Books of 2016- Installment #17

81. Easter Island Rapa Nui by Felipe L. Soza

I really felt the need to reread this book. I love Easter Island so much, and reading this book put me right back on the island!

82. Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Wow! What an intense book. I am left a little speechless by this book. It's got quite a lot going on in it. It's hard science fiction which isn't for everybody with an interesting take on human arrogance and our abdication of duty to the other inhabitants of the Earth and even to each other. I am interested in continuing the trilogy but need a break before I take on the next one.

83. The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
We got a little kitty in September (the 2nd to be precise), and we named her after the main character of the Miss Phryne Fisher Mysteries... Phryne (pronounced FRY-knee). I've read 12 of these novels and just felt the need to dive back into this world. It's been 34 books since I last read a Phryne. And instantly I was happy and relaxed!

 
















84. The Bridge and Other Love Stories by Christine Lindop
This is a graded reader I read for stories to use with my level 200 students. It's got some nice stories, and we'll see if my students like them.

 
















85. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry
This is a graded reader I read for stories to use with my level 200 students. It's got some nice stories, and they liked the two we've done so far. But we haven't done the Gift of the Magi yet.

Book Junkie?

Patricia sent me a link to this quiz.

Am I a book junkie? I feel like I might be. Let's just find out! 

Directions: Mark each statement that applies to you.

 1. I have dropped a book on my face. More than once.

 2. On social media, I follow writers, not singers and movie stars.

 3. “Unputdownable” IS a word.

 4. My idea of a great weekend is starting a new book.

  5. My fingers type “Google” into the web address bar, but somehow I keeping winding up at Goodreads.

6. If I leave the house without a book I feel naked / I have a mini panic attack/ I never leave the house without a book.

7. I freely admit I’ve hugged, kissed and/or lovingly patted a book.

 8. My favorite thing in my wallet is my library card. (I'm pretty digital and get my library books on my Kindle...)

 9. I plan road trips just to listen to audio books.

 10. While reading a book I am oblivious to the outside world. People can shout my name, gesture rudely, but short of bodily injury, I will not notice them.

11. I’m happy if there’s a long wait at the mechanic/doctor’s office/airport because it means I get to read.

12. When putting together a travel checklist, my first item is always: “books to read.”

13. In lines or at doctor’s offices, when everyone else around me is tapping out messages on their cell phones, my face is buried in a book.

14. If a novel I’m reading has a plot twist I wholeheartedly disagree with, I will complain, out loud, to my book.

15. When I discover a new book I’d like to read, the first thing I do is to list it as “want to read” on Goodreads. Then I blog about it. (Sort of... I definitely share that I want to read it. Is it the first thing? Sometimes... (I don't have a Goodreads account...)

 16. If I reach for a book, my household pets jump onto my favorite reading chair.

17. My favorite historical figure is Booker T. Washington.

18. When I meet new people, the first question I ask is, “What kinds of books do you like to read?”

19. The only thing better than buying new books is when someone reads—and likes—a book I’ve recommended to them.

20. I read posts entitled “How to Tell if You’re a Book Junkie.”

If you marked ONE OR MORE of the above boxes, you are a bookie junkie and are hereby awarded this badge. Wear it with pride.

Books of 2016- Installment #16

76. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
This is an interesting steam-punk trilogy. The main character, Irene, is a librarian sent on a mission to acquire a rare manuscript while also training an apprentice, Kai.

77. Lightless by C.A. Higgins
This is the first book of a trilogy. There are several themes, one of which is about surveillance. While this is a completed story it fits into a trilogy but I'm not sure what the overall story is going to be. There is definitely going to be some aftermath of choices...

 






 







78. Monterey Bay by Lindsay Hatton
Despite the fact that Monterey is one of my most favorite places in the world, I wasn't going to read this book. I had some vague notion that it was about John Steinbeck, but my husband convinced me to give it a chance. It's fairer to say it's about Ed Ricketts and the creation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. But of course any book about Ed Ricketts has to have John Steinbeck in it. It's an odd book and often left me feel unsettled, but Lidsay Hatton does a great job of transporting me back to Monterey.

79. Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
This is a pretty easy and engaging read about some very important historical events in our culture. I definitely enjoyed reading it, even though there are some pretty grim realities in the book. I started this book during the Banned Books week, and I was struck by a quote I heard. "Books the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame." I don't know if anyone calls this book immoral, but it definitely shows us events we should be ashamed of. Events that we should strive to never repeat, though I fear we might.

80. Supernova by C.A. Higgins
When the library sent me this one, I was jazzed to dive back into this world. I, however, was not excited to spend all the time in the rebellion. The rebellion wasn't that interesting to me, even though I thought she made some really interesting points. I really was interested in Ivan, and he's barely in the story. The examination of the AI character was interesting but grim.

By the way- 80 books this year! Wow!! I didn't know I read that much. I would say I don't read much if asked... So that's interesting.