Book Club Week!

I had three book clubs this week, and boy are my eyes tired! Also went out for dinner a few times.

My monthly friends group met and we discussed Packing For Mars which had a lot of fun bits. We mostly talked about what a fun job the author has carved out for herself, and which was the strangest rabbit hole she dove down during her space exploration. And we talked about books and life and fanfiction.

Wednesday my local library had their Romance Book club, where we talked about The Lawrence Browne Affair. That one was also fun, and the librarian always makes up a "If You Liked X try Y" list. Apparently this group is popular enough that they might extend it past the summer, which would be fun.

And my ongoing Tuesday club realized that we didn't actually have a current book so we have chosen The Murders of Molly Southbourne for next week, and I've already finished it! Go me!

My currently reading has steadied at 19. One book club book, a library book, a book from my shelves, an audio book for the car, a book on my NOOK, a reread from my shelves, the serial audio book I get a few minutes of each week, five books I'm just kidding myself that I'm reading, one ancient book that I'm trying to actually finish, and my six books that I'm only sorta reading.

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 so I'll sign up there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers so I'll sign up over there, since I read the Cybils YA books (and the Levithan).

Started: 





Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan. I read this for the weekly challenge.

Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend, Karen Blumenthal. Cybils YA nonfiction.

River of Teeth, Sarah Gailey. The fact that American hippopotamus farms was a real idea makes this fictional version even better.

The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century, Neal Bascomb.

The Murders of Molly Southbourne, Tade Thompson. For my Tuesday book club.

Silvered, Tanya Huff. Because Tanya Huff wrote it.

Eidolon, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. From my shelves.

Completed:




We Are Not Yet Equal, Carol Anderson. YA Cybils nonfiction book. A history of the ways in which American has restricted the vote, employment, and civil rights of African Americans since the Civil War, with a look on how what that means for the current opportunities of blacks in America today. It goes up to the present with a look at attempts to limit voter registration and access in many southern states. There are a few places where I wished there was more nuance (racists have used a call for local control of schools to fight desegregation and limit access, but that doesn't mean everyone dubious about a nationally run school system is trying to roll back Brown v Board of Education).

The Lawrence Browne Affair, Cat Sebastian. For Renton library book club. We had a fun discussion that involved how to categorize books, whether #OWNVOICES is a concern in m/m romance, and how to categorize how explicit a book is, among other things.

Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend, Karen Blumenthal. Cybils YA nonfiction. This was a good look at who the outlaws were, what they did, and why America find them so interesting. Coming right after Anderson's book I was very aware that reading this book give no hint that blacks existed in America back then, even though the book looks at law enforcement, prisons, and homeless camps. I'm not sure whether segregation was so strong that Clyde never saw or robbed an African American, or whether the historical documents Blumenthal draws from ignore them.

Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan. This is a fun, rather low-stakes YA romance. Two high schoolers fall in love, one sorta cheats on the other, then works to win his boyfriend back. It's nifty because the high school they attend is wildly accepting of any sexuality or gender expression, which is fun to read, but neighboring towns have more conventional mores -- a friend has issues with his parent's religious fears around his homosexuality. Another friend is unpleasantly obsessed with her rather boorish new boyfriend. I was exhausted by all the teen drama, I admit. I'm old.



River of Teeth, Sarah Gailey. This book definitely delivers all the action of hippopotamus wrangling that I wanted, although with a bit more murder and torture than I prefer. The life of a hippo rider is a hard one, and that's before you go in for elaborate conspiracies and bombings and card sharping. And love.

The Murders of Molly Southbourne, Tade Thompson. Two books in a row with a lot of blood and gore -- there are a lot of murders in here. But it was an interesting premise and an interesting character and I wanted to see how she dealt with things. Should be an interesting book club pick.

Eidolon, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Before Baen starting compiling them all into anthologies, Lee and Miller would put out small pamphlets with two or three Liaden short stories. And I'd buy 'em. Somehow this one fell into my TBR bookcase so I pulled it out because I was on a roll to read seven books this week. The two stories show how the affects very intense yos'Phelium men have on the innocent bystanders in their way, the ones who they buy their rugs and maybe some beer from.

Bookmarks Moved In:





Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 51/? Baen's podcast serial. One character has decided to track down another. Since I'd prefer it if their narratives merged I'm all for this.

Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh. Reread. OK, Grant has now delivered himself to the bad guys. Kids, this was not a good plan! Of course, none of the options were good.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt. Sisters are back to being mean to each other, which, fair enough, pretty much describes my life with my sister. I was a mean kid.

The Way Into Darkness, Harry Connolly. A lot of our hero's issues with endangering children is coming out. It's endearing. Also, kids are dumb.

Stories of My Life, Katherine Paterson. 5-6/7 Discs. Library Quest audio that I'm enjoying. A bit quiet these discs since they are about her favorite pets

The Last Unicorn, Peter Beagle. The June Sword and Laser pick. So, last time I read this Schmendrick was old and the unicorn girl was a normal age. Molly was ancient (probably close to thirty!). Now they are all foolish whippersnappers, and Schmendrick is annoying with it.


Picture Books:

None! I was barely in the library. Very sad.

Palate Cleansers

These books I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.



A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George. Bad cops think real hard, ex-cons betray each other.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen. Sammy solves everything -- from the meaning of art to the love problems of her grandmother. Sammy is awesome.

Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Alan Burgess. Has our missionary found love?

The Educated Child, William Bennett. Well, the preschool chapter turned out to be about the age, because now we are reviewing what to look for. Also, daycare is bad.

Cookie, Jacqueline Wilson. This girl needs a different dad -- these two are not a good combination.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Conclusion and exercises (which I don't do) to practice setting up a journal/writing plan.

Reading Challenges

1. Cybils 2017.  No progress
2. Cybils 2018. Finished two of the YA nonfiction, started a third. Just like last week!
3. Reading My Library. Enjoying Stories of My Life, which I think is the last audio CD. Haven't started the next print book.
4. KCLS Ten to Try. Still need to read a poetry book and the librarian recommend.
5. The Hunt Is On!  Curses! I missed a task. Shouldn't do my book searches late at night while falling asleep. Two books, six and three tasks.