On Halloween day I realized I hadn’t decorated at all, so I dragged out the bin and put up stuff. Then I went to get my COVID shot. I had just enough candy to last the evening, although I was lucky it was rainy and unpleasant because I had no spares. The streets were pretty empty when I turned off all the lights and went to hide upstairs.
The next day I was tired from the shot but still managed a bit of a run; my face still is numb in spots so I’m fairly careful how I step. And this week I managed to knock off a few more libraries for my list.
Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 80 books, but I’m so far behind at marking things as complete that who knows. The library thinks I have 74 physical books checked out. In unrelated news, I have completed my quest to visit all KCLC libraries (in real time, not back in October).
Books Completed Oct 31 - Nov 6
Lily and the Great Quake, Veeda Bybee. A Girl Survives book. I’m still chugging through these but they aren’t as rich as the Tarshis books. Lily is a girl who likes her book and is there for the San Francisco earthquake; the book is strong on action and some facts but light on historical feel and character development.
Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice. Wow did this make me feel old, because I have vague memories of reading it back in the day and I was so clueless. I missed all the erotic bits between the guys. These men are professing their love for each other and it went right over my head. Also I had completely forgotten the interviewer until the scene at the very end; what a gormless chump.
Rei Escapes Disaster Graphic Novel, Susan Griner. Another depiction of the tidal wave (I read an I Survived book about it). This one has the viewpoint of local school kids. I’m still hung up on the teacher sending two of the kids back on their own for some reason, because that made the narrative better but the teacher seem incompetent. Also I’m so old it’s hard for me to read the black and white comics.
Come See the Fair, Gabriel Savin. I got halfway through this as a Cybils reader a year ago before deciding it wasn’t strong enough, but I hate unfinished books so I went back. It took a lot for me to sympathize with the main character as she stopped doing things quickly and didn’t start again until two-thirds through when there was no one else to do things. And the ending didn’t satisfy me. But it’s a good story and brings 1800s Chicago to life.
Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen. These poems respect both poetic forms and the Roman Catholic understanding of Christ. I appreciated the love and effort that went into them although none begged me to take it home. But each one is part of the bigger edifice Esolen is building, and I enjoyed reading through his book.
Mary Anne Saves the Day, Graphic Novel, Ann Martin and Raina Telgemeier. Fun but not as good as the original. I like the nuance of a written book.
I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018, Lauren Tarshis. Wow, this kid has such a big problem that even the wildfire takes a while to get his attention. And history is getting very recent — probably school kids can remember the fires.
Anya Flees the Fallout, Erin Falligant. Early year I read an adult history of Chernobyl, so I was interested to see how the Girls Survived book showed the experience from a kid’s point of view. Needless to say it was not encouraging to hear her dad was a fireman (sent in to literally shovel on top of the radioactive pile) and that she had a beloved pet (all pets were abandoned and then shot as radioactive), and that was before her grandfather opted not to evacuate his home. Anya seemed to vary in age according to narrative requirements and her parents clearly kept their opinions of Russian news veracity from her and her older brother.
Spook, Mary Roach. For Torches & Pitchforks book club. Roach is always fun as she wanders about to experts and asks questions even if they are dumb. Sometimes the questions are dumb, sometimes the experts are, but it mostly works. The chapter in India didn’t age that well but after that rough start we mostly had fun.
Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum. For my Hugo judging I skipped to the essays about things I’ve read or seen, but it was worth going back to read the rest. I like her way of taking literature seriously on its own terms, judging it by what questions it asks and how it answers them. Even when I disagreed with her I appreciated how she made her points.
The Poisoned King, Katherine Rundall. Although not as perfect as the previous book, that’s a high bar that leaves a lot of room for a good read. I liked the characters and the situations and the illustrations and the way actions had consequences.
Books Started
Rei Escapes Disaster Graphic Novel, Susan Griner. A Girls Survive book.
All the Beauty in the World, Patrick Brinkley. Recommended by a librarian.
Anya Flees the Fallout, Erin Falligant. A Girls Survive book.
The Poisoned King, Katherine Rundall. Because I loved book 1.
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871, Lauren Tarshis. I’ve already read the graphic novel.
Boy-Crazy Stacey, Ann M. Martin. Another babysitter club book.
Bookmarks Moved
The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson
Bluebird, Ciel Pierrot.
Arabella of Venus, David Levine
Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron
Hello Stranger, Lisa Kleypas
The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton
This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger
I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson
Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer
North Woods, Daniel Mason.
Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao
Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy
Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer
The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel
One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name
Bookmarks Languished
I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!
Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno
True Colors, Abby Cooper.
South Riding, Winifred Holtby
Calypso, Oliver K Langmead
The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson
Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll
Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum
Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell
Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi
The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.
Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford
An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews
So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole
Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories
Ahoy, Sophie Blackall. A good story about imaginative play with the illustrations dancing between reality and the game, but I found the artistic style a bit repellent. The people fell into an uncanny valley for me. But this was a personal thing;I bet most kids would like it.
Books on Slow Mode
Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Shopping for towels.
At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Long slow ending is like finishing a milkshake; good to last drop.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.
The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James. I liked the essay in Track Changes about this book.
War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe.
Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books. Or not; I had confused Last Stop On Market Street with a different book.
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: Red Dragon Codex
- Library Book: The Sailor Cipher
- Hugo Finalist: So Let Them Burn
- Foolscap Book Club Book: Hugo Short Stories,
- Sword and Laser Club Book: The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
- Scintillation Book Club: My Name Is Red
- Cloudy Book Club: The Gilded Crown
- Torches and Pitchfork Book Club: Canticle For Leiberwitz
- Romance Book Club: Snowed in together: Stitch in Snow
- River Runs Under It Book Club: Orbital
- Talbot Hill Book: realistic fiction, school stories
- Friday Book Club: Movie Night!
