Space Station Mir

  Full disclosure, I'm related to the author, but I truly enjoyed this Israeli Indiana Jones-type adventure centered on a research group at Hebrew University: history grad student Yaeli, chemistry grad student Nathaniel, rappelling expert/desert guide Yoav, and Professor Reuveni, who discover a mysterious rebellion-era scroll that may lead them to the long-hidden treasures of the Second Temple. This is a Da Vinci Code with more relatable characters and more realistic history. Where it does diverge from history into action, and the requisite villainous secret society, the text remains humorously self-aware. There is a special starring role for Yaeli's Canaan dog, and this wouldn't be a book by my family if there weren't several recipes, including almost an entire chapter (two pages, to be fair) about cooking a chicken. My cousin's knowledge as a geologist and former tour guide shines brightly in a series of interspersed vignettes from various time periods detailing t...

 I definitely get a new rush of reading energy in with the new year. It helps that the nature of my work is often slow or nonexistent in January, so I have plenty of time for reading.  Books Read This Month The Babysitters' Coven by Kate M. Williams--extremely meta cross between The Babysitters' Club and Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a very Gen Z nonviolent code--much to love! The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer--the most amazing Jewish rep and the only chronic illness rep I've ever read wrapped up in one entertaining yet satisfyingly thoughtful Hanukkah romance story. Also, in case this is also you, even the Christmas content, which annoyed me reading the blurb and almost put me off reading it--because really, we need that even in a Hanukkah novel?--ended up making sense and not being annoying. The Leavers by Lisa Ko--very important story about children left behind when parents are deported; sensitively explores issues of ethics around adoption and immigration without being d...

  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Last year, like this year, I wasn't concentrating too much on new releases. That said, there were a couple books coming out from favorite authors and other books I heard about that were published in 2021, but I will get to them in a later year.  2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn't Get To A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Gilded by Marissa Meyer The Rabbi Who Prayed With Fire by Rachel Sharona Lewis The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks

Some dude on Twitter recently bemoaned the "canceling" of the "best woman author in 100 years," referring to J.K. Rowling. I haven't talked much about this publicly, since this is a grief that's been hard for me to deal with--many of my friends are still Harry Potter fans and I still have a nostalgic attachment, but I can't in good conscience continue to support anything that would monetarily benefit Rowling after her hurtful and damaging comments and actions against trans women. That said, this dude's comment is objectively laughable. Harry Potter had a huge influence on my millenial generation for sure, but there are so many women authors of more acclaim in the past 100 years; many of whom are better writers than JKR. So, if you are per chance looking for a list, here you go-- and as I suspect, if many of you have some to add, please do so in the comments! 21 Woman Authors From The Past 100 Years That Are Better Than JKR Toni Morrison--Like have yo...

  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! My parents made all my Hanukkah dreams come true--plus I got some great deals from Amazon and a free ebook from Tor to round out my latest adds, which I've been tearing through with some speed!  Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (ebook--Got a $1.99 deal on Kindle) Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (ebook--free from Tor) The Babysitters' Coven by Kate M. Williams (ebook--also a Kindle deal, don't remember the exact amount) Dogs on the Trail: A Year in the Life by Blair Braverman and Quince Mountain (Hanukkah) The Rabbi Who Prayed With Fire by Rachel Sharona Lewis (Hanukkah) The Corgi Chronicles by Laura Madsen (Hanukkah) What to Miss When by Leigh Stein (Hanukkah) And before that, it had been a while--I've done pretty well sticking to my current collection and the library, with the occasional ebook deal, during the pandemic. I think staying at home so much makes me extra aware of how many books I alre...

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! I'm a little late on this one, and in the past few years, I've been more focused on reading or rereading what I want instead of trying to catch up with all the NEWNEW stuff, but there are a few books coming out this year that I am excited for! Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2022 The Kings of Nowhere by C.G. Drews--one of my favorite bloggers is Paper Fury (a.k.a. C.G. Drews), and I loved her book The Boy Who Steals Houses  when it came out a few years ago. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to find a traditional publisher for the sequel, The Kings of Nowhere , but she just started publishing it in January (a.k.a. now!!) on her Patreon . Super excited to read all the chapters as they unfold! Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore-I mean, honestly, I am just so smitten by the title, and also this sounds like a queer, F/F linguistically-focused Ready Player One, so I'm definitely all kinds of intrigued. The unnamed third book in the Dreamers ...

  Here we are firmly ensconced in the 2020s, and I have to say, I thought the '20s were going to be much more fun, instead of just exciting in the way that you're always on edge and not sure what to expect. One thing I've always been able to count on, however, is books, and so I will look back over my cautious goals from 2021 and proceed to continue with the hope that, whatever else, the books will go on. 2021-Bookish Goal 1. Read 52 books. As always, I'll intentionally include books by BIPOC and Jewish authors, but I want to leave room for rereads, reading lulls, and whatever happens.-- I read 57 books (59 if we count the Grishaverse trilogy as three instead of one).  2021-Non-Bookish Goal 2. Intentionally practice self-care.-- I definitely did this, but could always do more. Although I do practice self-care most days, I don't have any consistent routines. I like that for now, but may want to change or at least have a dedicated time for self-care options in future....

  It's down to the wire, and I still don't know if I will finish another book this year or not 😀. However, I've finished 57 books so far, and so I'm completing my customary annual survey with those in mind. 2021 Reading Stats (As usual, borrowed and modified from the sadly now discontinued blog, Boston Bibliophile.) How many books read? 57 Fiction/nonfiction? 48 fiction (including 2 mixed collections),  9 nonfiction Female/male/nonbinary author ratio? 41 female, 13 male, and 3 collections with mixed genders  Writers of Color/Minority Writers? 10 books by writers of color,  13 books by Jewish authors, which also includes some writers of color and LGBTQ writers Favorite book? The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers--three very different aliens temporarily stranded at a waystation in space, plus their host alien and her child--a thoughtful depiction of alien cultures and a masterpiece of character interaction Longest and shortest books? Longest:  The S...