmK9GPk8r_fFX2ibJeh4yyfJ1oHpFComucwHBFuCysWESC6aES5BTUu_dhCX2lEAu9jw3q-sbMQA2Ah2IK9vXdkqDXsKsoahg0j9LRBOSKcfv-C-a7fnOuoIM16Qnt0t85pDOWnvaY9ofkPtuygO-0fQReXZXoZr0xmQasa0gAKUfkn/s400/Homicide%20and%20Halo%20Halo%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t948koc2VzL5SnmK9GPk8r_fFX2ibJeh4yyfJ1oHpFComucwHBFuCysWESC6aES5BTUu_dhCX2lEAu9jw3q-sbMQA2Ah2IK9vXdkqDXsKsoahg0j9LRBOSKcfv-C-a7fnOuoIM16Qnt0t85pDOWnvaY9ofkPtuygO-0fQReXZXoZr0xmQasa0gAKUfkn/s320/Homicide%20and%20Halo%20Halo%20cover.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Homicide and Halo Halo</i> by Mia P. Manasala</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Like I said in the intro, it had been a year since I'd been back to the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series and I did have to read some summaries of what happened in <i>Arsenic and Adobo</i> to remind me where I had left off. This book doesn't spend too much time rehashing events of previous book, which I appreciated (it feels so forced whenever the second book in a series does this) even if that reminder would have been helpful. But no matter. It's a few months after those events and Lila is working with her friends to get their cafe set up while also stepping in as a judge for a Miss Teen beauty pageant (of which she is a former winner). But when one of the judges from a prominent family is murdered, suspicions turn to Lila's cousin Bernadette, who she's always had a bit of a rocky relationship with. Can Lila help solve this murder and clear her cousin? And in between try out many delicious recipes to make sure her cafe gets off the ground? Oh and also, maybe deal with some of that PTSD she's dealing with after the first book? Perfect story for this time of year when I want something to draw me in without making me work too hard. And all of the food sounded so good</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,393</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">75%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">25%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Library - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 75%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 25%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">75%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Both of the Hawthorne and Horowitz books are by a UK author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Homicide and Halo Halo</i> is by a Filipino-American author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-46196507775947837272023-12-01T09:00:00.001-05:002023-12-01T09:00:00.142-05:00November Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQlcWQvBXAroZXqZYl8aE1LquGUEm0jiItuBoMcnGy27RsWy2n00bjBj4tJmKr08sc5_avancBQM9LpYoA5EDHa8gnT0DObbhRutaEvMVC-M6III9HXbJ8s71_9aJ_wqhej6XQM4PcTv4nlF_mybfD4JR-vIfrLqay_Po_qkcZsBrr5e5KktQLdg0YUKy/s600/November%20calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQlcWQvBXAroZXqZYl8aE1LquGUEm0jiItuBoMcnGy27RsWy2n00bjBj4tJmKr08sc5_avancBQM9LpYoA5EDHa8gnT0DObbhRutaEvMVC-M6III9HXbJ8s71_9aJ_wqhej6XQM4PcTv4nlF_mybfD4JR-vIfrLqay_Po_qkcZsBrr5e5KktQLdg0YUKy/s320/November%20calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">My November reading has been a bit sporadic. I think this is for a couple reasons. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One is library holds. There is an art to getting the library hold timing right and it is an area I have no skill for. I had a few instances of holds coming in at the same time and then I was trying to figure the "Deliver Later" piece and it got delivered later but not later when I thought it would. But then I didn't want to start a new book lest the hold come in at the wrong time and repeat repeat repeat until I finally gave up and listened to podcasts for a few days before picking up a short audiobook I already owned. Of course on the day I started it, a library hold came in so isn't that the way it goes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Two is Thanksgiving. Or not so much the day itself as the week of because we spent the week in San Diego which was a nice change of pace/weather from NJ. But while in the pre-child days, a vacation meant extra reading time, now I managed to get a few pages read on the plane there and...that was it. Not that I regret it. But we were busy when we were out there (Disney! Legoland! the zoo! friends! Thanksgiving!). Even on the plane I didn't even bother picking up the book because turns out 5 year olds are constant interruption machines and it wasn't worth it to keep reading the same paragraph over and over. Besides, there was a new <i>If Books Could Kill</i> podcast episode available. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here you can take a look at my reading schedule for the last couple months (since I keep forgetting to include this)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZy6HZYkTxyfAo1Qd-9S4Du-BBOHgaB4YvobcKUgvWQ98Kf_-FarTvQJ7yLjtGzAt41v7FvDFRxuJxyTL_HPdkYRCiV-SRzfaQwFD876jXc7-TpqONx-hYFYQrvWLYhZ0dqIHdDLu7VYmsrt0erH7eIyCxVW16zBsksriG-mf6BhDf0yCPhBItqSDSbnE/s1948/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-30%20at%209.14.30%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1948" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZy6HZYkTxyfAo1Qd-9S4Du-BBOHgaB4YvobcKUgvWQ98Kf_-FarTvQJ7yLjtGzAt41v7FvDFRxuJxyTL_HPdkYRCiV-SRzfaQwFD876jXc7-TpqONx-hYFYQrvWLYhZ0dqIHdDLu7VYmsrt0erH7eIyCxVW16zBsksriG-mf6BhDf0yCPhBItqSDSbnE/w400-h138/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-30%20at%209.14.30%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But hey let's look at the reading stats for November</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rachel Incident</i> by Caroline O'Donoghue</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Yellowface</i> by R.F. Kuang</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets</i> by John Woolf, Nick Baker and Stephen Fry</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Death Comes to Marlow</i> by Robert Thorogood</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power</i> by Eleanor Herman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRJ2hq4b-LaShvwfg3e6oxe2q0lySZnGjKNgnlyK1MDRCbSlvTiiP7R3LpBbDLYBMzI-r-zoMPzk9jsU_5R4z9G-qwluPOIXE7bbbNsYn5hyt8oQjQBGN9BzSnRDIIvTXmiNOR-HxlQeBDkhqn4EaTJu3F4DZnYvAKrRQwFeankwLVdEJYJEWRwvbad7v/s2560/Rachel%20Incident%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRJ2hq4b-LaShvwfg3e6oxe2q0lySZnGjKNgnlyK1MDRCbSlvTiiP7R3LpBbDLYBMzI-r-zoMPzk9jsU_5R4z9G-qwluPOIXE7bbbNsYn5hyt8oQjQBGN9BzSnRDIIvTXmiNOR-HxlQeBDkhqn4EaTJu3F4DZnYvAKrRQwFeankwLVdEJYJEWRwvbad7v/w133-h200/Rachel%20Incident%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Rachel Incident</i> by Caroline O'Donoghue</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rachel is going to school and working in a bookstore in Cork when she meets James, who almost immediately asks her to be his roommate. The two become close friends, but things get complicated when Rachel's crush on one of her professors evolves in a direction none of them expected. This Irish lit fic is excellent, a bit of a coming of age, a bit unrequited love and a lot of complications that people can find themselves in. And really, I like the author's Goodreads review: "I wrote this book and it's a banger"</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.25 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b1WWdNaWGYYeT6RrtkI2s96SAR_IDdhIVrFX-5qwhFyp12U7c7AKqP23NaYsYd8nRyIUjmKiGEC8VwOeHrn76h2CPHs15Vgh1DZXjy6d6yAxpy8KsRr65KQBPWaFM-Kr9D4-zqhaocbxsEHEiNIGHKFgfgJccI4ZAf8ErquzozUkfa-1hpkReQPup7An/s2361/Yellowface%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2361" data-original-width="1560" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b1WWdNaWGYYeT6RrtkI2s96SAR_IDdhIVrFX-5qwhFyp12U7c7AKqP23NaYsYd8nRyIUjmKiGEC8VwOeHrn76h2CPHs15Vgh1DZXjy6d6yAxpy8KsRr65KQBPWaFM-Kr9D4-zqhaocbxsEHEiNIGHKFgfgJccI4ZAf8ErquzozUkfa-1hpkReQPup7An/w132-h200/Yellowface%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Yellowface</i> by R.F. Kuang</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">How far will you go to get a book published, to get the accolade you (believe) you deserve? June Haywood and Athena Liu were friends, or frenemies, from school on through writing careers of varying success. Athena is a "literary-darling" and June barely gets a first run. But when Athena dies, leaving behind a first draft of a new novel she hasn't shown anyone, what else is June to do but to take a few passes at it. And then present it to her publishers as her own work. Even though this is about the contributions of Chinese laborers during WWI which isn't exactly a topic June has tackled before. And when her publisher suggests changing her name to Juniper Song (her full first and middle name) to differentiate from her earlier, less-successful work (and maybe be a little ethnically ambiguous), well what is she to do? The bits of the book that deal with the subtle and not-so-subtle racism in the publishing world were the strongest for me, though honestly the whole thing is pretty great. And Kuang nails a protagonist who is wholly unlikable but very compelling to watch, so well done there.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9C6HIBc2Qh6rbME3BxiN9arHmV7wAhy_smYrt6_pXaqS3Rj9xh0PVk-hxXtY6mdR4movEZUkx6p7aFDWHMaV4bAIR5McR0gAF7bHKzXpaTmZB0i4qA9eXpOhGYg8u6kVHEuyElOC5hc0S0ekVhgu6uECx2I26V0Ojx6e_j36i7MfIaGZ04YoaNjusnvXg/s342/Stephen%20Fry's%20Victoria%20Secrets%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="342" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9C6HIBc2Qh6rbME3BxiN9arHmV7wAhy_smYrt6_pXaqS3Rj9xh0PVk-hxXtY6mdR4movEZUkx6p7aFDWHMaV4bAIR5McR0gAF7bHKzXpaTmZB0i4qA9eXpOhGYg8u6kVHEuyElOC5hc0S0ekVhgu6uECx2I26V0Ojx6e_j36i7MfIaGZ04YoaNjusnvXg/w200-h200/Stephen%20Fry's%20Victoria%20Secrets%20cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets</i> by John Woolf, Nick Baker and Stephen Fry</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was in between library holds and frustrated I couldn't get the timing right (as I said above) so I went looking through my audiobook library for something relatively short and that I could dip in and out of as needed and stumbled on this. It's a reread (relisten) about secrets around the Victorians, if that wasn't evident by the title, around topics such as sex, homosexuality, grooming, seances, and the general role of secrets in the society. It's interesting enough, with some interviews with historians and reenactments of some scenes but honestly it's also a bit forgettable. Which I guess is a case for relistening?</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDc6sieASk8STFFOtbMzTqLGXw5bnD4LYi_kuP2jnogexgHP2dHCnlfuKOKAZRpkNg8xSWfdV8Ho1vsYnVVJn_n2nk96AIbCo7wpGMdvVlvPQ5Inf7dm4rDnjL5_Is0DmpT7uNYXhPplH4Pl1bLu2lA94ybJ93UEvhT2D8jtFYEfU6q9Ciz-J1XwR5RjP/s500/Death%20Comes%20to%20Marlow%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDc6sieASk8STFFOtbMzTqLGXw5bnD4LYi_kuP2jnogexgHP2dHCnlfuKOKAZRpkNg8xSWfdV8Ho1vsYnVVJn_n2nk96AIbCo7wpGMdvVlvPQ5Inf7dm4rDnjL5_Is0DmpT7uNYXhPplH4Pl1bLu2lA94ybJ93UEvhT2D8jtFYEfU6q9Ciz-J1XwR5RjP/w127-h200/Death%20Comes%20to%20Marlow%20cover.jpeg" width="127" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Death Comes to Marlow</i> by Robert Thorogood</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sequel to the <i>Marlow Murder Club</i> and the club is back, this time solving a murder that was apparently predicted. Sir Peter Bailey is about to get remarried and invites club leader Judith to the engagement party, despite the fact that they don't really know each other. But Sir Peter seems to think something will happen at this party and he wants Judith, who was more than a little responsible for helping solve a murder in town the year before. When Sir Peter is found crushed beneath a large cabinet in a room locked from the inside, the police initially think it was an accident, but Judith and the other members of the Marlow Murder Club think otherwise. A fun, cozy mystery, that doesn't shine quite as strong as the first book but honestly, I'll still prob read more.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOf8AH5DJ5mXUUQTa0DHbRr8yyOYsbqGysmljuKdqtdaSOqreokrXJqgJhCFDW0EsGbxaYEdmKa6gWKwt5S5QATDdDxPwO8woTj6IvBAtbvCSoBczwjW8cLfnvW2B7XiLNgA0it_ZCg-wpGoBS67U64Km47rB8eXtCVLqF1TRO9-602B-nEAK1Ea-sngMw/s1000/Off%20With%20Her%20Head%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOf8AH5DJ5mXUUQTa0DHbRr8yyOYsbqGysmljuKdqtdaSOqreokrXJqgJhCFDW0EsGbxaYEdmKa6gWKwt5S5QATDdDxPwO8woTj6IvBAtbvCSoBczwjW8cLfnvW2B7XiLNgA0it_ZCg-wpGoBS67U64Km47rB8eXtCVLqF1TRO9-602B-nEAK1Ea-sngMw/w133-h200/Off%20With%20Her%20Head%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power</i> by Eleanor Herman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A historical look at various women in power and how they have been treated and mistreated by a misogynistic agenda. Looking at topics, such as a preoccupation with women's appearance, sexual depravity, her shrill voice, etc. Herman looks at how terribly women in power have been treated simply for being women. The book is good though infuriating to see how little things have changed in some regards. The structure of the book is a bit odd, as she comes back to the same few historical figures multiple times and there is a lot more time spent on contemporary leaders (Clinton, AOC, Harris) than I would have expected.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,628</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rachel Incident</i> is by an Irish author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Yellowface</i> is by a Chinese author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Victorian Secrets </i>and <i>Death Comes to Marlow</i> are both by UK authors</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-84540251115915140372023-11-02T09:00:00.001-04:002023-11-02T09:00:00.130-04:00October Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBok9jVUNZ_7bfjTEMCt1KiAvwU1zJAuwOlp3aJQZ7d04TB5OvrhovP5NbR80KbLs4xV2AXkqHXZZZYrKkxi5cVnhxb58mj8NdcyEOz1jhx1ijUi3k6HEU7gc74gfIlBrsCaghcBhZimmZFK_isVHHtIEVMFiYVPBEIj2d3JwBCAt_tse04CeyNIcYJ5K/s3888/october-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBok9jVUNZ_7bfjTEMCt1KiAvwU1zJAuwOlp3aJQZ7d04TB5OvrhovP5NbR80KbLs4xV2AXkqHXZZZYrKkxi5cVnhxb58mj8NdcyEOz1jhx1ijUi3k6HEU7gc74gfIlBrsCaghcBhZimmZFK_isVHHtIEVMFiYVPBEIj2d3JwBCAt_tse04CeyNIcYJ5K/s320/october-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Spooky season! Did I read a lot of spooky books? Not really. I mean, I re-read <i>The Graveyard Book</i> which is becoming something of an annual tradition*. Which I am on board with. I've also been not reading but telling a version of <i>Frankenstein</i> to Matthew multiple times this month (often multiple times a day) after he saw a Frankenstein decoration on someone's lawn. He's getting a somewhat sanitized Mary Shelley version (no one gets killed in this version) and Matthew's takeaway is everyone should be nicer to the Creature, which is correct.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5 - </b>which brings me to my goal for the year of 52 books! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Counterfeit</i> by Kirsten Chen</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone </i>by Benjamin Stevenson</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Writing Retreat</i> by Julia Bartz</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Darkwater Bride</i> by Marty Ross</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsS6CSdU5DFBMnoYWIYGkhcIvJf4191KoufcTLUhxOC83xeZOPPJPQ6D_E9Eu0YLEI7dsmr3EL3cnAsX4-kl3XkoQ3ds_jMgWkrUrrHM7-zH2-Q8Y-d9e-EfDXN9ejSCwkTk3yoalUf4hg5yPvLCeCoXO5EDb6zlLtskhogiQ3T7DByMZgaIaINZ_yPvw/s2400/Counterfeit%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsS6CSdU5DFBMnoYWIYGkhcIvJf4191KoufcTLUhxOC83xeZOPPJPQ6D_E9Eu0YLEI7dsmr3EL3cnAsX4-kl3XkoQ3ds_jMgWkrUrrHM7-zH2-Q8Y-d9e-EfDXN9ejSCwkTk3yoalUf4hg5yPvLCeCoXO5EDb6zlLtskhogiQ3T7DByMZgaIaINZ_yPvw/w133-h200/Counterfeit%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Counterfeit</i> by Kirsten Chen</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Enter into the world of counterfeit designer handbags. Ava seems to have the perfect life with her surgeon husband and adorable toddler, even if her fancy law degree isn't really getting use anymore. But, through a series of interviews with a detective, we learn how Ava was drawn into this underground world by a former college roommate who has come back into her life. It was a fun story with some tense moments and the two women felt real.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9k8fiFVGjXxNhT0YAYQyFEgywkfAHlwrjAGfHxXl27ukQ4_MWuBOP8vZyX7JVUldH0XrIyE3kW3SVqnJw-GcqAFpRG5PAUPXo_1HFkf8B3DwpOgTqO59w2RYVqlBbo6CSlHDan2Lhqjfc6vMj_oqeXn_z5Ol9ZeN7J_9GUexkraVQeY_wYhVS5p2MfC2z/s400/Everyone%20in%20my%20Family...cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9k8fiFVGjXxNhT0YAYQyFEgywkfAHlwrjAGfHxXl27ukQ4_MWuBOP8vZyX7JVUldH0XrIyE3kW3SVqnJw-GcqAFpRG5PAUPXo_1HFkf8B3DwpOgTqO59w2RYVqlBbo6CSlHDan2Lhqjfc6vMj_oqeXn_z5Ol9ZeN7J_9GUexkraVQeY_wYhVS5p2MfC2z/w129-h200/Everyone%20in%20my%20Family...cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone</i> by Benjamin Stevenson</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">That title feels like a lot to live up to and honestly, beyond the title I didn't know much of what to expect. You'd think I'd at least remember where I first heard about the book, given it hasn't been out that long, but you would be wrong. A murder mystery where the main character Ernest spends just as much time talking to you, the reader, as he does the people within the story. And this is a technique that could get very old very fast, but Stevenson manages to make it work. A family reunion where everyone in this dysfunctional family has killed someone (though it's far more complicated than it seems). There are unreliable narrators who admit their unreliability, there are little hints dropped that are easy to miss but fall into place beautifully and result in twists that feel earned. It's interesting to see this listed as the first in a series as this didn't necessarily end in a way that felt like the beginning of a series, but I'd check out more Ernest books if they're as entertaining as this.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAuDETfW0OFfC8TulbKSHnIxehb1js9tI2IXednBWtDpeJWQpVkLDKep50QPFmIh7MXFx-K0INdsP_T6Kq_LvU_sFqo93m2HSphX3qmXvlRYcX-4dCbyFn3iS7zTFBy4gD4XH-S0KaTXNM_0QxnLHZqI0dqsHb7gGqTOsex6E5qR7riQa-45UtH1Rci6W/s473/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAuDETfW0OFfC8TulbKSHnIxehb1js9tI2IXednBWtDpeJWQpVkLDKep50QPFmIh7MXFx-K0INdsP_T6Kq_LvU_sFqo93m2HSphX3qmXvlRYcX-4dCbyFn3iS7zTFBy4gD4XH-S0KaTXNM_0QxnLHZqI0dqsHb7gGqTOsex6E5qR7riQa-45UtH1Rci6W/w134-h200/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is my 6th time reading the book in 10 years. What else am I going to say about it? It's just as good every. time. And the full cast audiobook recording? Love.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQ468fQDx9oUoGLA6hrC9LFwp6gfIBCwTadobF8dwM1zursBO4Nj3eCfVPRAhEx6FFndN8wqI18wwHNWSsUjqmsY0D-YKW4y9onIT_j5ETJ3hBKo4gV5-9KlWl91OW2O_K10uI5lq36nHOj8MmCZgNw77huTxBtURcG8p7RklGcKVtza6U9Kmd6iZo4Pf/s2114/Writing%20Retreat%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="1399" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQ468fQDx9oUoGLA6hrC9LFwp6gfIBCwTadobF8dwM1zursBO4Nj3eCfVPRAhEx6FFndN8wqI18wwHNWSsUjqmsY0D-YKW4y9onIT_j5ETJ3hBKo4gV5-9KlWl91OW2O_K10uI5lq36nHOj8MmCZgNw77huTxBtURcG8p7RklGcKVtza6U9Kmd6iZo4Pf/w133-h200/Writing%20Retreat%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Writing Retreat</i> by Julia Bartz</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I said I didn't read much in the way of spooky books but I guess this kind of counts except. Eh. A writing retreat for 5 lucky winners hosted by famous feminist author Roza Vallo (except how she's feminist other than she writes books with women in them is not addressed) in a secluded mansion in upstate NY. The women are given the task of writing an entirely new novel and by the end Roza will select winner, give them $1M and get their book published. But something seems off about the house, the contest, the other people there. Though honestly, it takes a LONG time to get to that point. All of the characters sort of sound the same, the book-within-the-book chapters were...whatever. It was...fine. I finished it so it kept me interested and engaged enough for that but there were a few DNF moments</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 2.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt78v42qjPoNhoeAl3HNPONIGoyW6abVJc_QYU9Vk2CBEIyGsjBiHJC_xgoV34f2Me3FzaYzuGg4gii8dnU-6OE4vNKL8NKvfGCW21sYUgocQy-0GkmC6paOLuLb6PabN08fhWGmMxayDOiIe6e2RzzEHVTTi-NDsUi3fXLBwxiKGP3coYi0Kb3lngPbIR/s500/Dark%20Water%20Bride%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt78v42qjPoNhoeAl3HNPONIGoyW6abVJc_QYU9Vk2CBEIyGsjBiHJC_xgoV34f2Me3FzaYzuGg4gii8dnU-6OE4vNKL8NKvfGCW21sYUgocQy-0GkmC6paOLuLb6PabN08fhWGmMxayDOiIe6e2RzzEHVTTi-NDsUi3fXLBwxiKGP3coYi0Kb3lngPbIR/w200-h200/Dark%20Water%20Bride%20cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Darkwater Bride </i>by Marty Ross</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was in between library holds when I picked this up. I had a couple come in while I was reading <i>Graveyard Book</i> and then again during <i>Writing Retreat</i> (WR being one of the holds) so with this I was looking for 2 things: something I already have (so I don't have to worry about returns if the library hold comes in) and something short. Because even though I own my copy of <i>The Graveyard Book</i> once I started it, I really didn't want to put it down in favor of the library option.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, this is a reread, an audible original production that's more like a radio play than an audiobook. It's a creepy story of a young Victorian woman who travels down to London from a small town in Scotland after her father's body is dredged up from the river. There she finds her way to London's seedy underworld to try to find out the truth of her father and the rumors of a ghost bride. Suspenseful and well acted, enough so that I wanted to reread it.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,500 nice round number</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Library - 60%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Audible - 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2000s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80% mostly due to non-US authors</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Counterfeit </i>author Kirsten Chen is from Singapore</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone</i> author Benjamin Stevenson is from Australia</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Graveyard Book</i> author Neil Gaiman and <i>The Darkwater Bride</i> author Marty Ross are both from the UK</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">*I checked my spreadsheet (of course) and this was my 6th time reading this book since 2013. However, it was less often this time of year than I previously thought.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2015: August</div><div style="text-align: left;">2017: November</div><div style="text-align: left;">2019: April</div><div style="text-align: left;">2021: October</div><div style="text-align: left;">2022: November</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-66105448850131651532023-10-04T09:00:00.001-04:002023-10-04T09:00:00.143-04:00September Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuygHbUi_LZE7GKCGyOLg1fxS3ajHT6xyiVTUYrskyzej-TPhqm12YgL3xXz2cG1MFycvvv1K-82euUIaIhUMJMjNViYMYQoM4gFHGwYm3rGtSg47DxVCDbOHGlPLQ5OhYlUuzEdJTYvUFf5b9-T5XFdrGWLSKU0CJ4-XOYt1DA7PqzpX4t7xHEbVgfDD/s3888/september-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuygHbUi_LZE7GKCGyOLg1fxS3ajHT6xyiVTUYrskyzej-TPhqm12YgL3xXz2cG1MFycvvv1K-82euUIaIhUMJMjNViYMYQoM4gFHGwYm3rGtSg47DxVCDbOHGlPLQ5OhYlUuzEdJTYvUFf5b9-T5XFdrGWLSKU0CJ4-XOYt1DA7PqzpX4t7xHEbVgfDD/s320/september-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">September has come and gone and we are officially into fall, even if we're now getting some highs in the '70s around here. September was another busy month, but really, aren't they all? The monster started kindergarten (which he only refers to as "kindy" because we have watched a lot of <i>Bluey</i> in this house, and if you call it "kindergarten" or "school" you WILL be scolded). I've had lots of job stuff going on which at some point I may write about but not yet. But despite this busier month, I did get a fair amount of reading (or listening) done, so let's look at those stats</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Plot</i> by Jean Hanff Koelitz</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>I'm Glad My Mom Died</i> by Jeanette McCurdy</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Bookeaters</i> by Sunyi Dean</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Authenticity Project</i> by Clare Pooley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Last Devil to Die</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBH0H3J96ZHkg0hMXnCTDb-Fcn53h74JXSvCCPTthwQnNs0V5W6k7dpDwJI8GdXO0XvM9bJ2QNfj3SG-MzTUs2lWmKu41MSmHeW-EhuMpTgkL4BpCjf5pjSApZPWCQHmIxPhcFinmUJCTWfa5UPPtCopCWX9jb7lPi-MpnpcSnX6WS5A62NP-M9L4yeqvh/s2850/Plot%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1875" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBH0H3J96ZHkg0hMXnCTDb-Fcn53h74JXSvCCPTthwQnNs0V5W6k7dpDwJI8GdXO0XvM9bJ2QNfj3SG-MzTUs2lWmKu41MSmHeW-EhuMpTgkL4BpCjf5pjSApZPWCQHmIxPhcFinmUJCTWfa5UPPtCopCWX9jb7lPi-MpnpcSnX6WS5A62NP-M9L4yeqvh/w132-h200/Plot%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Plot </i>by Jean Hanff Koelitz</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Can you really have a thriller about someone who steals a plot idea for a book? I guess so, cos that's what we have here. Even if that central crime of stealing-an-outline-for-a-story-that-never-actually-gets-written-by-the-original-author isn't really a crime. How many plots do you see recycled? But anyway. So we have an author Jake who after a promising first book hasn't really amounted to much, teaching at a 3rd rate MFA program, and generally feels sorry for himself. A student of his tells him of a plot that is like something NO ONE has ever seen before (spoiler, yes we have, but whatever), but then said student dies without ever writing the book. How can Jake let this story go to waste? He can't so he takes it upon himself to write it. And the world goes NUTS for it. (All of this is like the first half of the book but also the description on the back cover). Until someone anonymously starts accusing him of stealing a story that didn't belong to him. And then we have a mystery, a thrilled, while Jake tries to figure out who is this mystery person, where did this plot originally come from and is stealing an outline of a plot a crime? The book, to its credit, kept me engaged till the end. But I also don't think stealing a plot outline is a crime (a cool thing to do? no but also not really plagiarism) and the whiplash in tone was...something. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUbAAJZKIw7TWm0XhLCVmdUC3mgwjlonM7iKokCRI56arERnclUh-oYtiIrt6PxeX47gnjOd6WDIHf3ZigHMvqzwon6JjU_styAUxIuPTsEYJBbLpW3dTXlT3Z2Jts8vb-842Xjr4oOEEKX6inPH7mwnwUtBj-mdbK4taAcl1Zv_HXjt5CyyXViJ-tqw2/s475/I'm%20Glad%20My%20Mom%20Died%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUbAAJZKIw7TWm0XhLCVmdUC3mgwjlonM7iKokCRI56arERnclUh-oYtiIrt6PxeX47gnjOd6WDIHf3ZigHMvqzwon6JjU_styAUxIuPTsEYJBbLpW3dTXlT3Z2Jts8vb-842Xjr4oOEEKX6inPH7mwnwUtBj-mdbK4taAcl1Zv_HXjt5CyyXViJ-tqw2/w134-h200/I'm%20Glad%20My%20Mom%20Died%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>I'm Glad My Mom Died </i>by Jeanette McCurdy</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was a doozy. Jennette McCurdy was pushed into acting at a very young age by her mother. She just wanted to make her mom happy and even if acting wasn't her passion, it made mom smile so that was enough. The strict "calorie restrictions" were also her mom's idea. And her mom was thrilled when she made it onto the tween show iCarly. But none of this was what Jennette wanted. And if there is ever a memoir to say "we really need to tear down the whole world of childhood acting" it is this one. While the book deals with some very hard topics, Jennette does highlight the humor and WTFness she's come to realize through many years of therapy. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7nLe1UuPrsDsGzWxuDcH3oHtrahqQWiu5evhH60KTAlwACA-WNAivqsC-_Tb0rMwESP3irWEHjOK-rPZFlgP1kikw5ZkaV79VmHEFlUiX3eXCX5yZrTJiyRiapBk2A_mQ0wiiZ9zYMU4EbUaoRI5GKilWtjFUKfZLWdFKuBrwRz3v1Jcu-T4XTVfO1oK/s1672/Book%20Eaters%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="1100" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7nLe1UuPrsDsGzWxuDcH3oHtrahqQWiu5evhH60KTAlwACA-WNAivqsC-_Tb0rMwESP3irWEHjOK-rPZFlgP1kikw5ZkaV79VmHEFlUiX3eXCX5yZrTJiyRiapBk2A_mQ0wiiZ9zYMU4EbUaoRI5GKilWtjFUKfZLWdFKuBrwRz3v1Jcu-T4XTVfO1oK/w132-h200/Book%20Eaters%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Book Eaters</i> by Sunyi Dean</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a book about a group of creates who eat books instead of food and absorb the information from them. Doesn't that sound whimsical? And sure, the summary describes some darkness, with someone being born with a hunger for human minds. But still, they eat books. Whimsy. And then, as I was about 40% in I saw a description that was like "vampiric Handmaid's Tale" and while I don't totally know I agree with the vampiric part, Handmaid's Tale is pretty accurate and yeah, this is a <i>much </i>darker book than I assumed. It's an interesting world with exciting moments, though after finishing the book, it is taking some effort for me to remember what happened and how I felt.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VyWOzd8Yi0p8PC_qJBpSCCWxTcucVg6mcriCv83wFlgtk0HtKyfm3pKOmssHepTcoLe1CUXmuGiWBc9LG7CDTgtue1ZseXPgbE8bvh8M6n568gfmC0WhEbzmpeRjhuBiXNkznb_A9U3QWTYfwaJAE_MqRAVFInyDS4sqqHJvk2BRUClfEb4PnSUmtpDD/s400/Authenticity%20Project%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VyWOzd8Yi0p8PC_qJBpSCCWxTcucVg6mcriCv83wFlgtk0HtKyfm3pKOmssHepTcoLe1CUXmuGiWBc9LG7CDTgtue1ZseXPgbE8bvh8M6n568gfmC0WhEbzmpeRjhuBiXNkznb_A9U3QWTYfwaJAE_MqRAVFInyDS4sqqHJvk2BRUClfEb4PnSUmtpDD/w134-h200/Authenticity%20Project%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Authenticity Project</i> by Clare Pooley</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I really loved Pooley's <i>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, </i>so was exciting to pick this up. It's a very similar story of several people from different worlds who are thrown together by an older, eccentric larger-than-life figure. Last time it was Iona and commuters on a train. This time it's artist Julian Jessop and a book "The Authenticity Project" where he tells the truth about himself and then leaves the book in a coffee shop, where it's found and read by the proprietor Monica. She adds to it and leaves it in a wine bar and so on. More people find the book, add to it, and lives of strangers become intertwined. It's a sweet, uplifting story about the importance of community. It's hard not to compare it to <i>Iona</i> because, at the center, it's basically the same story with a different set of characters and setting. Not necessarily a bad thing; I liked them both and it's something I could see myself picking up again. Though end of the day, I prefer <i>Iona</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KYXXwE68h0udg1NL5PWWAaVfJoGwACmi2V88dgwZfGKofl2JVn1Cvu-7cUPDkGk7K2Fl-4_0v0O-xJl2IEfcGTx3oysEGQvVvfSpyUDcNal2RClt9fmQm6aHWJVQQaKVaG8ZLl03ARkYGFj-b9J02tshD3U3H5W03-a1_YIYD7329RBzSBp9285OsgbU/s2560/Last%20Devil%20to%20Die%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KYXXwE68h0udg1NL5PWWAaVfJoGwACmi2V88dgwZfGKofl2JVn1Cvu-7cUPDkGk7K2Fl-4_0v0O-xJl2IEfcGTx3oysEGQvVvfSpyUDcNal2RClt9fmQm6aHWJVQQaKVaG8ZLl03ARkYGFj-b9J02tshD3U3H5W03-a1_YIYD7329RBzSBp9285OsgbU/w133-h200/Last%20Devil%20to%20Die%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><b><i>The Last Devil to Die</i> by Richard Osman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Did you know there was another <i>Thursday Murder Club</i> book? Because I didn't know that when I was browsing my library app for something to read and was very excited to see this and this book did not disappoint. Another murder comes close to the folks at Cooper's Chase. Now the Thursday Murder Club is mixing with shady antiques dealers and drug dealers looking for a missing package. This story includes a lot more chapters focusing on the characters (or really, 2 in particular) separate from the mystery. In another book, this could have hurt the story and hurt the pacing. Here, because I am already in love with the characters, it worked. Was I bawling my eyes out at times? Yes, very much so, which was not anticipated when I picked this up, but again, I love these characters so it is forgiven. Keep the mysteries coming.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,770</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Library - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Book Eaters</i> is written by a bi-racial author (born in Tx, raised in Hong Kong, now living in UK, per her bio)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Authenticity Project</i> and <i>The Last Devil to Die</i> are both by UK authors</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-47307663435713618122023-09-06T09:00:00.001-04:002023-09-06T09:00:00.139-04:00August Reading Wrap-Up+<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIKExWmGip1d_XnIl__e7zLlE_X15ADJEV6oYRv4ywSR2wrAacvFRaS__ESyrj3emtq2N6aLBkfOEIaumniD0mEdBpgGb9c_2HTM2BPHzeZ6CC0trAcXPmaw8K_4KuhV_cNpOORTSARbncQlIT5fEIT4izhH92F-xQzuhbQIbavxDEZQwsKLglZ3nchfe/s3888/august-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIKExWmGip1d_XnIl__e7zLlE_X15ADJEV6oYRv4ywSR2wrAacvFRaS__ESyrj3emtq2N6aLBkfOEIaumniD0mEdBpgGb9c_2HTM2BPHzeZ6CC0trAcXPmaw8K_4KuhV_cNpOORTSARbncQlIT5fEIT4izhH92F-xQzuhbQIbavxDEZQwsKLglZ3nchfe/s320/august-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oh man, August is done. Summer is fading and we're moving into fall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">August was a big month over our way. We moved. Again. We spent the last few months trying to buy a house. We did not succeed (hence some of that sulking I mentioned in the last post). And unfortunately we could not extend the lease on our rental to get us through the school year (because the little one is not so little anymore and just started kindergarten!) so we had to move. We're currently living out of boxes and will likely be doing this whole move all over again next summer. So some stress is...maybe not alleviated but we'll say pushed to the side till it gets to come back again in a few months. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Total books read</b></div><div><b>4</b></div><div><i>Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice</i> by Curtis Sittenfeld</div><div><i>Rock, Paper, Scissors</i> by Alice Feeney</div><div><i>The Marlow Murder Club </i>by Robert Thorogood</div><div><i>The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture</i> by Grace Perry</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNEJk508FYWs4R5OKpDmSnhN84SrHnNQPfIWeGBoAGiA41SBErz-WUIs03cVUHNa19Ub9-IYwGBjZK0S7-SiplTI9laPZMEYKZM3H2soWxvhGN8qSmDGETxH9c914mgaAX_q9WD06gQVqnLcF-PygImZ6JWsjumTOTTXA-gjvVSN3itVncaMaur04iV7w/s475/Eligible%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNEJk508FYWs4R5OKpDmSnhN84SrHnNQPfIWeGBoAGiA41SBErz-WUIs03cVUHNa19Ub9-IYwGBjZK0S7-SiplTI9laPZMEYKZM3H2soWxvhGN8qSmDGETxH9c914mgaAX_q9WD06gQVqnLcF-PygImZ6JWsjumTOTTXA-gjvVSN3itVncaMaur04iV7w/w131-h200/Eligible%20cover.jpeg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice</i> by Curtis Sittenfeld</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is, as the title says, a modern retelling of P&P, set in the mid-2000s primarily in Cincinnati (with some stops in Houston, San Fran and NYC). A question I kept coming back to as I listened to this was "Why"? I'm not opposed to retelling of stories. I'm a fan of <i>Pride & Prejudice & Zombies</i>, so it's not even that I think this is a story that shouldn't be touched. But I didn't really understand the purpose. It kept surprisingly close to the original source material, which made things awkward or nonsensical for current time. Or when things were updated they fell a bit flat. The barbs traded between Elizabeth and...well most people (Darcy, Caroline) don't have the same sparkle of the original, maybe because there is more bluntness. But despite all this, I did stay and listen through to the end vs dropping the book early so it caught enough attention for that</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrX1g7IpdFF9kLzUkBTRA5hwhBWHyEhVT75LM-bW049BuEfEchCGzlAvwdX06Sm7tlLfTSZJ_imoAXqq3H6te-QB-xV7AN12V73p2ki3vzH6FzdpAARVVtp2OGpYPCHfr7zo77Qll62cqx3mxql8Xywuud2LMvOEerdXNWnDzHhoTg3Dw4ndWmFIShTQe8/s1000/Rock%20Paper%20Scissors%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrX1g7IpdFF9kLzUkBTRA5hwhBWHyEhVT75LM-bW049BuEfEchCGzlAvwdX06Sm7tlLfTSZJ_imoAXqq3H6te-QB-xV7AN12V73p2ki3vzH6FzdpAARVVtp2OGpYPCHfr7zo77Qll62cqx3mxql8Xywuud2LMvOEerdXNWnDzHhoTg3Dw4ndWmFIShTQe8/w132-h200/Rock%20Paper%20Scissors%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Rock, Paper, Scissors </b><b>by Alice Feeney</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love discovering people who are not only readers but ALSO have similar reading tastes to myself, because then I get to dig through their reading lists and find lots of new titles to check out. In this case, a coworker and I realized we're both readers, we're now Goodreads friends, and I'm pretty much adding her full reading list to by TBR. Starting with this thriller. Couple Adam and Amelia win a weekend away at a remote former church turned B&B type thing, in a last ditch attempt to try to save their marriage. But something seems off. They're cut off due to a winter storm but someone seems to be at the church with them. There are also flashbacks via anniversary letters to help explain how we got to this point. There are twists. There are turns. There are things I didn't see so I won't spoil it here but this kept me guessing and the twists and turns felt earned.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNW82d4QgPLBSu9wLN0awuafv6GTTRIPK-gcnMYXnKVm-GTiT6WXXRwVVVWmqZyikpJ6kL3RHA7FMfF7PAMfNSl4wjud16q3ijuOKFcpqBviEkZDNf_Kfm9XNP5Maf3aZiybE9SjkZNz8THT71NmFBM5URlNSSeIfMwrLKpAJbgTvmfTU0CtfL5rXfs3n/s2206/Marlow%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2206" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNW82d4QgPLBSu9wLN0awuafv6GTTRIPK-gcnMYXnKVm-GTiT6WXXRwVVVWmqZyikpJ6kL3RHA7FMfF7PAMfNSl4wjud16q3ijuOKFcpqBviEkZDNf_Kfm9XNP5Maf3aZiybE9SjkZNz8THT71NmFBM5URlNSSeIfMwrLKpAJbgTvmfTU0CtfL5rXfs3n/w136-h200/Marlow%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" width="136" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Marlow Murder Club</i> by Robert Thorogood</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am loving the genre of older forces-of-nature ladies solving murders (<i>Thursday Murder Club</i>, <i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</i>). Here slightly eccentric Judith (lives in a dilapidated mansion, wears a dramatic cape while riding her bike around town, drinks cheap whiskey, regularly skinny dips in the Thames behind her house, surprised everyone seems to know who she is) witnesses a murder. But no one seems to believe her so she takes on the investigation herself. Eventually teaming up with some other women in town that she would otherwise never have talked to, and they decide they need solve the murder happening in their quiet town. </div><div style="text-align: left;">It seems unfair to compare this to the other books I mentioned above because those two are SO GOOD and I love them SO MUCH. This one is...not quite up there but still good and I will still be reading the others in the series.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRMlU_E4DgqvwjpQStqD8he7X14tAUYOOLlmwhlmexQpP04Py4f0WuYPwS_CWG-lXdBlIDpAnYJOWETp_DJVml8WzKEESUh2ToQ5i_fOcGyhbdGqnMH7iQp1Anmg286tLBOggrAiwQxZ0ZbQkyY9g8DZypWBR0hyJlT0DbbNywt2RbfdrZ8TeLvv3THr6/s400/2000s%20Made%20Me%20Gay%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRMlU_E4DgqvwjpQStqD8he7X14tAUYOOLlmwhlmexQpP04Py4f0WuYPwS_CWG-lXdBlIDpAnYJOWETp_DJVml8WzKEESUh2ToQ5i_fOcGyhbdGqnMH7iQp1Anmg286tLBOggrAiwQxZ0ZbQkyY9g8DZypWBR0hyJlT0DbbNywt2RbfdrZ8TeLvv3THr6/w131-h200/2000s%20Made%20Me%20Gay%20cover.jpeg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture</i> by Grace Perry</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was going to say I wish Goodreads had a way to track where you heard of a book going on your TBR list. Except, it most certainly has the option to do it and I just...don't track that. So I can't remember where I came across this book to add to my TBR but "contributor to the Onion writes essays about pop culture and how they intersect with her identity" sounds pretty great, so I'm not surprised it ended up on my list. The essays look at different pieces of pop culture (Buffy, Glee, Taylor Swift, to name a few) and how they contributed to Perry's identity as "gay as hell". The essays were funny with poignant moments and I enjoyed revisiting some of that 2000s pop culture.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total Pages Read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,382</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">75%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">75%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">0% </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">library - 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 25%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 75%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Rock, Paper, Scissors</i> by Alice Feeney and <i>The Marlow Murder Club</i> by Robert Thorogood are both by UK authors</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-68233834655443019362023-08-07T09:00:00.005-04:002023-08-07T09:00:00.153-04:00July Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPk-46Xsk5tGpOd-F-kvpn6KZ8VEbUiAZ3Q2ylkakJIwBjnRvSe_YtBM02hEmNA09-9bThTJajJ40Ne4ZFakOq9LuZEjaeoLECUI0eBGAuqMA1CrQzp5H3JEYNQkabNwtvKReG4ilc3zN1Enxm-HTR-OEH5h0OBOXEJY5ursJxu-rzVJgTh-kqKUa_jJG/s190/July%20calendar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="190" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPk-46Xsk5tGpOd-F-kvpn6KZ8VEbUiAZ3Q2ylkakJIwBjnRvSe_YtBM02hEmNA09-9bThTJajJ40Ne4ZFakOq9LuZEjaeoLECUI0eBGAuqMA1CrQzp5H3JEYNQkabNwtvKReG4ilc3zN1Enxm-HTR-OEH5h0OBOXEJY5ursJxu-rzVJgTh-kqKUa_jJG/s1600/July%20calendar.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">This month was less successful for reading. Or...not less successful but just less of it. Probably because this month was also very stressful and I wasn't in the mood for doing much of anything but sulking. (I'm still in a sulking mood.) Which has lasted some additional days since I wrote this and the never bothered publishing it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXnUJ0Stp5IN7YCaJ1GAoVsCLvbx6dcz_uQzLImdYFCh5WssujSrWZuY6ihZbN29TWjFS-0ylj_MuUQ51P-3DXNqoOi4EJ8nh-7f5oLe3FkqyUa9L8_Hfj0TJBYJLxgstj67Rl_CVwJrswt1n0kg_blPikVhDju08L2j3mBkHDtAJeBgbQFhGRPTUWVrt/s1932/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-06%20at%209.49.45%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1932" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXnUJ0Stp5IN7YCaJ1GAoVsCLvbx6dcz_uQzLImdYFCh5WssujSrWZuY6ihZbN29TWjFS-0ylj_MuUQ51P-3DXNqoOi4EJ8nh-7f5oLe3FkqyUa9L8_Hfj0TJBYJLxgstj67Rl_CVwJrswt1n0kg_blPikVhDju08L2j3mBkHDtAJeBgbQFhGRPTUWVrt/w400-h65/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-06%20at%209.49.45%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">But instead of focusing on sulking, let's look at this fun bookish puzzle I got cos that is where I'm now at when it comes to wild nights these days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QJxufd5gkpCpGzguZNN_yhsLtTTmVnsqHFs1psAvGMPpMJWOamm4dP3GdX-Gi2gNTDSvYFW1oQjZNc-BXkTFnekTwDA7Jq7mFIBoBHxxjePk20jbhwWt1FIBO7CLl2k9joDnYHkZrHvXNIU8fWHUrPrTitjG21c-hD46KiZjhuaNQAXI640pX_mFD1OR/s4032/IMG_0273.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QJxufd5gkpCpGzguZNN_yhsLtTTmVnsqHFs1psAvGMPpMJWOamm4dP3GdX-Gi2gNTDSvYFW1oQjZNc-BXkTFnekTwDA7Jq7mFIBoBHxxjePk20jbhwWt1FIBO7CLl2k9joDnYHkZrHvXNIU8fWHUrPrTitjG21c-hD46KiZjhuaNQAXI640pX_mFD1OR/s320/IMG_0273.heic" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, hey book stats, eh? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>3</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Woman in the Library</i> by Sulari Gentill</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us To Win World War II</i> by Molly Guptill Manning</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>My Best Friend's Exorcism</i> by Grady Hendrix</div><div style="text-align: left;">(I also started <i>Severance</i> by Ling Ma and while I think it could have been good, it wasn't the right choice for me at the time. )</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XRS_GJxBAgYP_qlrOeBhW4xGi0PzxXY86RN0UwMcB7LenO1ojXqJU3CA6fyN0n8LYcexjnDWSgzgPwA7M2DPblbcjInllvsWrgieSdCVCkiX83yKtwFP1SqWgxxFtEC4wrt1MjassHCxYxXEaeQyMVUsoraPUJtZw_kmkmSFtliBVm-8W_T4BIvKDGv4/s750/Woman%20in%20the%20Library%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XRS_GJxBAgYP_qlrOeBhW4xGi0PzxXY86RN0UwMcB7LenO1ojXqJU3CA6fyN0n8LYcexjnDWSgzgPwA7M2DPblbcjInllvsWrgieSdCVCkiX83yKtwFP1SqWgxxFtEC4wrt1MjassHCxYxXEaeQyMVUsoraPUJtZw_kmkmSFtliBVm-8W_T4BIvKDGv4/w133-h200/Woman%20in%20the%20Library%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Woman in the Library </i>by Sulari Gentill</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A woman goes to the Boston Public Library to work on her novel. While there, she (and others in the Reading Room) hear a scream. she strikes up a friendship with a few other folks about what could have been happening and starts to work these new friends into her novel. When it turns out the scream was from a murdered woman, there is a crime to solve. BUT ALSO, this woman is a character in another story, which we learn about via letters from a beta reader, giving feedback on the chapters. I was intrigued by the mystery(ies) presented but wished we got a bit more of the beta reader piece. Some of the details didn't necessarily make all that much sense or maybe I missed a key detail (always a risk when doing an audiobook).</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIk30LY-cey4dIHcknX29i_4Jno9s5Z6Mx1vinWHaOzAoZ_r_5fFdLlzME6DJqUw3XyplPiJFugN_b8z348AW4MtTlM3PjgyiUfmieF13TMGLQIA5XtlyJwjhatb-CtJaWQUSnawGo3qMZY_6YwrgnEMzyWH0D1MXTQVM2YfEiaYCJJtN-c-kzj33i8_a/s475/When%20Books%20Went%20to%20War%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIk30LY-cey4dIHcknX29i_4Jno9s5Z6Mx1vinWHaOzAoZ_r_5fFdLlzME6DJqUw3XyplPiJFugN_b8z348AW4MtTlM3PjgyiUfmieF13TMGLQIA5XtlyJwjhatb-CtJaWQUSnawGo3qMZY_6YwrgnEMzyWH0D1MXTQVM2YfEiaYCJJtN-c-kzj33i8_a/w133-h200/When%20Books%20Went%20to%20War%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us to Win World War II</i> by Molly Guptill Manning</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A history of WWII and how much soldiers wanted books. A bit about Nazis and book burning, a bit about how paperback books became a thing so that soldiers could have books with them that were lighter than traditional hardback books. WWII is not a period I typically find myself drawn to. This was no different. It's a bit like the rules of football: no matter what, I can't make myself care. Books are great. I'm a fan. I don't know that I totally understand how these helped win the war. I guess the argument is keeping up morale. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkP3qqnoZvf_awhIv0mSA8In9-6VX46FlBUrrA_87vk3T43sZEAQHYcSH4v33xq9wgCoP0iN9rZy3lGVk1myxba0jIwxgmLwY28og-n5myVCg9LVwdme2SX5at_DBZ23M4q74qOJttAeKQt32vP0HaSEcf6aleOz2RO6jLkxLv_nzWykLLBwffeLo36Z9/s700/My%20Best%20Friend's%20Exorcism%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkP3qqnoZvf_awhIv0mSA8In9-6VX46FlBUrrA_87vk3T43sZEAQHYcSH4v33xq9wgCoP0iN9rZy3lGVk1myxba0jIwxgmLwY28og-n5myVCg9LVwdme2SX5at_DBZ23M4q74qOJttAeKQt32vP0HaSEcf6aleOz2RO6jLkxLv_nzWykLLBwffeLo36Z9/w137-h200/My%20Best%20Friend's%20Exorcism%20cover.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>My Best Friend's Exorcism</i> by Grady Hendrix</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love this book. I was recently traveling for work and saw someone on the airplane reading this. Had this trip not involved a 4 hour delay and getting home after midnight instead of like 8pm I probably would have said something to this lady. BUT ANYWAY, this is at least my third time reading this. A story of friendship, in particular those friendships that you have as children. Yes, the story involves demonic possession and also the '80s so it gets a little silly but also legit scary and yes, it does make me tear up. Who knew this Southern horror writer would be SO GOOD at teen girl friendships? (Me, I knew, cos I've read this before.)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">889</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">0%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">library: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 67%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Woman in the Library</i> is by an Australian author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-1726092835823590792023-07-06T09:00:00.001-04:002023-07-06T09:00:00.192-04:00June Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOgPLvki4ErD3voRSfob9IzrFT6w7XfRAsLXC9ZCRr2iByUNB0xBUH2_dB_k5YkqNEOcfd0btDAYtEB7ZRlwDTB0cAxOsTRjDPXyKpAI8BFxJLUi4y3JRBBi86QmbQlAH7VWiiVPSptLUvC6zKGQ7k1wPOplpHYwDjroj9fSvIT0yzxDS8t7HZmsSDFDd/s191/June%20calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="173" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOgPLvki4ErD3voRSfob9IzrFT6w7XfRAsLXC9ZCRr2iByUNB0xBUH2_dB_k5YkqNEOcfd0btDAYtEB7ZRlwDTB0cAxOsTRjDPXyKpAI8BFxJLUi4y3JRBBi86QmbQlAH7VWiiVPSptLUvC6zKGQ7k1wPOplpHYwDjroj9fSvIT0yzxDS8t7HZmsSDFDd/s1600/June%20calendar.jpg" width="173" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh boy, I can't believe we are already <i>well</i> into summer. We just had a very busy long weekend (hence the delay getting this out) which is great but also exhausting. I was going to say it's also been a stressful month and honestly, yes, it was that, but also it's been stressful for a while so I can't entirely blame that (work stuff! house stuff! big things that are stressful on their own and very rude to combine together)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since I'm already late with this, why not just jump right in to those stats</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>6</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>World War Z</i> by Max Brooks</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Black Cake</i> by Charmaine Wilkerson</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>A Libertarian Walked Into a Bear</i> by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Is It Hot In Here? </i>by Zach Zimmerman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Unmentionable</i> by Therese Oneill</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Queenie</i> by Candice Carty-Williams</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDF4zzi1rl4uvN5fWRrg_tYRbGkSAIF1ve4Ry2pXSw7RlVjKYpF66FkpXbNzbvuMnkOmgeAdq3RwsZ65X3HIFG5-lZibsYC8pZcKV3TW7tCQbwBpUGc5oasEQOPvdqvER-iKH0ps-Q3_zXFadvJSGO9iV-lOMR-Frjik9jdCgKnl7dG25QZQiNQ96y2zsl/s303/WWZ%20audiobook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDF4zzi1rl4uvN5fWRrg_tYRbGkSAIF1ve4Ry2pXSw7RlVjKYpF66FkpXbNzbvuMnkOmgeAdq3RwsZ65X3HIFG5-lZibsYC8pZcKV3TW7tCQbwBpUGc5oasEQOPvdqvER-iKH0ps-Q3_zXFadvJSGO9iV-lOMR-Frjik9jdCgKnl7dG25QZQiNQ96y2zsl/w172-h200/WWZ%20audiobook.jpg" width="172" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>World War Z</i> by Max Brooks</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I mean, come on. What is there to say at this point? Per my own tracking, this is roughly the 9th or 10th time I've read this since I first came across it, over 10 years ago. And let's be real, this isn't the last time I'm going to read it either. Or listen. This is one of the books that is that much better (IMO) as an audiobook.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgN06gs05dGi4KCiSccfVmpjESMPeuOPDKYOnQK611pPASAMWVuu2uMotHtFE-mqWbhgAqI6sEnc_i0hzl9WIh-WJqPNEaOYhIEIBuz_60tyje4hesgYoAWfRiurMkQVRvnmoAteuc2KrzA9qwuTI2ZqeBBOnNo9V_s09bB8XGsLWEeLa6AMWxEjQL7-5/s400/Black%20Cake%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgN06gs05dGi4KCiSccfVmpjESMPeuOPDKYOnQK611pPASAMWVuu2uMotHtFE-mqWbhgAqI6sEnc_i0hzl9WIh-WJqPNEaOYhIEIBuz_60tyje4hesgYoAWfRiurMkQVRvnmoAteuc2KrzA9qwuTI2ZqeBBOnNo9V_s09bB8XGsLWEeLa6AMWxEjQL7-5/w131-h200/Black%20Cake%20cover.jpeg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Black Cake</i> by Charmaine Wilkerson</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">How much do we know our parents? What were they like before we came along? What did they have to endure to get to the point where we knew them? These are all questions that come up as siblings Benny and Byron grapple with after their mother dies, leaving them a piece of their mother's famous black cake and a long voice recording. The story slows a bit when it deals with the kids current lives (especially Byron's) but comes together when hearing the mother's story. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinH_-AocBuxT_cWHkJ236dPaDmb4RUz5NMZ2KNlrbXKV6ACQuDb7JP5XYEnHwjVTpu2YtMgK-aKSL59YaqPWxiKs30aNyo4onaMWBBpw2PBsKLCva1rNOAzQY2dNpA71ty5XduuOUZaVYIyvnUBMS8uefJieSpk_w9A7IjtBlwZ81kEzC4merYDRjFuPCF/s400/Libertarian%20Walks%20Into%20a%20Bear%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinH_-AocBuxT_cWHkJ236dPaDmb4RUz5NMZ2KNlrbXKV6ACQuDb7JP5XYEnHwjVTpu2YtMgK-aKSL59YaqPWxiKs30aNyo4onaMWBBpw2PBsKLCva1rNOAzQY2dNpA71ty5XduuOUZaVYIyvnUBMS8uefJieSpk_w9A7IjtBlwZ81kEzC4merYDRjFuPCF/w129-h200/Libertarian%20Walks%20Into%20a%20Bear%20cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>A Libertarian Walked Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town</i> by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">"A tiny American town's plans for radical self-government overlooked one hairy detail: no one told the bears."</div><div style="text-align: left;">What happens when a group of libertarians decides to move en masse to a small New Hampshire town in an effort to create a libertarian utopia and hopefully spread the message of small government. Except sometimes those rules and regulations the government tries to impose have an actual reason. Like having bear proof garbage cans or fines for feeding the bears, so the bears don't, you know, associate people with food and then think of people AS food. The book is entertaining with a number of colorful characters. The story started as a magazine article and TBH, the article gets you all of the key points while the book felt a bit padded without adding too much.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJ4Hf08wWkmzr4A0npJAENmQcnryeQRWQQUCWRt6IDKdCgS7X0S7FrxGKFk-9z7f6E6ZoVmfChJ_CXJ8waCbhNGYB1pu7yxL7aqbUCjJA-U3gWjHKEsEY1_WqYZIf64ptFKMYnrpYY5bbmazMrK4d4tz22QoHqFjpj46ZmZ_flBJ1BPwU9iwv2iCkdGs0/s400/Is%20It%20Hot%20In%20Here%3F%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJ4Hf08wWkmzr4A0npJAENmQcnryeQRWQQUCWRt6IDKdCgS7X0S7FrxGKFk-9z7f6E6ZoVmfChJ_CXJ8waCbhNGYB1pu7yxL7aqbUCjJA-U3gWjHKEsEY1_WqYZIf64ptFKMYnrpYY5bbmazMrK4d4tz22QoHqFjpj46ZmZ_flBJ1BPwU9iwv2iCkdGs0/w134-h200/Is%20It%20Hot%20In%20Here%3F%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Is It Hot In Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)?</i> by Zach Zimmerman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A collection of essays by a comedian who grew up in a conservative Southern household before becoming a queer, liberal New Yorker. His essays are (for the most part) very funny, particularly the chapter dealing with a very drunk twink and a date gone wrong. There were touching moments as well as he thinks about his relationship with his family or revisiting a relationship through their trips to Paris (and how those changed over time). </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw12idUfO-HBzIRxkNS_QaaIOufuaxZew4tjfTyElAF-B0LZ1KMsx7RLMc0PFNZNToj0K5uvr9BAtBrHFQX7eofO8Brzg0pbuFxiNFkdg-VV6AegTsWVwWhCSqmSWtMRjq8d9VzfjgyD3lxUihwu1APwbciSQacG3GbzTNI3qtyDkDNfOb18sE3F88J-PI/s604/Unmentionable%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="437" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw12idUfO-HBzIRxkNS_QaaIOufuaxZew4tjfTyElAF-B0LZ1KMsx7RLMc0PFNZNToj0K5uvr9BAtBrHFQX7eofO8Brzg0pbuFxiNFkdg-VV6AegTsWVwWhCSqmSWtMRjq8d9VzfjgyD3lxUihwu1APwbciSQacG3GbzTNI3qtyDkDNfOb18sE3F88J-PI/w145-h200/Unmentionable%20cover.jpeg" width="145" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners</i> by Therese Oneill</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Picture this: you're somehow sent back in time to the Victorian era. Sure, you may know about this time from the books you read, but do you know all of the ins and outs to the more delicate bits of day to day life for an upper-middle-class lady in either the US or Western Europe? This book hopes to address all of this. Sometimes the tone was a bit...much. But overall the book was funny and informative, which made up for some of the bits that made me eye roll a bit.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzR6eZVvZ9LgIx_AT57JxXDBPsJsqeIuUhKU8Jxu_O3dtoerRm-VfzHHkYFg0c4iHmlnyHf-kKCd3D-_9g_Zq8p2LIpmr46A9g-CEgrTDxla8SsQYMLJP1TRrsl21z2NLhIyCyIAjqzws7ujZdmIc5t4CcXeg72DZbTuRoTo0fUo25VAAyApDFDES58hb/s411/Queenie%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzR6eZVvZ9LgIx_AT57JxXDBPsJsqeIuUhKU8Jxu_O3dtoerRm-VfzHHkYFg0c4iHmlnyHf-kKCd3D-_9g_Zq8p2LIpmr46A9g-CEgrTDxla8SsQYMLJP1TRrsl21z2NLhIyCyIAjqzws7ujZdmIc5t4CcXeg72DZbTuRoTo0fUo25VAAyApDFDES58hb/w124-h200/Queenie%20cover.jpeg" width="124" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Queenie</i> by Candice Carty-Williams</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Queenie, a Jamaican-British mid-20 year old living in London is going through a rough time. She and her boyfriend are taking a break and things are spiraling a bit for her as she tries to find somewhere to live, keep her focus on her job and figure out what is it she wants to be. Queenie is constantly making choices that make me want to throw the book across the room but not in a way that frustrated me with the story. Instead it felt like a real person looking for comfort and validation in all the wrong places. Despite the frustrations with her, I wanted to know what she was doing and how she was going to find the strength to hopefully pull herself up</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAcAS360Ado7xWJXf-ICZ3hvhqKtK2_8iYfDl3zRAfj7afdk0lqeq0HUx56z-VBGyCBLjqwdutc0CwOBQkRCeccWyuR51Og8bVuXiht9KxR697trOJT2l6b6qmL2MSq2eOXPUGHjLPgGrSesQftA0gFdMxUXpZGgSY3ffD4wZH_vgqKqCL70UYR1QQyJrJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="1940" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAcAS360Ado7xWJXf-ICZ3hvhqKtK2_8iYfDl3zRAfj7afdk0lqeq0HUx56z-VBGyCBLjqwdutc0CwOBQkRCeccWyuR51Og8bVuXiht9KxR697trOJT2l6b6qmL2MSq2eOXPUGHjLPgGrSesQftA0gFdMxUXpZGgSY3ffD4wZH_vgqKqCL70UYR1QQyJrJ=w400-h68" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,890</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">83%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 83%</div><div style="text-align: left;">ebook: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">gift: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;">library: 67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2000s: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 33%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Black Cake</i> is by a Black author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Queenie</i> is by a Black and UK author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-55026051682106546812023-06-05T09:00:00.005-04:002023-06-05T09:00:00.143-04:00May Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGP8ZPFHkwZ56DQ7NPI8mlCEYXqscpYDBCKM4SXroNsBDk2Uq8ZHAOAH2u7xRjYnDJH2umrodaerFsFPo6DeW09tlN5hK6oOCjqK5MgvwrImvPhpnLWO8YubBzNRfcTbsN6sU3JLVLbq6fZJgLuHkaTaW7dPmGtrXunc-7b114x-HfUsPW5QsucnJjg/s3888/May%20calendar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGP8ZPFHkwZ56DQ7NPI8mlCEYXqscpYDBCKM4SXroNsBDk2Uq8ZHAOAH2u7xRjYnDJH2umrodaerFsFPo6DeW09tlN5hK6oOCjqK5MgvwrImvPhpnLWO8YubBzNRfcTbsN6sU3JLVLbq6fZJgLuHkaTaW7dPmGtrXunc-7b114x-HfUsPW5QsucnJjg/s320/May%20calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">My streak of reading an unusually high (for me) number of books seems to be at an end. I suppose I couldn't keep it up especially when I didn't know what I was doing to make it happen in the first place. This month was especially low on reading time because of vacation which in past times meant extra time for reading but turns out entertaining a 4 year old means there isn't a lot of time to read. But between time at Disney World and a Disney Cruise, we did have plenty of time to meet Mickey</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuWt4FIhlQ4DOEFC_liIBq6HHrvP1_dE-4In4vuXZSzkfztbhci9y3OG1kDKx55_iMCloF1yZyk_MMofCaht66ZnBYpNTUX_4oFcXFdTv9qoOBKWM1YvfdCMOYEA5R6Nb1zSdxMs-MKyjUQK96GcAAyK3rVy5joZIsFHwtqM1Evfxumpw4OuWbrPI2Q/s3000/IMG_4808.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuWt4FIhlQ4DOEFC_liIBq6HHrvP1_dE-4In4vuXZSzkfztbhci9y3OG1kDKx55_iMCloF1yZyk_MMofCaht66ZnBYpNTUX_4oFcXFdTv9qoOBKWM1YvfdCMOYEA5R6Nb1zSdxMs-MKyjUQK96GcAAyK3rVy5joZIsFHwtqM1Evfxumpw4OuWbrPI2Q/s320/IMG_4808.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Many Mickey encounters. And zero interest meeting anyone else.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's see those stats</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Now Is Not The Time To Panic</i> by Kevin Wilson</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Cabin at the End of the World</i> by Paul Tremblay</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting</i> by Clare Pooley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rosie Project</i> by Graeme Simsion</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMd56qTy2wueks_EbXkz9MOZ2MNrPmnY-Kjd4zcxflsMrVyR2VHF6UyKUyRHyl8kmxzGZr_gxezAWQUep-lhU7T1Kupl07bT-TKQ_1wYsya97LF4g9Nd4piDVbbAh5Pi0Ls_T7ZObkzI8gzQ_vq7pYPksVZJJ0Y-EcWxceaFedCprkaa43pQGUuxJOw/s2409/Now%20Is%20Not%20The%20Time%20to%20Panic%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2409" data-original-width="1592" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMd56qTy2wueks_EbXkz9MOZ2MNrPmnY-Kjd4zcxflsMrVyR2VHF6UyKUyRHyl8kmxzGZr_gxezAWQUep-lhU7T1Kupl07bT-TKQ_1wYsya97LF4g9Nd4piDVbbAh5Pi0Ls_T7ZObkzI8gzQ_vq7pYPksVZJJ0Y-EcWxceaFedCprkaa43pQGUuxJOw/w132-h200/Now%20Is%20Not%20The%20Time%20to%20Panic%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Now Is Not The Time To Panic</i> by Kevin Wilson</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">One summer in the mid-90s two misfit teenagers in a small Tennessee town meet and create a poster with the words "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives and the law is skinny with hunger for us." With the use of a stolen photocopier, they paper the town with this poster. And people go nuts. It's a town-wide mystery that expands to the whole country. Are Satanists behind it? Some sort of cult? What does it mean? The reaction seems outsized given what it was but panics can be started over dumber things. Now 20 years later, a reporter has reached out to the now-adult Frankie to confirm if she is behind the poster and the panic. A coming of age story, the role of art and how the intended meaning might get distorted. The story is a bit tedious and as I said, the panic seems overblown, especially as it expands beyond the small town. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgiUmKD-UsI9EchkLuXC455rp0ytSwtX_-An8zYdujI6B_MyLLxp2dJOdP-P0H0q7mqDJ5NpcD1B1Z-c0Ny9BuGmB6Kk3mz76MXTCvkjl01nCTCqGUrGMfHuvbXa_mcnC2fVGdTLQO7Zjo981v_4-gop6s_KZ7Y3HiMnFSmNBPC-lYe7Z2nOSH_I8oA/s648/Cabin%20at%20the%20End%20of%20the%20World%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="429" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgiUmKD-UsI9EchkLuXC455rp0ytSwtX_-An8zYdujI6B_MyLLxp2dJOdP-P0H0q7mqDJ5NpcD1B1Z-c0Ny9BuGmB6Kk3mz76MXTCvkjl01nCTCqGUrGMfHuvbXa_mcnC2fVGdTLQO7Zjo981v_4-gop6s_KZ7Y3HiMnFSmNBPC-lYe7Z2nOSH_I8oA/w133-h200/Cabin%20at%20the%20End%20of%20the%20World%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Cabin at the End of the World</i> by Paul Tremblay</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This has a great opening. A young girl, Wen, is playing in the yard of a cabin in the middle of nowhere New Hampshire when a big man comes up. He's friendly, helping her catch grasshoppers until he stops and tells her that none of what is about to happen is her fault. Then 3 other strangers show up, wielding strange weapons as this big man Leonard yells that her dads won't want to let them in, but they have to help them save the world. What follows is horror and suspense and some very hard moments. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but even when I was (metaphorically) watching it from between my fingers, I wanted to know more.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIg6xS-pY0bntRD6yR3mFirCINvRNt9UNcVdpb6AtoKMSNtcvAclhkUHNQOlnb3-XAdCfW-W_76aneeCvRl8VPJZ7MRcVxfoU6sZg1E8holGNlmd5AciX56YA9zDFul6qO-09hYp-V2WkDnLeUpaiOBznptpyz01VQlPv1fLfBH6cFDNTinA0-lDTXA/s2775/Iona%20Iverson's%20Rules%20for%20Commuting%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIg6xS-pY0bntRD6yR3mFirCINvRNt9UNcVdpb6AtoKMSNtcvAclhkUHNQOlnb3-XAdCfW-W_76aneeCvRl8VPJZ7MRcVxfoU6sZg1E8holGNlmd5AciX56YA9zDFul6qO-09hYp-V2WkDnLeUpaiOBznptpyz01VQlPv1fLfBH6cFDNTinA0-lDTXA/w133-h200/Iona%20Iverson's%20Rules%20for%20Commuting%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting</i> by Clare Pooley</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">First there was <i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. </i>Then, I came across <i>Iona</i>. And Listen, I'm going to need 100 more books that center on force-of-nature women who meddle in the lives of strangers around them because I loved that book and I loved this one. Iona Iverson has strict rules for her daily commute, such as never talk to those around you. Sure, you can have fun nicknames for them but you don't get involved. Everyone is just trying to get to work. But one day Sexist Manspreader starts to choke and is saved by a nurse, leading to a chain reaction between a number of regular commuters. The book is funny and light and I need more books like this, please and thank you.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfiNjyMLnRd9nyXhUUqoyWT6ORxaX5zSI7VVYBkuKpDA18oDdHjQvZRGZduvRRLDkQHEVbZsugz6pZm8KQ-KxCN1fLfpljj_aPyG4s0d_ECGfN6bbgf9A25MArAnLUK8nwY8n_48CEm2wd6htAG087Z916Xzf51GwF5Og8mWUtH-gE8gUPdbxizXyLQ/s1454/Rosie%20Project%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="948" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfiNjyMLnRd9nyXhUUqoyWT6ORxaX5zSI7VVYBkuKpDA18oDdHjQvZRGZduvRRLDkQHEVbZsugz6pZm8KQ-KxCN1fLfpljj_aPyG4s0d_ECGfN6bbgf9A25MArAnLUK8nwY8n_48CEm2wd6htAG087Z916Xzf51GwF5Og8mWUtH-gE8gUPdbxizXyLQ/w131-h200/Rosie%20Project%20cover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Rosie Project</i> by Graeme Simsion</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Following <i>Iona</i> (and being on vacation) meant I was looking for something that was similar in tone. Lighthearted, funny, sweet. I also had the added requirement of something that I already had since I had failed to download a book before my vacation and since we were on a cruise, internet access was spotty at best. Seemed like a good time to re-read <i>The Rosie Project,</i> a sweet rom-com about a genetics professor Don who has trouble with social interactions. In an effort to find love, he embarks on The Wife Project, a detailed questionnaire to help him find the right partner. When his friend sends over a grad student Rosie, he finds she fails key questions. But she also has her own project, trying to find who her real father is. As a genetics professor, Don can help her here and more than that, finds he wants to spend time with Rosie, even when logically it doesn't make sense. I've re-read this a number of times and I love it each time</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj94IXWsVd9njJWQ1oRTVLuNJa94CE-7rauxPAUPMmSD6M69TLh4f5fMq6fsN0Rm6dfPklrlDRqHb9X65qnMluV8zXle2GQvGSGUEHK4ZprB-EwQgpyxHz6HC_CqlS2F5_3gbAAT-rFej1dAbimiFV5uxZ6rrK9rjq98mHUjiuR7iew4G9kNfZuJJvqzw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="1938" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj94IXWsVd9njJWQ1oRTVLuNJa94CE-7rauxPAUPMmSD6M69TLh4f5fMq6fsN0Rm6dfPklrlDRqHb9X65qnMluV8zXle2GQvGSGUEHK4ZprB-EwQgpyxHz6HC_CqlS2F5_3gbAAT-rFej1dAbimiFV5uxZ6rrK9rjq98mHUjiuR7iew4G9kNfZuJJvqzw=w640-h106" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b>Number of pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,175</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">25%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">0%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;">ebook: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">25%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting</i> is by a UK author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rosie Project</i> is by an Australian author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-28776612402756067852023-05-02T09:00:00.001-04:002023-05-02T09:00:00.143-04:00April Reading Wrap Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tdxc7WU7_aDPztHOPyQdvMiCRgo2V5hCqAlj8RxDzwgcuTfmlrJF0TOxC1GcsOTA6Kbl6EaP_GfI6r4ampRT9b5fnzrE-IoHkYYrQpr6z1HYCdFkgnN08d8TDpQLrWvaz1WKtfmWltxTP_F4Qyta37wN4iob2hPGkrBwCGKDAxynCFTtm4Q3-Qy6Dw/s3888/april-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tdxc7WU7_aDPztHOPyQdvMiCRgo2V5hCqAlj8RxDzwgcuTfmlrJF0TOxC1GcsOTA6Kbl6EaP_GfI6r4ampRT9b5fnzrE-IoHkYYrQpr6z1HYCdFkgnN08d8TDpQLrWvaz1WKtfmWltxTP_F4Qyta37wN4iob2hPGkrBwCGKDAxynCFTtm4Q3-Qy6Dw/s320/april-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't know what it was about April but I really had trouble getting into a reading groove this month. Some starts and stops. Some lack of motivation to read. A lot going on in the month that is enough of a mental distraction I didn't necessarily want to read. Also I currently have a trial of satellite radio and thus have been listening to the 90s station in the car instead of listening to books. Even with all that I still did get through a decent amount of books.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since I don't have a good why, let's just get to the what. And by "what" I mean those stats.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total Books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Importance of Being Earnest </i>by Oscar Wilde</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Killers of a Certain Age</i> by Deanna Raybourn</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy</i> by Angela Garbes</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Maybe In Another Life</i> by Taylor Jenkins Reid</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Stories from the Tenants Downstairs</i> by Sidik Fofana </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5MTrQZJLKoj0HCqs1Msb3p8TbB3-UKyB8gYcC-gAxl5QEommFGSNE5cMaY10K0F4zMKVhxt-NbXuXDWaG2pduLSe23dgr-weC2N3hZCm0rc9qxnqdXptvZVRBzHk4cHtgtYBnLzDcHDyWNh3DVTcr00B1lT4VUoUdFdQ7-LgACgZ0meK79Si3yXIlw/s500/Importance%20of%20Being%20Earnest.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5MTrQZJLKoj0HCqs1Msb3p8TbB3-UKyB8gYcC-gAxl5QEommFGSNE5cMaY10K0F4zMKVhxt-NbXuXDWaG2pduLSe23dgr-weC2N3hZCm0rc9qxnqdXptvZVRBzHk4cHtgtYBnLzDcHDyWNh3DVTcr00B1lT4VUoUdFdQ7-LgACgZ0meK79Si3yXIlw/w126-h200/Importance%20of%20Being%20Earnest.jpeg" width="126" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i> by Oscar Wilde</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I found my Kindle and I hadn't read this in a while but it was short and I remember it being funny. And it is. I felt like I'd rather watch it than read it, but then tends to be the same with any play. It's hard to find something to say about a book that has been around so long as is well know. It's funny and ridiculous and at times feels like a "best of Oscar Wilde" collection of quotes, but that's not really a fault in the play. (Though does remind me of when I was in high school a fellow student claiming Shakespeare used some cliched line when the teacher had to point out that line originated with Shakespeare, so wasn't really cliched at the time)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXu6W0F_62spc3HgjpCHYLOWLFyNRDVWKH1mdfUqY-wjHwFWTSQ7qrMrmC3eubIFfbO6gHVxZ7pNEo_evfuku-pCp5HfOO3QsDx9rQqcIzPTMMPlHfQ4MIxwi94ZB3Y2KVnoNZ72ADWmwa49YvdJIHsBt72KJW44IpfX38oHrZhHPcBy493ZgXEKtMCw/s1500/Killers%20of%20a%20Certain%20Age%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXu6W0F_62spc3HgjpCHYLOWLFyNRDVWKH1mdfUqY-wjHwFWTSQ7qrMrmC3eubIFfbO6gHVxZ7pNEo_evfuku-pCp5HfOO3QsDx9rQqcIzPTMMPlHfQ4MIxwi94ZB3Y2KVnoNZ72ADWmwa49YvdJIHsBt72KJW44IpfX38oHrZhHPcBy493ZgXEKtMCw/w133-h200/Killers%20of%20a%20Certain%20Age%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Killers of a Certain Age</i> by Deanna Raybourn</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Four women of a certain age (60) have spent their lives working as assassins for "the museum" but they're all retiring and taking a lovely cruise as a retirement gift from the company. But of course things can't be that simple (because if they were that simple then this book would be short and boring). Instead they seem to be targeted by someone that works for the Museum. Now they have to figure out why they're being targeted and what they can do to make sure their retirement doesn't end too soon. It has less of the humor I was assuming, perhaps unfairly, since I was comparing this to <i>The Thursday Murder Club</i><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>books but it's a fun mystery and I do appreciate some variety in protagonists</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV80YH6w-XxtYXJUc-abtvbM_128FC17vIuciOr5vBdXL54mBmUNHWdcgTjq4-nymB3vOftG_hm93zZ_3vX1V4cchnwxLxbfIx_6NmgY_TtpuLpIlnLsrIYrnUWllhaTCRmwkazbwOtaU--gCnJ7wfV6X0vJZrlU_L2gA030JfC7LL06s1eLYUh-ErTQ/s434/Like%20a%20Mother%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="291" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV80YH6w-XxtYXJUc-abtvbM_128FC17vIuciOr5vBdXL54mBmUNHWdcgTjq4-nymB3vOftG_hm93zZ_3vX1V4cchnwxLxbfIx_6NmgY_TtpuLpIlnLsrIYrnUWllhaTCRmwkazbwOtaU--gCnJ7wfV6X0vJZrlU_L2gA030JfC7LL06s1eLYUh-ErTQ/w134-h200/Like%20a%20Mother%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy</i> by Angela Garbes</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't read many pregnancy books when I was pregnant. Really just one, <i>Expecting Better</i>. Despite no longer being pregnant by a good few years, I had seen this one floating about and my library finally got a copy so I thought I'd check it out. I think if I was actually pregnant it would have been more helpful and more interesting. Instead it was...fine. I liked what it was doing, taking away some of the judgement that I have heard (though haven't read so couldn't say first hand) can be in found in books like <i>What To Expect. </i>It's part memoir, chronicling Garbes own questions when she was pregnant, and looking for information instead of rules of what women were and (very often) were NOT to do. The bit on breastfeeding comes off a little more on the rules side, with a few side mentions of "but maybe some women can't". Being someone who didn't for a variety of reasons, this section felt more preachy and because a bit of a turnoff.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39ig-5kZtPZpYXtjKufcqSoxUps0Vu4_haqUMj_J3PVDRhC7wkuthnf9YilyD3XA6wJVbwvvU3nJEGAwUFX8UQyE4mOG0nJCu5S3tT6DZ4J3oFD6WoV4WnH0utHIRswshVDs2HXtHoNsFs_otL8NMDgFbAl-CguUFErTiwgJ0Vf0b39zdRDRywcsIhg/s475/Maybe%20In%20Another%20Life%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39ig-5kZtPZpYXtjKufcqSoxUps0Vu4_haqUMj_J3PVDRhC7wkuthnf9YilyD3XA6wJVbwvvU3nJEGAwUFX8UQyE4mOG0nJCu5S3tT6DZ4J3oFD6WoV4WnH0utHIRswshVDs2HXtHoNsFs_otL8NMDgFbAl-CguUFErTiwgJ0Vf0b39zdRDRywcsIhg/w129-h200/Maybe%20In%20Another%20Life%20cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Maybe In Another Life</i> by Taylor Jenkins Reid</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I read this for book club and I'll say that I enjoyed it more than the consensus of the group. A sliding-doors style story, where we follow main character Hannah, recently returned to her hometown after jumping from city to city looking for what is right for her, through 2 different paths her life could take based on one decision: does she stay out with her old high school boyfriend or go home with her friend she's staying with? The chapters alternate showing what her life would have been like depending on this one choice. At the heart it's a love story (stories?) and how much role does fate play in our lives. There is a bit at the end I liked but would be a spoiler so I'll leave out. However, the writing for this was just OK and the characters are a bit weak. To quote a fellow book clubber "Liking cinnamon rolls does not a personality make". And I found myself nitpicking a lot of details that typically only happens when I find myself annoyed with the book. But I didn't hate it and sometimes you want something sort of mindless</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 2.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNBlKZUTIXYijxE4z7ZfCEBMVGelrHe238QJyyQj-kzCk8Y2zd0ZH91NOfcoCurf-Zk1dBv72ovojoe2kJYzHuNeNUbHMb1twP5fxZudkt3sulUK-XcJlCQ2UBoUhqd1_pEQ1351PJtPHr_JDOMhwJXth6F92Yeixt4yMYcDKDtCJZY3CabQQGB4lEQ/s2113/Stories%20from%20the%20Tenants%20Downstairs%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2113" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNBlKZUTIXYijxE4z7ZfCEBMVGelrHe238QJyyQj-kzCk8Y2zd0ZH91NOfcoCurf-Zk1dBv72ovojoe2kJYzHuNeNUbHMb1twP5fxZudkt3sulUK-XcJlCQ2UBoUhqd1_pEQ1351PJtPHr_JDOMhwJXth6F92Yeixt4yMYcDKDtCJZY3CabQQGB4lEQ/w133-h200/Stories%20from%20the%20Tenants%20Downstairs%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Stories from the Tenants Downstairs</i> by Sidik Fofana</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I really wish I had it together enough to write down <i>where</i> I hear of books when I add them to my TBR list. I'm pretty sure this was a list of best new books in 2022 or something of that nature and would happily give credit if I had a memory better than that of a goldfish. The book is a collection of interconnected short stories all dealing with residents of a low-income high rise in Harlem. A new owner has taken over the building and residents are struggling to meet their current rent, let alone deal with rent hikes as new management is trying to push people out in order to get market-rate tenants in. The characters feel real and fully formed, each with a different and unique voice. The audiobook helped with this certainly (they had different voice actors for each short story, including Bahni Turpin who has read a number of books I like and it seems silly to get exciting for a narrator but hearing some bad ones makes you really appreciate someone so good), but the writing carries it as well. There is no mistaking a Mimi for a Quanneisha. My only real complaint is because the stories are interconnected it felt like there was going to be an over-arching narrative that would come to some kind of conclusion by the end. However, even without that this was an excellent collection.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,240</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 80%</div><div style="text-align: left;">ebook: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">library: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;">gift: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Classics</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1890s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i> is by an Irish author and from before 2000 (by a good amount)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Like a Mother</i> is by a Filipino-American author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Stories from the Tenants Downstairs</i> is by a Black author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-71635091949505015542023-04-03T09:00:00.001-04:002023-04-03T09:00:00.173-04:00March Reading Wrap Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVwrupCOpWMmpYtlsrrddYsscVHCa0zMwLWjyxuPN_f7g_eerBpJAMLx-h8e0-G9oO-ODteklP8iafxg2oD4FtKtrbOvHmEL5Sud98afJsl5S3mjK-qwUuPWBr_MFweZylGNTglMfmlrUCHi3xbZJHpBf4nssjh2PYnJopifD85Gv5RC6oDvOvl6A-A/s300/Mar%20wrap-up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVwrupCOpWMmpYtlsrrddYsscVHCa0zMwLWjyxuPN_f7g_eerBpJAMLx-h8e0-G9oO-ODteklP8iafxg2oD4FtKtrbOvHmEL5Sud98afJsl5S3mjK-qwUuPWBr_MFweZylGNTglMfmlrUCHi3xbZJHpBf4nssjh2PYnJopifD85Gv5RC6oDvOvl6A-A/s1600/Mar%20wrap-up.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't know why I got so much reading done in March. Or how. I wasn't making a concerted effort to do so. Maybe it's just the momentum of the month with all of the birthdays (and by all of the birthdays I mean mine and Tom's). Maybe it's because some library holds came in and I had to get to them. Maybe it's because I had two 4-hour flights in the month and needed something to do on the plane (though really, I only read on the way back).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since there's a lot to get through this month, why don't we jump into the stats? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>8</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Lying Game</i> by Ruth Ware</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Scattered Showers</i> by Rainbow Rowell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls: A Guide to Unapologetic Living</i> by Jes Baker</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Guest List</i> by Lucy Foley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Me, Myself and I: Twenty-Seven Women Untangle an Obsession</i> edited by Elizabeth Benedict</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Attachments</i> by Rainbow Rowell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World</i> by Steven Johnson</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Fortunes of Jaded Women</i> by Carolyn Huynh</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNJU_ZbxJLlO7ze7Vysdzfkux4jqDlxe46z3CH4oQSo5avQNBKC1UkvP_d-ISQAFtweL-TUR3Pxd5JTKTr_ibstZmAR5RTZZQ6ohHnIQvCb1H1NmA3EzmFan0rxe8wvWiw7kod_S6lKy65yobdjOq1U_dTOaws5t0bgl4CEnmvSygsRwBlTWVyO1LFA/s1936/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-01%20at%209.40.55%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1936" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNJU_ZbxJLlO7ze7Vysdzfkux4jqDlxe46z3CH4oQSo5avQNBKC1UkvP_d-ISQAFtweL-TUR3Pxd5JTKTr_ibstZmAR5RTZZQ6ohHnIQvCb1H1NmA3EzmFan0rxe8wvWiw7kod_S6lKy65yobdjOq1U_dTOaws5t0bgl4CEnmvSygsRwBlTWVyO1LFA/w392-h99/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-01%20at%209.40.55%20AM.png" width="392" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddKZJSnTY5hsdp-gym3mMDEIlBFJXR1s8MJCanvmjYKrsMt2vV_h0VZ0ARF2GKYusD2pQP4uWTjIHh3QRkT28W8z5RO2tGSnjXeonFzvtPW51NnEabUBrTjv1OY0UQDNBDkY47_ymXC5HdaVr3RJCxgiU4jV5tOMQnHLf_i76XjCNRAU6A9FzVlxouw/s500/Lying%20Game%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddKZJSnTY5hsdp-gym3mMDEIlBFJXR1s8MJCanvmjYKrsMt2vV_h0VZ0ARF2GKYusD2pQP4uWTjIHh3QRkT28W8z5RO2tGSnjXeonFzvtPW51NnEabUBrTjv1OY0UQDNBDkY47_ymXC5HdaVr3RJCxgiU4jV5tOMQnHLf_i76XjCNRAU6A9FzVlxouw/w130-h200/Lying%20Game%20cover.jpeg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Lying Game</i> by Ruth Ware</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have to be honest, I'm not 100% sure why I keep picking up Ware's books. Because for the most part they're fine. Fine overall with some detail or another that drives me up a wall. And yet, I continue to picking them up. Because there are a bunch of them and they're usually available at the library. Anyway, <i>The Lying Game</i>. It's fine. It takes a while to get into the story and the titular "Lying Game" seems to be treated as far more dramatic by the characters than seemed to make sense and also didn't end up having a huge amount to do with the central drama when they finally got into that. Once it gets to it, it's fine. It's built up a bit for what it is, but as I said, many of the reactions in the book seem outsized. But will I pick up another Ruth Ware book? Yeah, probably because it will be available and I won't have anything else in mind and I like a mystery, even if it's not great.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_1KQh1chCi7rh3CXNoNknosUCDOQLsOIDbxuFc2aUMIrTCJmrjBJa5n1WzZ3pvRccA9iSkj_ugAZgKCe-tBsD7cSbY3GYWN3D1Jrh74JlhV_TGOKtNe9Ea61Qk-fo_fffErFiFkAOAF2Ar-5c17kVdHuqHlVVavrld4a-uYLliADtCiqcz784Mmilw/s255/Scattered%20Showers%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="160" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_1KQh1chCi7rh3CXNoNknosUCDOQLsOIDbxuFc2aUMIrTCJmrjBJa5n1WzZ3pvRccA9iSkj_ugAZgKCe-tBsD7cSbY3GYWN3D1Jrh74JlhV_TGOKtNe9Ea61Qk-fo_fffErFiFkAOAF2Ar-5c17kVdHuqHlVVavrld4a-uYLliADtCiqcz784Mmilw/w125-h200/Scattered%20Showers%20cover.jpeg" width="125" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Scattered Showers</i> by Rainbow Rowell</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's been a while since I've read much by Rowell. She's moved onto doing a lot of <i>Simon Snow </i>stuff and good for her, but not for me. This, however, is a collection of short stories about love. Teen love, 30-year-old love, married love, fantasy love and yes, even some Simon Snow love. I've read a couple of the short stories before in a book for World Book Day and the stories are just as sweet as I remembered them. Because for the most part, that's how I'd describe the stories. They're sweet. The stakes are for the most part low and for the most part cozy. That's not to say it's the same for every story, and things never felt repetitive. And she does revisit some past characters, like Regan from <i>Fangirl</i> and Beth and Jennifer from <i>Attachments</i>, which really makes me want to reread that one.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe1o5IBQxzQILTwuYORSwm8Pfg7J2xtPT4V_WPUUj02qdm8xg6ZRMnR51nNlJEMikZFl_KtnJQu2a8z1_7--QE19B3fvpLYeuvayuin2OCjzwlyWcUBinAv_GWZKROc-5U4-I5QMYM7P5Is9tVQW_tgJ65lCmeeAO9aZisf68ef8sxDd1DKVNhCXBCQ/s648/Things%20No%20One%20Will%20Tell%20Fat%20Girls%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="431" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUe1o5IBQxzQILTwuYORSwm8Pfg7J2xtPT4V_WPUUj02qdm8xg6ZRMnR51nNlJEMikZFl_KtnJQu2a8z1_7--QE19B3fvpLYeuvayuin2OCjzwlyWcUBinAv_GWZKROc-5U4-I5QMYM7P5Is9tVQW_tgJ65lCmeeAO9aZisf68ef8sxDd1DKVNhCXBCQ/w133-h200/Things%20No%20One%20Will%20Tell%20Fat%20Girls%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls: A Guide to Unapologetic Living</b></i><b> by Jes Baker</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I can't remember why I originally added this to my TBR. I really should start adding notes when I add things to my Want To Read list. Except I'm never going to do that, because that requires more work than just clicking a button. Anyway, I can't remember why I put it on my list but who doesn't love some body positivity? The book was originally published in 2015 and while that really isn't very long ago, there is something about the book that felt very dated. The style of writing and the numerous references to Tumblr probably did it and honestly got a little tiring at a point. Overall the message is good, and the book itself was fine.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe0RdyI_1FvDl1irp3MAG68m7h8DLsjw4P8MTK-omjmOT1XcdQD6tqx694jESxFg26Nt4CZ6nRCeNNU_C-cb4xsfAMKsO0TNSeDHEyFjz0IrP5iY_mZF3UOFhoHYdGvcX3ul5eRn5XakLyFfxN9wIb1NHxrQyJE5HIcxj81kaRVUsugrZjqt0JwxqnA/s2428/Guest%20List%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2428" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe0RdyI_1FvDl1irp3MAG68m7h8DLsjw4P8MTK-omjmOT1XcdQD6tqx694jESxFg26Nt4CZ6nRCeNNU_C-cb4xsfAMKsO0TNSeDHEyFjz0IrP5iY_mZF3UOFhoHYdGvcX3ul5eRn5XakLyFfxN9wIb1NHxrQyJE5HIcxj81kaRVUsugrZjqt0JwxqnA/w132-h200/Guest%20List%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Guest List</i> by Lucy Foley</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was looking for some sort of mystery or thriller and this one was...available. I think I put it in the same bucket as Ruth Ware's stuff which as I mentioned just above, has been a bit of a mixed bag. I didn't really know what to expect. Good news is I was pleasantly surprised. It's got multiple narrators (love it) and switches back and forth between present and recent past until the 2 timelines intersect. A wedding of two rich, fancy people at an out-of-the-way Irish island during a storm and <i>something goes wrong</i>. Things seem off among a number of the guests and many people seem to have secrets. Lots of fun and everyone seems to be a suspect.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKZW6x92FwypW2Z78wedqaFg1QGtSu5lKIM-am77M2YhZt_VHfniskfz1NL09JPR4kT8yeziCVOz8XVgSRXYi1GNfo6mfy71jUd-90kG9fXPE1NN1i27DaQVztoZ-Fj7Jfs25tf73fzVgpapgswFFE8eDKhyqT6kvio2J6_jaSVndTIboJd3XhBDV3g/s2536/Me,%20My%20Hair,%20and%20I%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2536" data-original-width="1710" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKZW6x92FwypW2Z78wedqaFg1QGtSu5lKIM-am77M2YhZt_VHfniskfz1NL09JPR4kT8yeziCVOz8XVgSRXYi1GNfo6mfy71jUd-90kG9fXPE1NN1i27DaQVztoZ-Fj7Jfs25tf73fzVgpapgswFFE8eDKhyqT6kvio2J6_jaSVndTIboJd3XhBDV3g/w135-h200/Me,%20My%20Hair,%20and%20I%20cover.jpeg" width="135" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Me, My Hair and I: Twenty-Seven Women Untangle an Obsession</i> edited by Elizabeth Benedict</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hair can be a funny thing. It can mean so much beyond just adornment or part of the body. It can represent culture and religion, aging and family. This is a collection of essays about hair and the role they have played in various women's lives. While there is some diversity among the contributors (though could be more) there is one trend you notice as you read through: most of the essays are written by women who live in and around NYC, are of a certain age (~60s at the time of writing), and went to a college such as Barnard. Multiple times the writers name drop specific stylists and I don't know if I'm supposed to know who they are (spoiler: I did not). Because of this there is some level of repetition and it would have been nice if perhaps we looked for a few different viewpoints.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesCGjt2Vhw3RvvJZG2Zuy-1YoziY4q29e6ocKJ2pvlvj-yLndSj-iHpukr2wWnNzQM2iGGVzbDmUtnaOoAvZfH0AvhicKV36TwuQV9nYtho4TjNk_Yl7i-jAkLAPe9MJSwmnxREeM5VQoJRJxT7n8nlICAT-6x8G6_HXxhIjoP9tBHsc0MPVfdidEAg/s2264/Attachments%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2264" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesCGjt2Vhw3RvvJZG2Zuy-1YoziY4q29e6ocKJ2pvlvj-yLndSj-iHpukr2wWnNzQM2iGGVzbDmUtnaOoAvZfH0AvhicKV36TwuQV9nYtho4TjNk_Yl7i-jAkLAPe9MJSwmnxREeM5VQoJRJxT7n8nlICAT-6x8G6_HXxhIjoP9tBHsc0MPVfdidEAg/w133-h200/Attachments%20cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Attachments</i> by Rainbow Rowell</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love this book so much. I had to take a work trip to Austin and was looking for something to read on the plane. I brought my Kindle with me so I'd have some choices and planned to read some true crime book I had bought a few years ago but never read. And then I had no desire to read it. But having recently read a different Rowell, she was on my mind, so I figured I'd give this a reread. That was so smart of me because I love this book so so much. It's so cute and so sweet and so funny and I wish I could be friends with all of them and when I realized I was getting near the end of the book I considered MAYBE I should restart the book as soon as I finish it because I wasn't ready for it to end.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaN0zclR0raZzdgSLCz0t4LK-TdYhVjF7d9OC5vitNoLfci_WWvxVKEP2i8v3DrMZra4N7hjru1Z9W-D1HXIGXBkDY5H5BhopXU9Oc12ICd6WewNnROVOVoMB6RW9gWTr1fkEDrYVWlVl6NOrAo8zcXRD4ClOTs59UDNCpQ-T9f9BjY677-DW8mofYtg/s2560/How%20We%20Got%20To%20Now%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaN0zclR0raZzdgSLCz0t4LK-TdYhVjF7d9OC5vitNoLfci_WWvxVKEP2i8v3DrMZra4N7hjru1Z9W-D1HXIGXBkDY5H5BhopXU9Oc12ICd6WewNnROVOVoMB6RW9gWTr1fkEDrYVWlVl6NOrAo8zcXRD4ClOTs59UDNCpQ-T9f9BjY677-DW8mofYtg/w128-h200/How%20We%20Got%20To%20Now%20cover.jpeg" width="128" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made The Modern World</i> by Steven Johnson</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A story of how inventions and innovations have shaped the world in a number of ways that couldn't have been foreseen when people were first tinkering around. Like glass, first used to make decorations, later glassware, windows, eye glasses, fiber optics and all of the benefits that go along. The book has an interesting premise but was sort of dry for something that is supposed to be more of a pop history. It's an interesting premise and perhaps it would work better as an actual book (vs the audio kind). </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuh0QzkDMIsWEBepwUUNqQ_GJB1n1pyF2NRh_wvcJ9BHxe10dr3QMQBXzdBLi3vg7Zmo8h8Y_e1uNlLaXkALq3VesDk-ZLxo1_oric1BNYGoQfWhwQnPPu-No98NqxJiHyDn5YroO1z9hBID7nmrLyt8hKBbR0QbIHp9Bo5TSNvJXg3qw0TL4XrH7jw/s2090/Fortunes%20of%20Jaded%20Women.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2090" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuh0QzkDMIsWEBepwUUNqQ_GJB1n1pyF2NRh_wvcJ9BHxe10dr3QMQBXzdBLi3vg7Zmo8h8Y_e1uNlLaXkALq3VesDk-ZLxo1_oric1BNYGoQfWhwQnPPu-No98NqxJiHyDn5YroO1z9hBID7nmrLyt8hKBbR0QbIHp9Bo5TSNvJXg3qw0TL4XrH7jw/w134-h200/Fortunes%20of%20Jaded%20Women.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Fortunes of Jaded Women</i> by Carolyn Huynh</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Three generations of Vietnamese women who have been living under a curse. No one in the fmaily will find love. No one will find happiness. And they are all doomed to have only...daughters! (GASP). Most of the family is estranged from one another going years, even decades between talking to each other, and when they do meet up, don't be surprised if fruit goes flying. But a psychic tells the family that there will be one death, one wedding and one birth in the year so the family makes efforts to grow and mend. There are multiple narrators which usually I love, though here I found it hard to keep up with who everyone was since there are SO many characters. The story had very funny moments but it was hard to say that it was actually a comedic novel. But overall I did enjoy the book</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2,435</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">63%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">88%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">88% (though some authors in the <i>Me, Myself and I</i> book are not white, I just have Elizabeth Benedict the editor included as the author cos basically my tracker can't handle more than one author)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">75%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 75%</div><div style="text-align: left;">ebook: 25%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 25%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 75%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">13%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 63%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 38%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">38%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Lying Game </i>and <i>The Guest List</i> are both by UK authors</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Fortunes of Jaded Women</i> is by a BIPOC author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-2381587937974007662023-03-28T09:00:00.001-04:002023-03-28T09:00:00.173-04:00The (Reading) Freedom That Comes With Acknowledgement<div style="text-align: left;">I like tracking my reading. I really do. I find it helpful to know what I read, when I read it. I like the act of writing it down, of looking at what my totals look like, what were my reading trends</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, there was a negative I found in all of this. I tended to finish books. That sounds stupid as a negative right? Of course I finished books. That's the goal. But I tended to finish books EVEN if I wasn't enjoying them. Because I had invested time in them. Because if I didn't finish them then they wouldn't count towards my totals. Totals that do not matter at all. Something I am well aware of. But it still held me back unless a book was TERRIBLE.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Recently, I started a bullet journal of the books I'm reading. This is just to keep track of what my reading looks like, visually, over time. What days am I reading. Maybe a bit of how quickly or not am I reading.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73oYZ4_3BlGBjykFMM3mDnuhw77jkwfGpzmb3OUnRaEey_cAvFd25TipS715NePVxpWM8lnUmJ2zbBFT5zklfnwxKKTpmbNdN6N0Tfw9QG9ZWgyUIsRXzuiMVYUvKPye8XrgPPWUjCV9EI3RkEJAHCIWa46mgxti25kZAm2B4JDVU6S6Knrnl7ARXVw/s1954/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-27%20at%209.31.42%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1954" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73oYZ4_3BlGBjykFMM3mDnuhw77jkwfGpzmb3OUnRaEey_cAvFd25TipS715NePVxpWM8lnUmJ2zbBFT5zklfnwxKKTpmbNdN6N0Tfw9QG9ZWgyUIsRXzuiMVYUvKPye8XrgPPWUjCV9EI3RkEJAHCIWa46mgxti25kZAm2B4JDVU6S6Knrnl7ARXVw/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-27%20at%209.31.42%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've found something else. I am less concerned about giving up a book that isn't clicking with me. Because I have it written here. It is acknowledged. It's still not counted towards any totals. I still "lost time" reading it that could have gone to something else. But who cares. I'll drop it and if it strike my fancy later, I'll pick it up again some other time. Or I won't.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To be clear, I don't entirely know why. It's not like I think the few people still reading this (hi!) care how much I'm reading or when. No one is actually keeping track, making judgements. But it is enough and it's crazy how many books I feel like I'm getting through without actively <i>trying </i>to read more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We'll see if this keeps up or if things settle back to where they typically sit. But for now, I'm enjoying things.</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-63062159371582309642023-03-13T09:00:00.001-04:002023-03-13T09:00:00.179-04:00eBooks, it's been a while<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNGCshJLrFo3G69xFmgeRTpxV6rIEoX_QyjWh689nHsodRoPXrc-hJ8H6RKBiS-6pWCTfShnDAcsHeJfAub-uGfOi76YRDfSPTQmbuX5ceBBKlYcKt4LVF_UH6OVmVFoiG62qMeZncys7C272EV6HTeT-emQWgkly84GdRSTLe0cQYEQcl1sUfyDXZQ/s4032/IMG_8887.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNGCshJLrFo3G69xFmgeRTpxV6rIEoX_QyjWh689nHsodRoPXrc-hJ8H6RKBiS-6pWCTfShnDAcsHeJfAub-uGfOi76YRDfSPTQmbuX5ceBBKlYcKt4LVF_UH6OVmVFoiG62qMeZncys7C272EV6HTeT-emQWgkly84GdRSTLe0cQYEQcl1sUfyDXZQ/s320/IMG_8887.heic" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Did you know the last time I finished reading an ebook was in 2020? It was the book <i>Toddlers Are Assholes: It's Not Your Fault</i> by Bunmi Laditan. I'm sure the fact that I was dealing with my own toddler while in COVID confinement had nothing to do with that selection</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, April of 2020 was my last ebook. Before that things were trailing off a bit. The ebook before that was December of 2019 (<i>Fleishman Is In Trouble</i> by Taffy Brodesser-Akner).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't make a conscious decision to not read ebooks. It's just that once the little monster showed up and then I changed jobs to one that didn't require hours per day on public transportation in favor of one that required about an hour a day in the car, my reading switched over to audiobooks. In 2018, 50% of the books I read were ebooks. In 2019, that dropped to 12%. In 2020, it was just 2%. And then nothing. Not a single ebook in all of 2021 and 2022.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Why do I bring this up? Because, as I mentioned recently, I'm trying to do more non-audiobook reading in the evenings whenever I can grab a few minutes. It's an effort to go back to something I enjoy and spend less time scrolling through social media. So I've been reading the various books I have strewn around the living room and it's been mostly working out. But here's the thing. 99% of my books are packed away in boxes because we're only in this place temporarily. I do have a paperback book sitting in front of me I haven't read yet (<i>American Dirt</i>) but I'm not really in the mood for it. So I was trying to figure out what do I want to read? Do I dig through all of the boxes (so many boxes) to try to find a book I feel like reading?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then I found my Kindle. The battery had long since died but I managed to find a charger that fit it and lo and behold, the thing turns on. And it turns out, I've downloaded books on there that I never read. Books that look interesting and that I would like to read. Good job, past me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now I have some more books to read that won't require me to unpack a bunch of boxes and I can continue to read in the evening. </div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-6365994622340621332023-03-01T09:00:00.001-05:002023-03-01T09:00:00.163-05:00February Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmPCRMWoFUHtgKEXMCFYoY9ogPGBBt3LvbC_ylCBULELMuFUYdtvU_9Fjc-Et066JYhbiQ6bQew1XpJ27CtT4k5zOnNGiE-bAnOZ1ty4DB3kSfsmTev19Cb4R9oKlNii598XYQzh8C_jFBwRbaG6s9nY54Yk1mKr-vb1EZXA4ANOThERh-_Ek3GD-cQ/s3888/Feb%20calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmPCRMWoFUHtgKEXMCFYoY9ogPGBBt3LvbC_ylCBULELMuFUYdtvU_9Fjc-Et066JYhbiQ6bQew1XpJ27CtT4k5zOnNGiE-bAnOZ1ty4DB3kSfsmTev19Cb4R9oKlNii598XYQzh8C_jFBwRbaG6s9nY54Yk1mKr-vb1EZXA4ANOThERh-_Ek3GD-cQ/s320/Feb%20calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Alright, another month has passed. Better than January? Worse? Who's to say? It was a stressful month for me, which may or may not have affected the amount of reading I got done. Not that it was terrible but I feel like I had some fits and starts finding something I felt like reading and then finding the time to do it. But I still actually made it through a lot this month now that I actually look at those stats. This is why I track things instead of just relying on my thoughts. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's look at this bullet journal for the month, because I have managed to keep up with this so far! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoBqWtSt06ZepphlO_k193C1sXdPGo0-7dK31XIR_-R5k4NxwI4BaeCxVDj5ui7ubGJaft6DJ4H02v5tj16an0DnUSvUbZ_sbj3uq0siRfc8gg8BXE5NqmzXnV8COTQcE-gOeP6b8gl7nJNssvQtboRt0B11udGkAgeqFb7zCrpcQnLBbfotxnL00vQ/s1958/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-28%20at%209.33.10%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="1958" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoBqWtSt06ZepphlO_k193C1sXdPGo0-7dK31XIR_-R5k4NxwI4BaeCxVDj5ui7ubGJaft6DJ4H02v5tj16an0DnUSvUbZ_sbj3uq0siRfc8gg8BXE5NqmzXnV8COTQcE-gOeP6b8gl7nJNssvQtboRt0B11udGkAgeqFb7zCrpcQnLBbfotxnL00vQ/w400-h69/Screen%20Shot%202023-02-28%20at%209.33.10%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Mothers</i> by Brit Bennet</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Klara and the Son</i> by Kazou Ishiguro</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Salt: A World History</i> by Mark Kurlansky</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Wow, No Thank You</i> by Samantha Irby</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</i> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwo-vNQjHlmX4Ww7pa9NsYLSQ9F37Ynn5GaXDdTDoio5-Ud6ZEmr5oVK1mssd6btICzZuF7IJt_L_F6JRTCgp7bXiZilVkUOxxX4MVWOzRiC2C7FbWyXsdzf0l1BikcuxdpXjImaD2MpzFnIO1iHQpZIaU4-LOLSrh9y7lF1D3iIy9PNuSJ8ejbIuu_w/s529/Mothers%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwo-vNQjHlmX4Ww7pa9NsYLSQ9F37Ynn5GaXDdTDoio5-Ud6ZEmr5oVK1mssd6btICzZuF7IJt_L_F6JRTCgp7bXiZilVkUOxxX4MVWOzRiC2C7FbWyXsdzf0l1BikcuxdpXjImaD2MpzFnIO1iHQpZIaU4-LOLSrh9y7lF1D3iIy9PNuSJ8ejbIuu_w/w133-h200/Mothers%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Mothers</i> by Brit Bennet</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had apparently downloaded a copy of this book through a Libro.fm sale and then forgot about it. So when I didn't know what to read, this seemed like a good choice. It's a complicated story following motherless Nadia and Aubrey, the local pastor's son Luke, and the ties to their Oceanside community. The story is complicated, or at least I've spent a good 20 min trying to summarize it in a few lines and have failed. It was a story I couldn't binge but instead would listen to in smaller spurts. I liked the prose and the role of the Mothers (a sort of chorus) when they were more directly involved with the characters. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNiIjMPezatwPwMY0v30Sj_WSWHYueeUtQJNBibW9QWsqYt61UAHXLJXtZyJVsQKyGAw7scNBTPn5yz5SfFfPq_89DxH8VMdhwkWBDZEFIS2HaRhLiBTyv81TjXCVgbT1sLhJgm9TSBeCPksZf04DvVhQLMEVDQCVRDOs43LSnNG3gj9wmXn9MkU02A/s700/Klara%20and%20the%20Sun%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="461" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNiIjMPezatwPwMY0v30Sj_WSWHYueeUtQJNBibW9QWsqYt61UAHXLJXtZyJVsQKyGAw7scNBTPn5yz5SfFfPq_89DxH8VMdhwkWBDZEFIS2HaRhLiBTyv81TjXCVgbT1sLhJgm9TSBeCPksZf04DvVhQLMEVDQCVRDOs43LSnNG3gj9wmXn9MkU02A/w132-h200/Klara%20and%20the%20Sun%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Klara and the Sun</i> by Kazou Ishiguro</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I actually won one of the Goodreads giveaways and actually started this book back in January but given this is one of the paperback books rather than an audiobook, it took me a bit longer to get through. That and it took a bit of time to get into the story and really figure out what's going on (and tbf, not sure I got all the way there). Taking place in the near future, Klara is an AF (artificial friend). Basically a robot friend but one that you can boss around without feeling bad about it. Klara is bought by a young sick girl Josie to keep her company as she spends time at home studying on her "oblong" (phone, I suppose) and trying to get better. Another story that is difficult to summarize in a few lines as we try to understand Klara's role in this world and Klara tries to understand exactly what will be expected of her with this family.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8gnskaPP0GyjFqbt2TE6-ibXnPaAEDuIYT5xz9t1LprhkLVZvc2K_hH7-KSNDYvopy9CxZN_w0EYnc615ZvFARQE4_2YCYPsP29bbOS2gTJhvW0NYuAXSGB3JoE0MfnQRFfYE7PPW9uX4eRiMLakMLdEGyy4EP_DAJ2LViSAlVhGlYlpEtss2WnUCw/s395/Salt%20A%20World%20History%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8gnskaPP0GyjFqbt2TE6-ibXnPaAEDuIYT5xz9t1LprhkLVZvc2K_hH7-KSNDYvopy9CxZN_w0EYnc615ZvFARQE4_2YCYPsP29bbOS2gTJhvW0NYuAXSGB3JoE0MfnQRFfYE7PPW9uX4eRiMLakMLdEGyy4EP_DAJ2LViSAlVhGlYlpEtss2WnUCw/w132-h200/Salt%20A%20World%20History%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Salt: A World History</i> by Mark Kurlansky</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I like the ways seemingly small things in the modern world had big effects on history. And salt had some big effects on the geopolitics of the world, while I sometimes use salt to clean my cast iron pan. This feels like a comprehensive history and by that I mean Kurlansky goes off on some tangents that are only kind of related to salt, which made for a pretty dry read/listen from time to time. But it always managed to stay on this side of interesting so while I considered putting this down, I never followed through. I suppose that's something.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqrO5Q0k7-58E8kO-rcDdeXLoxl6mrsJ6Yy_iqcvfIidb8aKXloBYR3lXxbAwIxyFBJ-uEI5KOl_aD3sPVIG3b1Zs55dHpMvwoCjjCCR3BMqb9ltC-X_daqICb4EHa058eShphQaOnDLI7lzTfoWA-1ydl34ace1yD3ptLQN-zE04qGNeQdDbyxZh3Q/s1024/Wow%20No%20Thank%20You%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="659" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqrO5Q0k7-58E8kO-rcDdeXLoxl6mrsJ6Yy_iqcvfIidb8aKXloBYR3lXxbAwIxyFBJ-uEI5KOl_aD3sPVIG3b1Zs55dHpMvwoCjjCCR3BMqb9ltC-X_daqICb4EHa058eShphQaOnDLI7lzTfoWA-1ydl34ace1yD3ptLQN-zE04qGNeQdDbyxZh3Q/w129-h200/Wow%20No%20Thank%20You%20cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Wow, No Thank You</i> by Samantha Irby</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I couldn't find a book I was really excited about that was available from the library so I dug into some audiobooks I had on my phone already and decided Irby's is the way to go and is definitely something different from the difficult lit fic picks and very dry history I had recently finished. A series of deprecating essays about aging, GI issues and actually finding success with her weird blog (and previous books). The stories are very funny and the fact that she narrates the audiobook makes it that much better. I found myself speaking in her cadence a couple times. Good choice, me.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.25 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTG5vbg0SudFDBltOokBfHbHeTRYS673fEiPPVn9HeWwJM1_Qq25EyI-9j2SuBQMn65Gmig-wL4hfb2WbdYVu7hySAL8lABFSMx8lH-6oiiDNBxc6Ls0wkKPVmYSeHfytNOemkh7_FwqpZzCG7Xga6MNkEThazScnlR0nEWroAc4_PxyTaskEbiRnZQ/s400/Vera%20Wong's%20Unsolicited%20Advice%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTG5vbg0SudFDBltOokBfHbHeTRYS673fEiPPVn9HeWwJM1_Qq25EyI-9j2SuBQMn65Gmig-wL4hfb2WbdYVu7hySAL8lABFSMx8lH-6oiiDNBxc6Ls0wkKPVmYSeHfytNOemkh7_FwqpZzCG7Xga6MNkEThazScnlR0nEWroAc4_PxyTaskEbiRnZQ/w129-h200/Vera%20Wong's%20Unsolicited%20Advice%20cover.jpeg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</i> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another Goodreads giveaway! Pretty sure I was entertaining these things for like 10 years before winning anything and then it was 2 in one month. Anyway, LOVED THIS. Vera Wong wakes up bright and early one morning to find a dead body in her tea shop. And since "nobody sniffs out wrongdoings quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands" she decides to take on the investigation herself. Vera is a force and I loved her. I loved all of the suspects she pulled together as well as she tries to get to the bottom of what happened. OK the mystery isn't perfect and I literally just finished it so it's possible my feelings will cool slightly, but honestly, Vera pulled me through and hopefully there will be more for Vera to tackle in the future</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.85 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total Pages Read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,744</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 60%</div><div style="text-align: left;">paperback: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">gift: 40%</div><div style="text-align: left;">indie: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">library: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Reread</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2000s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Mothers</i> and <i>Wow, No Thank You</i> are both written by Black authors</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Klara and the Sun</i> is written by a Japanese-English author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Very Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers</i> is by an Indonesian-Singaporean author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-13366245521874301842023-02-01T09:00:00.003-05:002023-02-01T10:01:04.478-05:00January Reading Wrap-Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OfnzRcomVSoh6XKAu0L22YnE0Bv4PcNvyi8xJnuhDAeMcXF5oDRfnEyk-VjQYb3sSC7YDMVP9E_WCoPbR20y7Vm2XmxN0xEQVkoRRlQrRhDFdJbgxztL5f39qN2qdWFrmdTyRpDq_CaTUM5UB324lGoRoLlSGMaK3NE_dq2pzlEELyUsk0bibz5MqQ/s3888/january-calendar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OfnzRcomVSoh6XKAu0L22YnE0Bv4PcNvyi8xJnuhDAeMcXF5oDRfnEyk-VjQYb3sSC7YDMVP9E_WCoPbR20y7Vm2XmxN0xEQVkoRRlQrRhDFdJbgxztL5f39qN2qdWFrmdTyRpDq_CaTUM5UB324lGoRoLlSGMaK3NE_dq2pzlEELyUsk0bibz5MqQ/s320/january-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">First month of the new year. Feeling motivated? Ready to take on the year?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We tripped right at the starting line with the new year this year. I mentioned in my year end wrap up post, but the small one tested positive for COVID right as he was about to go back to school. He was luckily ok (asymptomatic), we never tested positive and neither did the people we were around before he tested positive. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This month I am trying to do more reading a night. Not just listening to audiobooks throughout the day, as I've been doing, but making time, however little, to sit down with a physical book and read. It's something that is easier to say than do since I have a small window after the little one goes to bed, before I go to bed, to do everything: unwind, catch up on TV that isn't children's programming (though seriously, check out <i>Bluey</i>), see what's happening online. Anything. But a friend got me a copy of <i>The Bullet That Missed</i>, the latest <i>Thursday Murder Club</i> book and what was I going to do, not read that immediately? Don't be stupid.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One other new thing I started doing is this bullet journal for reading. As if I didn't have enough spreadsheets going. I actually wrote about half a post about it and then...never finished it. So the year is starting out strong. Anyway, here's a screenshot of what my January reading looked like. I like this because it gives me a quick visual of when I'm reading. And it's easy to see how much quicker audiobooks go for me than any other kind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDJSdn0nI9EfKQXr2WEfPZoRkTJTiEpgAVUfHOn-_S3t3SZWokzE_7h1s0t15OX6fv7NQsC-Sjtg4s9WRRZLmgJy5JGUz-AUPlvk-7hJG5ISnO-4GRasy1zeIgKJpnT-jB1kgjPPTJNmn-l3I38xtIOI11iq6tsx--fE-6VBxGp_dTpU4XF5kFD3x0Q/s1942/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-31%20at%2010.02.17%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="1942" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDJSdn0nI9EfKQXr2WEfPZoRkTJTiEpgAVUfHOn-_S3t3SZWokzE_7h1s0t15OX6fv7NQsC-Sjtg4s9WRRZLmgJy5JGUz-AUPlvk-7hJG5ISnO-4GRasy1zeIgKJpnT-jB1kgjPPTJNmn-l3I38xtIOI11iq6tsx--fE-6VBxGp_dTpU4XF5kFD3x0Q/w400-h94/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-31%20at%2010.02.17%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>7</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>She Kills Me: The True Stories of History's Deadliest Women</i> by Jennifer Wright</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Bullet That Missed</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Finlay Donovan Knocks 'em Dead </i>by Elle Cosimano</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism </i>by Amanda Montell</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Goodbye, Vitamin</i> by Rachel Khong</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question</i> by Michael Shur</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music</i> by Dave Grohl</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildz3als6XloXMIF243pmKZ3iDbAZN_ajbkGVZeVh2-TryREhLBvmyPN9sc5KtfrPsdHBMtUMMY94j7MBNk_oZL_VJu0W4t81xT4YBTREIUQW0b_a566CEzHJZfPY8_InZ7mFZ7FTp5wQ7O-GoIcWLVLBHohjfJEANcypM-_JBkZI3zC_1d6FLGD4mCg/s1517/She%20Kills%20Me%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1517" data-original-width="1021" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildz3als6XloXMIF243pmKZ3iDbAZN_ajbkGVZeVh2-TryREhLBvmyPN9sc5KtfrPsdHBMtUMMY94j7MBNk_oZL_VJu0W4t81xT4YBTREIUQW0b_a566CEzHJZfPY8_InZ7mFZ7FTp5wQ7O-GoIcWLVLBHohjfJEANcypM-_JBkZI3zC_1d6FLGD4mCg/w134-h200/She%20Kills%20Me%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>She Kills Me: The True Stories of History's Deadliest Women</i> by Jennifer Wright</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Similar to another book of Wright's (<i>It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History</i>) this book is sort of a listicle on steroids. Here Wright lists out 40 women from various points in history who committed murder, sometimes a few (though I mean, sure, one is too many) to too-many-to-count. I listened to this and each woman was given roughly 5-10 minutes so only a few paragraphs worth of information. What was there was interesting but ultimately I would have preferred if there were fewer entries that went into more detail.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating 3.25 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ8mvrRCaXwa2NE31JqAgDcs8EeOsyXckC3sLl2w62Ak9egznqC08HkgiIYGIoKP8HRCdsF7L7oIMF09jXnu11stP0QSDiz3MxK77PjdEhAIYSauoq3xlX0ZTGjgLVPeMANUKqFhGLbuX9xREwNbFlVmSSJiWqXoJwki31bzqOzxrmq91xSVfvhIjPQ/s2838/Bullet%20That%20Missed%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2838" data-original-width="1848" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ8mvrRCaXwa2NE31JqAgDcs8EeOsyXckC3sLl2w62Ak9egznqC08HkgiIYGIoKP8HRCdsF7L7oIMF09jXnu11stP0QSDiz3MxK77PjdEhAIYSauoq3xlX0ZTGjgLVPeMANUKqFhGLbuX9xREwNbFlVmSSJiWqXoJwki31bzqOzxrmq91xSVfvhIjPQ/w130-h200/Bullet%20That%20Missed%20cover.jpeg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Bullet That Missed</i> by Richard Osman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The third in the <i>Thursday Murder Club</i> series and OH MAN do I love this quartet of septuagenarian detectives. The group are looking into a cold case of a journalist who went missing, her car driven off a cliff, right after she was about to break a story about money laundering. Meanwhile Elizabeth is (briefly) kidnapped with the ultimatum to kill a former KGB operative or have someone she cares about killed. I won't go into too much more detail cos it's very fun to find things out with the crew. These books are just so much fun as much for the foursome (and the people sucked into their gravitational pull) as it is for the mystery itself. I may need to re-read the entire series while I wait for the next book to come out.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk8s8XX0uQQZu8pLtllmEr6zkVkkHFHfHLQOJSpa6XulqmHPRxpNjHyeQi7lION59tM_G5LsGWoIiG-IQWI4vaXmK7ozsMvbZot9-F6vJELoa8NsUb65WjSEZzcyIE8E-OzacZs1oKhzhUZTScwdjaNTPFLQd6NdY1qaRJNAXYLjKE2BGGYskldv-Ew/s1000/Finlay%20Donovan%20Knocks%20'Em%20Dead%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk8s8XX0uQQZu8pLtllmEr6zkVkkHFHfHLQOJSpa6XulqmHPRxpNjHyeQi7lION59tM_G5LsGWoIiG-IQWI4vaXmK7ozsMvbZot9-F6vJELoa8NsUb65WjSEZzcyIE8E-OzacZs1oKhzhUZTScwdjaNTPFLQd6NdY1qaRJNAXYLjKE2BGGYskldv-Ew/w133-h200/Finlay%20Donovan%20Knocks%20'Em%20Dead%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead</i> by Elle Cosimano</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">OK, it may have been unfair to this and <i>The Bullet That Missed</i> at the same time. Both are murder mysteries so they occupy a similar genre (Cozy? Cozy-adjacent? I'm still not entirely clear) and while both are entertaining, sorry, Osman's are much better. I say this as I'm sure it somewhat colored by reading. Anyway, this is the second in the Finlay Donovan series, where we pick up right where the first book left off (spoilers), after helping send a high ranking member of the Russian mob to jail with Finay finding a post on a message board from someone looking to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband. What can she and Vero do to keep Steven safe, what is Vero hiding from her, can she get her next book finished in time to keep her editor and agent off her back, and should she sleep with the hot law student or the hot detective? Lots of questions and honestly, Finlay isn't exactly the sharpest detective, which is endearing at times as well as extremely frustrating. The story is engaging, though I'm a little annoyed at the ending for spoilery reasons that holds it back</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.95 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHi1wOg5-HQemOdzRNibpNGbjGa0Jcm9eZoKNctdXH6je83hDwrN-wX04eNPGTMam5wII-tn8BqWOjUI73GPpXmPvSk_a5s9tdr78SBgdY8BCB-G5B9wO5CKHgfRwe7sIusTQQzHzduUn06r6iAWJ1ftB03E6gggUFJkp3CC4_CzQ6WWUEnVhUb0WnDQ/s400/Cultish%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHi1wOg5-HQemOdzRNibpNGbjGa0Jcm9eZoKNctdXH6je83hDwrN-wX04eNPGTMam5wII-tn8BqWOjUI73GPpXmPvSk_a5s9tdr78SBgdY8BCB-G5B9wO5CKHgfRwe7sIusTQQzHzduUn06r6iAWJ1ftB03E6gggUFJkp3CC4_CzQ6WWUEnVhUb0WnDQ/w134-h200/Cultish%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism</i> by Amanda Montell</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was a favorite read of last year and gotta tell you, it really holds up on a second read. A great look at the ways "cults", be them religious, MLMs, workouts, use language. It's fascinating and I was going to say without being judgmental but yeah, it is judgmental at time (and I'd say with good reason). But it's generally not judgmental of those taken in by the language but rather of the institutions that use them. One I'm sure I'll reread again.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_ua5qYC6HdtS03dfpynQuOd_8n9gdqBjwdXx1hwbvYFyfx2v6_IQBhONKjQ_WfJzI6sXVga0JAumfu_GkFbZRdAm82g3Xdwr8VfLeel3-7sj9yUysUO9_M3oA_o11K-2YvV37H3RdttA6DdW_Xkq53N_shc42K66db2gKVs8758-sJQqHuoahc5ykg/s499/Goodbye%20Vitamin%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_ua5qYC6HdtS03dfpynQuOd_8n9gdqBjwdXx1hwbvYFyfx2v6_IQBhONKjQ_WfJzI6sXVga0JAumfu_GkFbZRdAm82g3Xdwr8VfLeel3-7sj9yUysUO9_M3oA_o11K-2YvV37H3RdttA6DdW_Xkq53N_shc42K66db2gKVs8758-sJQqHuoahc5ykg/w134-h200/Goodbye%20Vitamin%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Goodbye, Vitamin</i> by Rachel Khong</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A book club selection, the story about a woman named Ruth whose personal life has blown up. Her finance, whom she left school just seven months shy of graduating to be with, has left her for someone else. She finds herself 30 and a bit directionless, so when her father's health prompts her mother to ask her to spend a year at home helping to take care of him, she takes the opportunity and documents the days in her journal. Much of the book is focused on her relationship with her father and helping to take care of him as his recent Alzheimer's diagnosis gets worse. (Something most summaries leave out and would have been nice to know for most of us going into reading this for our book club.) Almost all of the characters are well-developed and three dimensional (though her mother could use some work) and while no one is perfect, there is little judgment cast about. The story isn't too heavy, despite the weighty conceit, but there isn't a huge amount of growth or change from the characters</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehf0lojbiRE_NZrOVYZC2cmf3KX1UVzGilLhvTtbBB17L-bnUhuvHYFKaK_3bF-MClsUqRcq8JxqlfXe8Jg3HQNFepxm7CvShls83VdIdj29oKwQCSCIvZp4_CgcdjGkQqO5Skvc7rMZpPDtvbYHs9SucbNmUBjcN9iK0f1RBjlqDNnorVjzfDOIJzw/s2125/How%20to%20Be%20Perfect%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehf0lojbiRE_NZrOVYZC2cmf3KX1UVzGilLhvTtbBB17L-bnUhuvHYFKaK_3bF-MClsUqRcq8JxqlfXe8Jg3HQNFepxm7CvShls83VdIdj29oKwQCSCIvZp4_CgcdjGkQqO5Skvc7rMZpPDtvbYHs9SucbNmUBjcN9iK0f1RBjlqDNnorVjzfDOIJzw/w132-h200/How%20to%20Be%20Perfect%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>How To Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question</i> by Michael Shur</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I will start this by saying I love the <i>The Good Place. </i>It was, and is, one of my favorite shows. That alone was enough to get me to check out this book (that and a positive review from the podcast <i><a href="https://bookriot.com/listen/shows/forreal/">For Real</a></i>). This book is Shur's collection of everything he learned about moral philosophy in his research for the show. It's a layman's introduction to moral philosophy that is funny and the audiobook is read by Shur and a bunch of actors from <i>The Good Place</i>. The concepts he goes into can be difficult and contradictory and frustrating, but Shur makes it accessible. I was disappointed when I realized the book was ending; I could have easily done another hour</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnOdlqjjpbDDulnZda13NJVtMAWafc7iLpRH_-Yyed1xorvCQ7zTgm7anSksxP8147AxvV5DwctqgsHi3AY6MQnPunH0c-alcZMO_BdrBOybpEdxk8sXZ4ei86ZRCtvV6srWEb86JjwvpH5xN8D69edlLyu2AKsO_jpm0FkdK5zEw9WD9a8uZr690Og/s500/Storyteller%20cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnOdlqjjpbDDulnZda13NJVtMAWafc7iLpRH_-Yyed1xorvCQ7zTgm7anSksxP8147AxvV5DwctqgsHi3AY6MQnPunH0c-alcZMO_BdrBOybpEdxk8sXZ4ei86ZRCtvV6srWEb86JjwvpH5xN8D69edlLyu2AKsO_jpm0FkdK5zEw9WD9a8uZr690Og/w133-h200/Storyteller%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music</b> </i><b>by Dave Grohl</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I saw Grohl had written a book and not only that but narrated the audiobook, it was a no brainer to check it out. It's a collection of essays about Grohl's life and it's been a crazy one. The opening essay was my favorite, with Grohl mixing his life as a dad with how he got to the point of playing sold out stadiums. And admittedly, my favorite stories were the ones that involved his family and where he is now. But that's not to say that the stories of him getting his musical start, playing in Nirvana, almost joining Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, forming the Foo Fighters and 1000 other things. At times the stories involve a lot of lists, of musicians and bands, producers and venues that can get a bit repetitive. And the stories could have VERY easily gone into a boring "look how great I am" territory (and there is a LOT of name dropping) but Grohl manages to come off so humbled by everything that has happened to him. Highly recommend listening to him telling the stories</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2,098 - I was on a role in Jan. Will I be able to keep this up throughout the year? Probably not</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">43%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">57%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">14%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">86%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Audiobook: 86%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hardback: 14%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Gift: 29%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 14%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 57%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Reread</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">14%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">14%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 14%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 86%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">29%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Bullet That Missed </i>is by a UK author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Goodbye, Vitamin</i> is by an Asian-American author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-18486816809719510882023-01-09T09:00:00.001-05:002023-01-09T09:00:00.187-05:00My Favorite Reads of 2022<div style="text-align: left;">What is this? A second non-reading wrap up post of the year. What is going on? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, I was thinking about some of my fav books I read in 2022. I had fewer 5 star reads compared to 2021 but I also had far more rereads that year than I did in 2022. For me, a 5 star book is generally one that I a) feel compelled to tell <i>everyone</i> about and b) want to reread. I have a lot of 4 star books that I think are good, beyond just "I liked it" but I'm not already jonesing to pick it up again. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top New (to me) Reads</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaIkPVC72un1GZUFTZLFgyrZcJodGQwl91LmYFN634LPGPTuwsV2YC32ddfScTByjQjtnS87YIECxkcPzJxnreKipG3Q519RZUzJPckfB_7dOwG0n0-ONTeqR1IhyuihjB3ZQaT2xXoCg10Bf1dtSHF3WQMsTuh1hx128vdpjXI4hil2yopz-J_apGA/s400/Cultish%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaIkPVC72un1GZUFTZLFgyrZcJodGQwl91LmYFN634LPGPTuwsV2YC32ddfScTByjQjtnS87YIECxkcPzJxnreKipG3Q519RZUzJPckfB_7dOwG0n0-ONTeqR1IhyuihjB3ZQaT2xXoCg10Bf1dtSHF3WQMsTuh1hx128vdpjXI4hil2yopz-J_apGA/w134-h200/Cultish%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1oGHJi3xsVifjGi12mtsRau-a0CWX-cVpaQXRUUwSpKeDP6kuV9WVAm4tG0Pj9KQOaJAJDLYbc2QhAcXAEPbge5QHCX9C72MaOfGKDqq3gCmxNdsmySNJ3c2eyFznuRTi6GFRfgkNS6TTRxAm_oJdGzcz0FAM7hLPtmJv5gb56KgD_foLv_Enfso_w/s346/Thursday%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1oGHJi3xsVifjGi12mtsRau-a0CWX-cVpaQXRUUwSpKeDP6kuV9WVAm4tG0Pj9KQOaJAJDLYbc2QhAcXAEPbge5QHCX9C72MaOfGKDqq3gCmxNdsmySNJ3c2eyFznuRTi6GFRfgkNS6TTRxAm_oJdGzcz0FAM7hLPtmJv5gb56KgD_foLv_Enfso_w/w130-h200/Thursday%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" width="130" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRNzuRa7z_1NVGlwWSXzUCXQ8SDbqKf7irG9m08TfIcU62PBDBq1Se6-QJQHKQzDlmcN7581fLtX3Tovs2UBEOVFXE0-8M3BDZcmDf3wGaT38ddPp1WYkRgABfdKm-WkP_qkGx_ZlyayjakwqXTAO0SpJVnmvTqwG0fmEsM2H3MENKQi0KFPo70emxQ/s2775/Lessons%20in%20Chemistry%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRNzuRa7z_1NVGlwWSXzUCXQ8SDbqKf7irG9m08TfIcU62PBDBq1Se6-QJQHKQzDlmcN7581fLtX3Tovs2UBEOVFXE0-8M3BDZcmDf3wGaT38ddPp1WYkRgABfdKm-WkP_qkGx_ZlyayjakwqXTAO0SpJVnmvTqwG0fmEsM2H3MENKQi0KFPo70emxQ/w133-h200/Lessons%20in%20Chemistry%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP6FPVhLSLTTP1A7HzWoIJRJmQ6EHcF7wzVrYZ6FB7lmSZCAiX39OTzmXGz_-L2MoKdChhfKr782qDRmj7x5yeEpVxTBGqUyHa5BImIlSMcnFcUvomHGCf8hxnBC7GRXxNJeZQ_Bo4T9URA2GQeLFnUAJnM2F-nFF6pybx42Gr4ajpnTTAjBYjtnEFQ/s473/Bullet%20Train%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP6FPVhLSLTTP1A7HzWoIJRJmQ6EHcF7wzVrYZ6FB7lmSZCAiX39OTzmXGz_-L2MoKdChhfKr782qDRmj7x5yeEpVxTBGqUyHa5BImIlSMcnFcUvomHGCf8hxnBC7GRXxNJeZQ_Bo4T9URA2GQeLFnUAJnM2F-nFF6pybx42Gr4ajpnTTAjBYjtnEFQ/w134-h200/Bullet%20Train%20cover.jpg" width="134" /></a><br /><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism </i>by Amanda Montell</div></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The Thursday Murder Club</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Lessons in Chemistry</i> by Bonnie Garmus</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Bullet Train</i> by Kotaro Isaka</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top Rereads</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaB2WY3vv1JSEvervE792rs2IxuEu6F-Z_o6vfbIC4kDgYrFak2fDDikOQwvXs8dCWHoDw-IVncGSGI4df1RXMHZgC5uYMep6m0_gq-SMEa1IXy38bPgeWT-qqIVMmQrMERrbcX1xkfTE4i8w3yRrhfplG-29OVJppFWCeiMGI4-GWss00BKv7bd8_sA/s473/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaB2WY3vv1JSEvervE792rs2IxuEu6F-Z_o6vfbIC4kDgYrFak2fDDikOQwvXs8dCWHoDw-IVncGSGI4df1RXMHZgC5uYMep6m0_gq-SMEa1IXy38bPgeWT-qqIVMmQrMERrbcX1xkfTE4i8w3yRrhfplG-29OVJppFWCeiMGI4-GWss00BKv7bd8_sA/w134-h200/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aR8OG6VuP3qBjpH0f5dGUpwbcG2ZTppnIxGiygS51dmYM3F_CZdZlMUWrFfwmx_lMiT8mYMGiAOr2qHqpfD5d2Ij4FmsiHaUjoMQSDpO9cR49Q5Kl1gUOQKYZQm3YaV0tjNV64l4gtpp6YopM56858tfFLgGv82v02WhZ5bm6g9gIwCI34bEDtoA9w/s499/Body%20A%20Guide%20for%20Occupants%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="342" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aR8OG6VuP3qBjpH0f5dGUpwbcG2ZTppnIxGiygS51dmYM3F_CZdZlMUWrFfwmx_lMiT8mYMGiAOr2qHqpfD5d2Ij4FmsiHaUjoMQSDpO9cR49Q5Kl1gUOQKYZQm3YaV0tjNV64l4gtpp6YopM56858tfFLgGv82v02WhZ5bm6g9gIwCI34bEDtoA9w/w137-h200/Body%20A%20Guide%20for%20Occupants%20cover.jpeg" width="137" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0xWqb0kcuU9-_Xn7L73GK-jzI0i1VNuT5_XjHoT5b1_baHwZdO8jVB0dFnjhiaX00l_5u8EhmigVK6G-hInyNhwv_B76vJTGa-pXg_ED7UiWfm4GiNfgDbZaU5AdAiZ2QHGPRFwsantz7TayljvNIq0vWBuQZtS-sTkAMkuE6lqY6X5IN-02NLi4eQ/s318/Evil%20Eye%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0xWqb0kcuU9-_Xn7L73GK-jzI0i1VNuT5_XjHoT5b1_baHwZdO8jVB0dFnjhiaX00l_5u8EhmigVK6G-hInyNhwv_B76vJTGa-pXg_ED7UiWfm4GiNfgDbZaU5AdAiZ2QHGPRFwsantz7TayljvNIq0vWBuQZtS-sTkAMkuE6lqY6X5IN-02NLi4eQ/w200-h200/Evil%20Eye%20cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Body: A Guide for Occupants</i> by Bill Bryson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Evil Eye</i> by Madhuri Shekar<br /><br /></div>Here's to some new 5 star reads in 2023!</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-1496382571124388442023-01-05T09:00:00.002-05:002023-01-05T09:00:00.175-05:00New Year, New Spreadsheet?<div style="text-align: left;">One of the nerdier things about me is how often I use spreadsheets to track things. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My books going back to 2013? Obviously</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sales in the housing market in my area, including time on market and about +/- asking price? You bet</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nap and feeding info for the goblin, including how long it would take to get him to go to sleep and what we were doing before he went to sleep in the hopes of figuring out the magic answer to getting him on a sleep schedule that worked? Yes (Did it work? Nope!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So naturally, when I saw someone post about a bookish bullet journal in excel, I thought hell yeah, of course I'll do this. I mean, at least until I forget about it for a long enough period of time that I can't backfill the data. But for now, let's live in the present and just a few days into the year, I am on top of things. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What is a bookish bullet journal you may be asking? From the 3 second video I saw (which I can't find anymore), it basically looks like this, though of course there isn't much filled in yet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzhFurz-Ay1Ar9R-QyGvaCvz8Csmg5lx0BBPgTVKLicTCDjA47vRtMG21ia34_P3thqtgYuXKza4vzZD4KUYeuNwW44VAia9qT0t1xVeZ8M3Giod_cCpslh7XuZ4g39nD5IQEnobMmi_p9lne_nHvrSYuE4GDqlCN8XbmZYwoMnE7CrUKJT4LaxLhCQ/s2291/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-03%20at%203.59.01%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="2291" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzhFurz-Ay1Ar9R-QyGvaCvz8Csmg5lx0BBPgTVKLicTCDjA47vRtMG21ia34_P3thqtgYuXKza4vzZD4KUYeuNwW44VAia9qT0t1xVeZ8M3Giod_cCpslh7XuZ4g39nD5IQEnobMmi_p9lne_nHvrSYuE4GDqlCN8XbmZYwoMnE7CrUKJT4LaxLhCQ/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-03%20at%203.59.01%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">With the idea, as best as I can figure, to mark down what days I'm reading each book. Each month will have its own color and by the end of the year I'll have a pretty chart that shows me when I was reading. I don't know how much it will tell me about me reading, except perhaps how much of a lag there is when I'm reading a physical copy of a book vs listening, but we'll see. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The one piece I am pretty proud of is the counting the total number of days spent reading. Because the options are write in numbers in the colors but that would really ruin the vibe. Or else just manually count the squares but I don't want to do that. So after spending way too long considering the problem, I realized I could just write the number 1 in the same color as the background and have the row sum. I don't have to manually count anything but also I keep things aesthetically pleasing. And I get to pat myself on the back.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So there we go. I have something new to add to the month end stats posts, which make up, what 99.99% of the stuff I still post here.</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-57081830265165166412023-01-04T09:00:00.007-05:002023-01-04T09:00:00.178-05:002022 Year End Stats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw0XRuuKHZbYAdIVQ-GAWukZl5iAF344NxS9X5oIzJoRSKNvRI9q_3O2dbUeRNC38TX3af96Uss2VLdUD_7o99cnB2CbUv3uGEPknPWr-pXJg9wv55G_KQL0WvH_yxqO83J86wvAJ6DSsja7Eb1kQM3_Pz7UCj_TFy2Ug0tHtPiko7s_fSO3HZ83mjQ/s380/futuramanewyears.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="380" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw0XRuuKHZbYAdIVQ-GAWukZl5iAF344NxS9X5oIzJoRSKNvRI9q_3O2dbUeRNC38TX3af96Uss2VLdUD_7o99cnB2CbUv3uGEPknPWr-pXJg9wv55G_KQL0WvH_yxqO83J86wvAJ6DSsja7Eb1kQM3_Pz7UCj_TFy2Ug0tHtPiko7s_fSO3HZ83mjQ/s320/futuramanewyears.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another year has passed. I'm trying not to make any sudden movements lest I spook the new year*. This year we had some changes including deciding we needed some more space (turns out the not-so-little monster is an outdoor child, something our townhouse didn't have much of) and a number of changes and uncertainty at work that have been, less than fun. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">*NOTE! I wrote this over the weekend and apparently did spook the new year because we're starting it with the little one home with COVID. Luckily, he is asymptomatic (we'd never have known if someone in his class hadn't tested positive so we were testing him before sending him back to daycare) and so far (knock on ALL THE WOOD) we're testing negative. Fingers crossed it stays this way. Thanks, 2023.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I see looking at my year end post from last year I said I wanted to start a new hobby. Well, why don't we make that a resolution for this year as well, since I didn't exactly manage to hit it in 2022. I would say work on this blog some more but honestly, I know the mental energy this takes and the mental energy I have at the end of the day (hint, it's not much. There's a reason I'm currently watching reruns of <i>Fraiser</i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I still don't have infographics for the year end because as with last year, I'm pretty sure you have to pay for those, but only pretty sure because I haven't bothered to look into it. I mean, the only posts I managed this year were the month end posts, though I did keep up with the mini reviews each month, so that's something. But I do have the stats for this year and I can compare them to my historic averages (2013-2021). Won't that be fun? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">54 - made it to my goal of 52 books</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 52.7</div><div style="text-align: left;">Year with the most books: 2019 (58 books) / Year with the fewest books: 2016 & 2018 (48 books)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17,765</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 17,604</div><div style="text-align: left;">Year with the most pages: 2013 (21, 681) / Year with the fewest pages: 2018 (13,525)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Month with the most / fewest books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">November, December (6 books) / May, July (3 books)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: every month averages either 4 or 5 books</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Month with most / fewest pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">December (2,045) / May (1,021)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: September (1,687) / July (1,285)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">57%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 59.9%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">25%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 17.5%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">61%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 57.1%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author's nationality</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">US: 65% (Historic average: 68.6%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">UK: 19% (Historic average: 20.0%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sweden: 4% (Historic average: 0.6%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Singapore: 4% (Historic average: 1.3%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Canada: 1% (Historic average: 1.9%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ireland: 1% (Historic average: 0.2%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Japan: 1% (Historic average: 1.5%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Malaysia: 1% (Historic average: 0% - new country!)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Mexico: 1% (Historic average: 0% - another new country except I already had it in my tracker so who knows)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Translation</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">6%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 3%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">7%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 20% - so this year I am way down from my normal. Not necessarily due to any conscious decision to read new stuff. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 93% (Historic average: 34.4%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">paperback: 7% (Historic average: 28.4%)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 78% (Historic average: 18.6%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 9% (Historic average: 39.0%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Indie: 9% (Historic average: 18.1%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Gift: 2% (Historic average: 9.3%)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1920s: 2% (Historic average: 1.1%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2000s: 6% (Historic average: 17.3%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 43% (Historic average: 59.9%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 50% (Historic average: 5.7%)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Top Genres</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mystery: 24% (Historic average: 8.7%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Science: 17% (Historic average: 4.5%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Horror: 9% (Historic average: 9.0%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">History: 4% (Historic average: 4.0%)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Memoir: 4% (Historic average: 6.7%)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Historic average: 48%</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-52091503190403931192023-01-02T09:00:00.003-05:002023-01-02T09:00:00.164-05:00December Reading Wrap-Up +<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xfE4esRr498YPtr7AoyArF_yVsptbYPU-7UgroTkCgI0p-nIQNduwNEmcIJsBfZ_UYEMQO7bjz2dstXGlraTbXzQqs8Jwk0gRTjtMR6xwt3YobhqsO8TzIQD-TrfUia2JvMJMXMvqapHgHfmNF7opeypgTZ8NMHkBhgrY8Ei7ek3WgOkYYhtW2OESg/s600/december-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xfE4esRr498YPtr7AoyArF_yVsptbYPU-7UgroTkCgI0p-nIQNduwNEmcIJsBfZ_UYEMQO7bjz2dstXGlraTbXzQqs8Jwk0gRTjtMR6xwt3YobhqsO8TzIQD-TrfUia2JvMJMXMvqapHgHfmNF7opeypgTZ8NMHkBhgrY8Ei7ek3WgOkYYhtW2OESg/s320/december-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's crazy that another year is gone. A year that had a lot of uncertainty in it (moves! stuff at work that I don't really talk about here!). And of course more of the little monster who is his own pile of uncertainty. I'll have another post with my year end wrap up but for now let's focus on the reading I did in December.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Number of books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>6</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in the Jazz Age</i> by Deborah Blum</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story About Power, Obsession and the World's Most Coveted Fish</i> by Emily Voigt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Bullet Train</i> by Kotaro Isaka</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Curious Toys</i> by Elizabeth Hand</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock </i>by Lucy Worsley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Minecraft: The Island</i> by Max Brooks</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPqT4s18bu2dwS8MpnxF85QH1iNRHyOYTLL_xtBhz9difxEwtSzd75BjmHeqFaS1kT6RyC1t6jfCAMbfW2_HOwyaIcd8omchJrRCk1J5ZU49N7KMKFVPL_R4QcaL3785NEzvTnsdzmlXZ3-Q7P3IXhZSPLJHzQPOLF0n0_W8zB0tiH1GpP0aQZHjr5g/s475/Poisoner's%20Handbook%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPqT4s18bu2dwS8MpnxF85QH1iNRHyOYTLL_xtBhz9difxEwtSzd75BjmHeqFaS1kT6RyC1t6jfCAMbfW2_HOwyaIcd8omchJrRCk1J5ZU49N7KMKFVPL_R4QcaL3785NEzvTnsdzmlXZ3-Q7P3IXhZSPLJHzQPOLF0n0_W8zB0tiH1GpP0aQZHjr5g/w133-h200/Poisoner's%20Handbook%20cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in the Jazz Age</i> by Deborah Blum</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A recommendation from the wonderful bookish podcast <i>For Real</i> (its run has ended but you can still check out past episodes) looking into a point in history not often covered in text books. Blum covers the early NYC medical examiners Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler as they investigate a series of medical mysteries from poisonings (accidental and otherwise) to "hey, why is that guy blue?", leading to modern forensic science methods. Interesting history and a wonder that anyone made it out of 1920s NYC alive.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cCtQ3EJhJUo2TjHSX0AqrP9U-eXL8O2ucMRogwdzxdqnJC8uG-e2c563JcF5qONaAP9qc7lLH-mLRu0XeIkKKgaOymoYBfXHa7Zv2ePxgk7GsbR-X-EEGhnzBinXzF8TxG3EnQjRpY4vsQF5Gh57h1AzhYyhzZpNzWfPIshHuBRFN-gonOOOzX27vg/s475/Dragon%20Behind%20the%20Glass%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cCtQ3EJhJUo2TjHSX0AqrP9U-eXL8O2ucMRogwdzxdqnJC8uG-e2c563JcF5qONaAP9qc7lLH-mLRu0XeIkKKgaOymoYBfXHa7Zv2ePxgk7GsbR-X-EEGhnzBinXzF8TxG3EnQjRpY4vsQF5Gh57h1AzhYyhzZpNzWfPIshHuBRFN-gonOOOzX27vg/w133-h200/Dragon%20Behind%20the%20Glass%20cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><i>The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story About Power, Obsession and the World's Most Coveted Fish</i> by Emily Voigt</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another <i>For Real </i>recommendation. This time following reporter Voigt's journey to find a wild Asian Arawana (or dragon fish), the world's most expensive aquarium fish that sell for upwards of $100K. Admittedly, I thought more of the book would be about the fish, the history of it, the science, what people have done over the years to acquire these fish (murder included) and how it came to have such a high status. And that is in there but the real focus is Emily's many excursions to try to find this fish in the wild with the help of some thoroughly frustrating scientists. These trials and travails took up the majority of the book and I would have preferred a better balance of fish to her travels in Borneo.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;">(The title is centered and honestly, it doesn't seem to want to uncenter and it's driving me out of my mind but not enough to figure out WHY it won't just left align, nor to rewrite this section/post/whatever it takes to get it to format right. Just know that I hate it.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnDFGT-_2EqRBQev8vqfhY30Scg68crXEiZVVIxIBD5r3o3lDWIkpz1p3biH7ZSmrTDMOKda0PyMqY5rvOLUYfTsceg58g0lPIeBqCCiyZy11A9eD209tC4V59zUCHO7a27n0IsO-nE0IukLXMUD7NgNAD1OsTZZHHad9HihhavLWVX3YihopjdkImA/s473/Bullet%20Train%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnDFGT-_2EqRBQev8vqfhY30Scg68crXEiZVVIxIBD5r3o3lDWIkpz1p3biH7ZSmrTDMOKda0PyMqY5rvOLUYfTsceg58g0lPIeBqCCiyZy11A9eD209tC4V59zUCHO7a27n0IsO-nE0IukLXMUD7NgNAD1OsTZZHHad9HihhavLWVX3YihopjdkImA/w134-h200/Bullet%20Train%20cover.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Bullet Train</i> by Kotaro Isaka</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was so much fun. SO MUCH FUN. A bullet train, the Shinkansen Hayate, seems to be just packed with assassins. There's former hitman Kimura who is looking to get revenge on a passenger riding the train for hurting his son. There's the Prince, who looks like an innocent schoolboy but is anything but. There are the "twins" Tangerine and Lemon, who were tasked with returning the son of a crime boss and a suitcase full of who-knows-what. And then there's Nanao, nicknamed Ladybug and self-proclaimed world's unluckiest hitman. All he has to do is get on the train, grab a suitcase and get off at the first stop. But oh ho, will it be so easy? It will not. The narrative switches between these characters, as we meet other colorful characters who are slowly coming to the realization that maybe it's not just coincidence they're all on the train. Isaka does a masterful job at keeping up the suspense and a number of times I was very torn between looking up what was going to happen because I couldn't take it anymore and wanting to let it unfold for me. (I held out and went with the latter; I'm happy I did). Looooved this book. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;">I also watched the movie and it's fine. The movie was entertaining in its own way and has the tone of the <i>Deadpool</i> movies (directed by the guy that did <i>D2</i>), with lots of violence and comedy. The book and the movie are different enough (in key characters, motivations, tone, level of violence) that no direct comparison is necessary.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QZHm8LdfwheL6n-GtGdiWffJ27uGaNYmYAD8uWaTzaEuHEtiAT-Ev46BXN13IZ50WZcHNteFb7I8L09S9APrznaEkjzMNp2jljo3_oSmf4mXtLHSpDXGGxZcoWgWghSCRnOudrWT_9Ipm1CjEC-CvmUVhNyCET4zLEYPFk6OYZuU0reiRVgtbVIV7g/s475/Curious%20Toys%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QZHm8LdfwheL6n-GtGdiWffJ27uGaNYmYAD8uWaTzaEuHEtiAT-Ev46BXN13IZ50WZcHNteFb7I8L09S9APrznaEkjzMNp2jljo3_oSmf4mXtLHSpDXGGxZcoWgWghSCRnOudrWT_9Ipm1CjEC-CvmUVhNyCET4zLEYPFk6OYZuU0reiRVgtbVIV7g/w131-h200/Curious%20Toys%20cover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Curious Toys </i>by Elizabeth Hand</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had been making my way through this book since about September. I took it with me on a work trip thinking I would get lots of reading done and I don't know why I thought that, because I did not. And since this was an actual, physical paperback book and not an audiobook I could put on while driving or cooking or cleaning, it meant I had to find more time to sit down and focus on it and it turns out that is harder than I anticipated. But I did finish it. The story takes place in Chicago in the 1910s focusing on a child named Pin. A child of a fortune teller at the local amusement park, she dresses like a boy for protection (and also because she feels more herself when dressed as a boy). However, there's something going on at the park with young girls showing up murdered and no idea who could have done it. The story is told through multiple narrators, including a former police office, various people who work the amusement park and the local film studio, and even the killer. Ultimately the story worked better for me when it focused on the different characters and what day-to-day life was like for them. As the story focused in more and more on the crime, I found myself less and less interested. It felt a bit like Hand was more interested in the setting as well, since the mystery wrapped up relatively suddenly for all of the time spent on set up. Part of my feeling could have been because there were large stretches between when I would pick up the book again so perhaps a more consistent reading schedule would have made me like it more.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1G0nrKIQUtLu88wnJmGejmtpqE5IhK4dspxtd_ydI2D0oJF3TYt6OhUFmXD5UYsooglOzG7Bhtt2YtM_REv8NfcmxMBlmSLpxNUMGFyO1OEAuwff2P34H70-pBSoNmeP6u69TGuoN9yXrW_CeoEJQHWB1yZ7nWDLEwiFZzVX_tssKBPiBxQa9TE-7Q/s400/Art%20of%20the%20English%20Murder%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1G0nrKIQUtLu88wnJmGejmtpqE5IhK4dspxtd_ydI2D0oJF3TYt6OhUFmXD5UYsooglOzG7Bhtt2YtM_REv8NfcmxMBlmSLpxNUMGFyO1OEAuwff2P34H70-pBSoNmeP6u69TGuoN9yXrW_CeoEJQHWB1yZ7nWDLEwiFZzVX_tssKBPiBxQa9TE-7Q/w134-h200/Art%20of%20the%20English%20Murder%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock</i> by Lucy Worsley</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the past few years I have learned that I am a fan of the English murder mystery. Mystery in general, sure, but I do find myself drawn to many of the English mysteries. And I also like some off-beat history (see <i>Poisoner's Handbook </i>above) so this seemed like a fun story. Worsley looks at the way true crime in the 1700s and 1800s inspired a culture of crime and murder stories to flourish in England. There was more on actual crimes than I was expecting but they work in bringing together the different trends seen in English murder mysteries and highlight that these fads were not created in a vacuum. It was interesting to see the way murder stories and especially the detective story evolved to the point we know today. Or I suppose, more to the Golden Age of Detective stories (which ends in the late 1930s) with a little bit of Hitchcock thrown in at the end.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWd-sWgnx51dqLYrB94Ve9XR_jInpMg8oFNMM3GJz9vbjYynDK2A7O7AWoE-YdCU-N0dDgmrwfL1gQIMHeLZjcNzCB8b3V63b9nHie_8jzdeLOS9x0H-lymW4PR5a0OfhdgWcF1ly9nx5qadA7LYQ_PNI_1yjwP6Qv5ofoQVc2qo4VTbn1Ndf9jxQaw/s475/Minecraft%20The%20Island%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWd-sWgnx51dqLYrB94Ve9XR_jInpMg8oFNMM3GJz9vbjYynDK2A7O7AWoE-YdCU-N0dDgmrwfL1gQIMHeLZjcNzCB8b3V63b9nHie_8jzdeLOS9x0H-lymW4PR5a0OfhdgWcF1ly9nx5qadA7LYQ_PNI_1yjwP6Qv5ofoQVc2qo4VTbn1Ndf9jxQaw/w134-h200/Minecraft%20The%20Island%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Minecraft: The Island</i> by Max Brooks</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">OK, this is a strange one. It's a fiction book about Minecraft, a game that I have never played and am only vaguely aware of. HOWEVER, it is written by Max Brooks who also wrote <i>World War Z, </i>a book I read almost every year. And the audiobook is narrated by Jack Black. And it is only like 6 hours long. And it was immediately available from the library. In this case the unnamed narrator finds themself in a strange world where everything seems to be made of blocks, his arms are squared off and nothing quite seems to work the way he remembers the real world working. He can't remember how he got here or how he can get home. The book is entertaining and well-written as the narrator tries to figure out what this world is and how he can survive, but ultimately the book feels like you're watching someone play the game. And I know there are many people who are into that and you do you but it wasn't really for me. The book is a series of adventures and perilous situations the narrator finds themself in but without much of a larger story of what's going on. And while I appreciated the explanation of how things work (because again, only vaguely aware of Minecraft), it never really added up to a larger narrative. But the book does what it sets out to do, and Jack Black was a good choice of narrator.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2,045</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 83%</div><div style="text-align: left;">paperback: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">library: 83%</div><div style="text-align: left;">gift: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Blogger reco</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Translation</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 83%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Bullet Train</i> is written by Japanese author Kotaro Isaka and is a translation</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Art of English Murder</i> is by UK author Lucy Worsley</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-43256317721356654682022-12-05T09:00:00.001-05:002022-12-05T09:00:00.172-05:00November Reading Wrap Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-cxDeAb-Vyu3Gu3ZFvqcqIUiDcYZG4nZcn51ljWFx0GIHXLD0KsH1SgZpQMe4mCJJ9ZmO8hb6UHiX-4SbLOAdZgY_1w14oVtTCCZY7GIPCX9StLsLtJq49jfRb-7FatWhNwkmZ-xZEB9xd9gwon_JOIp5aCoC_RIBCtMSgHdbHYET4594-liv0UKpA/s600/November%20calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-cxDeAb-Vyu3Gu3ZFvqcqIUiDcYZG4nZcn51ljWFx0GIHXLD0KsH1SgZpQMe4mCJJ9ZmO8hb6UHiX-4SbLOAdZgY_1w14oVtTCCZY7GIPCX9StLsLtJq49jfRb-7FatWhNwkmZ-xZEB9xd9gwon_JOIp5aCoC_RIBCtMSgHdbHYET4594-liv0UKpA/s320/November%20calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh man, I am behind on writing this. Turns out the end of the year flies by. Lots to do with the holidays and wrapping up work at the end of the year and just I can't believe it's already December and there's so much to do and so little time left. But we're more settled into our new place, even finishing unpacking recently so the place feels less temporary and the Christmas decorations are up and the stove even works again so all good things</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But that's not what we're focusing on right now. Right now, let's talk about books, shall we? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Number of books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>6</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Body: A Guide for Occupants</i> by Bill Bryson</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law</i> by Mary Roach</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Evil Eye</i> by Madhuri Shekar</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World</i> by Michael Pollan</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Man Who Died Twice</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2pMKs9cizhCDam9RcUUunn2ZBW0vnBXdXhmcpkQJT919e6XFZVX5wFF82SZbEmV7mXhIypXXaK0DPqrDjtjj1V04gOEY7AHDR3H1o3ByRtILEyHjyTCD5-FFhPmHQku1KTrMiV-txhRn13_oHRFsN6ZgnhUSfRxJaPlCgdB3ASdBSl0S_f7ceAcZSA/s473/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2pMKs9cizhCDam9RcUUunn2ZBW0vnBXdXhmcpkQJT919e6XFZVX5wFF82SZbEmV7mXhIypXXaK0DPqrDjtjj1V04gOEY7AHDR3H1o3ByRtILEyHjyTCD5-FFhPmHQku1KTrMiV-txhRn13_oHRFsN6ZgnhUSfRxJaPlCgdB3ASdBSl0S_f7ceAcZSA/w134-h200/Graveyard%20Book%20cover.jpeg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Graveyard Book</i> by Neil Gaiman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I apparently read this book around this time every year which honestly, excellent choice by me. I love this book so much, I love it every time and the full cast audiobook is amazing. Lots of love and many tears at the end. It gets me every time.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gvZ1f7XK8CqjJnosZDRQwZqncA-KuqrMYrEKloViS10stXRR8KiRbnNDOycEDav5D0eK-I3_8BDTKSp4FGfHMsD9EQ-tiBXjXOrPEzV4F2CKPl7Gl_e6F5mFNCeicNjh45tSqxqlc4ipZ9hK3FmGVsNKB0GezNJkI5oN9guX-j_T2uyJImj9qb93KA/s2560/Body%20Guide%20for%20Occupants%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1752" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gvZ1f7XK8CqjJnosZDRQwZqncA-KuqrMYrEKloViS10stXRR8KiRbnNDOycEDav5D0eK-I3_8BDTKSp4FGfHMsD9EQ-tiBXjXOrPEzV4F2CKPl7Gl_e6F5mFNCeicNjh45tSqxqlc4ipZ9hK3FmGVsNKB0GezNJkI5oN9guX-j_T2uyJImj9qb93KA/w137-h200/Body%20Guide%20for%20Occupants%20cover.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Body: A Guide for Occupants</i> by Bill Bryson</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another re-read! November was the month for it. This was mostly because none of my library holds were available yet, nor was anything on my TBR so I was just scrolling through whatever I had on audiobook. Always a fan of Bryson stuff and his science and history. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKl11kWRiKFx5QzkvAEVFCAnC-VO0zdMixpmtJYpcC08qilUxO4S7kehMYLgesXs_-71oy9z15bfno_UPupkAKxzyoqkEQzcYrQbYVpnNBvMD1bQwUyZ5UmhV7qkexb84JlShCcRSFhkmmJv5QfEp3UAq2u02yATJ7__sBc7JQzEuNeJ8U8PvTV532SQ/s1216/Fuzz%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKl11kWRiKFx5QzkvAEVFCAnC-VO0zdMixpmtJYpcC08qilUxO4S7kehMYLgesXs_-71oy9z15bfno_UPupkAKxzyoqkEQzcYrQbYVpnNBvMD1bQwUyZ5UmhV7qkexb84JlShCcRSFhkmmJv5QfEp3UAq2u02yATJ7__sBc7JQzEuNeJ8U8PvTV532SQ/w132-h200/Fuzz%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law</i> by Mary Roach</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another great choice. Mary Roach's stuff is very similar to Bryson's science books (he references her book<i> Gulp</i> in <i>The Body</i>) and this time she deals with the different ways people have dealt with nature. Or specifically the entities tasked with dealing with those times when the lives of people and wild animals intersect. Park services dealing with bears in Canada or a government body that handles elephants in India. Perhaps not my favorite Roach book but it has her enthusiasm and humor when dealing with some strange science</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOspHAxsygPxJeoVCBRfo1T9Q8ulznttjFzo92LnC8ezU3e7Z-BBYB9_h52_ySuO-IXj4Y6ci1FpVEywlJMbkoGnSE0bRhzsPr0zDpKqzEjAJaadDctYR6nKl54gmzwxNSUO3OJtIU8dh8taS2FcLUV1i-BbTjLOwZ7yJKg2qXic5scT9XrTGp0RSgQ/s318/Evil%20Eye%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOspHAxsygPxJeoVCBRfo1T9Q8ulznttjFzo92LnC8ezU3e7Z-BBYB9_h52_ySuO-IXj4Y6ci1FpVEywlJMbkoGnSE0bRhzsPr0zDpKqzEjAJaadDctYR6nKl54gmzwxNSUO3OJtIU8dh8taS2FcLUV1i-BbTjLOwZ7yJKg2qXic5scT9XrTGp0RSgQ/w200-h200/Evil%20Eye%20cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Evil Eye</i> by Madhuri Shekar</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is really more a radio play. It's a little over an hour long and the story is told through a series of phone calls and voice mails between a mother in India and her daughter in the US. Usha is focused on finding her daughter Pallavi a husband. But when Pallavi finds the perfect guy, her mother feels something is off. It's a short story but manages to balance humor and suspense in a focused story. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopBZtEzS7nlbByljLoHcTlb_Vncd9WsT7afn7Zxydo6sDBqIgFHvIHNOKtwrI9nJ_qpVDpRvw-49f0BmiZq4CIAXKA9De9qT8MknFIy1O8rHA8KjBtXtBIIeM7pnK-LBaTJVRoHGA6kdInGvchiEtmZfVZbbsBjStQVlkn7V5j9YrANtAPzPk-pju1Q/s318/Caffeine%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhopBZtEzS7nlbByljLoHcTlb_Vncd9WsT7afn7Zxydo6sDBqIgFHvIHNOKtwrI9nJ_qpVDpRvw-49f0BmiZq4CIAXKA9De9qT8MknFIy1O8rHA8KjBtXtBIIeM7pnK-LBaTJVRoHGA6kdInGvchiEtmZfVZbbsBjStQVlkn7V5j9YrANtAPzPk-pju1Q/w200-h200/Caffeine%20cover.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World</i> by Michael Pollan</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another short story (I was waiting for a library hold which told me would be available <i>any day now</i>) this time about the history and science of caffeine. Or really the history and science of coffee and to a lesser extent tea. To write this Pollan decided to give up caffeine so he talks about his own relationship with the world's most popular drug, what being off of caffeine was like, how caffeinated drinks became so prevalent across the world (though the focus is largely the western world). </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcs0pgUe49izuQTHidfqG3NICax6FVpIQ6FFoH-CZPoMOf9QAGyavV2OmpE64p0QVuIh_tb1FEiUDdPNCJ_JV0Zrlf-Q0tEHb2JEwB0J7mXTHS2jgI5MQiPxQmkD03USPBmYWvdf27YEr1Ih6mWDk-z6xYA-RQs17xHD0jeM9zMpbAF2tGsHRVcyPNFg/s475/Man%20Who%20Died%20Twice%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcs0pgUe49izuQTHidfqG3NICax6FVpIQ6FFoH-CZPoMOf9QAGyavV2OmpE64p0QVuIh_tb1FEiUDdPNCJ_JV0Zrlf-Q0tEHb2JEwB0J7mXTHS2jgI5MQiPxQmkD03USPBmYWvdf27YEr1Ih6mWDk-z6xYA-RQs17xHD0jeM9zMpbAF2tGsHRVcyPNFg/w130-h200/Man%20Who%20Died%20Twice%20cover.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Man Who Died Twice</i> by Richard Osman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This book is the reason I was listening to some shorter books. I had been waiting for months for the second <i>Thursday Murder Club</i> book to become available from the library (at this point, I should just buy them) because i loved the first book so much. This second installment has the same humor and the same dynamic between the TMC members that I loved so much the first time around. And of course there's the mystery which kept me guessing. I've already put the third book on hold (a several month wait so we'll see if I end up just buying it).</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,629</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">67%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindle/Audible: 83%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rereads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Readalong/Book club</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">17%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2000s: 17%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 33%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 50%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution books</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">33%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Graveyard Book</i> is written by UK author Gaiman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Evil Eye</i> is written by Indian-American author Shekar</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-52566967130524807332022-11-02T09:00:00.001-04:002022-11-02T09:00:00.199-04:00October Reading Wrap Up+<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WwZ4kRkTN18x-bg9LkiG-FOhYJNb8Sw7L1cwXKP0COq4icG39CwMrMFYvAKi2S4EQ9EnruTEIoqxnhPTO0lmczOUe7eSFcKG50QKnHzcHihTzPJEzXkrmrVZ-hcJg8WZJ-n6J5nk_o4qSGSqVfNOHx6jpQXX6j0bPlNTsw5ZxfSH5byGvjp99O4kAg/s3888/october-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WwZ4kRkTN18x-bg9LkiG-FOhYJNb8Sw7L1cwXKP0COq4icG39CwMrMFYvAKi2S4EQ9EnruTEIoqxnhPTO0lmczOUe7eSFcKG50QKnHzcHihTzPJEzXkrmrVZ-hcJg8WZJ-n6J5nk_o4qSGSqVfNOHx6jpQXX6j0bPlNTsw5ZxfSH5byGvjp99O4kAg/s320/october-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;">Last month I said September was busy. And it was busy. But it wasn't October busy. We sold our old place (yay but also SAD FEELINGS), we moved into a new place and even started unpacking, though since the plan is to be here less than a year we're probably going to be leaving a fair amount in boxes. I'm trying to balance making life easier for future me while also making this place feel like a home, even a temporary one. Also it was Halloween so we spent time driving around looking at the decorations and I want to thank everyone who just...goes nuts this time of year. My own little goblin loves it (even if he refuses to go to those houses cos too spooky).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Now, time for some book stats!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>We Sold Our Souls</i> by Grady Hendrix</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About Everything We Eat</i> by Matt Siegel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Last Night at the Telegraph Club</i> by Malinda Lo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>In a Dark, Dark Wood </i>By Ruth Ware</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Lessons in Chemistry</i> by Bonnie Garmus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPmeLtGrMT94_w5izkLMNyWjG2uYn20vSPdTwpTVPADkX5U5MzLUnOLdalHoj8XpImEnZ0jspa0DqPS0vC8tKGcBs8nAcbMyrlRrVNAI8Cko_FRtz3BfBEgzD7I4tLs3AFKxFitTk6ZEofcdTtjnz2Nh8j9CFAOTg0LbMLYtPtrjy9PSzQyLu_RpaAQ/s576/We%20Sold%20Our%20Souls%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="378" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPmeLtGrMT94_w5izkLMNyWjG2uYn20vSPdTwpTVPADkX5U5MzLUnOLdalHoj8XpImEnZ0jspa0DqPS0vC8tKGcBs8nAcbMyrlRrVNAI8Cko_FRtz3BfBEgzD7I4tLs3AFKxFitTk6ZEofcdTtjnz2Nh8j9CFAOTg0LbMLYtPtrjy9PSzQyLu_RpaAQ/w131-h200/We%20Sold%20Our%20Souls%20cover.jpeg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>We Sold Our Souls</i> by Grady Hendrix</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hendrix is probably one of my favorite horror writers. He has a knack for female protagonists and he approaches ridiculous premises with a seriousness that works. Sometimes that's a haunted Ikea, sometimes that's a high school exorcism. And sometimes that's the world of heavy metal where some dabbling with the darkness is to be expected. Kris used to be the lead guitarist for a 90s heavy metal band but for the last 10 years it seems like she's been living in a hell on earth. Meanwhile lead singer Terry is bigger than ever. But something seems off and things have gone badly for most of the band ever since Terry brought in an exec to get them a big record deal if they'd just sign this mystery contract. The book is creepy and had me on edge for a few scenes. Not my fav Hendrix but still a good one and one I would def read again.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxTLcZ6yOA6HInqpuM2tWwYa2V-7I9U_OH1r28552CEEnp7QWbkJRYQYiuaMO7UFyBl3tQFAJbKfNypnyFBP7Fnpjij3RTsDPEhh4kbINnQKQwC2HurgcZq1LA4ZIxq6h4cXl-RvDFJ8EwLG1VleIbKIoQIiEArkvcrcaBJv_92Kf-6bH-0ZYIJvnQQ/s475/Secret%20History%20of%20Food%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxTLcZ6yOA6HInqpuM2tWwYa2V-7I9U_OH1r28552CEEnp7QWbkJRYQYiuaMO7UFyBl3tQFAJbKfNypnyFBP7Fnpjij3RTsDPEhh4kbINnQKQwC2HurgcZq1LA4ZIxq6h4cXl-RvDFJ8EwLG1VleIbKIoQIiEArkvcrcaBJv_92Kf-6bH-0ZYIJvnQQ/w133-h200/Secret%20History%20of%20Food%20cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About Everything We Eat </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">by Matt Siegel</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">A pop-sci book about the history of food. Honestly I don't remember a huge amount about this one. I picked it up because it was available from the library and that was a big plus. I had it on my TBR list but don't entirely remember where I heard about it. Basically a lot of things I don't remember with this book. It was fine. Some funny stories, nothing groundbreaking, nothing offensive. It was fine, probably.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafaY6uLR67zs2MewGZga4uG7cXTGW41fijQFvKpfGxwjRuI7ft2-eYnm4txZRQH6Cx5kZg7CuiXSw5PlVYpIFYdcmUUQMuXzY_6oNgiM1wAK2UYMIe_XVM37mCq6GQGwkb0iDXDNYduYslIr7Xo9XVw4ncHJf7iCKi5-F6o9HO4s-Cs67AIRjtAq2LQ/s1000/Last%20Night%20at%20the%20Telegraph%20Club%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="659" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafaY6uLR67zs2MewGZga4uG7cXTGW41fijQFvKpfGxwjRuI7ft2-eYnm4txZRQH6Cx5kZg7CuiXSw5PlVYpIFYdcmUUQMuXzY_6oNgiM1wAK2UYMIe_XVM37mCq6GQGwkb0iDXDNYduYslIr7Xo9XVw4ncHJf7iCKi5-F6o9HO4s-Cs67AIRjtAq2LQ/w132-h200/Last%20Night%20at%20the%20Telegraph%20Club%20cover.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Last Night at the Telegraph Club</i> by Malinda Lo</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A lesbian coming of age story set in 1950s San Francisco. Chinese-American Lily Hu knows there's something different about her that goes beyond her love for math and a desire to one day work for JPL like her aunt. Classmate Kath introduces Lily to the Telegraph Club, a lesbian club featuring a male impersonator. Here their love story begins against a backdrop of racism and homophobia. When the story is focused on Lily, it's good (though it can be slow at times). When the story follows flashbacks of various Hu family members, the book moves away from the pieces that worked the best. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Also fun fact, the author's newsletter is called "Lo and Behold". </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrHcdJKRftZ1-S5Tjx-fWr9LXJPYvkK2pZ4Z1dovlvb0rbOIDLvZ-y6Am4DRI8t-0Cj3QS6MBK5lZ866RRt4PI967WGoaWw3ZVz5Dw9uEilHKr_h-5pJGmrre2ibDBUMW27PJkrxE7ic2OCFgKT-xVxQ4zaQ6ncvB2rQOiUYSmCK1Cs-QhmiGpQMGBQ/s475/In%20a%20Dark,%20Dark%20Wood%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrHcdJKRftZ1-S5Tjx-fWr9LXJPYvkK2pZ4Z1dovlvb0rbOIDLvZ-y6Am4DRI8t-0Cj3QS6MBK5lZ866RRt4PI967WGoaWw3ZVz5Dw9uEilHKr_h-5pJGmrre2ibDBUMW27PJkrxE7ic2OCFgKT-xVxQ4zaQ6ncvB2rQOiUYSmCK1Cs-QhmiGpQMGBQ/w129-h200/In%20a%20Dark,%20Dark%20Wood%20cover.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>In a Dark, Dark Wood</i> by Ruth Ware</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ruth Ware is a bit hit or miss for me but in general I like a thriller and she does deliver. Here we have the story of a hen party in, well, a dark secluded wood (<i>classic</i> bachelorette location). Nora is invited to a hen party for a childhood friend she hasn't spoken to in a decade. It seems odd given she isn't invited to a wedding but, she decides to make the trip. But things seem...off. With the house, with the host and pieces of Nora's past are coming up. There's enough there to keep you guessing so it was a fun thriller even if it didn't really stick with me.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxNdrY9BH1AJrB-hYm8GpVcQ8Vs9xrJZcX40053G2I4cNj-_-p3gLREZpw16ywJm1xkge1GljIMDPI-D5DyWyUFWR4z1GrfHgLm0nI3BMdtK-MauClb34PWsMh0zwXGWl9DdbYMmVeOm8agrPNNGsH45l9V2cKjDd_ifZIHFmYGoS73u09uXP1wbkWg/s2775/Lessons%20in%20Chemistry%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxNdrY9BH1AJrB-hYm8GpVcQ8Vs9xrJZcX40053G2I4cNj-_-p3gLREZpw16ywJm1xkge1GljIMDPI-D5DyWyUFWR4z1GrfHgLm0nI3BMdtK-MauClb34PWsMh0zwXGWl9DdbYMmVeOm8agrPNNGsH45l9V2cKjDd_ifZIHFmYGoS73u09uXP1wbkWg/w133-h200/Lessons%20in%20Chemistry%20cover.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Lessons in Chemistry</i> by Bonnie Garmus</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Elizabeth Zott is a scientist. But she's also a woman and this is the early 1960s when women were expected to stay at home, something Elizabeth has no inclination to do. The story follows Elizabeth as a chemist at Hastings research, her relationship with fellow chemist Calvin Evans and then later her life as a single mother to a precocious little girl Mad hosting a cooking show. Elizabeth is uncompromising, and the world is trying to get her to make a lot of compromises so there is plenty of opportunity for tension. I flew through the book and while I had a few issues (it gets preachy at times) overall I really liked this one. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,742 - highest of the year so far</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">library: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Readalong/Bookclub</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2010s: 80%</div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution reads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Last Night at the Telegraph Club</i> is by an Asian-American author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>In a Dark, Dark Wood</i> is by a UK author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812641460554225629.post-78048127435642506872022-10-03T09:00:00.001-04:002022-10-03T09:00:00.170-04:00September Reading Wrap Up+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjS7f93Edx7sAsWtVekC89hTg-Ymo-ngpsdXwjnv158I7oMoZ2WAFMNmGaHhfGSCEGDCEHzBFH2xjAqqMe49syGxNXfnaR-ulk6mHCPaB4L7tNliqn5MdJVwT_D5NeBjnV6Fn382zXJYsFgEbPWHlfMAOQOFHVYwP8TLJsl5HaNxglmyRmY_FDCQEJg/s3888/september-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjS7f93Edx7sAsWtVekC89hTg-Ymo-ngpsdXwjnv158I7oMoZ2WAFMNmGaHhfGSCEGDCEHzBFH2xjAqqMe49syGxNXfnaR-ulk6mHCPaB4L7tNliqn5MdJVwT_D5NeBjnV6Fn382zXJYsFgEbPWHlfMAOQOFHVYwP8TLJsl5HaNxglmyRmY_FDCQEJg/s320/september-calendar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">September has been a very busy month. We're selling our place, which we've lived in for longer than any other place since childhood. The move is going to come very soon and I am very much not prepared. Where are we moving to, you ask? Not entirely sure, but we're working on it. It's only making me very stressed. Hopefully I'll be settled by the next wrap up but honestly who knows!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Somehow though I managed to get a fair amount of reading done in September. Stress reading? Perhaps! I had a couple starts and stops, picking up books and listening to a bit before realizing this wasn't the right time for me. Why don't we just get to those stats?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total books read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Thursday Murder Club</i> by Richard Osman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Honey Girl</i> by Morgan Rogers</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Four Aunties and a Wedding</i> by Jesse Q. Sutanto</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Finlay Donovan is Killing It</i> by Elle Cosimano</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us</i> by Ed Young</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81Hel7wlmk2fbdr7Hmw6QADX1XTtJ7U-Fh1BV5NHDEgDwf4I5A960IDry_2V1exbqol19diHIAhL03YcURkjXNdtfN9cauAihs2rxELHZ-rtQP_vbNc12jig7Tb9Q2ZZ8oYaWSTG_f4ktOQ_xDfXGdkHgaBmK4TOHhwZhcXbDdZIL91rWS8m2wH23lw/s346/Thursday%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81Hel7wlmk2fbdr7Hmw6QADX1XTtJ7U-Fh1BV5NHDEgDwf4I5A960IDry_2V1exbqol19diHIAhL03YcURkjXNdtfN9cauAihs2rxELHZ-rtQP_vbNc12jig7Tb9Q2ZZ8oYaWSTG_f4ktOQ_xDfXGdkHgaBmK4TOHhwZhcXbDdZIL91rWS8m2wH23lw/w130-h200/Thursday%20Murder%20Club%20cover.jpeg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Thursday Murder Club</i> by Richard Osman</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">LOVED THIS! Love a good mystery with competent amateur detectives (looking at you, other cozy mysteries where those characters seem new to the concept of interacting with other humans). Loved the characters and the back and forth between focus on the cases to the minutiae of everyday life in this retirement community. Elizabeth is wonderful and I love all of the little clues to her past and also hope they never full flesh that out in other books. I feel like I flew through the book, even reading it as a physical copy vs an audiobook (the wait at the library was "several months, don't hold your breath"), making it only the 3rd physical book I've read this year.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 5 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4pdOa1c_3cClFLhr3NEjNHN9FiWv0QlPLfs_pE0D3Iyogi4bG2lEuartpVB5rE9J6PDgMUZT-N43-F8eOJ1qa3X54t8-0ITvYprOMXIfyX9_yDf0czmgNpSsYewaHATtF-JtP7uPlBI-VoPsxWItbNklffVs6997P-ZrAFTA9-orDN0Lb9XB5GOMPw/s475/Honey%20Girl%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4pdOa1c_3cClFLhr3NEjNHN9FiWv0QlPLfs_pE0D3Iyogi4bG2lEuartpVB5rE9J6PDgMUZT-N43-F8eOJ1qa3X54t8-0ITvYprOMXIfyX9_yDf0czmgNpSsYewaHATtF-JtP7uPlBI-VoPsxWItbNklffVs6997P-ZrAFTA9-orDN0Lb9XB5GOMPw/w133-h200/Honey%20Girl%20cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Honey Girl</i> by Morgan Rogers</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I can't remember where I first heard of this book (I really should write that down) but I very much enjoyed this sorta romance, sorta coming of age (even if she's a bit older than the usual coming-of-age character). Grace wakes up after a drunken night in Vegas to find that she got married to a woman she doesn't remember. This is wildly out of character for Grace, who has followed a clear path to her astronomy PhD only to find that something is missing. She doesn't know what she wants but what if she finds that wife of hers? The story gets slow at times and there's a bit of manic pixie dream girl energy that sometimes works but overall it was a compelling story.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 3.75 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUHvMEmGYivmO4YR-1Kf0f2ZcKJewcQJw1yS8QVhsTTaimMFwK03TvsuXIgegf6gU9A6EPv_pfwj-T-60Xovbv_8ozO0M-bKPx5V4w6KBe26vHaXXpgGYWrl_t13y6ym-gDY57AIHE78mKYeqaX7gP4mYhTIlVDzhyUjWu5MkA2AnAjMLPpS8XmFUeQ/s475/Four%20Aunties%20&%20a%20Wedding%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUHvMEmGYivmO4YR-1Kf0f2ZcKJewcQJw1yS8QVhsTTaimMFwK03TvsuXIgegf6gU9A6EPv_pfwj-T-60Xovbv_8ozO0M-bKPx5V4w6KBe26vHaXXpgGYWrl_t13y6ym-gDY57AIHE78mKYeqaX7gP4mYhTIlVDzhyUjWu5MkA2AnAjMLPpS8XmFUeQ/w134-h200/Four%20Aunties%20&%20a%20Wedding%20cover.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Four Aunties and a Wedding </i>by Jesse Q. Sutanto</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sequel to <i>Dial A for Aunties</i> involves more Aunties, more mayhem, more misunderstandings. Meddy and Nathan are getting married and while her Ma and Aunties won't be working the wedding, they're causing Meddy enough stress without the fact that some folks in the mafia are trying to take someone out at her wedding. It's over the top, there's chaos and awkward moments, and of course lots of fun with the Aunties personalities.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDQ8l-MtPojUIFqfM-HPyW9YMhLImWD-sQAFcMW1gbQ66koy6PK3sSSlAssBWWlwW5hda3vbTPhtGZhug8Z6Lu_CY1hDCWJes6YckyAaAFToJbkPC1mTH1IOrZbrxDSyXMJGFoTQnOx8cZ9zkTpmXHqw9UTqZAlNUO4ecL5Jj6h3T2-_iCn3Nqr4BNA/s475/Finlay%20Donovan%20is%20Killing%20It%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDQ8l-MtPojUIFqfM-HPyW9YMhLImWD-sQAFcMW1gbQ66koy6PK3sSSlAssBWWlwW5hda3vbTPhtGZhug8Z6Lu_CY1hDCWJes6YckyAaAFToJbkPC1mTH1IOrZbrxDSyXMJGFoTQnOx8cZ9zkTpmXHqw9UTqZAlNUO4ecL5Jj6h3T2-_iCn3Nqr4BNA/w131-h200/Finlay%20Donovan%20is%20Killing%20It%20cover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Finlay Donovan is Killing It</i> by Elle Cosimano</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was going through a reading slump. I tried a few books but I just wasn't in the right mood for them. Then a friend mentioned she was reading this book and it sounded like a fun mystery and something that was a better choice for the time. It took me a little time to get into it (but that may have been the reading slump bit) but once I did, I was hooked. Finlay is a single mom, barely holding it together, trying (and often failing) to keep the lights on. She's a suspense romance author and when someone overhears her talking about her latest book and mistakes her for a contract killer, well things get complicated and Finlay finds herself in the middle of an actual murder. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKRfEyHNx_KajGIaKFSI4z2NUYIDNxqTOj6boA09n7BaDA-Tv5txUegsFVCU6U2ZnG37iFHEJheYVVKUMWyo9gEtGgKa4X7TUGgBDypPQg59VL85IfGO03Jv91UwrrwyfJZKCFtoVQqQzv8cTyY1MS97liFVkSSYLQhKpFIFDyrixaS67UMzV4vXu4w/s475/Immense%20World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKRfEyHNx_KajGIaKFSI4z2NUYIDNxqTOj6boA09n7BaDA-Tv5txUegsFVCU6U2ZnG37iFHEJheYVVKUMWyo9gEtGgKa4X7TUGgBDypPQg59VL85IfGO03Jv91UwrrwyfJZKCFtoVQqQzv8cTyY1MS97liFVkSSYLQhKpFIFDyrixaS67UMzV4vXu4w/w129-h200/Immense%20World.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>An Immense World: How Animals Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us</i> by Ed Young</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We tend to think of senses in the terms of how we experience things (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) and sure we may think of dogs as having better smell than humans or eagles as better sight but Young pushes to consider it goes beyond that. It's not just that dogs have a strong sense of smell but the way that they experience the world through smell is an important piece of their world (umwelt). Instead the book encourages people to think about animals within the context of their experiences. The book does a good job bringing what could be very complicated ideas to a general audience and while things can get a little dry at times, overall Young brings his enthusiasm for this world to the page.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Total pages read</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">1,735</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fiction</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Female authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIPOC authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">60%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>US authors</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">40%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Book format</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">audiobook: 80%</div><div style="text-align: left;">paperback: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Where'd I get the book</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Indie: 20%</div><div style="text-align: left;">Library: 80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Readalong/Bookclub</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">20%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Decade published</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">2020s: 100%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution reads</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">80%</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Thursday Murder Club</i> is by a UK author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Honey Girl</i> is by a Black and queer author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Four Aunties and a Wedding</i> is by Singaporean author</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>An Immense World</i> is by a Malaysian author</div>Redhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com0