Space Station Mir

I'm a fan of C.G. Drews' ebullient book blog, Paper Fury , and I've been meaning to read her books. The Boy Who Steals Houses did not disappoint. The writing is as full of verve and squee as the blog, and the characters are, as promised, endearing and deep and complex. This book is really as much about Sam's brother Avery and their relationship as it is about Sam stealing houses, and it has some of the best autistic representation I've ever read, mostly because Avery's autism is a relevant sidebar, but not all of who he is. I also rarely get to read books set in Australia, which I should probably do more often. I highly recommend The Boy Who Steals Houses to those who like cozy family stories with dynamic characters. Note: I read this on Kindle, as I think that's the only way it's currently available in the US. However, Indiebound says a paperback is coming in June 2020. Cross-posted on Goodreads. 

Books Read This Month 1. The World to Come by Dara Horn 2. Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord 3. Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells 4. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood 5. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman 6. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (reread) Favorite Book This Month The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. Read my review here. 

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! I'm a little late, but I'm so excited about a number of books coming out this fall, a lot of them sequels! I ESPECIALLY can't wait to get my hands on Wayward Son and Call Down the Hawk ! Top Ten Books On My Fall 2019 TBR 1. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell 2. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater 3. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 4. Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim 5. House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig 6. The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust #2) by Philip Pullman 7. The Name of All Things (A Chorus of Dragons #2) by Jenn Lyons 8. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett 9. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow 10. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

I finished The Testaments  by Margaret Atwood! I didn't ever expect to read a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Part of the book's strength is the mysterious epilogue at the end, placing Offred's testimony in the context of the short-lived Republic of Gilead. The suppression of the protagonist's voice is the point. However, The Testaments majestically balances the audience's desire for the continuation of Offred's story without sacrificing verisimilitude within the imagined historical context of Gilead. The three points of view remind me of the latter two books in the MadAddam trilogy. Each viewpoint is equally sharp, distinct, and converges masterfully to the whole. This time, we get a perspective from outside the Republic of Gilead, in Canada, and how that society has evolved and been influenced by its neighbor. The perspective within Gilead is that of a privileged child rather than a reviled Handmaid, and what sticks is that it is ultimately almost no ...

Books Read This Month 1. Man Fast by Natasha Scripture 2. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero 3. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan 4. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher 5. Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas 6. And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman 7. Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen, narrated by Brittany Pressley 8. The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 9. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey 10. Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce, narrated by Anna Popplewell 11. Braving the Wilderness, written and narrated by Brene Brown Favorite Books This Month How I Did On My Summer TBR I finished four of the ten books on my summer TBR , and am currently reading a fifth, so not too bad! Of those on the list, I finished Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan, You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler, and Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. I'm currently reading Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord. How I Did on My August Goals ...

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 f...