Well, school is still in session and the season doesn't officially change until later this month, but according to the weather it's definitely summer! Shorts weather, bright early mornings, long cool evenings. I need to figure out a new sleep and exercise pattern, because it's not too hot to want to go outside. (OK, there is a narrow band in which I actually WANT to go outside, although once I drag myself out there's a much wider band in which I enjoy being outside). But definitely a lovely season to sit in a window and read.
I'm on a five year schedule for the dreaded rite of adulthood -- the colonoscopy, and my timer was up. When my primary provider admitted they were backed up for months, I was ready to wait, but they pushed me to go out of network to some fiercely efficient people who had a spot only a few days away. So I got to do the day of fasting and chugging gateraid, contemplating renovations to my various bathrooms, and then getting my kindly sister to drive me. Everyone was really nice and now I get another five years off and a sheet extorting me to exercise and eat fiber.
Oh, one of the many people handing me things to sign was named Adam Dalgleish. I was all "Wow, like the " and he said, "Yes, like the P.D. James character" so I said "I"m sorry, you must get that all the time" but he laughed and said only a few times a year.
I'm on a five year schedule for the dreaded rite of adulthood -- the colonoscopy, and my timer was up. When my primary provider admitted they were backed up for months, I was ready to wait, but they pushed me to go out of network to some fiercely efficient people who had a spot only a few days away. So I got to do the day of fasting and chugging gateraid, contemplating renovations to my various bathrooms, and then getting my kindly sister to drive me. Everyone was really nice and now I get another five years off and a sheet extorting me to exercise and eat fiber.
Oh, one of the many people handing me things to sign was named Adam Dalgleish. I was all "Wow, like the " and he said, "Yes, like the P.D. James character" so I said "I"m sorry, you must get that all the time" but he laughed and said only a few times a year.
On Saturday I got to go to a superspecial behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo, courtesy of a friend who is a big donor. It was themed Zoo Babies, so we got to see the toddler gorillas and hear about the many factors that go into proposed parent lines, some determined by zookeepers and some by the animals, and what specific problems the zoo had faced and overcome. Gorillas are cool. And then we saw a bunch of other animals with babies -- bears, ducklings, actually lots of birds either nesting or brooding, and all sorts of stuff. Oh, and we saw a tiger and my brother asked about tiger whiskers as an assassination tool, and they had never heard of it. I'm sure I read a short story where chopped up tiger whiskers were snuck into food. But apparently this is not covered in zoo school
No movie this week because of the medical stuff. And I know it shows I started more than I finished, but I'm only at 42 currently reading now because I was really close to finishing them. And I finished the really long one, which surely gives extra credit. I'm down to 32 books checked out, and only 1 has gone missing, although I'm starting to get worried about that one. I wonder if my roomba put it somewhere?
I'm off to check out the other books at The Bookdate's It's Monday, What Are You Reading headquarters. And since I read a lot of kidlit, I'll also sign up at the Children's Book central version, held at both Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. And then I will dive around to see what everyone else has been reading.
Started
Ascendance of a Bookworm (manga), Part 2 Volume 4, Miya Kazuki. Seeing Myne's reactions are almost as much fun as reading about them.
Murder While You Work, Susan Scarlett (Noel Streatfeild). Hey, a favorite author of mine wrote some adult books! And the new Libby features told me about them, so cool.
The Alto Wore Tweed, Mark Schweitzer. From my shelves. I have no idea where I got it.
Axiom's End, Lindsay Ellis. For my Reading My Library Quest.
M Is For Monster, Talia Dutton. Cybils finalist.
A Half-Built Garden, Ruthanna Emyrs. For my Reading My Library Quest.
Completed
Messy Roots, Laura Gao. 2022 Cybils Graphic Novel finalist. This was an honest memoir, showing both how her family roots in Wuhan are eternal and also how much growing up in Texas changed how she approaches the world. Gao is conflicted about her Chinese heritage and the passage in college where she learns to accept herself and to stop rejected various Asian identities but also not to feel forced to conform to anything that doesn't feel authentic. She can accept herself even while she is still figuring things out.
The Engagement, Sasha Issenberg. For Torches and Pitchforks. Book club is this Friday. I made it! But it was a small gathering; there were tragedies and unexpected relatives and sudden illnesses that took out most of the group. I found the attitude towards the Supreme Court interesting in contrast to the other books I read; lawyers felt that precedent and laws influenced judgments rather than just what the justices wanted to say. Hmm. It was interesting to remember how passionately people shouted that letting some people marry the ones they loved would cause all other marriages to fail and society itself to crumble while leaving all children scarred and damaged. I wish Issenberg had looked a little bit into why people felt that way; I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now.
Bea Wolf, Zach Weinersmith. A gift from my lovely brother and his lovely wife. And it's a lovely book. I loved the way the meter and sound echoed the original, and how seriously the author took his subjects and how the illustrations caught the tone so well.
Tastes Like War, Grace M. Cho. Earlier this year I reread H Is For Hawk, a memoir about a woman whose father died. It made me cranky. This book that the library slipped onto my ereader is a memoir by a woman whose mother died, and I really appreciated it. Cho's mom and mine had very little in common, but they both had daughters who loved them and were loved by them, for better and for worse, not in spite of their flaws but sometimes because of them.
Picture Books
One book from my Reading My Library Quest, Renton Highlands division, Easy Nonfiction shelves, a pick from the Even the Trunchbull podcast, which I am working my way through, and a Cybils finalist.
Beavers, Emily K. Green. I've made it to individual mammals. This book does what it says on the tin. Good photos, clear text, good for young independent naturalists or as a read-aloud.
Du Iz Tak, Carson Ellis. This book is written in a bug language, and the reader figures all the meanings from the context, and it's well worth the effort. I liked seeing the sequence and the sudden terror of the spider, and then the seasons rolling on again.
Farmhouse, Sophie Blackall. 2022 Cybils Picture Book Finalist. We see the life of a large boisterous family in the house they lived and worked from as the children grew up and eventually moved out, leaving the house to shelter wild animals until it crumbled. Lots of neat illustration techniques (which the afterward explains included a lot of materials salvaged from the house that inspired the story) as well as a delicate and pleasant metered prose that celebrates each point in the family's life.
Bookmarks Moved (Or Languished) In:
Ascendance of a Bookworm, Miya Kazuki. I'm endlessly rereading this while waiting for the next version. The bookworm's universe is my happy place. I'm rereading Part III, where Myne is dealing with nobles.
Cobra, Timothy Zahn. I think I'm listening to February's bits. I'd like to get caught up enough to hear the month's ebook specials.
Children of the Stone City, Beverley Naidoo. Disc 4. Police should not torture children into confessing things. Also, I feel parents with a lawyer should let the lawyer talk to their kid before turning him over to the police. I hope Disc 5 saves the kid.
A Longer Fall, Charlaine Harris. I like the Audio Dramatizations. My kitchen is really messy right now, which is a shame because I like this and would enjoy hearing more! Just not enough to do all those dishes...
The Red Scholar's Wake, Aliette de Bodard. For Cloudy book club. Wow, this is tough going. Usually I like this author.
Warcross, Marie Lu. Secrets cause angst among the team mates.
Royal Escape, Georgette Heyer. I might actually remember some bits of the English Civil War after reading this book.
Flood Circle, Harry Connolly. Barely touched it.
Your Perfect Year, Charlotte Lucas. OK, we are drawing to the happy conclusion.
Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon. I think we can expect to see this here for a while.
The Wine-Dark Sea, Patrick O'Brian. Not gonna finish this week.
How Rory Thorn Destroyed the Multiverse, K. Eason. Library Quest book. I like the mix of the impulsive teen protagonist and her respected older advisors, who also sometimes have to act quickly.
Ship Without Sails, Sherwood Smith. There are quite a few characters, and almost all of them are in very distinct sets of dire circumstances.
Palate Cleansers
These books I'm barely reading; lately I use them as bribes to get me to deal with the mail. I've been ignoring my mail.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane (no picture).
Stinger, Nancy Kress.
Dragon's Breath, E.D. Baker. Danger threatens the kingdom! The the princess's aunt's love life!
The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. (no picture) I'm really enjoying reading the essays and not doing the exercises. Reading a writing textbook is like sitting on the couch and watching an exercise program -- pure relaxation.
The Road to Mars, Eric Idle. .
The Dark Fantastic, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. There's a strong statement that almost all antagonists, especially in fantasy, are representations of other races. I'll be interested to see how she supports this.
Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. I like dealing with my mail for the duration of this day's songs. It's about my attention span. Sometimes two minutes, sometimes twenty.
Reading Challenges
- Cybils 2022: Moving onto YA Graphic Novels. Finished Messy Waters.
- Early Cybils: Not done.
- Reading My Library. Working on audio and Easy Nonfiction from backup library. Started Axiom's End and Half-Built Garden from main. Good overlap in themes.
- Where Am I Reading 2022. Never finished updating this. Not sure I'll do it in 2023.
- Libraries: Started the 10 to Try for 2023.
Future Plans
I'm putting this at the end because I suspect it's complete fiction, but I feel I should attempt some structure.I am reading:
- Book I own: The Alto Wore Tweed
- Library Book: Axiom's End
- Ebook I own: The Perfect Year
- Library Ebook: Murder On the Job
- Book Club Book: The Fourth Wing
- Tuesday Book Club Book: Network Effect
- Review Book: Back Home
- Rereading:
- Audio: A Longer Fall
4 comments:
When you turn 50 here the government mails a bowel cancer testing kit to your home, which you do and return, and then testing determines if a colonoscopy is required. I just got mine, I’m really hoping one won’t be needed!
The zoo trip seems like a great reward for you enduring it though.
Wishing you a great reading week
Our zoo (Denver) holds visits similar to what you did & for a granddaughter's birthday we had a sloth visit, learned about them, got to touch & see them up close. Since then, one has had a baby! I'm sure you're happy about the "test" being done for five years! Thanks for the books, so many, but I bookmarked a few, like Tastes Like War. I loved both Du Iz Tak and Farmhouse! Thanks, Beth!
So glad you liked Bea Wolf. Now I need to borrow it sometime so I can read it. But not for a while; I'm backed up on my end.
The colonoscopy doesn't sound like the most fun way to spend the week, Beth, but I'm glad you also got to fit in some fun things, like a trip to the zoo! Also, about your Roomba potentially hiding your library book, I personally think what happened is that your Roomba is secretly a total book nerd, and will return your book once it's done reading it. As for books this week, I'm so glad you finished Messy Roots—that was a wonderful read! Thanks so much for the wonderful post, as always!
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