Books of 2017- Installment #13

61. Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson
We used to celebrate British Christmas in February to celebrate PBS playing the Downton Abbey Christmas episode, so why not read about Christmas in July? There were some delightful stories in here and some recipes too!

62. Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham
This wonderful story starts out as a mystery about a skeleton found in a renovation project but leads to a very real race riot in Tulsa. It jumps between two narrators- one today and one in 1921. The characters in this book are deeply human, meaning they don't always do the right thing but you can see the journey they are on to do the right thing and how sometimes it comes too late and sometimes it doesn't. Is it a perfect book? No, it's populated with humans and since none of us are perfect, neither are they, but I actually think that's the point of this book. Not being perfect but striving to be better than we were before. It's a great read- very engaging and dealing with deeply important social and historical issues that we struggle with daily.

63. Shelf Life by Sue Larkin Weems
This is an interesting short story collection. She covers an array of topics from suicide to playing in the piano in church. As a theme I would say it's about continuing, keeping on, if you will.

64. And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
This is a dark, creepy story. I was grabbed instantly even though I had no idea where it was going- just hints and inklings. But, oh, what a satisfying ending! And looking back I realized how much I had missed the first time 'round!

65. The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth
This is an adventure. A linguist adventure. It's written in essentially modern English but made to look like Old English because this book is about a man's experience in the loss of his England - the England that existed before the Norman invasion of 1066.

Out of the 65 books I've read so far this year 21 have been published this year.

Books of 2017- Installment #12

56. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
This is a young adult book about finding love, about finding your feet so to speak in the world of dating. It has a very diverse cast of characters and is very sweet. Many of the characters were of different races and sexual orientations, though I didn't feel the racial identity of the characters was actually developed.

57. All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
Wow! This book grabbed me on the first page and never let go! The premise is basically that the narrator is the reason we don't live the Jetsons' lifestyle "promised" to us in the science fiction of the 1950s. The book is part glimpse into the world we're "missing out on" and part the steps that got us this world with a whole lot of chagrin mixed in. I've always been a lover of time travel stories and they are no less appealing given what's happening in the world now... Plus in his world, science is actually important- oh what a utopia!!

58. So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
This was a book I had heard a lot about when it first came out. I didn't read it right away, and then when I did look for it at the library, I had to wait for a few months before I could get a copy- that many people wanted to read it! And guess what! It was totally worth the wait. It is an engrossing and quick read. I'm not particularly active on social media, but this book definitely felt completely relevant to me.

59. Cats in Space and Other Places edited by Bill Fawcett
This is a collection of Sci-Fi stories that feature a cat (or more) in them. Some of them are quite old and show their age, but it's still a fun read for a cat lover like me! My favorite stories are The Tail by MJ Engh and Space-Time for Springers by Fritz Leiber.

60. 青年靜思小話:感思,尊重,愛 Gratitude, Respect and Love: The Teachings of Dharma Master Cheng Yen (中英對照)
I was given this book on meditations a long time ago, and I thought it was a good time to reread it and reflect. Some I love, some not as much. And lots of Chinese words I don't know!