All titles linked to Goodreads out of the goodness of my heart. Also, I can’t promise there won’t be spoilers.
Goal: 60 Read: 62!
Nov. 16: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (book two, Scholomance series). Really great — love how El evolves in this one, and how she’s supposed to be this terrible evil wizard, but all she wants to do is help people. Ends on a major cliffhanger, my poor heart. 5/5 And then I immediately started to read it again.
Nov. 13: Reread A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik so I could start in on “The Last Graduate” and remember everything that was going on. (I enjoyed the book much more the second time.) See review Aug. 4.
Oct. 10: Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer. I enjoyed this one, but then, I like (almost) everything Meyer has written. (Not a fan of “Heartless” or “Fairest,” though to be fair, they’re well written and intriguing; they just made me sad/mad by their inevitable endings.) It’s definitely YA, but I liked the storyline (our heroine, Prudence, gets to cast instant karma on anyone she deems to need it after a concussion) and it was kind of cute, and I needed the brain break. 5/5
Oct. 2 : I reread the Murderbot series, books 1-6, and enjoyed every minute. MORE MURDERBOT PLEASE MARTHA WELLS. 10/5
Sept. 10: The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I had no idea what to expect when I decided to read this one — the title had been popping up on “must read” lists — so I was shocked the entire way through. Turned out to be a thriller / mystery. It was awesome. 5/5 just read it, I can’t do it justice in a review.
Sept. 8: I skimmed The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. I didn’t really enjoy it but I wanted to see how it ended. I’m not rating it because again, skimmed. It was dumb. I’m including it in my book total because I deserve some reward.
Sept. 7: Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay. This guy finds everything delightful — and it’s a good reminder that we can, too, if we just pay attention. 4/5
Aug. 30: A Court of Sliver Flames by Sarah J. Maas. I mean, I’ve read the other three in this series, might as well give it a go. SPOILER Nesta hates everyone, but no one as much as herself. It’s a story of rising up out of trauma and learning to live with yourself. It’s not always an easy read. ANOTHER SPOILER It’s also a book with Feyre and Rhys as secondary characters, and Nesta saves the day when Feyre SERIOUS SPOILER almost dies in childbirth. Maas ups the ante on her sex scenes in this one. Maybe because Nesta also apparently loves a good “romance.” 4/5
Aug. 22: Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries No. 6) by Martha Wells. Murderbot solving a murder mystery (and another novella). I love the running themes throughout this series and how they build on each other — and themselves turn into a sort of code for how Murderbot is feeling (watching “Sanctuary Moon” again? Murderbot needs a moment). I was not expecting the ending — another satisfying read. 5/5
Aug. 21: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries No. 5) by Martha Wells. A standalone NOVEL and not a novella! LIGHT SPOILER we revisit some favorite characters and running themes, and it was absolutely delightful to be in Murderbot’s (anxious, paranoid, taking a moment for an emotional reaction or two) head for a full 300-plus pages. These are my most favorite books of the entire year — I get you, Murderbot. 5/5
Aug. 11: Bridgerton Collection, Volume Two (books 4-6) by Julia Quinn. (Titles included: “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” “To Sir Phillip, with Love,” and “When He Was Wicked.”) You know, the best thing about these books is that you don’t have to think too hard while reading them. The men are kind of assholes but they are all reformed by the end (um … that’s problematic but okay). It’s like reading cotton candy. And sometimes you just need that. 4/5
Aug. 4: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novak. This is one of those books that I read without bothering to first see what it was about — and at first, I was not impressed. But I kept at it and about a quarter of the way in, I decided I liked it. By the end, I decided I loved it. A very different kind of magic school and a main character I enjoyed seeing evolve as the story progressed. I love her bluntness. 4/5 because the beginning is slow
Aug. 2: Darius the Great Deserves Better by Abid Kohrram. Just as satisfying a read as the first book. Darius is working at his dream job and has the perfect boyfriend … but things aren’t great. He’s still being bullied and, since his family returned from Iran, his sister is being bullied too. His job is a little less about tea and a little more about the bottom line. And his boyfriend is pressuring him to do things he’s not ready to do. But this time, he has friends — and that makes all the difference. 5/5
July 31: Bridgerton Collection, Volume One (books 1-3) by Julia Quinn. (Titles included: “The Duke and I,” “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” and “An Offer From a Gentleman” — which was loosely based on the Cinderella story, but the opening was 100 percent from the movie “Ever After,” and I love that movie but I hated having to read it and pretend to be surprised.) I didn’t know anything about these books aside from the fact it’s a Netflix series or something? Well, they’re quick and entertaining and not remotely heavy lifting. I can sort of see why they’re popular? 4/5 P.S. I did not read “An Offer From a Gentleman,” technically — I just skimmed it — so I’m not counting it on my total.
July 21: Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells. Fourth in the series; I flew through it. This is the end of the Murderbot novella series — and it was so good. Murderbot has its evidence and it is headed back to help it’s friend (hashtag its not sure but maybe?) Dr. Mensah and her team. No spoilers because I don’t want to ruin anything — it’s just a great novella and a great series, and I liked how Wells wrapped it up here. Just read them. 5/5 (10/10; a million/a million. I’m so glad I found these books.)
July 20: Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells. Third in the series. Murderbot is still building its case against GrayCris — and in this one LIGHT SPOILER it learns that bots and humans really can be friends. I love Murderbot’s internal dialogue and how it sorts out the very confusing world(s) it sees. 5/5
July 18: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Again. See March 6 for review.
July 11: Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. Ford writes so beautifully, and even though this book is heartbreaking — she just goes through so much — it’s also hopeful. I think it’s important to listen to the experiences of others and understand what they’re saying, to get a different perspective. 5/5
July 9: Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (Simon Snow No. 3). I love this series and this was a satisfying ending — and the nice thing was that she wrapped things up as she went along, so I didn’t have to wait until the very end to SPOILER ALERT know that Simon and Baz were okay. It’s fun to see Rowell play with YA tropes (the chosen one, the smart best friend) and combine various popular novels (Harry Potter, Twilight). I also like how ANOTHER SPOILER all of the characters get a happy ending, even minor characters. Maybe that’s cheesy but I’m trying to divorce myself from reality over here so anything that helps me do that is 5/5.
July 5: Gregor the Overlander Collection by Suzanne Collins (Underland Chronicle Nos. 1-5). Goodreads is counting this as one book, but it’s five: Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, and Gregor and the Code of Claw. So I’m counting it as five. There are a lot of themes here that Collins also explores in The Hunger Games series — mainly, how we send children to war. Gregor is 11 when he falls into the Underland the first time, and 12 when he leaves. SOME SPOILERS He’s the Underland’s “warrior,” and he’s a baby — and eventually, most of his family is down there and affected by a whole host of things they can’t control, from prophecies to plagues to that ongoing war with the rats. He’s a kid but he has to shoulder adult responsibilities, and that’s heartbreaking. I’m glad she adds the detail that his body is so scarred from the various battles he’s been in that he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to go to a doctor because it would be too much to explain. I’ve read this a few times now, but it was interesting to read again in this post-pandemic (are we post yet?) and post-45 presidency — hit a little too close to the truth for a work of fiction. 5/5
June 25: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. Oh, my heart. Darius is a high schooler who feels like an outsider — because his mother is from Iran, because he doesn’t fit in at school, because he struggles with depression. The family travels to Iran to visit his grandparents because his grandfather is ill, and there he meets his mother’s family for the first time (not on video chat). SOME SPOILERS The visit is an awakening for sweet Darius — he discovers he loves his extended family, he makes his first real friend and he feels like he fits in for the first time ever. His struggles with depression are heartbreaking but his understanding of it is enlightening — he’s very matter of fact that it’s just the way his brain works. And it’s lovely to see him finally understanding of his own father’s struggles with depression and how that relates to their relationship. 5/5
June 21: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries No. 2). SPOILER ALERT Murderbot calls itself Murderbot because of a mass shooting incident it was involved in before it hacked its government module — and it just wants to know if it was following orders or if it did that on its own. New characters, new problems, same Murderbot overthinking. So good. 5/5
June 19: And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer by Fredrick Backman. Ack, my heart. This is a short story (50 pages, maybe) about a man who knows his memory is fading — and who wants to hold onto it as tightly as he can. He loves his grandson, is still trying to make up for any misunderstandings with his son, and remembers less and less as time goes by. It’s a thoughtful and empathetic look into Alzheimer’s. Just gorgeous. 5/5
June 6: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I picked up this book because it has made a lot of “must read” lists. It’s the story of twins who identify as Black — their skin is light, so unless they out themselves, strangers assume they’re white — SPOILER ALERT there’s one place in the book where Desiree applies for a position she is more than qualified for and is denied the job when she marks “Black” on the application. ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT when the two run away at 16, they stay together for a while, but then Stella gets a job as a “white” secretary and MORE SPOILERS eventually vanishes when her boss offers her a position in his new firm. Desiree marries a Black man and ends up coming back home with daughter Jude after leaving an abusive relationship. Then MORE MORE SPOILERS you have Reese, who is trans. This is ultimately a story about “passing” — and it’s heartbreaking (and only sometimes hopeful) as you watch the characters settle in to who they are … or not. This book is gut wrenching, really. But I liked the ending, which I won’t give away — you have two characters who are finally comfortable in their skin. 5/5
June 1: All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries No. 1). I heard about this series on NPR because Wells recently released the sixth book in the series. They are more novellas than novels (about 150 pages each). Murderbot (as it has named itself) is a SecUnit (meaning it provides security to humans) that has hacked its government control module. It spends most of its free time — because hacked module or no, it still provides security for its humans — downloading and watching media. It LOVES human dramas. And it feels very protective of humans, although not so much the interaction. It’s a futuristic world and Wells describes it beautifully. Murderbot is such an interesting character. I am so glad I found these books. 5/5
May 22: A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes No. 4). Final book in the series — and it is fantastic. It makes me want to read the whole thing again. I love strong female characters — Laia is such a boss and she has so much to work through and overcome. It’s a very satisfying ending, although wow, SPOILER ALERT it’s a bloodbath. And MORE SPOILERS true love prevails, so yay. 4/5
May 14: Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, Essays by R. Eric Thomas. I can’t remember how I heard about this book — NPR maybe. This is a memoire “about growing up and seeing the world differently,” as Goodreads put it. Thomas is a fantastic writer and his essays about growing up Black and gay and Christian (this man has faith). He also talks about covering the 2016 election and trying to reconcile himself to that. (Dude, me too.) It’s always interesting to read about other people’s experiences and to be able to see the world through their eyes. I really enjoyed this book and the optimism and hope Thomas has for America. 5/5
April 24: Regarding Ducks and Universes by Neve Maslakovic. I first read this book in 2011, I think — it was a freebie — and super loved it. I’ve read it a couple of times since then. It’s a science book without being a science book. It’s a murder mystery without any actual murder. It’s about what it’s like to find out the life you’ve been living is based on a lie your dead parents invented. It’s about finding out you have a double in another universe and coming to terms with the fact that you are not unique. It’s about being kind of jealous about the life your double is living — what happened in your own universe that took you off that (maybe better) course? The thing I like about this story of Felix A traveling to Universe B to sort out whether Felix B is writing the book Felix A has always dreamed of writing is the little clues that THESE universes are not ours — it’s a close copy, but it’s skewed. I still love this book. 5/5
April 8: The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh. Spoiler alert and also a tangent: Ahdieh’s “The Wrath & The Dawn” series is a favorite of mine. So I have the predisposition to like anything that she writes. This book was entertaining. It felt a little out of place time-wise (supposed to be New Orleans in the late 1800s but it’s too progressive for that). I never felt like I had a handle on what was going on, which is a plus because it’s boring when you can see what’s coming. Uh I read it too long ago to really give any spoilers. At first, I gave it 4/5, then 3/5, then back to 4/5. Do with that what you will.
March 27: I read an advanced copy of a book by a local author for the newspaper — our publisher/owner thought it would be fun to have a story about it in one of our lifestyle publications. It was a feel-good type of story. And it was entertaining because it was set in our town, but it was also NOT our town. Anyway, I hope the author has good luck with it.
March 20: Oona out of Order by Margarita Montimore. I wasn’t so sure I’d like this one, just based on the first few pages — it read like some cheesy ’80s teen novel (and I would know, I read SO MANY of those in high school, LOVED THEM) and I was like, what is this? Because I’m 48 now, not 14. But I’m glad I gave the story a chance to unfold. Beginning with her 19th birthday — which happens to be New Year’s Day — Oona lives her adult life out of order. Her first jump puts her into her body in 2015, so on the outside, she’s 51 and on the inside, she’s 19. The second time, she ends up in 1991 (27 on the outside, 20 on the inside). No one knows why she jumps around, but those who know — her mother, her assistant Kenzie — help her as much as they can to sort out the disconnect that comes from landing into a life that’s simultaneously hers and not hers. I don’t want to give away any more than that. 4/5 stars.
March 19: Just Like You by Nick Hornby. I generally like Nick Hornby’s books — he has an easy writing style and his characters are easy to like (his children are especially delightful). But I didn’t particularly enjoy this book. It had some interesting themes of May-December romances, interracial couples and the various hurdles they must jump (some of which are their own doing), and Brexit / 45 fallout (I refuse to say that man’s name so 45 is all you get). And while there were parts that were just great, there was a lot that just wasn’t. Lucy just needs to come out and say, Look, I’ve got these prejudices and I’m trying to over come them — quit with the “I’m not a racist” refrain already (you are, dude, if you won’t take your boyfriend to meet your parents). And Joseph needs to trust himself more — but then, he’s 22-23; he has a lot of growing up to do. SPOILER ALERT When Joseph cheats on Lucy at the end, yeah, that’s great that he feels sick to his stomach, but the fact remains that he still cheated. So when, three years later, they’re STILL together and STILL hashing over “will we stay together or won’t we,” I just was out of patience. 3/5 stars. Go read “About a Boy” instead.
March 14: Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. This book is hilarious, and yet somehow touching. And also told by a crow named Shit Turd (ST for short). Uh, as is perhaps indicated by our main character’s name, this book contains a lot of swearing because Big Jim, ST’s human (“MoFo”), swore a lot and also taught ST how to speak. ST loves humans and SPOILER ALERT all of a sudden he’s faced with the zombie apocalypse, with only Dennis the bloodhound for company. They attempt to cure Big Jim with a variety of pills and potions found at Walgreens and when that doesn’t work (and ST almost gets eaten by Big Jim), they set off together, eventually freeing other “domestics” from their homes and battling infected MoFos who keep evolving into ever grosser beings. ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT This zombie disease, incidentally, was spread by screens — MoFos love them and are addicted, and that’s how the virus spread, out of control. Crazy, man. I love that this is set in Seattle. And I loved that ST got his happy ending. I gave it 4/5 because the pacing was sometimes slow. It’s a fast read and quite entertaining, but if you hate swearing, you won’t appreciate this book.
March 11: The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. This is a story based on Erdrich’s grandfather, “who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C.,” if I may liberally take from the book description. It always makes me sad to read about blatant racism but it’s important to understand the history of our nation and come to grips with the atrocities that have happened — which can help shed light on why they’re still happening. This book has so many threads: SPOILER ALERT Thomas, the night watchman; Patrice, a young Indigenous woman whose job supports her family and who goes looking for her sister Vera — who went to Minneapolis with her supposed fiancé but ended up being forced into sex work; even Roderick, who is the ghost of a young boy who was murdered at boarding school. And ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT the Tribe is, in fact, able to keep their federal status — but so many others did not, which is just absolutely inhumane. I gave it 4/5 just because the pacing was sometimes slow, but I definitely recommend this book.
March 6: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I loved this book — and I burned through it in a day. It’s interesting to think about what life would have been, could have been, if you only did Y instead of X back there in the past. SPOILER ALERT Nora Seed decides that she has blown every single chance in life and that no one will miss her if she’s gone. When she attempts to kill herself, she ends up in the Midnight Library — filled with the various stories of what her life would have been had she only made a different choice. So she goes into the various stories, trying to find the one that she’s happiest in, the one that resonates most soundly. And she does but ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT she doesn’t get to stay there, either, because it turns out that the best life is really the one she’s living — or just attempted to leave. So she chooses to live. I loved the various twists and turns her life could have taken — rock star, Olympian, teacher, dog walker, researcher, so many more — and seeing her conclude that she really does want to live because no life is perfect. It’s funny and touching and intriguing and well written. I’m glad I purchased this one so I can read it again. 5/5
March 4: If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha. This is a great book, although I see it has some mixed reviews on Goodreads. It’s a look into the lives of four women living in Seoul (I would argue it’s about five women, even if Sujin doesn’t get her own chapters) — and it’s a completely different world than where I live, although I suppose you could argue that there are impossible beauty standards in America as well and that there are definite lines between the haves and have nots. What I like about this book is that it’s a peek into where these women are, right now. It’s not what I would call a traditional storyline, but there are some great surprises (Ara, you nonverbal badass) and what isn’t clear at the beginning becomes clearer at the end (why Ara and Sujin are so tight). 5/5, recommend.
March 2: Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis. This is a (very) quick read tackling the topic of living your life to its fullest potential — to embrace who you are, do the work you were meant to do and to shed the feelings of guilt women feel when putting themselves first. It gave me some things to think about — mainly, how to get specific in my personal goals (and how to evaluate progress) and why it’s okay to ask for help / let things go that aren’t important / not worry about how it’s going to be seen by the general public. But she’s got this weird part near the end about habits we all need to adopt (and okay, yes, I do need to drink more water, which is habit number one) that she presents as a blanket solution to everyone’s problems. And while some of those things are great — like giving up something unhealthy for 30 days to prove you can keep a promise to yourself — all I could think of is, Fantastic, more things I can fail at. Like, I am not getting up earlier (habit two — she gets up at 5 a.m.; good for you, not for me, to borrow Amy Poehler’s phrase). I am not going to try to pack all of these things into my day that are disguised as accomplishments that wear me out / set me up to feel like a failure. But then she follows that whole ordeal with a chapter on why it’s important to make sure that all women from all backgrounds are included at the table — that when you make it, you need to make sure you’re helping others succeed as well, which was awesome. So I have mixed feelings about this is what I’m saying. It struck me as a shorter version of Glennon Doyle’s Untamed (and Doyle’s is much better overall). I’m giving it 3.5/5.
Feb. 27: Eyewall by H.W. “Buzz” Bernard. It’s been years and years since I’ve read this book; I believe it was a freebie from my early days of Kindle ownership. I remembered that it was good and, looking for something on the short side (it’s only about 250 pages), I decided to give it another go. The story premise is great: A category five hurricane is bearing down on Georgia over Labor Day weekend, except no one realizes that yet SPOILER ALERT — not the crew in the Air Force Hurricane Hunter going into the eye, not the family on St. Simon’s Island whose 15-year-old daughter has (of course) slipped out of the house and whose whereabouts are unknown, and not the forecasters at a national weather channel office … yet. So that part is great. It’s exciting. It’s a page turner. The issues I have with the story: The dialogue is hokey — do people really talk like that? — and the female characters are super problematic (they’re all the same person: Smart, but the men mostly see them as sex objects). I’m giving it 3/5 stars — just because it was entertaining enough that I burned through it in a day. Um and yeah I think it’s time I delete this one from the ol’ library. I don’t need to read it again.
Feb. 21: Monogamy by Sue Miller. Why is this book so highly rated? I never really got into it but kept reading to see if it got better. It didn’t. It’s a lot of tell, don’t show, and I never felt like I got to know the characters that well. But I didn’t care because I didn’t particularly like any of them anyway. They’re self-absorbed and convinced of their own greatness, but they’re not that great. I don’t get it. 3/5
Feb. 18: Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I generally like Moriaty’s books — they’re character-driven, and she writes great characters (her children are particularly hilarious because they’re very real). Sometimes the topics are heavy, but they don’t feel heavy. Uh, except for this book. It totally triggered my anxiety because the first several chapters involve characters who are falling apart but you don’t know why — that is revealed bit by bit. So you get current angst and bits and pieces of the event that caused the angst, which ended up being SPOILER ALERT that a child almost drown in a fountain while the grownups weren’t paying attention. And they all feel various levels of guilt and blame. I went back and forth on this, but finally decided on 4/5 stars because it redeemed itself in its ending. Probably the only book of hers I wouldn’t read again. Eh, you can’t win them all.
Feb.14: Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks and a Writer’s Life by Kathleen Norris. Where to even BEGIN with this book? Acedia is a new concept for me — I’d never heard of it. Norris comes at this from a Christian perspective and traces its history through the present, as recognized by the church: First as a spiritual illness among monks, and now often linked with depression. Although it’s not depression — it is its own beast. And it explains why I have suffered from periods of despair that makes it hard for me to care, or to act, regarding literally anything as far back as my teenage years. My go-to has always been to slam the door, crank up the music, and disengage. And come to find out there’s a word for that! The solution is to choose to act and connect and care. Even when you don’t feel like it. I don’t know, understanding that this is an actual thing makes it easier somehow, maybe because it means that I’m not weird or alone — I’m just suffering from this common spiritual condition. 5/5
Feb. 4 & Feb. 15: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer. I know, I know, these books are very popular these days — to make fun of. But this series has a special place in my heart: Long story short, when I needed a distraction in 2009 over the holidays because my grandma had died the year before and my heart was absolutely broken (not sure why the 2008 holidays were easier; 2009 was tough), I found Twilight. And the hardcover boxed set I purchased back then is still on my bookshelf. That’s saying something because I have ditched 4/5ths of my collection. Well, anyway, we all know how this one ends, and we also know that Edward overthinks everything and gives Bella zero credit for anything because he’s too focused on what he perceives his own faults. So literally no surprises. Well, let that be a cautionary tale for you, kids — give yourself a break and trust those you love. (I mean, look, I’ve never figured out why Eric loves me so much, but concluded long ago that’s his problem.) Despite Edward’s constant self loathing, I enjoyed reading this side of the story. There’s a lot of extra detail, some new information and insight, and, quite frankly, it’s just fun. It’s still a nice distraction. So 5/5!
Jan. 31 : The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris. When Biden picked Harris as his running mate, I put this on my holds list on the eLibrary site. I wanted to know more about our first female, first Black, first Asian American (now) vice president. It was interesting to read about the causes and people closest to her heart, and how her upbringing shaped her views of social justice and public service. She is SUPER smart and the themes of truth, unity, equality and justice ran throughout. I’m glad I read it. 5/5.
Jan. 27: Home Body by Rupi Kaur. Short book of poetry that took me less than an hour. This was hard for me content-wise; my heart breaks whenever the issues of child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, come up. And I’m not a particular fan of poetry. (Why did I check this out from the eLibrary then? It was on a best book list, that’s why.) But just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth reading. She has much to say on anxiety, depression, body acceptance, immigration and feminism. My favorite line in the whole book: “I have never known anything more quietly loud than anxiety.” She is a wise 20-something. 4/5 stars.
Jan. 26: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I really enjoy the way Backman unravels a story, and his observations / style had me laughing out loud many, many times. It’s a book about a bank robbery turned hostage situation, with the WORST bank robber and hostages ever in the BEST possible way. It’s about anxiety and life and parenthood and the lessons we learn. It’s about loneliness and love. I don’t want to spoil this one because I want you to be surprised when you read it. Glad I purchased it because I need to read it again and I’m sorry I put it off reading it for two months. 5/5 stars.
Jan. 22: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. This one weighs in at 816 pages but took me one less week to get through than the equally thick Hamilton biography because, uh, I skimmed a lot of it. Maas writes big books, but she tends to just dump words on the page and let the reader sort it out. It’s stream of consciousness in sentence form. Which is fine, but a lot of the the storyline repeats two or three or four times instead of giving us new information. New information comes as the “Hey, surprise, but I’ve been plotting this secretly all along and it kind of cancels out everything up to this point” type. And if that’s the plan, then why do I have to read 600 pages to get to the last decent 200? Look, I’ve read all of her books, so I knew what I was getting into, although I think Eric got tired of me yelling COME ON! because a lot of it was just terrible. But I kept reading, because it was bad enough to be entertaining, and I kind of wanted to see where this thing went. I’m glad I waited for it to come up in the eLibrary instead of buying it, even if I did have to wait 8 months. 2/5 stars.
Jan. 16: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. This took me two solid weeks to read — it’s 818 pages, but the last 100 or so are the bibliography, with a small photo section. (Thank God.) Here’s what I learned: Every single Founding Father, with the exception of George Washington, was a dick. There was a lot of backstabbing and intrigue, everyone had huge egos and thought they were right about everything all the time. I suppose you’d need to have super confident people around to stage the Revolution. It was also interesting to read about how very, very close the American Experiment came to failing in those first years. As we all know, I am obsessed with the musical Hamilton, so I appreciated learning more about the various plot points there — and the timelines on which they actually occurred. Hamilton was a host unto himself and he had a huge, prolific brain, so there were parts that were really over my head. Those who loved him LOVED him, and those who despised him DESPISED him. But you always knew where you stood with the guy. And what he managed to accomplish is amazing. I’m glad I read it, but wow, that was a long haul. 4/5 stars.
Jan. 1: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. This is how I spent New Year’s Day: Reading this book. (I took breaks for a nap and a walk with Eric.) It’s supposed to be a fairytale? I didn’t really get that, except there was definitely an evil stepmother in Andrea — but birthmother Elna wasn’t all that great either and it was irritating to see her come back in the second part of the book. (Loved the line about how saints were probably hated by their own families.) It was also irritating to see Andrea SPOILER ALERT conveniently have Alzheimer’s at the end so she couldn’t be held responsible for any of her actions — and then to have Elna decide to care for her, even though it’s literally killing Maeve? Dude, what? Although it was on par for her character so never mind, it’s just that I have a strong sense of moral justice I guess. I loved but didn’t always understand Maeve or Danny — these siblings have some serious issues but given their age difference and the fact Maeve picked up caring for Danny when their mother left, I guess it’s not surprising they only trusted each other. The writing is simple and effective; there is a rather nice “moral to the story” kind of vibe; and I appreciated the whole cast of characters and the bits of insight each brought to the story. I’m giving it 4/5 stars because again, I need justice! and I didn’t get that. It was, however, entertaining.
Minimally 