Reading in March
Progress towards 2019 Reading Goals: 23/80 books.
March was an excellent month for reading! I’m finally feeling a bit better, and decided to make room to return to audio books as I reincorporate the things I love into my life. Win-win! More knitting, more quiet time, more books!
1. Death and Night, Roshanin Chokshi (audio, novella) - I adore Chokshi. She’s a storyteller in the best sense of the word. I enjoyed the audio of her first novel during my marathon training last year, but for some reason hadn’t gotten around to this novella yet - which is a bit of a prequel. Beautiful and fun, and as always I’m thrilled to be introduced to fairy tales from another culture!
2. That Ain’t Witchcraft, Seanan McGuire - Newest InCrypted Book, which is McGuire’s “popcorn” series. Fun and lighthearted, I look forward to easy entertaining reads from this particular series. One thing that’s been interesting is that McGuire has focused different books on the different siblings in the central family. I’ve decided that this and the previous two - about youngest sibling Antimony - are my favorites. She’s moving on to other family members with the next book, which feels right and good.
3. The Measure of a Monster (novella), Seanan McGuire - I highly approve of McGuire’s apparent new habit of putting novellas in the end of her new releases. Pretty fun!
4. I Think You’re Wrong, But I’m Listening, Sarah Steward Holland and Beth Silvers - In today’s political climate, I think this is a must-read book. I discovered Holland and Silver’s podcast, Pantsuit Politics, right before the 2018 election, and it’s become one of my favorite podcasts to listen to. I love their ability to have deep, nuanced discussions that go way beyond the talking (screaming) points that dominate most political discourse - and feature respectful listening to both sides of the aisle. This book is a how-to to creating space for those talks in real life, and features concrete examples from big time issues to finding commonality. We’re only going to find solutions by working together, and in order for that to happen we really need to learn to listen to each other.
5. Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers - When an old friend, who’s book judgement you really trust, texts you out of the blue to tell you to read this book asap...you do it! This is actually the third in a series, and ordinarily I wouldn’t jump in like this...but my friend was right in that the first two weren’t necessary to really enjoy this. I was hooked within just a few minutes of starting this book...and I loved it in a way that I chose to read it slowly, savoring each chapter instead of blasting through the whole thing as fast as I could. It’s a delicious character study, and I can’t wait to sit down with my friend and talk about it! Rich, deep characters and a well-thought out setting/world. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Chambers’ work in the future!
6. The Moon and the Other, John Kessler - A while back Kessler’s other book was recommended to me, and to be honest I can’t remember why I bought this one first. (Weird) It’s a curious thing for me to have read science fiction twice in one month - it’s not a genre I touch very often. I absolutely loved it, though. Kessler has created a beautiful and rich lunar setting, and I really enjoyed exploring his various communities. Madeleine L’Engle once said that using a fantasy or a science fiction setting allows a writer to really delve into issues in ways that you can’t do in traditional literature. The foreign or alien nature of the setting makes human issues more powerful. (This is in her book Walking on Water, Reflections of Faith and Art - or at least that was my takeaway when I read it over 20 years ago.). Kessler has absolutely done that here, with character and societal studies that are truly fascinating. I wasn’t at all satisfied by the way it ended - but it felt like a truthful ending, so I’m not upset about it. Really, I’m now a fan and I hope his other books are this rich of an experience.
7. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern (audio) - This is the second or third time I’ve checked the audio book out. It’s my idea of comfort food reading - both because of the book, which is in my top 10 of all time, and because of Jim Dale’s delightful performance. Not surprisingly, it’s a very popular audiobook and I still have to deal with the wait list when I want it! I’m taking the unusual step for me of actually buying an audio copy...to go along with the digital and hardback copies I own. I took this with me on a weekend trip to a dance competition. I was able to hole up in our hotel room while the girls took classes all day, and I used this book to help me get to a wonderful flow state with my knitting. It was very much needed...I haven’t found flow in probably two years, and am working to find my way back to it more often.
8. The Mindfulness Based Eating Solution, Lynn Rossy - Lynn’s book was recommended to me by my therapist - we’re using mindfulness techniques to help me address some issues - and curiously enough just days later I saw an ad for her workshop at one of our local yoga studios. I took that for a sign, and went to the workshop. There is a lot I could talk about here - but much of that is tied up in the work I’m doing with my therapist which still feels a tad too raw to talk about. What I CAN say is that Rossy’s book is a pretty darn amazing counterbalance to the toxic diet culture that we live in. Her book is joyous and seeks to help people build a really healthy relationship with their bodies and with their food. It’s honestly one of the best resources I’ve found.
9. Storm Front, 10. Fool Moon, 11. Grave Peril, Jim Butcher (audio) - People have been recommending The Dresden Files to me for ages. I tried reading one of them a long while ago, and felt pretty “m’eh” about it at the time, barely making it 1/3 of the way into the book before I gave it up. I was looking for audiobooks, though, and decided to give it another shot. The Urban Fantasy/Hard Boiled Detective mash up is a funky little subgenre that I enjoy sometimes - but which it’s incredibly difficult to do right. The thing that sold me on a second chance is the fact that James Marsters - Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Spike - reads this series. Clearly, I’m enjoying the series enough to have gone through the first three in a matter of a week...and to have checked out books 4 and 5. They are entertaining and are great books to listen to while doing something else - like my knitting. Marsters does an excellent job of reading them, too. I’m super glad that I didn’t pay money for them, though, and am not as crazy about them as everyone who’s recommended them seems to be. Also, I looked up the series on Wikipedia, and almost laughed myself silly when I discovered the origin story for the series. Of course it was born when Butcher’s writing teacher suggested he try something in the style of Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the quality stays ok, and doesn’t take the nosedive that Hamilton’s books took after the 10 book or so mark.
Unfinished:
1. Under the Pendulum Sun, Jeanette Ng - Truthfully, I bought this book on the iTunes sale table only because it showed up on a recommended reading list on the Tor newsletter. (The recommendation was a lot more interesting than the book description on iTunes....which should have clued me in.). I read about 1/4 of the book, and just never got into it. It’s an interesting concept - Victorianish Christian missionaries going to fairyland - but it was just too slow to get moving, and I never connected with the protagonist. Gave it a fair shot...not sure if it’s a not now or a not ever type of book.
March was an excellent month for reading! I’m finally feeling a bit better, and decided to make room to return to audio books as I reincorporate the things I love into my life. Win-win! More knitting, more quiet time, more books!
1. Death and Night, Roshanin Chokshi (audio, novella) - I adore Chokshi. She’s a storyteller in the best sense of the word. I enjoyed the audio of her first novel during my marathon training last year, but for some reason hadn’t gotten around to this novella yet - which is a bit of a prequel. Beautiful and fun, and as always I’m thrilled to be introduced to fairy tales from another culture!
2. That Ain’t Witchcraft, Seanan McGuire - Newest InCrypted Book, which is McGuire’s “popcorn” series. Fun and lighthearted, I look forward to easy entertaining reads from this particular series. One thing that’s been interesting is that McGuire has focused different books on the different siblings in the central family. I’ve decided that this and the previous two - about youngest sibling Antimony - are my favorites. She’s moving on to other family members with the next book, which feels right and good.
3. The Measure of a Monster (novella), Seanan McGuire - I highly approve of McGuire’s apparent new habit of putting novellas in the end of her new releases. Pretty fun!
4. I Think You’re Wrong, But I’m Listening, Sarah Steward Holland and Beth Silvers - In today’s political climate, I think this is a must-read book. I discovered Holland and Silver’s podcast, Pantsuit Politics, right before the 2018 election, and it’s become one of my favorite podcasts to listen to. I love their ability to have deep, nuanced discussions that go way beyond the talking (screaming) points that dominate most political discourse - and feature respectful listening to both sides of the aisle. This book is a how-to to creating space for those talks in real life, and features concrete examples from big time issues to finding commonality. We’re only going to find solutions by working together, and in order for that to happen we really need to learn to listen to each other.
5. Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers - When an old friend, who’s book judgement you really trust, texts you out of the blue to tell you to read this book asap...you do it! This is actually the third in a series, and ordinarily I wouldn’t jump in like this...but my friend was right in that the first two weren’t necessary to really enjoy this. I was hooked within just a few minutes of starting this book...and I loved it in a way that I chose to read it slowly, savoring each chapter instead of blasting through the whole thing as fast as I could. It’s a delicious character study, and I can’t wait to sit down with my friend and talk about it! Rich, deep characters and a well-thought out setting/world. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Chambers’ work in the future!
6. The Moon and the Other, John Kessler - A while back Kessler’s other book was recommended to me, and to be honest I can’t remember why I bought this one first. (Weird) It’s a curious thing for me to have read science fiction twice in one month - it’s not a genre I touch very often. I absolutely loved it, though. Kessler has created a beautiful and rich lunar setting, and I really enjoyed exploring his various communities. Madeleine L’Engle once said that using a fantasy or a science fiction setting allows a writer to really delve into issues in ways that you can’t do in traditional literature. The foreign or alien nature of the setting makes human issues more powerful. (This is in her book Walking on Water, Reflections of Faith and Art - or at least that was my takeaway when I read it over 20 years ago.). Kessler has absolutely done that here, with character and societal studies that are truly fascinating. I wasn’t at all satisfied by the way it ended - but it felt like a truthful ending, so I’m not upset about it. Really, I’m now a fan and I hope his other books are this rich of an experience.
7. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern (audio) - This is the second or third time I’ve checked the audio book out. It’s my idea of comfort food reading - both because of the book, which is in my top 10 of all time, and because of Jim Dale’s delightful performance. Not surprisingly, it’s a very popular audiobook and I still have to deal with the wait list when I want it! I’m taking the unusual step for me of actually buying an audio copy...to go along with the digital and hardback copies I own. I took this with me on a weekend trip to a dance competition. I was able to hole up in our hotel room while the girls took classes all day, and I used this book to help me get to a wonderful flow state with my knitting. It was very much needed...I haven’t found flow in probably two years, and am working to find my way back to it more often.
8. The Mindfulness Based Eating Solution, Lynn Rossy - Lynn’s book was recommended to me by my therapist - we’re using mindfulness techniques to help me address some issues - and curiously enough just days later I saw an ad for her workshop at one of our local yoga studios. I took that for a sign, and went to the workshop. There is a lot I could talk about here - but much of that is tied up in the work I’m doing with my therapist which still feels a tad too raw to talk about. What I CAN say is that Rossy’s book is a pretty darn amazing counterbalance to the toxic diet culture that we live in. Her book is joyous and seeks to help people build a really healthy relationship with their bodies and with their food. It’s honestly one of the best resources I’ve found.
9. Storm Front, 10. Fool Moon, 11. Grave Peril, Jim Butcher (audio) - People have been recommending The Dresden Files to me for ages. I tried reading one of them a long while ago, and felt pretty “m’eh” about it at the time, barely making it 1/3 of the way into the book before I gave it up. I was looking for audiobooks, though, and decided to give it another shot. The Urban Fantasy/Hard Boiled Detective mash up is a funky little subgenre that I enjoy sometimes - but which it’s incredibly difficult to do right. The thing that sold me on a second chance is the fact that James Marsters - Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Spike - reads this series. Clearly, I’m enjoying the series enough to have gone through the first three in a matter of a week...and to have checked out books 4 and 5. They are entertaining and are great books to listen to while doing something else - like my knitting. Marsters does an excellent job of reading them, too. I’m super glad that I didn’t pay money for them, though, and am not as crazy about them as everyone who’s recommended them seems to be. Also, I looked up the series on Wikipedia, and almost laughed myself silly when I discovered the origin story for the series. Of course it was born when Butcher’s writing teacher suggested he try something in the style of Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the quality stays ok, and doesn’t take the nosedive that Hamilton’s books took after the 10 book or so mark.
Unfinished:
1. Under the Pendulum Sun, Jeanette Ng - Truthfully, I bought this book on the iTunes sale table only because it showed up on a recommended reading list on the Tor newsletter. (The recommendation was a lot more interesting than the book description on iTunes....which should have clued me in.). I read about 1/4 of the book, and just never got into it. It’s an interesting concept - Victorianish Christian missionaries going to fairyland - but it was just too slow to get moving, and I never connected with the protagonist. Gave it a fair shot...not sure if it’s a not now or a not ever type of book.
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