Thursday, January 31, 2019
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Books of 2019- Installment #2
6. The Witch Elm by Tana French
I saw this book and instantly wanted to read it. I put it on hold at the library and waited months! Oh, it must be good, right? But I didn't really know what it was about. Whatever I knew about it had been forgotten by the time I finally got my hands on it. The main character is a lucky bastard of a man until the day he isn't. He gets beaten almost to death in his apartment one night when he was awaken by burglars. Off to his uncle's ostensibly to help his uncle but also to recoup. And this is where a mystery comes to light and his burning need to solve it. Suffering some memory loss, he is an unreliable to the nth degree.
7. The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami
This book seems to me to be the Japanese version of a Seinfeld episode (or season).
8. In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey
I have loved Dale Bailey's short stories and was so excited to see that John Joseph Adams's imprint had published his novel!! The prose in this novel is sumptuous!!! And the fact that it is a girl- a blonde blue-eyed girl- in peril novel wasn't immediately obvious to me, which I guess means it wasn't just a girl-in-peril novel. There are fairy tales and British woods and a story within a story, which makes this short novel surprisingly complex. It's definitely a good read.
9. Holding by Graham Norton
I love Graham Norton. I have been watching little clips of his show during this horrible administration and his show is literally one of the only things making me laugh!! Well, I didn't know he wrote until I saw that he was on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert (not to be confused with the Colbert Report! (I can't find the clip that inspired this reference- sorry!!))
10. Bound by Mystery: Celebrating 20 Years of Poisoned Pen Press edited by Diane D. DiBiase
I can't say that I really noticed Poisoned Pen Press until I started reading Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries. (I named my kitties after Phryne and Dorothy). By publishing Kerry Greenwood they have given me much happiness, so I decided I had to check out this anthology. The stories are excellent and from a diverse group of authors which thrills me!!!
Ten books so far (no library books in my pile) and 7 were by women, 2 by men, and 1 by mostly women. My year of reading lots of women is still going strong!!
I saw this book and instantly wanted to read it. I put it on hold at the library and waited months! Oh, it must be good, right? But I didn't really know what it was about. Whatever I knew about it had been forgotten by the time I finally got my hands on it. The main character is a lucky bastard of a man until the day he isn't. He gets beaten almost to death in his apartment one night when he was awaken by burglars. Off to his uncle's ostensibly to help his uncle but also to recoup. And this is where a mystery comes to light and his burning need to solve it. Suffering some memory loss, he is an unreliable to the nth degree.
7. The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami
This book seems to me to be the Japanese version of a Seinfeld episode (or season).
8. In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey
I have loved Dale Bailey's short stories and was so excited to see that John Joseph Adams's imprint had published his novel!! The prose in this novel is sumptuous!!! And the fact that it is a girl- a blonde blue-eyed girl- in peril novel wasn't immediately obvious to me, which I guess means it wasn't just a girl-in-peril novel. There are fairy tales and British woods and a story within a story, which makes this short novel surprisingly complex. It's definitely a good read.
9. Holding by Graham Norton
I love Graham Norton. I have been watching little clips of his show during this horrible administration and his show is literally one of the only things making me laugh!! Well, I didn't know he wrote until I saw that he was on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert (not to be confused with the Colbert Report! (I can't find the clip that inspired this reference- sorry!!))
10. Bound by Mystery: Celebrating 20 Years of Poisoned Pen Press edited by Diane D. DiBiase
I can't say that I really noticed Poisoned Pen Press until I started reading Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries. (I named my kitties after Phryne and Dorothy). By publishing Kerry Greenwood they have given me much happiness, so I decided I had to check out this anthology. The stories are excellent and from a diverse group of authors which thrills me!!!
Ten books so far (no library books in my pile) and 7 were by women, 2 by men, and 1 by mostly women. My year of reading lots of women is still going strong!!
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Books of 2019- Installment #1
It's a new year and with it comes many exciting book possibilities!! I have set for myself a goal of reading all the books I owe and a bunch that I have been meaning to read for ages! Last year I wanted to reduce my pile of unread but owned books. I set the goal of reading 12, and I did great- I read 31. But some how I ended up on an amazing and fantastic free book list, which increased my unread-but-owned books significantly. Last year alone I got something like 24 books from them! This year I'm starting with 19 books that I own but haven't read. I can't guarantee I'll read them all this year. (I have a new policy of putting down books I am not enjoying- still hard to do but life is short!!!) But I'm going to try!!! Part of being able to do this is to stop getting books from the library. This is very challenging for me. I love, absolutely love, putting books on hold at the library and just reading whatever comes in next and sometimes it is a feast or famine situation. No books for ages or 10 all at once!!! I started reining in my impulses in November of 2018 and currently only have 4 books out from the library and only 5 on hold! Funnily enough one of the books I have on hold was put on hold October 17 and I am now number 24! I was number 111 out 150 for one book and am now number 5 out 173 because they added 8 more copies for a total of 37!!!
1. Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
This is the exciting sequel to Strange the Dreamer! And boy was I excited to read this book!! It took forever to get from the library, but once here my husband and I both devoured this book! Excellent!!!
2. Insurrecto by Gina Apostol
Lots of good buzz surrounds this book, so I got it. It's a hard book to describe, mostly because of the very interesting narrative style the author employs. Two women return to the Philippines and cross paths. In their time together they explore their own personal histories and the Philippines' history, especially the events that surround what is called the "Balangiga Massacre". For myself I would say I would get a lot more out of it on the second reading.
3. A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
This is a really engaging space opera. It has a really great modern (or futuristic) feel and yet is inspired by Mahabharata which is around 2000 years old. I'm not familiar with Mahabharata, which made me excited to read this! I am fascinated by stories that we can't stop telling/retelling. Think King Arthur, Robin Hood, the Monkey King, and Mahabharata.
4. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
There's a mystery on this New England island. Girls disappear again and again over the years. This was not something that made me want to read this book. The love of several reviewers convinced me to pick it up. And it is a fast-paced supernatural thriller that super engaged me and there were several points where it was clear that the fact that girls were disappearing was a critical part of the story and not a gimmick or an easy way to threaten the audience.
5. A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis
I was so eagerly awaiting this book! Christmas sci-fi!!! Well, I couldn't get it before Christmas, but I was gonna read it anyway! I haven't read a lot by Connie Willis but what I had, I adored. Now I've read more and can say I love Connie Willis's writing! She's awesome!!!
On another note, one of my goals this year is to read a lot of books written by women. Well, without it being planned out (all of these books were library books I had put on hold and read in the order they became available), I've read only female authors so far this year!! Awesome!! I currently have five books out from the library (2 by men and 1 that's an anthology of both female and male writers)!!
1. Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
This is the exciting sequel to Strange the Dreamer! And boy was I excited to read this book!! It took forever to get from the library, but once here my husband and I both devoured this book! Excellent!!!
2. Insurrecto by Gina Apostol
Lots of good buzz surrounds this book, so I got it. It's a hard book to describe, mostly because of the very interesting narrative style the author employs. Two women return to the Philippines and cross paths. In their time together they explore their own personal histories and the Philippines' history, especially the events that surround what is called the "Balangiga Massacre". For myself I would say I would get a lot more out of it on the second reading.
3. A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
This is a really engaging space opera. It has a really great modern (or futuristic) feel and yet is inspired by Mahabharata which is around 2000 years old. I'm not familiar with Mahabharata, which made me excited to read this! I am fascinated by stories that we can't stop telling/retelling. Think King Arthur, Robin Hood, the Monkey King, and Mahabharata.
4. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
There's a mystery on this New England island. Girls disappear again and again over the years. This was not something that made me want to read this book. The love of several reviewers convinced me to pick it up. And it is a fast-paced supernatural thriller that super engaged me and there were several points where it was clear that the fact that girls were disappearing was a critical part of the story and not a gimmick or an easy way to threaten the audience.
5. A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis
I was so eagerly awaiting this book! Christmas sci-fi!!! Well, I couldn't get it before Christmas, but I was gonna read it anyway! I haven't read a lot by Connie Willis but what I had, I adored. Now I've read more and can say I love Connie Willis's writing! She's awesome!!!
On another note, one of my goals this year is to read a lot of books written by women. Well, without it being planned out (all of these books were library books I had put on hold and read in the order they became available), I've read only female authors so far this year!! Awesome!! I currently have five books out from the library (2 by men and 1 that's an anthology of both female and male writers)!!
Monday, December 31, 2018
Books of 2018- Installment #23
111. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman
This is a collection of short stories that take Asian myths and/or folklore as their inspiration. This anthology has authors I love and new favorites for me!!
112. Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman, Rafael Alburquerque, Rafael Scavone, & Dave Stewart
This is a short little graphic novel set in the Sherlock Holmes world. I don't really read graphic novels or Sherlock Holmes stories, but my students love both so this seemed a good one to check out. It did a really nice job of being engaging, new, and surprising.
113. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
I hadn't really heard of this book until my friend mailed it to me. Then suddenly I heard about it in a bunch of different places. There's a word for that, but I've forgotten it. This is a book that is quite unlike most books. It's a labyrinth. It's a book within a book. Or rather a tome within a tome, possibly a tomb inside a tome. And it's utterly fascinating!
This is a collection of short stories that take Asian myths and/or folklore as their inspiration. This anthology has authors I love and new favorites for me!!
112. Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman, Rafael Alburquerque, Rafael Scavone, & Dave Stewart
This is a short little graphic novel set in the Sherlock Holmes world. I don't really read graphic novels or Sherlock Holmes stories, but my students love both so this seemed a good one to check out. It did a really nice job of being engaging, new, and surprising.
113. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
I hadn't really heard of this book until my friend mailed it to me. Then suddenly I heard about it in a bunch of different places. There's a word for that, but I've forgotten it. This is a book that is quite unlike most books. It's a labyrinth. It's a book within a book. Or rather a tome within a tome, possibly a tomb inside a tome. And it's utterly fascinating!
114. The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
My last book of 2018! A fantastic ending to the year! This is the follow-up to The Calculated Stars and that book was so good, I decided to put a hold on this book immediately after I finished The Calculated Stars. So good!! So good!!
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Trixie and the Moai 2018 Awards
It is time to announce the winner's of the second annual Trixie and the Moai awards.
I forget how hard it is to narrow my list down to 5 books. I read over 100 books this year, which seems to be fairly normal for me, and at the end of the year, it's pretty easy to say, "I have these 50 favorite books!" And I post around that for the finalists. Then I set that aside and ruminate. Which books stayed with me? Which books didn't fall asleep once I stopped reading them? Then I try to whittle the list down some more. Some of the books are short, some are long. Should that factor into it? I don't think so but then when I'm trying to get down the list to 5, well, something has to be the criteria.... Some were anthologies- amazing anthologies!! Some were books in a series. Do I pick only one from the series? The first one? None of them? Some nonfiction- tough to get into my top 5 if you're nonfiction even if you make it to the finalist list! I'm just so much more into fiction.... Poetry, historical, horror, fantasy, and of course science fiction. I look for books that I just can't stop thinking about to be the final cut. That often means the ones I read in earlier in the year have had more time to "prove" themselves unforgettable. The ones that I read more recently have the advantage of being fresher in my mind. Oh, why did I limit myself to 5????? I guess, I can't keep to my own rules... So this year, we have 5 gold award winning Trixie and the Moai and 1 silver!!
Here are this year's honorees- in the order I read them!!
I forget how hard it is to narrow my list down to 5 books. I read over 100 books this year, which seems to be fairly normal for me, and at the end of the year, it's pretty easy to say, "I have these 50 favorite books!" And I post around that for the finalists. Then I set that aside and ruminate. Which books stayed with me? Which books didn't fall asleep once I stopped reading them? Then I try to whittle the list down some more. Some of the books are short, some are long. Should that factor into it? I don't think so but then when I'm trying to get down the list to 5, well, something has to be the criteria.... Some were anthologies- amazing anthologies!! Some were books in a series. Do I pick only one from the series? The first one? None of them? Some nonfiction- tough to get into my top 5 if you're nonfiction even if you make it to the finalist list! I'm just so much more into fiction.... Poetry, historical, horror, fantasy, and of course science fiction. I look for books that I just can't stop thinking about to be the final cut. That often means the ones I read in earlier in the year have had more time to "prove" themselves unforgettable. The ones that I read more recently have the advantage of being fresher in my mind. Oh, why did I limit myself to 5????? I guess, I can't keep to my own rules... So this year, we have 5 gold award winning Trixie and the Moai and 1 silver!!
Here are this year's honorees- in the order I read them!!
And our one silver recipient!
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Books of 2018- Installment #22
106. Elevation by Stephen King
I had heard that Stephen King wanted to write an uplifting story in the midst of this very depressing political time. I thought, "I'd like to read that." So I did. And it was.
107. Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen
I came late to the Jane Yolen fan club, but I'm here now!! I love her and this book in verse is fantastic! I am definitely going to reread this book!!
108. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
I loved The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal, so I was excited to read this book. Apparently many a library patron did too because it was a long wait for this book!
109. Every Anxious Wave by Mo Daviau
I heard about this book on the podcast What I Should Read Next. It sounded interesting and did not sound like something Anne Bogel would be into. I mean it has time travel in it! Yeah, sign me up! And it made me laugh! I need more laughter in my life!!
110. The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code by Margalit Fox
This was a fascinating story of the decipherment of an unknown written language. It took half a century to figure out what the language was. This book talks about the who and the how and really makes you appreciate Alice Kober- the unsung hero of this story!
I had heard that Stephen King wanted to write an uplifting story in the midst of this very depressing political time. I thought, "I'd like to read that." So I did. And it was.
107. Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen
I came late to the Jane Yolen fan club, but I'm here now!! I love her and this book in verse is fantastic! I am definitely going to reread this book!!
108. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
I loved The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal, so I was excited to read this book. Apparently many a library patron did too because it was a long wait for this book!
109. Every Anxious Wave by Mo Daviau
I heard about this book on the podcast What I Should Read Next. It sounded interesting and did not sound like something Anne Bogel would be into. I mean it has time travel in it! Yeah, sign me up! And it made me laugh! I need more laughter in my life!!
110. The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code by Margalit Fox
This was a fascinating story of the decipherment of an unknown written language. It took half a century to figure out what the language was. This book talks about the who and the how and really makes you appreciate Alice Kober- the unsung hero of this story!
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Book Journal
I decided to make a book journal for the first time. I am pretty pleased with the results! I came up with several different things (inspired by ones found online)- categories for books, bookshelves for by TBR and my literary canon, drawings about books, reading challenge bingos, mind maps, and quotes. Here are some of my favorite pages!!
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