Monday, July 22, 2019

October 2018 Mini-Reviews

It's been awhile, I know, but how about time for some MINI REVIEWS! They're like real reviews, only not as good but take less effort from me so right now, I am a FAN. I will try to get some for real, full reviews done at some point. I swear. But the goblin can walk now (/has been able to walk for a couple months now, which is why it's been so long since my last mini-review post) and has found a whole new world of trouble to get into. So that is fun/exhausting

Anyway, let's look at stuff I read almost a year ago.

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
You guys know I love me some Mary Roach. Love her humor and enthusiasm for learning about odd things. She already tackled dead stuff in Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers which focused on the more physical aspects of death. This time around she's going for the more metaphysical. Now there's only so much science on the actual afterlife, which is a bit of a let down for her typical offering. The science that focused more on the historic science where people tried to weigh the soul. I don't feel like I learned as much as with some of her other stuff and the narrator (I listened to this as an audiobook) did some accents that I could have done without, but overall I was still entertained.

OK so I'm back. I realize you had no idea I was gone but I was. Because said goblin interrupted this post and then things were busy. But he's napping now. I don't know how long I have but I'll try to get through this.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
What a great name if you're going to be a mystery/thriller author, right? I tried to look up if it was a pen name or not but then stopped when I went to her website where she lists herself as "one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers" and settle down, Karin. I am all for being happy and confident in our accomplishments (and she has them) but one of the world's most popular storytellers? I think we're talking a long list then. Anyway, I'm getting distracted from reviewing this book.
It was fine. It's a thriller and those are fun. The main character Claire is rich and pretty and bully for her. One day her husband Paul is murdered and Claire is picking up the pieces of this sudden loss. She doesn't have many people to turn to since she and her mother don't have the most open relationship, I don't remember much about her grandmother other than her being hilariously awful, she doesn't speak to her one sister anymore and her other sister went missing years before. Not only is she dealing with this, but there's news of a new missing girl that sounds eerily like the disappearance of her sister so long ago. Saying too much more starts getting spoilery, but let's say there are secrets and answers to questions maybe you wish you hadn't asked. There's a lot going on and it's a bit tropey, there were some surprises and some stuff that you could see coming, and a lot of violence.
Also, if you're curious, Karin rated her own book on Goodreads and gave it 5 stars. Which again, be proud of your work, but that seems odd and I've also never seen another author rate their own book on Goodreads, though perhaps I'm just missing it.

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
I love me some Bryson and this was part of an audiobook collection that included Neither Here Nor There and I'm a Stranger Here Myself/Notes from a Big Country and getting all three for one audible credit was pretty exciting. Anyway. this was a re-read for me, though first time listening and Bryson reads his own stuff, so that's fun. It talks about his travels around Britain, his second home. He had been living in England for almost twenty years when his family decided to head to the US for some time, and so, as a goodbye to this island he loved so much, he travels around writing about it, in his charmingly curmudgeonly way. He talks about ridiculous British place names and round abouts and things being demolished that shouldn't and things being preserved that should and how a boy from middle-America came to live in England in the first place. Even though this audiobook version was an abridgment (sigh) it was still excellent and really, I'd recommend both reading it and listening to it because it's great and you'll probably want to read it multiple times, so give yourself some options.

Good thing I got through those mini-reviews for October because the beast awakens and desperately wants to hit all of the keys on the keyboard. I blame and any all typos on him.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

June Reading Wrap Up

I really thought I was going to do better with posting in June. Really, truly thought that. And then the month has come and gone and I only posted twice and no reviews. Sigh. Maybe July will be my month? You never know, it could happen.

Leeeet's see, what else, what else, what else. My reading has become basically all audiobooks which sort of makes me sad but given that most of my time is now spent playing with the goblin (yay!) or picking up after him (...less yay) it's not a huge surprise. I am just happy that audiobooks are an option or my reading would basically be zero and man, that is a sad thought. Do not like.
Him I do like
Hey, let's look at those stats

Books read
5
Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennet
You Do You: Proud to be Fabulous by Tan France & Nikki Levy (sort of a book but it was from Audible so counting it)
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

I just noticed that every month since March I have read 5 books. I dunno what that means. It certainly hasn't been on purpose.

Pages read
1,230

Fiction
40%

POC authors
60%
Female authors
60%

US author
60%

Readalong/Book club
20%

Book format
audiobook: 100%

Where'd I get the book
Kindle/Audible: 40%
Library: 60%

Decades published
2010s: 100%

Resolution books
80%
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware - UK author
Things That Make White People Uncomfortable by Michael Bennet - POC author
You Do You: Proud to be Fabulous Tan France is from the UK and Pakistani and I realize he just hosted this collection but they have him listed as they would an author so
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang - POC author