Space Station Mir

I'm looking forward to getting out of here--my husband and I are taking a little anniversary trip this week. The school year will wrap up next week, and then I'll be getting ready to teach summer classes. Hopefully, I can enjoy myself more this summer, which often means more reading! Books I Read This Month The Kings of Nowhere by C.G. Drews  --So glad to have the opportunity to get to read this on Patreon, and looking forward to buying the published book whenever that's possible. Drews has such a witty, whimsical way with words and her characters curl up in your heart and stay there.  The German House by Annette Hess (Book club)-Set during the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials in 1963, which I hadn't heard of before. The protagonist, Eva, is a translator in the court where SS officers are on trial. The book was translated from the German. Not a book I would have chosen, but an interesting perspective.  The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks--This pretty cover (and Spinning Sil...

Although the beginning of the semester is over, nothing is slowing down. Usually it feels like there's a moment to catch your breath before midterms, but not this year and they're already upon us. And my school is going to mask optional without a firm vaccination requirement for students, and...I have feelings. I don't necessarily think going mask optional is the wrong decision now, since rates have lowered significantly since the Omicron surge, it's just that I generally feel these decisions have been arbitrary and geared toward serving students in a customer service fashion rather than truly considering safety. I'm also not sure how comfortable I'm going to feel or when I'll feel comfortable taking my mask off, but I guess I'll have to figure that out. I want to be really clear: I'm not judging people for almost any decision in regard to masking because I don't think there *is* a right decision here (I absolutely judge people who could be vacci...

These have gotten a lot easier since joining book clubs! I still had to look up a few more though to see what else is coming out--there've been a couple of recent and upcoming new releases that I'm very excited about but waiting until I have time to read, since the book club reads have to come first. Happy Purim and happy St. Patrick's Day to those celebrating this week! Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books on My Spring 2022 TBR The German House by Annette Hess (Book club read for April)--I know, it made me think of The Dutch House too, but this is a totally different book, about the Frankfurt trials for SS personnel involved in Auschwitz, which took place in the 1960s. I didn't know about this, and I avoid Holocaust books these days since I've already read so many, but this sounds different, so it might be interesting. It's also originally written in German, translated to English. This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing by Jacqueline Wi...

  Court of Venom drips with atmosphere, magic, and intrigue. The Middle Eastern fantasy setting and unique magic system reminded me of Tasha Suri's Empire of Sand , however, the protagonist, Badriya, is darker than Suri's Mehr. Partially blackmailed, partially driven by her own motivations into being the queen's assassin and the court's herbalist (for a price), when Badriya says she's full of poison, she doesn't mean it figuratively. The title is absolutely apt for this royal drama set in a lush yet venomous oasis amid a treacherous desert, and the tight cast of characters each surprise you in their own way.  I would highly recommend the book to Middle-Eastern-inspired fantasy fans, and I would happily read a sequel! Received for review from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. 

The school year definitely has me back in its grip. I did a lot more Netflixing than reading this month, and when I did read, I started or continued a bunch of books that I have going, but I did manage to finish a few. Books Read This Month The Temple Scroll by Erez Hassul--Read my review here The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser--recently divorced mid-40s heroine inherits a house full of fancy books in Scotland with the requisite grumpy bookstore owner down the street.  The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (book club)--a novel with a contemporary and historical storyline, centered around the story of a formerly enslaved woman and "The Book of Lost Friends," newspaper ads where African American people tried to find their lost friends and family members in the years after the Civil War

  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