Books of 2018- Installment #11

51. Logan's Run by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
This was a movie I loved when I was a kid, so I decided to check out the graded reader for my students. Such a strange story.

52. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern
I'm a sucker for books about bookstores and libraries and this one is set in New Hampshire! Sold!! Riverton, NH is not a place I had heard of but when she said it was on the Connecticut River I knew it had to be near Vermont. Turns out it's in Coos County which, while very far from where I grew up, is in the same county as a friend of mine grew up in. So northern NH. Nice! North of Mt. Washington- oh interesting! Must be super cold in the winter! Yowzers! This is a super moving story about establishing relationships and finding your place.

53. Radiate by CA Higgins
This is the third book in the series. I enjoyed Lightless quite a bit and decided to revisit this universe after listening to Liberty Hardy at All the Books talk about Lightless. It is super engaging but darker than I was quite in the mood for.

54. The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
After hearing David Barr Kirtley talk to Peter Watts, I decided to read his short story The Things. That was awesome! So I decided to check this one out too. And let me tell you it was a ride! I really enjoyed this incredible story. It's a relatively short novel but with an epic scope. I found it utterly fascinating!!

55. The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat
I decided to check out this book after hearing Liberty Hardy at All the Books talk about it. It was a dark book that did not suit my mood. A young girl becomes entranced by a man that works at a parking lot. And this man turns out to be rather involved in the Ethiopian community of Boston. Her loneliness and innocence blind her to some seriously strange aspects of this relationship, and it does not end well.

Books of 2018- Installment #10

46. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet back in 2016, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't sure if I was going to come back to this universe. Sometimes I like to sit with a universe for awhile before I decide to revisit. After sitting for a while, I decided I would. I liked The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I loooooooooooved A Closed and Common Orbit. The Long Way was an epic- full of fantastic alien races. It was good. But this was up close and the main characters are so lovingly rendered and I will carry them with me always.

47. Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien
This is a nice little murder mystery- a cozy mystery. The author has created a nice little world for her characters to inhabit. It reminded me of Bon Temps in the Sookie Stackhouse books.

48. The Inner Lives of Animals by Peter Wohlleben
I loved Peter Wohlleben's book about trees- The Secret Life of Trees- and was so pleased to see a book he had written about animals was translated into English. While I liked his book on trees more than I liked his book on animals, I do appreciate his perspective and how broad his discussion is. He talks about both wild and domesticated animals- including both pets and farm animals. He talks about research and laws, and while he speaks more about German contexts (since he's German), he talks about other contexts as well. An interesting side note, I thought the translator was American because temperatures were converted into Fahrenheit, but I was clearly wrong as she used the British word for nearsighted, which if you don't know is shortsighted it is a bit confusing.

49. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
It's a graded reader and I needed to read it, so I did.

50. If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
This is a book about a poor rez kid going to school with white kids- it's going to be compared to Sherman Alexie. That's just what's going to happen. It doesn't matter which one was written first. ]The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) If I Ever Get Out of Here (2013)] There are lots of parallels. But I loved it. It's set in New York on Tuscarora tribal lands (both rez and traditional), which is super close to Toronto. This book is about (among many other things) the forging of a friendship in junior high. The narrator, Lewis, is a Tuscarora boy, and his best friend, George, is an Air Force dependent, and let me tell you- I never read books about AF dependents. It was not perfect, but it was pretty dang awesome. And while it's not New England, it's pretty dang close. And while I wasn't in junior high in 1975, I was living in the northeast in the late 70s. And being a military kid in the aftermath of Vietnam is in there. Long story short, a whole lot of this book resonated rather deeply with me.

Books of 2018- Installment #9

41. Forest Bathing by Dr. Qing Lin
This book is about the benefits of spending time in nature and of a concept the Japanese call forest-bathing (or shinrin-yoku 森林浴). The best way to describe it is immersing oneself in nature. It is of course a topic I find interesting. I would have liked it if the science behind his statements had been made more explicit, but I love that the book is full of color photos of trees (the ebook is at any rate). I definitely find myself thinking about how to incorporate aspects into my daily life and I actually started taking a short walk every day at work so I could get a little better mindset. Added bonus for those who want it- tons of Japanese culture!

42. Sightwitch by Susan Dennard
This is the third book in the Witchlands series and a prequel to Truthwitch. It's a really different read from the other two in the series as it's told through journal entries. And like a real prequel it tells you all about the world before you met the world.

43. The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz
This book grabbed me on the first page! I loved the first part of this book. The writing is witting and beautiful and the setting is near and dear to my heart. The story is set in a New England liberal arts college and the president has to deal with some thorny issues.

44. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
I have a deluge of library books, and I haven't been able to keep my head above water. However, this book was quite enjoyable. It's a YA murder mystery though not exactly a mystery novel. I really enjoyed the characters and loved the initial Breakfast Club detention setup!

45. Sourdough by Robin Sloan
My pal, my buddy, my kindred spirit said read this book and so I did. My oven broke about a month (or more) ago, and I haven't baked any bread since then. It's been tough and reading this book made it even harder!! I've never made a sourdough bread before and now I really, really, really want to. One that is ordinary and dependable.

Who We Are Right Now

I know writing Republican Senators is futile. I'm not their constituent and I don't agree with them, but I feel I have to do something more! So I sent this letter to all the Republican Senators. Many wrote back to say that they only respond to constituents. But I had to try because this is who we are right now, and I hate it! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtdGk_brGDE]

I’m writing to you because I’m so distressed by the Republican party’s willingness to enable yet another horrific policy of the Trump administration. The list of horrifying and detrimental policies is long: antagonizing leaders with nuclear weapons, insulting our allies, creating trade wars, and abusing vulnerable children by separating them from their parents with no safeguards for reuniting them. The Trump administration clearly wants these policies, but what I don’t understand is why any member of the Republican party supports them. Donald Trump’s legacy will be that of destruction, for it is easier to destroy than to build. He can say he has accomplished so much. He has: erasing protections for the environment, decimating decades of diplomacy, and repeatedly attacking our own government. Hugging a flag does not mean he loves this country.

Congress is a check of the Executive Branch’s power. You have the duty to stand up for decency, compassion, and actually protecting our country. This is your legacy. How will you be remembered in the future? As the person who allowed our country to be destroyed or as someone who stood up for those who need protection? Do not let Trump’s policy of separating families stand and do not vote into law a path for the border wall. That border wall will only lead to more human rights violations.

Books of 2018- Installment #8

36. Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
My husband and I watched a Korean cooking show called Oh My Ghost. It was quite good, but one thing that jumped out at me was how much everyone said, "Yes, chef." So when I was reading this book and the characters kept saying, "Yes, chef," I had some Korean flashbacks! This is the first one a series of supernatural culinary novellas. It was fast-paced and pretty funny. With that said, the only reason I read it was I got a free copy from Tor.com. Of all the ones I've gotten from Tor.com, this is the first one where I wasn't itching to read the next in the series...

37. I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land by Connie Willis 
Oh, what a luscious ode to books!!! Inhale and exhale books! The love and adventure of books!

38. The Overstory by Richard Powers
A beautiful ode to trees... A tremendous tree tome... a celebration of the splendor of trees... a tantalizing tangle of branches and roots... the beauty and the heartbreak of our arboreal world...

39. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
Sometimes you need someone to stop the bad guys. I need that a lot lately. Enter October Daye...
I keep seeing kindred spirits in my books- people that love trees and don't know why we kill them so thoughtlessly, so eagerly, so blithely...

40. The Swordswoman by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
It's always interesting to read older books, especially ones you might have read when it was new, because there have been so many changes in the way books are written. Lexical and syntactical changes are present but also cultural changes. One of the more subtle ways you see cultural changes in writing is subject matter or the way that a given subject is treated. This story's protagonist may or may not be suffering from some kind of mental illness. (The story opens with her in an asylum.) But she doesn't seem unwell, but she can't remember anything. And they way the author handles this (and other aspects) feels like something from the seventies (the book was published in 1982) in a way that's hard to exactly pinpoint, which is why I ascribe it to a cultural change.

Books of 2018- Installment #7

31. Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan
I loved, loved, loved Agents of Dreamland, the first book in this series, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I think I understood it less than I did Agents of Dreamland, but she has such a fascinating mind and OMG a million references. I feel like I need to reread both of the books, back to back to possibly understand them!

32. Want by Cindy Pon 
This book is set in a dystopian future in Taiwan. An English language sci-fi book set in Taiwan. I'm in! I was happy visiting Taipei and seeing a possible future set in Taipei. It isn't the happiest future (see descriptor dystopian) so that was less exciting. This is definitely a novel aimed for teenagers.

33. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
I really found All Systems Red (the first book in the Murderbot Diaries) very compelling and so preordered this book and, like the first book, devoured this one in nothing flat. Martha Wells has truly created a captivating character in this murderbot/SecUnit, but she's also made such a rich and engaging world beyond the central character.

34. The Stolen Bicycle by Ming-yi Wu
I absolutely adored, adored, adored The Man with Compound Eyes. This book, which is a translation, felt written for me. It felt like someone looked into my heart and my head and said, "Teresa needs this book." So when I learned that this amazing author had another book that had been translated (and by the same translator!) I was so excited!!! It's a really good book but heavy! The animal cruelty depicted weighs heavy on my heart.

35. Late Eclipses by Seanan Mcguire
This is the fourth book in the October Daye series and reading it is like slipping into a comfy pair of yoga pants. Such a treat to snuggle up for a good yarn!

Books of 2018- Installment #6

26. Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
So I know I sound like a broken record, but really- I got this book for free from Tor.com. After reading the first couple of free books from Tor I was actually really eager to read this one. And it was awesome! I devoured it! I couldn't read it in one sitting because the real world intervened, but that was the only reason I didn't! I can't really say why but it kind of reminded me of Terry Pratchett- but it's not really like a Terry Pratchett book so don't think that it is. Unless being a delight to inhabit is all you need to compare a book to a Discworld book. I'm actually super psyched that this is the first book in a series! I'm eager to read the next one!!!(And I'm sure I'll look back on this year's quote at some future date and know it was during the Trump presidency just by my choices!!)

27. Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White
I really just wanted to get back with Mars and Ocho. And I definitely devoured this book but there were some rough, rough scenes!!

28. The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell
This trilogy has been super engaging and I think the fact that each installment is so short is a big part of its genius. Both books leave me wanting more!

29. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
I was so exciting to read this book. People kept saying it was like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I know why. I was so excited because I've recently read a couple of short stories by Catherynne M. Valente and looooooooooooooved them. The Future is Blue and Planet Lion!!! OMG!!! Love them!!!!! And there were many things I enjoyed about this book, but I never felt the book. I never got swept up by despite really enjoying some aspects of the book. Dunno... Reading about her love and Douglas Adams and her cat were the most moving parts for me and that was after the book was over.

30. A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell
I will confess that while I am deeply enjoying this series, the reason I seem to be devouring them and not doing my normal thing of spacing them out is because I am spacing them out. It just doesn't look like it because it's taking me sooooooooooo long to read Space Opera, which I find disheartening. I was so excited about that book. But on the plus side, I looooove this series!!!