Space Station Mir

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! 1. Man Fast by Natasha Scripture I loved this book and I want to buy it so I can read all and parts of it over and over again. 2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin The first time I read this, I read it twice in a row. I'm in the mood to read it again...but I don't own it. 3. Wild by Cheryl Strayed It's been a while since I read this, and I could do with a reread and could see rereading it more than once in the future. 4. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour This book was such a beautiful little gem. I could see flipping through it or even reading the whole thing again someday. 5. Blue Iris by Mary Oliver This could probably be any Mary Oliver book, but I've actually read this one, and could see opening it to read through the poems again. 6. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss I actually did use to own this one, but someone borrowed it and never gave it back. 7. The Wise Man's Fear b

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! My Top Ten Favorite Tropes 1. "Mary Sues" I love strong, smart capable women like Wonder Woman and Tasha Yar and Jadzia Dax, and I don't think that's a downside to any story. There's a thorough exploration of the "Mary Sue" perfect woman self-insert trope in The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel (and argument for why, imo, there's nothing wrong with that). 2. Quests I love quests. Think The Hobbit, LOTR, the Belgariad and Malloreon , the Holy Grail, and lots of epic fantasy novels. I love a quest and the resulting journey. 3. Fellowships/found families Similarly, I love the fellowships and found families that form along the quests or journeys, like LOTR ,  Firefly, The Raven Boys, the Wayfarers, etc. 4. Actual families/siblings I also love stories about actual families, usually sibling groups, finding their way in the wilderness, like in the Chronicles of Narnia, Half Magic,

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! Top Ten Book Characters I'd Love to Be Besties With 1. Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time         I've always related to Meg and thought we would be good friends. We could defy the unctuous principal together and go on adventures in space and mitochondria alike! 2. Jo March from Little Women  I've always admired Jo March, not to mention Louisa May Alcott, and I bet we could have some fun climbing trees and imagining worlds to conquer.  3. Emily from Emily of New Moon       Emily and Ilse always seem like they have a lot of fun clambering over the countryside and making up stories. I'd love to romp and talk with Emily. 4. Grace Delarua from The Best of All Possible Worlds  Besides being a kind, smart person, Grace has contagious laughter! When she laughs, people          around her feel good. That's a friend I want by my side! 5. Anlei from Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon Anlei can fight

First, I'm going to take a second to enjoy the fact that it's August and I've already completed my Goodreads challenge of 60 books. This is a first. I read 72 books all of last year, which was my record. I wonder how far I can go this year! Next, onto August goals! Bookish Goals for August Read at least 5 books, including some I already own Read at least one book for #WIT month (WIT stands for Women In Translation, and if you want to know more, check out Biblibio See how close I can get to finishing my summer TBR ; I'm already well on my way! A Giant Book Haul Sunday morning, I decided to go the farmers' market, and then I decided to go used book shopping. I haven't had a really big book splurge for a while (or, well, since the Gaithersburg Book Festival in May), and while I've been getting rid of a lot of books, I've realized that, for me, I'm making room for different types of books in my life: books that are relevant to the person I

Books Read This Month Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart by Carrot Quinn Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl The Home Edit by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler Favorite Books This Month 1. Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan Not only does STABD boast an incredible cover and apt acronym, but I just loved, loved, loved the protagonist, Anlei, and the steampunk China fantasy world. Character-building and world-building are the keys to my heart. Anlei is a warrior but she's also a talented performer, close with her sister, has some trouble relating to and trusting other people...she's just such a full complex character and, perhaps obviously, one that I related to. Furthermore, her partner-in-crime and eventual love interest, Tai, has quite a lot going on for him too, and his character is nearly as developed. The two get to know each other while riding