I love to read! It was unfortunately another year of paltry fiction, even from authors I tend to enjoy. I'm beginning to wonder if my tastes have changed, there aren't any decent writers currently, or perhaps it's time I finish one of the many (too many) stories of my own I've started and haven't finished.
I love to talk books so let me know your thoughts, if you've read any of the same ones I have, or if you had success with your fiction finds.
Books I loved and recommend:
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1-7, Beth Brower
LOVED! LOVED! LOVED! (So there was at least one fiction book I found I liked.) Loved this series and could barely stand the wait between finishing volume six and volume seven being published six months later. Delightful story of Emma Lion and her capers around St. Crispian's. Think Jane Austin (Pride and Prejudice) meets L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables). LOVED! I haven't laughed out loud so hard or stayed up much to late reading in a long time. LOVED!
Back to Normal: Why Ordinary Childhood Behavior is Mistaken for ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, Enrico Gnaulti
Another kind-of parenting book. This book gave me a lot to think about for sure, especially raising a boy with a late May birthday approaching kindergarten age. The author has worked with children for years and has seen the shift from "my child is strong-willed and creative" to "my child has a disability or disorder." The author reminds us what he considers normal childhood behavior and development for both boys and girls and how it differs between the two, what can be considered delayed or slightly delayed development, and what constitutes as truly needing counseling and/or medication. Highly recommended to mothers of boys.
Unconditional Parenting, Alfie Kohn
Another parenting book. It coincided nicely with our study of the parable of the Prodigal Son at church. Talk about a beautiful example of unconditional parenting from the father. This book emphasizes the importance of making sure we give unconditional love and some of the potential ways we may unknowingly send the message to our kids that our love is conditional.
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers, Gordon Nuefeld, Gabor Mate
Amazing! Truly. Did I agree with everything? No. However, a lot of their arguments made a lot of sense, they had peer-reviewed studies that confirmed what they were saying, and as a teen once myself, I absolutely saw in high school some of what they are describing. They start the book with Matthew 6:24 - no man can serve two masters, and then proceed to describe how a lot of what we are seeing in the behavior of our youth today is because they are more attached to their peers than their parents (love the former, despise the latter). We have immature beings leading immature beings. They have an updated edition that dives into the digital age and maintaining attachments to your child with the competition of social media, texting, on-line video gaming, etc. Highly recommend this book!
Homecoming, Kate Morton
I have really enjoyed all but one of Morton's books and this was no different. Having read so many, I knew to expect twists and turns and thought I had it all figured out and I didn't. Some of them I got, some I didn't. A dive into knowing who you are and where you come from and understanding what matters most in your personal history. Stayed up much, much to late finishing this book.
The Secret Keeper, Kate Morton
Probably my favorite by Morton, we read this for our book group. Similar twists and turns and themes of family and personal history, a great read with distinct characters that are truly brought to life.
Tress of the Emerald Sea, Brandon Sanderson
So enjoyable and simply a fun read. I especially loved the "sea" Sanderson created for this world and the ability to manipulate the parts of the sea. I will admit I guessed the twist, but it didn't detract from the book but made it quite enjoyable. As Sanderson describes it, what would have happened if Buttercup went after Westley ("Princess Bride"). I am hoping more stories from this world are coming because it was such an interesting place.
Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel
Another author I have come to enjoy. All her books can be read individually and yet have bits and pieces that connect them all together in a brilliant though subtle way. I really don't like books or movies with time travel, but this one didn't bother me too much as the main character was using time travel for research and investigation. Time travel didn't play a prominent role in the story and at the same time it did. Hard to describe, but an interesting book.
Books that were interesting and/or entertaining but wouldn't necessarily recommend:
The Ink Black Heart, Robert Galbraith
J.K. Rowling's pseudonym for her mystery series. I love these mysteries. They are spectacular and the timelines are believable. A really, really interesting look a cyber-personas (is that the term?), cyber-bullying, and cyber anonymity. Really enjoyed this book. However, the language is awful!!! Ugh! J.K! Please, you're stories are fabulous, just tone down the language!
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber
Read this when my interest in parenting books was starting to wane, mostly because they were starting to sound a bit repetitive. The importance of being silly with younger kids and understanding they are little, respecting older kids and giving them as much choice and voice in decisions as appropriate for their age.
The Myth of the Spoiled Child, Alfie Kohn
My third book to read by Kohn and somewhat repetitive after reading two others by him. He makes an interesting argument that it's actually really hard to spoil a child. He states what some might see as spoiling (taking a forgotten lunch to school, for example) is instead interpreted as kindness and generosity by the child which will be a good example for the child of treating people with compassion later in life. Don't know if I agreed with everything, but an interesting read.
The Q, Beth Brower
Same author as Emma above, and while interesting and entertaining, not quite a must read like Emma. Quincy runs The Q, a newsprint of questions. When threatened with it being taken from her and given a year to complete tasks, and not knowing what they are, Quincy slowly comes to realize what matters most.
The Bonds that Make Us Free: Healing Our Relationships, Coming to Ourselves, C. Terry Warner
A book club book that we never got to discuss, the latter being quite disappointing. An interesting read about letting go of insult, anger, offense, and feeling like a victim. I originally thought this would be a 'not recommended' book but then I kept pulling quotes and examples from the book. Did I agree with everything? No. Did I agree with half? No. Definitely led to some interesting discussions between Gil and I.
The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
This book was the number one read on a friend's list from last year and I thought I'd give it a try. An interesting idea about being able to go back and see what your life would be like if you had made different decisions, from major to minor ones. That idea for a story I liked. How it was written I wasn't a big fan. Caution: strong language, mental illness, and suicide.
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, Brandon Sanderson
This is in the maybe recommend because except for the last fourth of the book, the story did nothing and went nowhere except in circles. I had a bit of trouble understanding how this particular planet got in the predicament it got into. When I thought it was over, it wasn't. I will admit, I read the last fourth in one sitting, but still - meh.
Why Fish Don't Exist, Lulu Miller
I debated long on where to put this book. I was very interested in the topic/subject in the beginning, then got really annoyed by the end. Can I just say hindsight is 20/20? What beliefs, behaviors, and absolutes today will be scoffed as foolish and incompetent or even malicious in another hundred years? The writing, however, is excellent. After reading some poorly written books, the writing was a nice change and probably what pushed it up to the middle section. I will keep eating fish and I will keep calling them fish. What else are we supposed to do? Unless you find replacements for something we don't see very often and not being able to see distinct characteristics without cutting them open (unlike the different antlers on deer, elk, and moose) it's going to be a hard sell to get the rest of the world not to use "fish."
Books I did not like and would not recommend
First They Killed My Father, Loung Ung
My sister-in-law read this for her book group and it sounded interesting. There were Cambodian refugees in Houston and I became very good friends with a girl my age when I was in high school. I was interested in learning more. This is not the book for that. It is delicate to balance the truth, and the horror of that truth, of what happened to the Cambodian people and what I thought was a terribly written book. The horror of what happened is enough emotion without the author 'helping' us understand the suffering of her people. I also didn't like the "this is what might have happened" sections. Simply saying, "they are dead, I don't know how, but most likely as such" and then kept it concise would have pulled on my emotions stronger than the drawn out speculation.
Love Does, Bob Goff
I read this for my book group. A book about what Jesus wants us to do and be... without a single verse of scripture quoted. I found that a bit odd. Also, the author's antics were juvenile at best, downright arrogant and selfish at worst. To me, a book about the impulsivities of people with the money to indulged in them.
In the Shadow of a Queen, Heather B. Moore
Another book group book. We had a really good discussion about this book, but it didn't change my mind. It seemed like incredible extrapolation of journal/diary entries and letters to create this book. Not only did I get bored with the whole "let's get Louise married" theme, which in my opinion took up WAY too much of the book, it seemed to end when she did get married. Not sure what the point of the book was either: was it about Queen Victoria, her children, what it's like to be a royal...?
Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
This book was suggested as a good read by an author I like so I thought it must be good. Awful! Male sexual fantasy in print. Don't bother!
The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune
Yet another book group read. A case worker (read: cog in a bureaucracy) goes to check on the status of magically inclined youth in an orphanage. Story arc is pretty standard: case worker changes for the better as he interacts with these particularly special children. It is in the telling that the story is enjoyable or over-done. This time, I felt I was being preach to through the whole book, I felt one of the characters was so over-the-top it was unbelievable at times, and the strong hatred the town felt toward the children unsupported in the narrative. Mainly, preachy. I'm tired of people telling me what I should think instead of simply telling the story and letting me draw my own conclusions.
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Brandon Sanderson
I generally really like Sanderson's novels but this was just too silly. I read one of his youth chapter books (Alcatraz series) and that was too silly for me. This was similar. It captured my attention and the idea for the book was a bit similar to the alternate dimension of The Midnight Library (and explained it just okay) but just too silly.
The Widows of Malabar Hill, Sujata Massey
This was a quasi book group book, an "if you have more time, read this too" book for which I really didn't have the time and it wasn't worth it. I was surprised to see how many awards it has earned when I found the writing weak, the characters weak, the mystery (if you could even call it that) weak, the use of clichés overdone, and so many other things. As stated before, stop telling me how to feel and just write and let me draw my own conclusions. I got really annoyed with the inconsistency of the main character and especially some of the really stupid decisions she makes that as a reader I struggled to find her reason for even considering in the first place. The author uses the popular jumping between timelines throughout the book but I think it would have been a stronger storyline if delivered linearly. I did come to an appreciation for the melting pot that is/was India and navigating the legal and religious scenes. But... not enough to make me interested in reading anything further on the history of India.
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