Another year of reading. With a new baby, I was surprised by what I was able to read. That said, with a new baby and long nights of constant feeding, I did a lot of reading. This will probably be known as the year of the parenting books and paltry fiction.
Let me know if you've read any of the books on my list and what you thought. I'd love to talk books!
Here are the books I loved and recommend:
The Lola Quartet, Emily St. John Mandel
I really enjoy this author. To date I've read all her novels. She puts characters in interesting situations then explores the choices for getting them out. This one really made me think - do you do what's right or do you do what's legal?
The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss
This book got really poor reviews, however, since I really enjoyed his other novels, I decided to try it and I loved it! It has no plot but still it captured my imagination and I found it a very tender novella. A book about understanding at a deeper level. It will make more sense if you've read The Name of the Wind.
Cytonic, Brandon Sanderson
The third book in this series by Sanderson and this one almost didn't make it to the loved list. (Compared to the other fiction I read this year, it was stellar.) An enjoyable read that continued the story but not my favorite to date in this particular series.
The Lost Metal, Brandon Sanderson
This Sanderson novel I really enjoyed. The fourth and final book in the series, the series being a sequel to the Mistborn trilogy. Wrapped up the story nicely with plenty of action, revels, twists and turns, worldbuilding, and an incredible linking to his other Cosmere novels. It's been a while since I've read the other books in this particular series, but the violence in this one seemed a bit more detailed and the body count on par with a James Bond movie.
Dead Mountain, Donnie Eichar
Oh my, this was an eerie book. Another ranger in Yosemite was reading it and I read the first chapter one night when we were both in the same backcountry camp, many year ago. I was finally able to get a hold of a copy and my goodness, what a story. A group of early-twenties college students in Russia, all highly experienced in outdoor recreation, all leave their tent in sub-zero temps, with limited clothes and no shoes, only to be found dead feet from their tent. Why? How? So interesting. I didn't so much care for the author's personal story and I don't agree completely with his theory of what happened to the group, but a captivating read and a true story.
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
One of the classics I read this year. Set in a futuristic time when Isaiah 5:20-23 is reality. I really enjoyed this as I see many ways our society is going in the direction of this book or is already there.
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to climb Everest. None. No interest really in climbing any mountain that's top is covered in snow year-round. I would love to do Whitney as some point - but not in winter. An eye opening read into what it takes to mentally and physically climb Everest and the sometimes heart-breaking consequences of attempting to conquer this peak.
Comfortably Numb, Charles Barber
WHOA! Slightly dated, this book talks about how incredibly over medicated the country is when it comes to anti-depressants (particularly those the author referres to as "the worried well") and it's astonishing. If not already because of the long list of side-effects listed for certain drugs, this book has made me even more warry of prescription drugs of any kind.
What Great Parents Do, Erica Reischer
This book read more like a brochure with each chapter only 2 or 3 pages long. I really appreciated this. There were some interesting ideas and thoughts that can apply not only to raising children, but to all relationships. One of the biggest for me was not discounting my child's reality. If he is scared, he is scared and me saying, "It's ok, you're fine," is me discounting his reality.
The Self-Driven Child, William Stixrud, Ned Johnson
A really interesting read about the importance of giving children choices at all ages. I worried about this book leaning toward permissive parenting but it doesn't. Giving choice doesn't mean permissiveness. I've tried a few suggestions from this book to great success. One that surprised me a lot was trying to get Wesley to eat his dinner. It was suggested you split the plate in two and give the child the option of eating either side. I did that for Wesley one night, he looked at his choices, decided which side he would eat, then ate his whole plate and asked for more. Flabbergasted!
Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn
A lot of the parenting books I read this year referenced this one so I added it to my list. Wow! This is a critique of behaviorism and how the best way to motivate people is not with rewards or punishments (do this and get that). He very thoroughly reviews the literature that refutes the success of carrots and sticks and how intrinsic motivation is much better than extrinsic and how extrinsic can actually decrease motivation over time. It has already changed how I praise my kids and it's made me hyper aware of the constant stream of 'good jobs' coming from other parents and teachers. If I were to go back to work in a leadership position, a lot of how I manage my staff would change because of this book.
Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke
This book talks about how we are addicted to dopamine and like any addict, are continually striving to find bigger and better ways to increase our dopamine release. And, like any addiction, this is detrimental. She talks about the necessity of balance and the importance of experiencing and working through pain (physical/mental/emotional) and other hard tasks. Really enjoyed this book. Caution: strong sexual content as she discusses the addiction of one of her patients.
Here are the books that were interesting or entertaining but I wouldn't necessarily recommend:
Dune, Frank Herbert
I was surprised this was SciFi; I'd always assumed this was fantasy. It was an interesting concept and it kept my attention. There was too much missing/assumed backstory/knowledge for a first book in a series. This bugs me to no end when authors keep things too vague or throw too much jargon at the reader or plots are derived from backstory we have no inkling of. There is a delicate balance of over-telling and under-telling and I felt this was the latter. Not enough interest to read more than this first book.
Last Night in Montreal, Emily St. John Mandel
As stated above, I love this author but this was not one of my favorite stories by her. This focused on obsessions and obsessive behavior and the choices we make.
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
A beautifully written book but I'm not really sure about what. A butler taking a road trip and reminiscing about his work life and history. Read it for how wonderfully, beautifully written it is, but don't expect much story line or plot.
The Dead Mountaineer's Inn, Arkady Strugatsky
This book started off wonderful! I was really enjoying it. Excellent and quirky characters, a truly mysterious mystery, all the makings of a great book. And then the aliens came...
Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer
A roommate many years ago was reading this and had it on the kitchen counter. I read the jacket and it sounded interesting. After reading Into Thin Air I thought I'd give another Krakauer book a try. Well written, well researched, a bit too detailed in gory parts, but an interesting read. Always a little warry about books that will talk about or reference my church, but it wasn't too bad.
The Orphan Keeper, Camron Wright
I read the majority of this book the first seven hours I was in the hospital while in labor with Lauren. A story of an Indian boy from the slums who was kidnapped, taken to an orphanage, adopted by American parents, then eventually finds his birth mother and father. A true story but I'm a little skeptical about how reliable his memory is pre-adoption.
Death Notes, Chord of Evil, Song of the Damned, & Music Macabre, Sarah Rayne
I don't remember how I stumbled on these. I read all four during those long nights with a newborn. The first book was quite enjoyable. A story of a long-dead Russian violinist and a music history investigator trying to figure out what happened to him. The second book had the music history part set in Nazi Germany and I'm a little put-off by that genre at the moment. The third book was a bit predictable (after reading the first two) but an interesting story of a song and its history. The fourth was just plain fun, taking place during the days of Jack the Ripper.
Stiff, Mary Roach
Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. A really, really interesting book looking at what happens to donated cadavers from plastic surgery practice, to crash dummies, to better understanding human decomposition.
The Me, Me, Me Epidemic, Amy McCready
Yet another parenting book. Wish this one had read more like a pamphlet without all the extra fluff. She's a bit condescending about how we are all spoiling our kids and how to undo it, but a few take-aways.
How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen, Joanna Faber & Julie King
Biggest theme in this book - be silly with your kids. A lot of how to handle getting dressed, eating dinner, bathing, going to bed, and turning everything into a game, and never saying, "Because I said so." Meh.
Here are the books I did not like and would not recommend:
The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah
The fact that life in bush Alaska is hard is beat into you. Mishap after hardship after accident to the extreme. Spoiler alert by the time the mother is diagnosed with cancer I laughed because of course she would get cancer! No, thank you.
The Man in the Iron Mask, Alexandre Dumas
I'd been wanting to read this classic for a while. I didn't realize The Three Musketeers is the first book in a trilogy by Dumas and this one the final book. I really enjoyed the first third of this book but struggled through the rest and did not finish. Dull, boring, long... I hate to say that about a classic.
Desert Solitaire, Edward Abby
I know, I know, long overdue for a park ranger to read Abby. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. I couldn't help wondering what he would think about the management of the parks today. There are things I absolutely agreed with him but it just isn't a feasible way to manage, especially today.
Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard
This book was recommend to me a few years ago and I finally was able to get a copy. Why did I bother? The main character can't make up her mind and the drama and emotions were forced and not genuine. I somehow made it through. I read the first paragraph of the second book in the series, Glass Sword, and couldn't make myself read any further. I found a really funny and clever review on line that turned young adult dystopian fiction into a mad lib which fits for this book, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Uglies, The Maze Runner.... anyone else tired of this type of formulaic novel, especially when so poorly written?
Hotel Angeline
This book was a writing project with 30-some authors, each taking a turn at writing a chapter. I thought it might be interesting, but I didn't finish.
The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee
Did this go anywhere? Did this have a point? What this even an interesting story? Is anyone else tired of being told there are only two types of people in this world, the oppressors and the oppressed?
1984, George Orwell
I really don't like having classics on my don't recommend list but I struggled to finish this one too. Perhaps I need to attend a discussion on this because I didn't understand it on a deeper level.
Outdoor Kids in an Inside World, Steven Rinella
Since moving to Arizona, I am very concerned about getting enough outside time during the summer. This book did not answer that question. Garden, forage, camp, and hunt were his answer to getting kids engaged in nature. Mind you, he is doing these things with his kids in Montana, Alaska, and other non-desert places. Too self-aggrandizing, I was less than impressed.
Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
Some of the other moms at Wesley's preschool were talking about this book with excitement so I decided to try it. What was this supposed to be? A love story, coming of age story, a natural history of the Outer Banks, a courtroom drama, a murder mystery... I have no idea. Terrible dialogue between characters with situations and emotions and motivations that were hard to believe. As one critic said, "I'm jealous of the mother who walked out on page 8 and didn't have to suffer through the rest of the story."
Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
I read this for my book group which will meet after the first of the year. Halls, statues, vestibules, halls, statutes, vestibules... I didn't have any attachment to the main character and found the whole alternate reality hard to swallow, perhaps because it was poorly explained.
What She Left Behind, Ellen Marie Wiseman
No, no, no. What an awesome idea for a book - if only someone else had written it. Two timelines, one of a woman confined to an asylum for no reason who bears the brunt of every possible inhuman practice performed in asylums historically, and terrible teenage angst/drama in the second timeline. I was really surprised this wasn't young adult literature as I didn't think the writing or story at an adult level.
The Old Man, Thomas Perry
This book was recommend by my library since it had recently been turned into an Amazon mini-series and I thought, the book is usually better than the movie... Gah! Can't even take suggestions from the library! Hard to believe character motivations, plot was less than believable, and the ending was weak.
The Kidnap Years, David Stout
This book sounded fascinating and was quite a let down. An overview of the time in our country when kidnapping was commonplace. The author jumps around from story to story, and with a long list of people (kidnappers, kidnappees, organized crime persons, FBI agents, etc.) the jumping around made it hard to follow a story line and impossible to keep track of everyone. It got confusing and cumbersome. He somehow manages to make such an interesting part of the country's history really boring.
