Summer is almost here, and the weather alternates between chilly and damp and dry and hot. Such is climate.
I held a foam sword party, and the guy with the swords forgot me and didn't turn up, which was awkward. Trying again next weekend.
The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading and I'm going to sign up. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed, and as I finished some kidlit books and a few picture books, I'll check in with either Teach Mentor Text or UnLeashing Readers for their version.
My completed books for this fortnight:
(two weeks ago)
(last week)Angeleyes, Michael Z Williamson. The latest book in the Freehold universe, with Angie (codenamed Angeleyes) as a contractor to a bunch of Freehold superspies during the war with the Evil Earth U.N. The libertarian crunchiness was spoiled a bit by the emphasis on Angie's sex drive, which came off a bit creepy.
The Best Man, Richard Peck. Cybils audio finalist. A lot of the characters seem to be mainly built on cliches of children's literature, with the clueless protagonist giving his companions an excuse to explain what is going on. But the narration is cheerful and I like Uncle Paul.
The Golden Mean, Annabel Lyon. The two timelines are both reaching pivot points -- Aristotle has met Plato, and Alexander has found battle.
* Trickster's Choice, Tamora Pierce. For my Friday book club. Good friends, good talks, although we didn't all reread this one for the meeting.
* The Coyote's Bicycle, Kendall Taylor. For the library's controversial books book club. The book itself wasn't all that controversial, but it was a springboard to a discussion of immigration policy.
You, Caroline Kepnes. This is a bonus book for the reading team I'm on, and it's creepy -- you are deeply immersed in the brain of an evil stalker guy as he attempts to take over the life of a rather stereotypical New York young adult / writer grad student.
Shadow's Seduction, Kresley Cole. The Vaginal Fantasy pick. A lot of sex. A tiny bit of plot.
* One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews. Best inn in Texas.
* Black Butler, Vol 7, Yana Toboso. I kept feeling a little lost as I was supposed to remember something from an earlier volume. Oops.
Pilot X, Tom Merritt. Merritt is the host of Sword & Laser, a podcast/book club I tend to follow along, and he wrote a book, so I'm reading it. It's fun with a lot of intelligent time travel bits; the ending wobbles a bit (the hint of romance is dragged in) but doesn't fall over.
* Trial By Fire, Norah McClintock. Girl sleuth rescues stalworth immigrant from hidebound rural prejudices. And arson.
* The Islands of Chaldea, Diana Wynne Jones & Ursula Jones. DWJ's younger sister pulled together an ending for this final, incomplete novel. Now I think I have absolutely run out of her books.
* Books I started and completed this fortnight
Picture Books (most read in the library while waiting for my kids to rendezvous):
Dinosaur Pirates!, Penny Dale. For future smash up players. I liked that the dinosaurs are ungendered because I get sad when books have no girls.
Peppa Pig and the Vegetable Garden, Neville Astley. I like pigs. Not much more to say here, especially as I don't watch the associated TV show.
The Rhino That Swallowed a Storm, LeVar Burton. I see what the intention is, but it didn't really work for me. I am left with questions. Is the mom mouse from the framing story dead? How many animals died in the storm? Why did the scansion sometimes change? Did swallowing the storm bring relief to the refugees?
Emily's New Friend, Cindy Post Senning. Rather didactic. Two kids play nicely. The illustrations and text seem to indicate different ages; the pictures are school aged but the message is younger.
Crouching Tiger, Ying Chang Compestine. Kid learns tai chi and to respect his grandfather. The static illustrations aptly reflect the story.
The Good For Nothing Button, Cherise Harper. Fast story with broad emotions but little action. Would be fun to share read in a small group with a different bird's voice for each kid.
I started but didn't finish:
The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo. It's starting slowly, which is not helping the hard deadline of the library ebook due date. The current Vaginal Fantasy book.
Midnight Riot, Ben Aaronovitch. A re-read for me, but new for at least half of my Tuesday book club. A good excuse to watch Torchwood.
The Inquisitor's Tale, Adam Gidwitz. So far I find the frame annoying, with the listener sticking in his oar between every story. I'm clearly not going to finish before the library version goes poof, so I've also requested the DVDs.
Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire. This has appeared on my NOOK; I forget when I bought it.
Bookmarks moved in several books:
Alliance of Equals, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Part 4. Trade is not going so well for the rebuilding Liadens. Also, parenting techniques seem reminiscent of The Chosen in terms of refusing to communicate with one's teens.
Book Scavenger, Jennifer Bertman. The last of the 2015 Cybils! Two friends hunt for books, and I think for a particular book pretty soon.
These I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.
The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox.
Kenilworth, Sir Walter Scott. It's rude not to dress for a party with the Queen, but what can you do when your ex-girlfriend has set up shop in your rooms?
Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen, Wendelin Van Draanen.
Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca.
2017 Challenge Progress:
- Cybils 2015: 81 out of 82. I finished the first 100 pages of the last one!
- Cybils 2016! 6 / a lot. Finished The Best Man. Started The Inquisitor's Tale and checked out Illuminae.
- Reading My Library: Picked up final two books for the B bookcase.
- Where Am I Reading?: 23/51. Picked up Texas (One Fell Sweep) and Illinois (Best Man).
No comments:
Post a Comment