Two for One: Reading in January and February
2020 Reading Goal: 11/100
January:
1. Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow (audio) - Yeah, if you want to get mad, read this book. I listened to it while running, which is probably what kept me from punching things. #metoo has exposed just how bad things are for women...this book takes it a step further to expose just how bad the cover-up to protect powerful men is. Farrow's reporting is meticulous and detailed, and I have the utmost respect for the work he's doing.
2. Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire - Wayword Children, Book 5. I feel my entries about McGuire are a tad repetitive. Such a fantastic series. I have some very near and dear friends who call me "Changling" which may be why I relate so strongly to this series about found families and children who find magical doors that take them truly home. Perhaps the books aren't packing as much of a punch as we get further into the series...but that's ok because they are still magical. Also, there's a team of 'horses' in this book who fill my soul with delight.
3. The Secret Chapter, Genevieve Cogman - Um. So she decided to write a heist book for the series, and, well, I enjoyed it...but also hope this is the only time she does that. Enjoyable, but maybe a tad less so. Wondering if the series is going stale, sincerely hoping not. (Big shout out to both writers who know when to quit and those who can keep the quality up book after book after book!)
4. The Tiger's Daughter, K. Arsenault Rivera - All I can say is Wow. This is an amazing introduction to this writer for me, and I am so glad I stumbled onto this book. (I can't remember how. Probably a recommendation list somewhere...and/or it was on sale.) I've tried to describe it to multiple people. It's a fantasy based on historical Asian culture - although I don't know enough about Asian history to be able to accurately pinpoint when and who is inspiring this book other than to say it's pre-Industrial revolution for sure. It's a book about kick-ass, powerful women. Seriously, the women are the true fighters. It's incredibly detailed. It's an epistolary novel, which you know I'm a sucker for. It's a tender, very sweet, very intimate love story. And this was just the first book. I've two more to go!
Unfinished:
How to do Nothing, Jenny Odell - It's a gorgeous book, and I think the message is one that our culture desperately needs. It's also a message I'm totally on board with and don't need any convincing about - which is why I didn't finish the book.
February:
(book spa)
1. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and 2. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, Mackenzi Lee - The first of my book spa books, I started with #1 because I was in a place where I just wanted something fun to read. The day after I finished the first I ran up to the bookstore and bought the second. Sooooo much fun! It's a little bit Indiana Jones and a little bit Jane Austin and a little bit anachronistic and a little bit fantastical and a whole lot queer. Can't wait for the third book!
3. Growing Succulents Indoors, Cassidy Tuttle - I'm obsessing more than a little bit about succulents these days, thanks to two coworkers who share the same obsession. I'm a collector at heart, so I'm in for a penny, in for a pound, and having gathered (ahem) more than a reasonable amount of succulents in a very short time I decided I wanted to learn more about how to care for them. It's a short ebook with some good advice, particularly when supplemented by her videos and website.
4. The Phoenix Empress, K. Arsenault Rivera - Lordy, I love this trilogy so, so much. Where the first book was told almost entirely through a loooooong letter, this one shifts perspective back and forth between our two protagonists, filling in details of the time they spent apart and moving the overall pieces forward. So good.
5. Stormsong, C.L. Polk - This is a delightful sequel to Polk's amazing Witchmark. She's definitely a new writer to watch! To carry the story forward, we switch to the sister of our protagonist from Witchmark, Miles. Grace is a little bit harder to like, but no matter. Super fun book, excellent worldbuilding, great characters!
6. Golden State: A Novel, Ben H. Winters - And book spa book #2! I was intrigued by Carrie's description of it being not only one of the best books she'd read in the last year, but also the rare case of a writer being able to truly stick the landing with what I refer to as a 'concept' book. (By which, I mean, a book that can be considered all sorts of genres - speculative fiction being the most common - which is built around a single, interesting 'what if' sort of idea.) (And for the record, Carrie is right. There are an awful lot of books that start with a bang and then end with a whimper.) What I can say about it a few weeks later is that I'm intrigued enough to try more of Winters's work, and am still thinking a great deal about the ideas presented in Golden State....but it's not quite my sort of book, so I'm conflicted.
7. Circe, Madeline Miller (audio) - Last year I realized that I wanted to start collecting audiobooks. Not many - just a few beloved books that I wanted to listen to over and over again. In order to do that, I now have a membership with Libro.fm, which allows me to support my local bookstore, Skylark Bookshop. Circe was a top pick of mine the year it was published, and I was absolutely delighted with the wonderful reader for the audio version. It was a luxurious experience, which I enjoyed very much. Interestingly enough, Greek Mythology seems to be poking its nose back into my life....
January:
1. Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow (audio) - Yeah, if you want to get mad, read this book. I listened to it while running, which is probably what kept me from punching things. #metoo has exposed just how bad things are for women...this book takes it a step further to expose just how bad the cover-up to protect powerful men is. Farrow's reporting is meticulous and detailed, and I have the utmost respect for the work he's doing.
2. Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire - Wayword Children, Book 5. I feel my entries about McGuire are a tad repetitive. Such a fantastic series. I have some very near and dear friends who call me "Changling" which may be why I relate so strongly to this series about found families and children who find magical doors that take them truly home. Perhaps the books aren't packing as much of a punch as we get further into the series...but that's ok because they are still magical. Also, there's a team of 'horses' in this book who fill my soul with delight.
3. The Secret Chapter, Genevieve Cogman - Um. So she decided to write a heist book for the series, and, well, I enjoyed it...but also hope this is the only time she does that. Enjoyable, but maybe a tad less so. Wondering if the series is going stale, sincerely hoping not. (Big shout out to both writers who know when to quit and those who can keep the quality up book after book after book!)
4. The Tiger's Daughter, K. Arsenault Rivera - All I can say is Wow. This is an amazing introduction to this writer for me, and I am so glad I stumbled onto this book. (I can't remember how. Probably a recommendation list somewhere...and/or it was on sale.) I've tried to describe it to multiple people. It's a fantasy based on historical Asian culture - although I don't know enough about Asian history to be able to accurately pinpoint when and who is inspiring this book other than to say it's pre-Industrial revolution for sure. It's a book about kick-ass, powerful women. Seriously, the women are the true fighters. It's incredibly detailed. It's an epistolary novel, which you know I'm a sucker for. It's a tender, very sweet, very intimate love story. And this was just the first book. I've two more to go!
Unfinished:
How to do Nothing, Jenny Odell - It's a gorgeous book, and I think the message is one that our culture desperately needs. It's also a message I'm totally on board with and don't need any convincing about - which is why I didn't finish the book.
February:
(book spa)
1. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and 2. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, Mackenzi Lee - The first of my book spa books, I started with #1 because I was in a place where I just wanted something fun to read. The day after I finished the first I ran up to the bookstore and bought the second. Sooooo much fun! It's a little bit Indiana Jones and a little bit Jane Austin and a little bit anachronistic and a little bit fantastical and a whole lot queer. Can't wait for the third book!
3. Growing Succulents Indoors, Cassidy Tuttle - I'm obsessing more than a little bit about succulents these days, thanks to two coworkers who share the same obsession. I'm a collector at heart, so I'm in for a penny, in for a pound, and having gathered (ahem) more than a reasonable amount of succulents in a very short time I decided I wanted to learn more about how to care for them. It's a short ebook with some good advice, particularly when supplemented by her videos and website.
4. The Phoenix Empress, K. Arsenault Rivera - Lordy, I love this trilogy so, so much. Where the first book was told almost entirely through a loooooong letter, this one shifts perspective back and forth between our two protagonists, filling in details of the time they spent apart and moving the overall pieces forward. So good.
5. Stormsong, C.L. Polk - This is a delightful sequel to Polk's amazing Witchmark. She's definitely a new writer to watch! To carry the story forward, we switch to the sister of our protagonist from Witchmark, Miles. Grace is a little bit harder to like, but no matter. Super fun book, excellent worldbuilding, great characters!
6. Golden State: A Novel, Ben H. Winters - And book spa book #2! I was intrigued by Carrie's description of it being not only one of the best books she'd read in the last year, but also the rare case of a writer being able to truly stick the landing with what I refer to as a 'concept' book. (By which, I mean, a book that can be considered all sorts of genres - speculative fiction being the most common - which is built around a single, interesting 'what if' sort of idea.) (And for the record, Carrie is right. There are an awful lot of books that start with a bang and then end with a whimper.) What I can say about it a few weeks later is that I'm intrigued enough to try more of Winters's work, and am still thinking a great deal about the ideas presented in Golden State....but it's not quite my sort of book, so I'm conflicted.
7. Circe, Madeline Miller (audio) - Last year I realized that I wanted to start collecting audiobooks. Not many - just a few beloved books that I wanted to listen to over and over again. In order to do that, I now have a membership with Libro.fm, which allows me to support my local bookstore, Skylark Bookshop. Circe was a top pick of mine the year it was published, and I was absolutely delighted with the wonderful reader for the audio version. It was a luxurious experience, which I enjoyed very much. Interestingly enough, Greek Mythology seems to be poking its nose back into my life....
Comments
I'm currently reading a novel calle The True...I think you'd enjoy it...