Books of 2017- Installment #11

51. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
I don't like memoirs! So why have I read FOUR this year???? Well, this one is easy to answer- I adore, adore Sherman Alexie!! This memoir is no exception. For one thing it doesn't seem like a memoir. Sherman writes the way he writes, which is the greatest compliment as far as I'm concerned. He is able to hold joy and sorrow in his hand. He tells the truth as he lies and lies as he tells the truth. He stares unflinchingly at all the ugly and revels in all the beauty. He knows who he is and who we are even when he doesn't.

52. The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
I read this book while reading Sherman's memoir, and they were beautiful compliments to each other and incredible contrasts. Sherman talked about a white guy asking him what made his work so "particularly Indian." My answer would be read these books together. Neil's isn't a memoir, but it does give a lot of insight into his own thoughts about himself, as does Sherman's. And it's very clear the different struggles these two brilliant writers had.

53. The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor
I love Nnedi Okorafor's writing. One of the things that I love about her writing is that she exposes me to things I don't know anything about. This book was a little different and is a little heavier than the other books of hers I've read. I found it a little challenging to get into but once in I found it a great book. Challenging and uncomfortable but engaging.

54. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Oh, boy! I put this book on hold at the library and it took forever to come. By the time it came I thought maybe I would find it too heavy or wouldn't match my mood. That perhaps I didn't want to read more Neil Gaiman so soon. But I was wrong. This was a great book. There was a bit at the beginning that was a little beyond me but that was one short part and the rest was very engaging.

55. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
This is a cute story told from different perspectives. One thing I enjoyed about it was that she had a squirrel and a bench as narrators. I'm always interested in stories where non-human perspectives are given. Sure, I think most people don't have an idea how to express non-human ideas, but to actually try is impressive to me.

It seems apropos to share a Sherman Alexie quote here.

Books of 2017- Installment #10

46. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson
Last year I set up a reading challenge for myself to read a book with a local angle of some sort this year. I had googled local authors and local books. To my surprise my next door neighbor wrote a book. I considered that one. Then I was listening to a podcast (Imaginary Worlds by Eric Molinsky) and he talked to Kim Stanley Robinson about this book which was about to come out. Well, after the third mention of Davis, I thought, "All right, my local book this year just might be New York 2140." I've tried to read Kim Stanley Robinson before and I found him hard to get through, but I decided to give it a go. At 642 pages this book took a bit of time to read, but it was definitely worth it! I loved this book! And it is so of the moment. I mean it did just come out this year, but it's set in the future and feels immensely relevant to us in the here and now.

47. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
I got this book from the library at about the same time as New York 2140 and chose to read that one first because it was so long. It's funny to me that they are both set in New York and how different they both are, but Dash and Lily are charming teenagers navigating life, learning how to deal with their various disappointments and challenges in life. It's absolutely delightful!!

48. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
This is my third Gabriel Garcia Marquez book, if memory serves (and it doesn't always!) It's a very interesting take on a murder and a town's culpability in said murder.

49. Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
This is a book my student, Vahid, gave me. It's about a boy, a girl, and a ghost. Right up my alley!! Well, this is a wonderful modern-day fairy tale. I really enjoyed it!

50. Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant
This YA novel grabbed me from the first page! The main character has some supernatural power to learn about people through touch, but she learns about them in the form of fractals and she's so into math. Love it!!!!

Here some truth for you-