Books of 2017- Installment #7

31. The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley
This book was a little violent and a little gory, but it was such an interesting story. It was set in a universe embroiled in a destrcutive cylce of war and centered around two people trying to end the cycle.

32. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
This book has so much buzz that I was surprised that I was able to get my library copy. I only had to wait for a couple of weeks! It is an interesting take on being a refugee. One could argue the book has this element to it that makes it clear that the author, Mohsin Hamid, was more interested in looking at the feeling of being a refugee and what it would do to your relationships and your life than on the actual mechanics of being a refugee, but I would argue that it's more than that. It's also about how countries would deal with a refugee population when they have no control over the entering into a country and to some extent changing people from refugees to migrants.

33. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
I've been meaning to read the titular story for years, but I never did. Then I heard Gene Demby of NPR's Code Switch mention it on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour and said to myself, "It's time." That story is a wonderful read! And I quite enjoyed several of the other stories as well. It was interesting to read this book at this moment in time because I felt echoes of all these other books I've read recently: The Three Body Problem (which he translated into English), The Story of Your Life and Others, Green Island, Hidden Figures, and even the Dr. Seuss biography. With that said, though, it wasn't an easy read. Long and heavy...

34. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
Boy what a delightful book! This book really scratched an itch! For various reasons this mousy librarian finds herself unemployed and in need of a new career, all of which takes her to Scotland, and the result is transformative. I would say that, while I enjoyed the love story, it was clearly inspired by Jane Austen...

35. Paper Boats by Dee Lestari
This is my second Indonesian book of the year, and both were Kindle Firsts. This one was fantastic! The dialogue sometimes felt a little stilted but otherwise wonderful! I loved the characters and spending time in their world!

I noticed that I had read some really good books about book lovers. Here is my current collection of great books about book lovers! :)

Books of 2017- Installment #6

26. Ink by Sabrina Vourvoulias
This book was written in 2012 and is about immigration. In this world immigrants are tattooed. One review I read said it's not a dystopian novel and that's what makes it haunting. With that said, I don't like the cover or how the word ink is transformed in this book into something horrible. They make me uncomfortable. There's a lot that makes me uncomfortable in this book, not least of how all too possible this policy feels in today's political climate, which is the point. Which is the point.

27. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
I was looking for something light after reading both Ink and The Essence of T'ai Chi, and I thought about the book The Girl Who Chased the Moon and thought I'd check out another book by Sarah Addison Allen. It wasn't quite as light as I was expecting, but it did deliver the happy read I was looking for. Bonus there's a sequel! I'm excited to read that too!

28. The Essence of T'ai Chi by Waysun Liao
I really wanted to get a little different perspective on life and this seemed like a good one to read. I learned a lot about the history of T'ai Chi which was really interesting.

29. Theodor Seuss Geisel by Donald Pease
I've been trying to branch out and read things I don't normally do. One of the things I rarely read is biographies, and since I have long adored Dr. Seuss, as have most Americans, I thought I would try a biography about him. It was definitely an interesting and quick read. There are some interesting analyses of his books. There is a fascinating discussion about his racist propaganda work during WWII and how he regretted it and tried to make amends and even eradicate that. There was also some very interesting information given about his wives and his first wife's suicide. Dr. Seuss will always be my favorite children's author. His books have always meant a lot to me in particular The Lorax.

30. The First Frost by  Sarah Addison Allen
This book continues the story of the Waverley family started in Garden Spells. I don't usually start a sequel so soon after having read the first, but I've just needed some lightness in my life right now. Love it!