Is it Fall Reading if the Weather is Still Miserably Hot?
2019 Reading Goal: 74/80! Almost There!
1. The Unkindest Tide, and 2. Hope is Swift (novella) by Seanan McGuire - You know I love McGuire. Problem is, I don't have much more to say about her! Yet another awesome October Daye book. I've come to look forward to the annual fall release after discovering her several years ago. Love that she's released novellas with the last two as it extends the fun!
3. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Kiersten White - Man, oh man, oh man....this is going on my top 5 for the year. It's no secret that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite books. I had read it in high school, but fell in love my first semester in college when it was taught through a feminist lens in my honors English class by a brilliant teacher. Since then, I don't know how many times I've read it. This book was an NPR Best Book (forget the year), and because of that was added to my wish list. It was absolutely brilliant. White took the character of Elizabeth, and then twisted the whole story around her. She tells us from the get go that she's an unreliable narrator, and her relationship with Victor is truly fascinating. I don't want to say more because I think you all should go out and read it instead. The only other thing I'll say is that the end left me jumping up and down, pacing the house in agitated excitement. That's pretty rare for me...and I'm oh so grateful to writers who can trigger it. I'll be buying a hardcover copy, and I'll be reading it again...and again...and again...
4. The Harp of Kings, Juliette Marillier - It's no secret that I adore Marillier. Her books are the type of classic, Romantic (and that is with a capital R) fairy tales I love best. In this, her newest, she begins (at least I'm hoping this is a beginning) the story of the children of Blackthorn and Grim - the leads from her last triligy - while also delving into a community she first created back in her Sevenwaters books. I don't know that I had the same emotional connection to The Harp of Kings that I've had with past works, but it was still an enjoyable read. Marillier excels at creating interesting female leads, and Liobhan was exactly what I hoped for from one of her books...even as she was a bit different from all of the other women I've come to know in these books.
5. Naturally Tan (audio, read by the author), Tan France - My oldest daughter and I went to see Tan France speak about his memoir several months ago at a Rainy Day Books author event in KC. It was absolutely delightful. He was super fun and well spoken, and we had a perfect mother-daughter day of it. I'd started the book some time ago, but for whatever reason that reading experience never took off. When I discovered that my library had the audio version, well that seemed like a match made in road trip heaven. Same daughter and I had a six hour roundtrip drive last weekend, and this is what we did. Celebrity memoirs aren't normally my thing, but this turned out to be a lot of fun...and very moving as well. If you are interested, I highly recommend the audio version, which adds so, so much to the experience.
6. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Natasha Pulley - This was another NPR Best Book, and I've actually been trying to read it for a loooooooong time. It's slow to start, but the payoff is pretty great. There's some interesting misdirection with which characters we should be rooting for (and I can't say more without spoiling it), and I have to admit that I give props to the writer for what she did. I will confess to being a little confused about what was going on sometimes, and I wish it were either more full on steampunk or a bit less.
7. Health at Any Size, Linda Bacon - If you want to get mad, read this book. Every couple of years, I find myself doing research about food/health which leaves me furious, and even though I already knew much of what was in this book it was still hard to hear. Bacon is very well known in the anti-diet culture world. In many ways, she's the one who truly kicked off intuitive eating and who's been leading the charge against our toxic diet culture. The book is science and evidence based, and backs up every point with research. Folks, we're being fed a pack of lies every single day by multiple sources when it comes to food and weight, and I, for one, am done with it.
8. Grave Importance, Vivian Shaw - Yay! Another Greta Helsing book! These are just fun. I mean, really, a doctor to the supernatural? Who regularly interacts with all of my favorite monsters? Which brings in a lot of classic Gothic references? Yeah, it's like she's writing just for me.
Unfinished:
King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo - This truly kills me. I have adored every single other book Bardugo has ever written, and up until now her Grishaverse books have been a reliable delight. But. I cannot get through this one. It's been sitting on my currently reading pile since it was released, and I have to admit that at this point it feels like it would be a noxious chore to finish it. I don't know quite what the problem is, except to say that not much of anything actually happened in the 1/4 or so of the book that I read. Instead of being a fun continuation of the story of characters I already know and love, it's a slog. Maybe I'll try again later....
1. The Unkindest Tide, and 2. Hope is Swift (novella) by Seanan McGuire - You know I love McGuire. Problem is, I don't have much more to say about her! Yet another awesome October Daye book. I've come to look forward to the annual fall release after discovering her several years ago. Love that she's released novellas with the last two as it extends the fun!
3. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Kiersten White - Man, oh man, oh man....this is going on my top 5 for the year. It's no secret that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite books. I had read it in high school, but fell in love my first semester in college when it was taught through a feminist lens in my honors English class by a brilliant teacher. Since then, I don't know how many times I've read it. This book was an NPR Best Book (forget the year), and because of that was added to my wish list. It was absolutely brilliant. White took the character of Elizabeth, and then twisted the whole story around her. She tells us from the get go that she's an unreliable narrator, and her relationship with Victor is truly fascinating. I don't want to say more because I think you all should go out and read it instead. The only other thing I'll say is that the end left me jumping up and down, pacing the house in agitated excitement. That's pretty rare for me...and I'm oh so grateful to writers who can trigger it. I'll be buying a hardcover copy, and I'll be reading it again...and again...and again...
4. The Harp of Kings, Juliette Marillier - It's no secret that I adore Marillier. Her books are the type of classic, Romantic (and that is with a capital R) fairy tales I love best. In this, her newest, she begins (at least I'm hoping this is a beginning) the story of the children of Blackthorn and Grim - the leads from her last triligy - while also delving into a community she first created back in her Sevenwaters books. I don't know that I had the same emotional connection to The Harp of Kings that I've had with past works, but it was still an enjoyable read. Marillier excels at creating interesting female leads, and Liobhan was exactly what I hoped for from one of her books...even as she was a bit different from all of the other women I've come to know in these books.
5. Naturally Tan (audio, read by the author), Tan France - My oldest daughter and I went to see Tan France speak about his memoir several months ago at a Rainy Day Books author event in KC. It was absolutely delightful. He was super fun and well spoken, and we had a perfect mother-daughter day of it. I'd started the book some time ago, but for whatever reason that reading experience never took off. When I discovered that my library had the audio version, well that seemed like a match made in road trip heaven. Same daughter and I had a six hour roundtrip drive last weekend, and this is what we did. Celebrity memoirs aren't normally my thing, but this turned out to be a lot of fun...and very moving as well. If you are interested, I highly recommend the audio version, which adds so, so much to the experience.
6. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Natasha Pulley - This was another NPR Best Book, and I've actually been trying to read it for a loooooooong time. It's slow to start, but the payoff is pretty great. There's some interesting misdirection with which characters we should be rooting for (and I can't say more without spoiling it), and I have to admit that I give props to the writer for what she did. I will confess to being a little confused about what was going on sometimes, and I wish it were either more full on steampunk or a bit less.
7. Health at Any Size, Linda Bacon - If you want to get mad, read this book. Every couple of years, I find myself doing research about food/health which leaves me furious, and even though I already knew much of what was in this book it was still hard to hear. Bacon is very well known in the anti-diet culture world. In many ways, she's the one who truly kicked off intuitive eating and who's been leading the charge against our toxic diet culture. The book is science and evidence based, and backs up every point with research. Folks, we're being fed a pack of lies every single day by multiple sources when it comes to food and weight, and I, for one, am done with it.
8. Grave Importance, Vivian Shaw - Yay! Another Greta Helsing book! These are just fun. I mean, really, a doctor to the supernatural? Who regularly interacts with all of my favorite monsters? Which brings in a lot of classic Gothic references? Yeah, it's like she's writing just for me.
Unfinished:
King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo - This truly kills me. I have adored every single other book Bardugo has ever written, and up until now her Grishaverse books have been a reliable delight. But. I cannot get through this one. It's been sitting on my currently reading pile since it was released, and I have to admit that at this point it feels like it would be a noxious chore to finish it. I don't know quite what the problem is, except to say that not much of anything actually happened in the 1/4 or so of the book that I read. Instead of being a fun continuation of the story of characters I already know and love, it's a slog. Maybe I'll try again later....
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