Skip to main content

Books Read in May 2023

 

Books Read This Month

  1. The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris (April book club read)--Well-written, intriguing, with a surprisingly hopeful ending (and finally, finally historical fiction set after the Civil War--so glad to get away from WWII and mid-war in general). 
  2. L.A. Weather by MarĂ­a Amparo EscandĂłn (May book club read)--Terrifying depiction of current climate change in L.A. (as of 2016), and a calendar year in the life of a telenovela-esque family drama. The weather-related secret is the best though.
  3. Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham--I read Graham's last book, Talking as Fast as I Can, since I'm a Gilmore Girls fan, and her writing style is entertaining and breezy. This is a collection of essays about her life in showbiz, ranging from the present to different past eras; a quick, easy enjoyable read. 
  4. The Cloisters by Katy Hays--Modern Gothic novel set at one of my favorite museums, the Cloisters. This was absolutely every atmospheric, twisty, intricate Renaissance detail I could have wanted!
  5. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins--I thought this was also going to be modern Gothic but that was really just the start of this fictional palimpsest set in the 1970s and the modern day with overt themes and characters inspired by the life of Mary Shelley, at an Italian villa. A light, fun read that gives you just enough to think about.
  6. Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card--I read Ender's Shadow years ago, and Ender's Game even longer before that, but I finally picked up these easy reads from my husband's section of our library, and I'm racing through. Easy reads, great banter between characters, some religious weirdness, not a bad way to spend an afternoon or two on a long weekend. 
  7. Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card--See above :-)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Books with Single-Word Titles

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books with Single-Word Titles These are all my favorite books that I could think of with one-word titles. A lot of fantasy, a few nonfiction (minus subtitles) and Kindred , whether you consider it scifi or historical fiction. Also two portmanteaus using the word "bitter." I suppose it's a word that lends itself to amelioration. 1. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 3. Fire by Kristin Cashore 4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer 5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 7. Stoned by Aja Raden (has a subtitle) 8. Educated by Tara Westover 9. Fledgling by Octavia Butler 10. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel

Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel *To Be Released from New Door Books on April 10, 2018* Mindy Vogel is haunted by the future. In frequent daydreams, she toggles between her real, wheelchair-bound life and the adventurous life of her fanfic alter ego, SkyLog officer Kat Wanderer. She's haunted by all that Kat can do which she cannot---belong to an organization of comrades, walk, and fall in love---yet. Because at twenty-four, Mindy's future is very much ahead of her, wheelchair notwithstanding. Through Mindy's "SkyLog" fanzine and related emails, Seidel evokes Star Trek fandom around the turn of the millenium, but also creates a new and compelling science fictional universe, similar to what Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl  does for the Harry Potter fandom with "Simon Snow." Mindy is among the pioneers transitioning fandom from print to digital, boldly encountering like-minded individuals from the comfort of her chair behind the monito

Books On My Summer 2024 TBR

 I've been fairly successful with my reading goals so far this year (40 out of 42 read!), but I still have some goals to catch up on or exceed (books by authors of color and women in translation). I've also got my book club books, and I'll throw a few new and/or summery titles into the mix for inspiration. Hoping to read many of these outside, basking in beautiful weather! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books On My Summer 2024 TBR She's Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino--This is technically for a book club, although I probably won't be able to attend the meeting.  I've heard so many good things about this one, and it looks like a good summer read, so I'm planning to read it anyway. Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia by David Greene (Book club read)--I already have it out of the library, but have to get on this one! It sounds very interesting but nonfiction usually takes me a little longer. The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (Book cl