When Life Throws You Lemons...You Read!
2019 Reading: 93/80, a complete success! Huzzah!
I broke my wrist on December 8, which severely limited what I was able to do with my self. So, once I came out of the surgery/drug-induced haze...books! The good part? It was another month of amazing books, thanks in part to end of year recommendations. Seriously, if you haven't explored it you simply must visit the NPR Book Concierge.
4. Traitors' Gate, 5. Shadow Gate, 6. Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot - She's truly one of my favorites, but for whatever reason, I've just not been able to sink into this epic series. I made it about halfway through the first book (and these are 800ish page books) and just don't want to go back. Maybe someday. 2,400 page epics just aren't something I have the time, energy, or interest in just now.
Clean Up:
I took some time at the end of the year to clean up my book wish lists and reading queue.
I cleared anything that was iffy from the wish lists, taking particular care to rethink the 'already read' books. The list isn't really any shorter, thanks to my annual end of year book hunts (NPR Book Concierge) but it does feel more focused now.
I then moved a good 20 books from my to-read shelf to the unfinished shelf. Almost all of them were purchased on the sale table, most of them slightly off-kilter from what I normally read. As they've failed to actually grab my attention - and many of them have been in the queue for more than a year or two - it was time to let go of expectations. I don't feel guilty at all. Just as I no longer push myself to complete books I don't love, I'm not going to force myself to read things that just don't seem interesting.
The end result - all in all, should I buy or find nothing else in 2020, I have a wish list and queue that I could actually get through in one year. Progress!
I broke my wrist on December 8, which severely limited what I was able to do with my self. So, once I came out of the surgery/drug-induced haze...books! The good part? It was another month of amazing books, thanks in part to end of year recommendations. Seriously, if you haven't explored it you simply must visit the NPR Book Concierge.
1. This is How You Lose The Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (audio) - Oh my. I wanted an audiobook and thought I'd try it since it keeps getting a LOT of glowing praise from many sources. (Multiple best of 2019 lists.) There were times that I grew almost embarrassed listening because the letters were so deeply personal and intimate. I felt I shouldn't be intruding. It's gorgeous. You should all read it. (Side note: It reminded me a lot of Jenny Offill's The Department of Speculation - it's short, deeply intimate, philosophical, and beautiful.) The premise is preposterous, and yet it works beautifully.
2. The Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo - I think part of why it took me so long to get into this book was that I was so disappointed by Bardugo's last - even though the two are nothing alike. I also found the prologue a tad off-putting for some reason. Fortunately, I did not give up. Once I found my way in I was hooked, and could barely tear myself away. This is Bardugo's first foray into 'adult' novels and away from her Grishaverse. If this is how she starts, I can't wait to see what happens next. (Also, I both do and don't want a sequel. The door is open, but I honestly am not sure how I feel about her crossing through.) Also very deserving of its place on 2019 Best of lists!
3. The Calculating Stars, Mary Robinette Kowal - Kowel wrote her "Lady Astronaut" series as a prequel to a brilliant short story that I read some time ago. It's a delightful book - an alternate history in which humans must go to the stars after an extinction event (which I know doesn't sound delightful...but trust me.) What I love is that it's a woman who's the smartest in the room. What I love is that she's confronted with her privilege and grows. There are two more books in the series, and while I'm not rushing to read the next I am looking forward to sitting down with it someday.
4. Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence, Michael Marshall Smith - Honestly, I don't remember why I picked this book up? Sale table? Blurb on cover by respected author? (I think both.) What I found was an utterly delightful story about a girl, her grandfather, and the devil. My one quibble - Hannah is 11 in the book, but she generally comes across as a lot younger. Several times I was surprised when her age comes up. Perhaps Smith doesn't know girls that age? It's a good story which feels very modern folklore, and I'm glad I read it.
The next three books were in my wish list, and when I discovered they were all on sale I bought the three of them in one fell swoop...and proceeded to read them all in just over 24 hours.
5. Mightier Than the Sword, K.J. Parker (novella) - Again, no idea where I picked this up, but suspect it was a recommendation from somewhere. I will admit, I fell a bit in love with the narrator, who values books above all else and gave the knowledge he found in them the credit for his ultimate success. It could have been a typical sword and conqueror sort of book...but it wasn't. (And I'm not usually into 'boy books,' so the fact that I loved it says something.)
6. Magic For Liars, Sarah Gailey - This came from the 2019 NPR Book Concierge. I really enjoyed the magic school/detective novel mash-up - made for a fun read. I also enjoyed the fact that this particular magic school was a whole heck of a lot more realistic than certain other fictional magical boarding schools - in large part because the teenagers were actual real teenagers. Our protagonist, Ivy, was compelling (if a tad cliche), and the ending was both satisfying and slightly annoying. All in all, this falls into the popcorn read category for me, and there's nothing wrong with that.
7. We Set the Dark On Fire, Tehlor Kay Mejiaz - Oh my. I could not put this down. (Was a serious problem when I had to leave for work for the day.) First in a dulogy, and now I have to wait until February for the next book, and that sucks. To be fair, it's not a perfect book. Dani and Carmen's turn from school enemies to love interests feels unearned and out of the blue. Actually, a lot of Dani's emotional arc feels a tad too easy/sudden/unearned. Having said that, though, I couldn't put it down. I LOVE the myth that starts the book, and I love the revolution within!
8. The Archive of Alternate Endings, Lindsey Drager - Another 2019 NPR Book Concierge find, I was deeply intrigued by the premise of this experimental novel which plays with the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale as it's told across time in conjunction with Haley's Comet. (Yes, really.) It's pretty darn amazing, and I have a new appreciation for a fairy tale that's not ever really been a favorite. It surprised me when it moved into a story of the AIDS crisis, moving me to tears with the compassion and love at its core. The siblings and the witch are not what you expect. Kudos to Drager.
9. A Beginner's Guide to the End, BJ Miller and Shoshana Bergen - I heard an interview with Miller on Fresh Air, and given some family issues was intrigued. In all honesty, this was a pretty fast skim through. For sure it's a how-to book about putting your affairs in order and making end of life decisions. Much of it was information I had learned elsewhere, but there were some really helpful pieces that I'm going to put into effect in my own life.
10. 13 Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All, Laura Ruby - Another brilliant 2019 Book Concierge find, this was the first book I put in my want to read queue and I'm super glad I bought it immediately and didn't wait. It's the story of two sisters left in a German Catholic orphanage in Chicago during WWII, as told by a ghost who watches over them. Ghost and girls have to figure out how to become themselves. Deeply compelling and emotional, and another book I just couldn't put down. It's particularly poignant when you read the afterword and realize that the orphanage is real and the author built this story from her mother in law's real life story.
11. The Deep, Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes - And one more 2019 book concierge. A few things. This book started as a song, and became a book through what all authors describe as an epic game of telephone. It's based on mythology surrounding pregnant African women who were thrown overboard during transport during the slave trade...and ugly, awful truth that is made beautiful. I had actually heard a writer friend talk about this concept a while ago. Ultimately, she chose not to turn it into a story or book because she knew that she culturally didn't have the right to touch it. So my response to this book? It was another top pick from the concierge, I was super intrigued, I read most of it during long baths (which felt appropriate), and I felt compelled to write to Rivers Solomon to tell them how brilliant they are. It's such a beautiful book. I think I need to read it again.
8. The Archive of Alternate Endings, Lindsey Drager - Another 2019 NPR Book Concierge find, I was deeply intrigued by the premise of this experimental novel which plays with the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale as it's told across time in conjunction with Haley's Comet. (Yes, really.) It's pretty darn amazing, and I have a new appreciation for a fairy tale that's not ever really been a favorite. It surprised me when it moved into a story of the AIDS crisis, moving me to tears with the compassion and love at its core. The siblings and the witch are not what you expect. Kudos to Drager.
9. A Beginner's Guide to the End, BJ Miller and Shoshana Bergen - I heard an interview with Miller on Fresh Air, and given some family issues was intrigued. In all honesty, this was a pretty fast skim through. For sure it's a how-to book about putting your affairs in order and making end of life decisions. Much of it was information I had learned elsewhere, but there were some really helpful pieces that I'm going to put into effect in my own life.
10. 13 Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All, Laura Ruby - Another brilliant 2019 Book Concierge find, this was the first book I put in my want to read queue and I'm super glad I bought it immediately and didn't wait. It's the story of two sisters left in a German Catholic orphanage in Chicago during WWII, as told by a ghost who watches over them. Ghost and girls have to figure out how to become themselves. Deeply compelling and emotional, and another book I just couldn't put down. It's particularly poignant when you read the afterword and realize that the orphanage is real and the author built this story from her mother in law's real life story.
11. The Deep, Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes - And one more 2019 book concierge. A few things. This book started as a song, and became a book through what all authors describe as an epic game of telephone. It's based on mythology surrounding pregnant African women who were thrown overboard during transport during the slave trade...and ugly, awful truth that is made beautiful. I had actually heard a writer friend talk about this concept a while ago. Ultimately, she chose not to turn it into a story or book because she knew that she culturally didn't have the right to touch it. So my response to this book? It was another top pick from the concierge, I was super intrigued, I read most of it during long baths (which felt appropriate), and I felt compelled to write to Rivers Solomon to tell them how brilliant they are. It's such a beautiful book. I think I need to read it again.
Unfinished:
1. The Raven Tower, Ann Leckie - I know, I know...everyone loves Leckie and this is on all of the best of 2019 lists. I'm trying, I really am. I think she's a really good writer, and I love what she does with gender...but I find it really difficult to make a connection with her books. 1/3 of the way in and I just don't care about any of the characters...not good.
2. Midnight Never Come, Marie Brennan - I adore Brennan's Lady Trent novels, but in all honesty, I've been disappointed in everything else she's done. There are a bunch of books in The Onyx Court series, and I had truly hoped to enjoy them. On paper, they sound good - Elizabethan reality interacting with Elizabethan underground fey. In reality, I made it through 1/3 of the book and was so bored that I decided to give up on it and delete the rest of the books from my queue.
3. The Wall of Storms, Ken Liu - Truth, I think Liu is a brilliant writer, and I had eagerly preordered this book as soon as I finished the Grace of Kings I've tried to start it a dozen times, and I just can't. Too much time passed between the first and the second book, and even more has passed since. Much as I appreciated that first book, it didn't stick well enough for me to really remember much - which makes it a challenge to get into the sequel, particularly because these are massive books that cover big timespans with lots and lots of characters. When you find yourself sighing every time you pick up a book to try to read it, only to put it down after a dozen pages or so...it was time to give up.
4. Traitors' Gate, 5. Shadow Gate, 6. Spirit Gate, Kate Elliot - She's truly one of my favorites, but for whatever reason, I've just not been able to sink into this epic series. I made it about halfway through the first book (and these are 800ish page books) and just don't want to go back. Maybe someday. 2,400 page epics just aren't something I have the time, energy, or interest in just now.
Clean Up:
I took some time at the end of the year to clean up my book wish lists and reading queue.
I cleared anything that was iffy from the wish lists, taking particular care to rethink the 'already read' books. The list isn't really any shorter, thanks to my annual end of year book hunts (NPR Book Concierge) but it does feel more focused now.
I then moved a good 20 books from my to-read shelf to the unfinished shelf. Almost all of them were purchased on the sale table, most of them slightly off-kilter from what I normally read. As they've failed to actually grab my attention - and many of them have been in the queue for more than a year or two - it was time to let go of expectations. I don't feel guilty at all. Just as I no longer push myself to complete books I don't love, I'm not going to force myself to read things that just don't seem interesting.
The end result - all in all, should I buy or find nothing else in 2020, I have a wish list and queue that I could actually get through in one year. Progress!
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