Space Station Mir

Phew! It's been a minute. I didn't have a personal computer for a while there, so blogging was hard, but I sure did a lot of reading. I'll go through the lists quickly--my favorites for each month are highlighted, although I really enjoyed a lot of these. I got Kindle Unlimited and went wild on cozy romantasy and a few other genres for variety! Books Read in September Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum (Book club read) Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen (Another book club read) The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck (Yet another book club read) A Different Sky by Randie K. Berman (Rec'd by the author from a shared fb group--I loved it!) Books Read in October Ensnaring the Siren by Desirée M. Niccoli (Haven Cove #3) (LibraryThing review--and fit the romantasy kick--with mermaids!) The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane (Elderberry Falls #1)  The Gargoyle and the Songbird by Cora Crane (Elderberry Falls #2) Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (audiobook) Party of One: Be Your Own Best ...

 The Dry by Jane Harper (Book club read)--First of a mystery series set in Australia; solid read and fit well with the setting in a drought-struck town Never Meant to Meet You by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (Another book club read)-- Loved this Black/Jewish friendship story and they really know what they're talking about when it comes to teaching! The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (Yet another book club read)-- Loved, loved this magical alternate history--perfect remix of history and fairytale and feminism--over 500 pages and I did not want it to stop! I actually recommended this one so I guess I really know my own taste lol! Kat Girl by Sarah Lahey (LibraryThing review)--Another one set in Australia,  this one in Melbourne. Main character is a twice-divorced architect who is definitely autism spectrum-coded. This book gets really frank and weird and there's a lot of architecture and Monopoly but definitely an interesting read. Also, the romance is definitely secon...

 Pitch It by Evie Blum-- Kind of a weirdly suspenseful romcom but I enjoyed the perspective of a woman working in Silicon Valley,  which I don't see a lot. The business jargon was on point. The author is really talented at writing physicality too; be prepared for a lot of spicy scenes.  My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Bro di Ashton, and Jodi Meadows--I'd wanted to read this for a while (Tudor history nerd, hello!), and I just saw and loved the show on Prime and finally got the book from Kindle Unlimited.  Both are so, so good! Very tongue-in-cheek, intrusive narration, and so many riffs on Shakespeare, Tudor history, and more. Plus it's a surprise fantasy world with people who turn into animals instead of Protestants vs. Catholics--totally brilliant. Can't wait to read the rest! An Improper Situation by Sydney Jane Bailey-- On Stuff-Your-Kindle romance day, I took a chance on a lot of different books. This was the first one I tried. I really enjoyed the 19th century Sp...

Dreams of Ice and Shadow by Kathryn Troy (Frostbite Trilogy, Book #2) Release Day: July 23, 2024 It's here! I've been reading this book for so long, but it's finally out!  Since I loved Troy's book, The Shadow of Theron , and the first book in this trilogy, A Vision in Crimson , I again volunteered to be part of the "street team" for social media promotion and received a review copy of the book--in the form of an e-galley and finally an e-book. It took me so long to read because I don't like reading on my computer, but once I got the e-book, I zipped through it. This is definitely one where I recommend reading in order.  Like Troy's other books, the writing is vivid, intense, and dense with literary references. This one particularly gets to some Narnian deep cuts--"If the person who possesses the stone speaks a single magical word, known only by a select few...[they will have the power to destroy the world]." We learn this, of course, from a ...

 Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Stuck writing on my phone again, so we'll see what I can do. I'm going to post covers with color/color schemes I like--mainly shades of blue and teal with other colors mixed in. These were the only images I could upload from my phone--hopefully more later. 

 June was a superlative reading month for me! I spent a lot of time reading outdoors (and indoors), and I finished several books for review, book clubs, and fun! I surpassed my reading goal for the year of 42 books, and I've read 10 out of 11 books I planned to read by authors of color (though I'll have to expand the goal for 25% of however many books I end up reading). Here's to many more nights of reading this summer! Books Read in June 2024 How to Align the Stars by Amy Dressler (LibraryThing Early Reviewers)--See my review here. To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn--Maybe my favorite of the Bridgerton book series so far! I really loved the romance between Eloise and Phillip, and also Eloise's vivacious character, which is a little different from the show. Can't wait to see what they do with this on screen! The Bloodstained Key by Charity Rau (LibraryThing Early Reviewers)--See my review here . The Spirit Well (Lutesong #2) by R.K. Ashwick (LibraryThing Early...

  Clean: The New Science of Skin had been on my TBR for a while, and it recently caught my eye again. This time, I immediately checked it out of the library, and I'm glad I did. It was an interesting before-bedtime read that started out in familiar (to me) territory about our society's recent obsession with skincare, then wended its way through the fascinating recent history of skincare products and soap, a bit about the ineffable nature of the human longing for (spiritual) "cleanliness" and how being "germ-free" has recently subbed in for that role for many people, and finally and most interestingly, the upcoming probiotic and prebiotic skincare market as well as the ways in which our microbiomes really do affect our skin and overall health. The microorganism stuff was the most interesting to me, as well as the validation that pretty much no skincare products or daily cleaning routines aside from handwashing are needed from a healthcare point-of-view (altho...

I'm surprised how many upcoming books I actually am aware of--a few came to mind right away, and for some I had to check Goodreads, but even though I usually read the backlist, turns out I am pretty tuned in this year! Looking forward to seeing everyone else's picks too--Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books I'm Looking Forward To in the Second Half of 2024  Dreams of Ice and Shadow by Kathryn Troy--July 23, 2024--I've been reading the eARC slowly and helping with the social media build-up to this release for the second in the Frostbite trilogy--I just love Troy's lush, witty writing and intense characters! My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows--August 20, 2024--I've been wanting to read their irreverent alternate histories and so excited to see one coming about one of my fav women pirates, Mary Read! Until Next Summer by Ali Brady--July 9, 2024--Looks like a fun summer read, and you don't see too many novels about summer camp! The Book of Wit...

 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...

  The Bloodstained Key by Charity Rau The Bloodstained Key is exactly what I wanted it to be--a fleshed out fantasy retelling of the story of Bluebeard. Marianna makes a great protagonist as the "wife who lives," and I also enjoyed the characterization of her maid Betsy and sister Annette, plus the library of everyone's dreams. Rau nails the elements of the original fairytale and expands on them in ways that add to the Gothic, claustrophobic feel of the original. My only silly quibble is that I was distracted by a few awkward uses of diction ("taxidermized" late in the book, when before that the diction was standard American) and references to the "poorhouse" that didn't seem to fit with the other period-type references of balls and matches, and therefore took me out of the world. It's not technically historical fic, but felt weird to me in combination, YMMV. However, I think this is because being so immersed in the world is crucial to what is ...

How to Align the Stars by Amy Dressler (Shakespeare Project, Book 1) Release Date: June 4, 2024 Bea is an astronomy professor at a small college in Washington State; Ben is the college's special collections librarian. They hate each other due to a misunderstanding when they were undergraduates at the same school. This contemporary retelling of Much Ado About Nothing originally seems like just that--one of Shakespeare's most romantically compelling and simultaneously troubling comedies translated into contemporary American academia.  However, gradually, the book, told from the perspectives of Bea and her cousin Heron, reveals itself to be quite a lot more. This is not merely the modern retelling that the names and relationships suggest, but a deeper, feminist and humanist exploration of modern campus life for students and faculty, and a much-needed commentary and alternative ending to the Claudio/Hero storyline that rightfully haunts all feminist Shakespeare scholars. Beatrice a...

Wow, May was a great reading month for me! I got ahead on reading for a couple of my book clubs, finished a few books I'd been reading for a long time (one for years!), and gained a new absolute all-time favorite ( Project Hail Mary) plus a new series that I'm very excited to continue and helps a bit with Bridgerton withdrawal ( Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies). How were your reading months? Books Read This Month  Through the Eyes of Poets: Ellicott City at 250--Enjoyed the local connections and poets especially, not as sure about choices to include tangentially related poets, even with explanations--some work but some seemed a little far-fetched. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir--Officially one of my favorite books of all time--just a delight--I know it's very popular and idk if it's for everyone, but it's for everyone who loved those survival books as a kid, loves space and aliens, and for me, as a teacher, I felt an additional special connection to the ma...

This was a topic from two weeks ago, the last time I tried to make a post, but even though there's only a few, I still wanted to share! It's fun to look back at my past posts on the topic, most of which are still some of my favorites, so I'll try to share some of my newer favorites this time since it's been a few years since the last one! Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Top Quotes for Book Lovers “Life, like a poem, was a series of choices.” --Maggie Smith, You Could Make This Place Beautiful “If you have an obsession that other people don’t quite understand—that might be a novel.”          --Curtis Sittenfeld, Sixth and I, April 13, 2023 Alexander Graham Bell's wife Mabel describing her husband after helping organize an evacuation from a sinking ship, “Tomorrow I fancy the collapse will come, but he feels happy for he thinks yesterday has proved that he has not heart disease" (241).  -- Alexander Graham Bell: The Reluctant Genius a...

I love today's Top Ten Tuesday theme :  May Flowers — Pick your own title for this one to reflect the direction you choose to go with this prompt ( books with flowers on the cover, flower names in the title, characters whose names are flower names, stories involving flowers/gardeners ). I mostly went with books with flowers (usually characters' names) or gardens in the title and often on the cover as well. These include some very old and very new favorites of mine, as well as books on my TBR! A Blooming Bouquet of Books  with Flower Names, Covers, and Stories Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott--A classic childhood fav. Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott--One of the few Alcott books I didn't read as a kid but finally got around to in the last several years. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen--Gardening and flowers are central here! The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett--I bet a lot of people will mention this one! The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer-...

Pretty decent reading list in April--I finished some books I've been meaning to read for a while. I've also been reading six or seven books at a time (several are nonfiction or poetry) for the first time in a while, and it's some glorious chaos, we'll see whether that continues or not. I may need to not be in four book clubs anymore, although it still feels ok so far--maybe easier to just give myself to permission to give up on a book I'm not feeling. Anyway, happy May! Books I Finished in April 2024  The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman--I finally got to see what all the hype was about--and it was pretty decent. Not the best book I've read ever, but a very solid mystery set in a senior living community in the United Kingdom. I would be interested in continuing to read the series.  The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley (Book club read)--I wouldn't have heard of this except that one of my book clubs picked it. I thought it was fi...

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is a perpetual topic for me and most of the book lovers I know. The literal and the proverbial TBR shelf. I have both, but today, I'll stick to the ones on my literal shelves, and I'll try to go for the bonus points if I can. Looking forward to reading yours! Chag Pesach sameach to my fellow celebrants! Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon (Bonus points if you tell us how long it’s been sitting on your shelf waiting for you.) Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum--Let's see--I know I bought this after my book club read her book  A Bend in the Stars,  which was right when this one was coming out (my book clubs usually read books a year or so after they come out since they're easier to get at the library), and I bought it at a second-hand bookstore, so I'm going to say it's been on my shelf a bit less than two years. I'm planning to read it very soon, for the same book club. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré--I bo...

 With all of the mysteries and thrillers set in vacation spots, it almost seems easier to think of characters I wouldn't want to go on vacation with! I didn't finish writing this before Tuesday, but it's such a fun topic, I thought I'd go ahead and put mine out a little late. I'm excited to see what everyone else's ideas were! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Characters I'd Like To Go On Vacation With The crew of The Wayfarer from The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers--would love to hang out with this diverse crew of humans, aliens, and AI, plus we could go anywhere in the universe (probably would NOT choose the small angry planet for a vacation though!) Nick, Charlie, Elle, and the rest of the crew from Heartstopper would be great vacation partners--would love to go to Paris with them, either when I was their age or if they were my age Viv from Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree would be a fun vacation partner, and also good to have around in a p...

I like this extremely timely topic, but I haven't read a lot of books that fit the criteria (below). I included some books I've read where content or title deal with water and some more that I haven't read yet, but are on my Goodreads TBR or just found on Goodreads that deal with spring, storms, water, or all of the above. Happy Top Ten Tuesday!   April Showers — Pick your own title for this one to reflect the direction you choose to go with this prompt ( books with rain on the cover/in the title, that have rainstorms in the story, or that have anything to do with rain ) Books That Remind Me of April Showers The Glass Hotel by Emily Mandel Drowning by T.J. Newman River of the Gods by Candie Millard The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman--Haven't read it yet, but sea on the cover The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea by Katherine Quinn Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao--W...

Now that I have my laptop back, I'm reading less than I was without it (lots of Netflixing to make up for), but I'm still in a rather solid reading spree, which includes several other slower (nonfiction and poetry) reads that I'm reading alongside the faster genre fiction reads. I read all of my March book club reads, except one I couldn't get out of the library in time, in February, and so far still working on most of my April reads. Can I continue to keep up with four book clubs? We'll see!  Books Read This Month Storm the Earth by Rebecca Kim Wells--There should definitely be more duologies. This one is just fun with nonstop action, adventure, and dragons, plus an NBD bisexual protagonist, which I'm always glad to see more of. Double the Lies by Patricia Raybon--Mystery centering a Black, Christian woman detective in 1920s Denver--I found this on the recommendations table at the library, which has really been paying off for me lately! Would recommend--it has ...

It's hard to think of movie/TV shows I like that weren't books first! It feels like books are generally the litmus test for other media, so it's interesting to think of going the opposite direction. That has worked with some popular franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars--I also think Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have been novelized, if I'm not mistaken, so I guess it does go both ways. I've tried to come up with a few shows/movies that at least I think didn't have literary predecessors! Happy Top Ten Tuesday!  Topic idea from  Sabrina @  Notes From a Paper Plane Nomad . Movies/TV Shows That Would Have Made Amazing Books Monk--I've been watching this lately since it came to Netflix--I think police procedurals generally work better on TV, but Monk is so in his head and the show is more about the how/why than who, so books might be fun. Romantics Anonymous--I really love this movie, and since the protagonists both have social anxiety, a book could sh...

I'm on a great roll with the books I'm reading for book clubs and review--looking forward to all of these, and at least the first one feels somewhat spring-like. Happy Top Ten Tuesday!  Books On My Spring 2024 TBR Elephants in Bloom by Cécile Cristofari (LibraryThing Early Reviewers)--Started this collection of SFF short stories--the first one had more of a surrealist feel, like a Karen Russell story. I know I'm going to savor these! People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn (Book club read)--I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get through this but although the content is upsetting, it's also thoughtful and sometimes empowering, so I'm going to slowly push through. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Other book club read)--One of my book clubs is reading this, so I'll finally get to see what all the hype is about! The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise (Yet another book club read) The Bloodstained Key by Charity Rau (LibraryThing Early Reviewers)--Bluebe...

Usually, I don't reread a lot of books because I'm focused on what's next, or, these days, usually reading for multiple book clubs. There are some books that were very much of a place and time and I don't reread not because I'm afraid of not loving them as much but because I know I won't, because I've discovered upsetting things about the authors that damper my enjoyment of the books. I'm not going to mention those books, because that would be a different post. All of my most favorite books ( LOTR, Dune ) I've read more times than I can count, although I don't do annual rereads like I once did. So, I'd have to think of books I've both only read once and would at least theoretically be interested in reading again. However, I'll try to think of a few.   Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books I'm Worried I Might Not Love As Much the Second Time Around Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin--I remember really loving this but it has been many, many years s...

Oh wow, I love this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from  Astilbe @  Long and Short Reviews . This is  probably a long list for me! I haven't exactly been keeping track though, so I had to check my search history to jog my memory. I also really appreciate that it's easy to look this up when you're reading an ebook--you don't even have to leave the book! I remember when my first grade teacher told me that her mother-in-law used to read with a dictionary and an atlas within convenient reach, and I always think of that when I highlight a phrase on my Kindle or reach over my paperback to grab my phone and type into Google. Weird or Funny Things I've Googled Thanks to a Book  Fire Island--I was reading Bad Summer People which takes place on Fire Island. I thought it was in Maine, but based on events in the book, I looked up to discover is, in fact, in New York. Mulcted--Phrase Richard Burton used in one of his letters that was shared in River of the Gods... it means to...

Since I was still waiting on my laptop being repaired, I did a lot of reading this month. I also finished some books that I'd been savoring since 2023, and they were worth every minute. But, I got my laptop back just in time to make this post, so I can have pictures and descriptions, whooo! That said, I hope I can hold on to making more time to read as the year goes on.  Books Finished This Month Promises Stronger Than Darkness (Unstoppable #3) by Charlie Jane Anders--I'd been reading this since November, putting it down and picking it back up again because I didn't want it to end. Like the rest of the trilogy and everything by Anders, it's brilliant, thoughtful, and creative. My favorite character was Wyndgonk, and I'm so glad that we got fire's point of view in this book, and I also loved the bit with translating the Grattna's language--I wish we'd gotten that for Wyndgonk's language as well. But of course my biggest complaint is that this trilogy ...

 Writing this on my phone so bear with me. I just read Jana's list over at That Artsy Reader Girl (sorry can't link) and she had so many amazing  ideas. I'll try to think of a few.  Bookish Superpowers  Immediately pulling out all my favorite quotes from a book I've read, what character said them, the page number, etc.--Ereaders and quotable flags help with this, but it's not as good as Magic! Producing movies or shows for any book I want--It would be so great not to have to wait or rely on certain levels of popularity! Also, they would obviously have to not have stupid differences from the book! Being able to read any book I want when I want--i.e. not having to wait for the publisher or the library! (I would still wait for the author generally, though in certain cases, I'd accept a different author's version!) Probably falls under 3, but specifically,  be able to access any unknown, forgotten, misplaced, or unpublished manuscripts from authors I'd be in...

I wanted to post this several weeks ago, but then my laptop broke, so here goes: There were more authors than I thought that I enjoyed and were new to me in 2023, including a number of the ARCs I reviewed. It's cool to be back to a place where I'm enjoying more ARCs than not--it helps to be picky and know what I like, especially imprints as well as authors I tend to like.  Best New-to-Me Authors in 2023 Brendan Slocumb-- The Violin Conspiracy was fascinating and well-written, looking forward to the next one! Nathan Harris- The Sweetness of Water was well-written and some of the best historical fiction I've read in a while.  Kathryn Troy-Read and loved 2 of her ARCs in 2023; looking forward to more! Shaunna J. Edwards/Alyson Richman-Another historical fiction duo I thought was top-notch and would read again.  Cathy Yardley-I loved the cozy romance in Role Playing and her snarky humor; would read more. Renée Gendron--Read her book for review and would continue the series; s...

January was a great reading month, as usual! It's always good to get ahead on my goals for the year. This month, I also had time to read books for what ended up being 4 different book clubs (one of the books was the same), and I'm continuing with all of them for now since I'm interested in the next book they're reading, respectively, but it's also ok if I have to drop off one or two temporarily or permanently down the road.    Books I Read This Month Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi-It's been a few years since I read the first book, which I enjoyed, but felt relatively YA/traditional epic fantasy except that it was African-inspired. I  liked this second book much better--it's more complex and grey, and does a haunting job of portraying the dynamic between groups that have been struggling against each other for generations, with different levels of power and oppression. The third book, Children of Anguish and Anarchy , is coming out this year,...

 When I saw this TTT topic, I wasn't sure how many of these there would be since I don't worry too much about focusing on hot new reads each year. However, if I look back at my seasonal TBR lists from 2023 (excluding winter 2023-2024, since that's technically still not over!), there are some reads I haven't gotten to yet, as well as a lot that I did, or that I've already finished in 2024, like My Goodbye Girl. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books I Meant to Read in 2023 But Didn't Get To What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama--I started it, but had to return it to the library before I finished, so waiting to get it again! Deacon King Kong by James McBride--Still listening to the audiobook; two more discs to go! Twelve Past Midnight by Tiffany Alexanderson (Fall 2023 TBR)-This one's a review book from LibraryThing. The premise, an ensemble timeloop in a fantasy world sounded interesting, but I didn't get pulled in right away, so I put it asi...

  My Goodbye Girl by Anna Gomez This book was a surprisingly wild ride--I was expecting a "they-meet-up-every-few-years" -type romcom like One Day or A Lot Like Love . Instead, their global meetups are relatively close in time--and then there's a huge shake-up more than 60% of the way through the book that changes everything. The first part of the book was focused on the relationship conflict--she doesn't want commitment, he does; she's a traveler/pantser, he's a planner. The author skillfully evokes each global setting (Chicago, NYC, Hong Kong, Boracay, Santorini, etc.) in a short amount of time, sending the characters to local restaurants and reminiscing about their histories with each place. However, for me, the story truly acquired depth and stakes at that 60% point, and created a need for the characters to find a poignant and nuanced way back to each other. Normally, how I feel about a book 50 pages in is how I'll feel at the end, but this one was a...

 I'm excited about my reading and other goals for 2024. In 2023, I did a lot of set up reading-, writing-, and life-wise, and now I feel ready to keep improving and having fun with my goals. I've already made headway on some of these goals, and I can see myself making them happen! I didn't post this on Tuesday, but here's the TTT link. Bookish Goals for 2024 Read 42 books--I again wanted to go a little easy on myself, but feeling up to this since my goal last year was 36 and I read 48. Read 11 (25%) books by authors of color, from this specific list (below)--I haven't been doing well with this goal in the past, so instead of the more vague "25%" goal, I'm defining 25% of my reading goal and actually creating a list of books I want to read that fit this criteria to choose from. If you're interested, my list below includes books that have been on my TBR awhile, including some literally on my shelves. Read and review all the books I've accepted fo...