This is the weekend I drove down to catsit for friends on the Oregon coast, always a lovely vacation. I brought the nearly due library books as well as all the Hugo reading I wanted to get to before the vote. And it was a lovely time. Lots of reading, nice walks on the beach, reading on the balcony, friendly cats to feed and play with, birds to admire, and I only forgot one sweatshirt and one book when I left, which is about average for me.
Then I came home in time to provide transport for my nephew, who was batching it at home while his parents cruised the Mediterranean.
Goodreads thinks I am reading 63 books. I started a lot of Hugo books to sample them, so this is expected.. The library thinks I have 72 physical books checked out, which seems maybe a tad high… oops.
Books Completed July 18 - July 24
Graceling Graphic Novel, Kristen Cashore, Gareth Hinds. Hinds did a great job of capturing much of the spirit and strength of the original. Now I want to rereads the whole thing.
We Called Them Giants, Kieran Gilles. Hugo graphic novel finalist. I am very proud I could mostly tell the two main characters apart. And the giants!
Deep Dark, Molly Knox Ostertag. Hugo graphic novel finalist. A bit too romance heavy for me, although I always love Ostertag’s drawings. I liked the metaphor but the story ended up a bit metaphorical forward.
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein. Foolscap book club. I grabbed the audio from the library, and the Russian accent really worked for Manny. I liked seeing what American Revolution parallels Heinlein managed to drag even, even as America itself was now a decadent empire lover. Some club members thought Prof was a Ben Franklin stand-in but I was not convinced. Women remain strange alien creatures to Heinlein who remains convinced that they and men share very little. No common humanity for this author!
Kristy and the Walking Disaster, Ann M. Martin. This one was better as a graphic novel, since the little kids playing their best baseball makes for great visuals. But I liked seeing the nuance in Kristy’s relationship with her stepfather.
Play Like a Girl, Misty Wilson. This was a fun story of a girl finding her place in middle school by joining the football team. It’s a lot of work, and some boys are prejudiced, but it also gives her confidence in herself as she accomplishes stuff, which helps her make friends and set boundaries with shifting relationships among her old peers.
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Lauren Tarshis. We get up and down stairs with this kid and his sister, and the two families combine to save as many as they can. A good installment,
Liar’s Test, Ambelin Kwaymullina. Interesting worldbuilding made for a good kidlit adventure, with sentient plants and bad policies and strong kids.
Good-bye Stacey Good-bye Graphic Novel, Gabriela Epstein and Ann M Martin. This one was better as text, ad it’s all about their internal feelings and the big event is a garage sale, which isn’t as fun as a baseball game or something.
Warp Your Own Way, Ryan North. Hugo graphic novel finalist. It was clear early on the the book was doing something twisty and new, but it also became clear that I didn’t care enough to figure it out. I just read it straight through. I don’t think I ever noticed how to get on a productive track. I haven’t gotten to Lower Decks yet on my Star Trek watching; that definitely didn’t help.
Books Started
Prince and Assassin, Tania Lark. I think I got this for Romance book club, but I’m reading it late.
Kristy and the Walking Disaster, Ann M. Martin. The original version so I can compare with the graphic novel.
Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel. Scintillation Book Club, but I won’t finish in time.
Liar’s Test, Ambelin Kwaymullina. Cloudy book club pick.
Graceling Graphic Novel, Kristen Cashore, Gareth Hinds. I loved the original so I grabbed this when I saw it.
Calypso, Oliver K Langmead. Hugo poetry finalist.
Play Like a Girl, Misty Wilson. Graphic novel I saw at a library.
We Called Them Giants, Kieran Gilles. Hugo graphic novel finalist.
Monstress Vol. 9, Marjorie M. Liu. Hugo graphic novel finalist.
The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson. Hugo graphic novel finalist.
Deep Dark, Molly Knox Ostertag. Hugo graphic novel finalist.
Warp Your Own Way, Ryan North. Hugo graphic novel finalist.
Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll. Hugo related works finalist.
Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum. Hugo related works finalist.
Of Solids And Surds, Samuel R. Delany. Having been reminded how well Delany writes I wanted to try his nonfiction essays.
Good-bye Stacey Good-bye Graphic Novel, Gabriela Epstein and Ann M Martin. Gotta read them all!
Pokémon Sun and Moon 1, Hidenori Kusaka. Recommended by Talbot Hill kids.
I also started a bunch of other Hugo finalists as I tried to sample everything. I’ll try to note them when I get back to them.
Bookmarks Moved
When the Moon Met the Sun, Alaina Hope.
Tribute, Sherwood Smith
I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson
The Honey Witch, Sydney J. Shields
Because Internet, Gretchen McCulloch
The Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers, Robinson Jeffers
Endling: The First, Katherine Applegate
Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy
Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan
Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao
Bookmarks Languished
I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence.
Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno.
Marry Me By Midnight, Felicia Grossmann
True Colors, Abby Cooper.
South Riding, Winifred Holtby.
Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell
A, B, C: Three Short Novels, Samuel Delany
One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name
An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews
The Wild Girls, Pat Murphy
Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories
“Ever Noir” by Mari Ness. Fine.
“there are no taxis for the dead” by Angela Liu. Fine.
“A War of Words” by Marie Brennan. Fine.
“We Drink Lava” by Ai Jiang. Good. I kept rereading it.
“Your Visiting Dragon” by Devan Barlow. Curled up in my brain and smoked.
"The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video” by Thomas Ha. Fine.
“By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars” by Premee Mohamed.
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer. I like how Kritzer’s protagonists tend to be very practical and handy.
“Lake of Souls” by Ann Leckie.
“Loneliness Universe” by Eugenia Triantafyllou.
“Signs of Life” by Sarah Pinsker.
“Five Views of the Planet Tartarus” by Rachael K. Jones. Ouch.
“Marginalia” by Mary Robinette Kowal . Witty.
“Stitched to Skin Like Family Is” by Nghi Vo. Ouch again.
“Three Faces of a Beheading” by Arkady Martine. Witty.
“We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read” by Caroline M. Yoachim. I loved this.
“Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim. I felt this was dodging a tough question by answering a simpler one.
Books on Slow Mode
Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. What can kill you if you eat food.
At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Out of the sky and into the sea.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane (no picture).
The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. (no picture). Mail bribe.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. Mail bribe. Lots of violence.
War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe.
Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe.
Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. Mail bribe. Last days of the year! Then I’ll declare victory and just do the song of the day.
Books Acquired
I only notice when I’m caught up.
Future Plans
This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.
I am reading:
- Book I own: Devils
- Library Book: Not That Kind of Good Guy
- Hugo Finalist: Sheine Lende
- Ebook I own: Ascendance of a Bookworm:Fanbook 6
- Foolscap Book Club Book: Arabella of Mars
- Sword and Laser Club Book: She Who became the Sun
- Scintillation Book Club: Unravelling
- Cloudy Book Club: The Bright and Breaking Sea
- Torches and Pitchfork Book Club: Who Fears Death
- River Runs Under It Book Club: This Tender Land
- Talbot Hill Book: Summer Time! No Book.
- Friday Book Club: Dune
- Romance Book Club: Jane Austin!
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