Sighhhhhhh. I need to do this more frequently, or start writing these right as I finish each book. I do enjoy posting these, partly to just reflect on what I have read and whether it has stuck with me or not, and partly because I just like talking about and sharing books.
The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus, #2) by Jonathan Stroud
This is the sequel to the Amulet of Samarkand, featuring the lovable djinni Bartimaeus and the boy magician Nathaniel again. Faced with increased responsibility, Nathaniel tries to track down the members of the Resistance and stop their disruptive attacks on London. He has to enlist Bartimaeus's help again, much to each of their dismay. Not as good as the first one, but still entertaining. 3 stars.
Ptolemy's Gate (Bartimaeus, #3) by Jonathan Stroud
The next and final Bartimaeus book brings all the loose ends together and Nathaniel must again face the mysterious Resistance girl that he has encountered in each book. Bartimaeus is suffering from being enslaved in this world for too long without rest, but they need him to get through the crazy going-ons around them and stop the bad magicians. 4 stars.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
The concept of golems and jinn was brought up in the previous two books in an intriguing manner. They are middle eastern mythological or theological beings, so I looked to see if there were any books with good reviews on the topic and found this one. I prefer to pick books based on recommendations, but I was glad I found this one. It was interesting and informative, while still being a novel. A golem and a jinni separately end up in old New York City and are striving to fit in and go unnoticed when they chance across each other. 4 stars.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
I did pick this book on a recommendation, but those don't always work out. Terry Pratchett books are often just too ridiculous for me to get through, let alone enjoy. I didn't make it all the way through this one, although I might try again some day because the premise is interesting. Basically, this man dies and he can choose to either die or become the post-master at this crazy dysfunctional post office that is full to the ceilings with undelivered mail.
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
A period romance, this was a nice fluffy book that was good for a quick read. Here's what I said on Goodreads: "This book made me happy, although there were several sections that made me roll my eyes from the cheesiness or poor writing. Still, it's the type of book that you like because it is so cheesily romantic that it makes you smile and sigh and then you laugh at yourself." That pretty much sums it up. So if you like a good, clean romantic drama I would recommend this. 4 stars.
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Weird. This book was a bit confusing because of the creative way it flows, and probably also because I was listening to the audio book and I'm betting the real book has some indication that you're jumping around while the audio book does not. This book explores the many divergent paths that our lives may take by following Ursula Todd from the time she is born to when she dies. It starts with one story with one outcome, then bounces back to a different turn of events at a certain point and does this repeatedly throughout the book until you've heard several variations on the life Ursula could have lived. It gets awfully repetitive because it has to repeat parts to remind you where you're jumping back to, but the concept was interesting. 3 stars.
Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
Similar in style but not plot to Edenbrooke, this is another happy romantic book. 4 stars.
Austenland by Shannon Hale
So silly. Both me and the book. I got to the last 3-4 pages and finally realized I had already read this book before. I don't know why I didn't realize it until then, but I don't take that as a good sign. It's about a young woman who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy and Pride and Prejudice and it has ruled her life. Her aunt gifts her a trip to Austenland, this immersive Jane Austen-style experience, to try to work it out of her system. 3 stars.
Parkland by Vincent Bugliosi
This was a non-fiction book about the JFK assassination and investigation. It was super interesting, and occasionally very saddening and pretty gross. Poor Jackie. The author has done extensive research and gives very detailed information about the events before, during, and especially after this tragic moment. I also watched the movie, and it wasn't half as good as the book, but it was okay.
On a related note, I remember for a while as I child almost every time we went to the library, I wanted to check out this certain blue, hard-cover children's book about the JFK assassination. I'm not sure why or if it had my parents concerned, but I really liked that book and checked it out frequently.
Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen
Julie Klassen writes books quite similar to Julianne Donaldson (see above). This one is about a young woman who becomes pregnant and must go to a house for unwed mothers and the people and circumstances she finds there. 2 stars
The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
A young woman works efficiently in her father's apothecary but is not allowed to own or run it because she is a woman. She goes to London for a time, but while she's away, her father's business falls apart. When she returns a rival apothecary opens shop, and makes the choice between returning to London and staying even harder. 4 stars.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
This is a book about a girl who meets and befriends(?) an unusual vampire. It was actually pretty interesting and well-done, but so not like anything I expected from Robin McKinley who wrote things like The Hero and the Crown, Blue Sword, and The Outlaws of Sherwood. Despite this and the fact it's about vampires, which seem so cliche today (10 years after this was published), I did enjoy this book. 4 stars.
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
This book brought me to the realization that when we hear about tragic happenings, like the tsunami in southeast Asia in 2004, and hear numbers of dead or missing, we often don't personalize the people involved. They are just numbers until you read a book like this. But this made me realize that likely all of those 230,000+ people had stories and people who loved them and grieved for them. And also that as much as an untimely death is unfortunate, being injured and surviving afterwards, often desperate to know what happened to your loved ones is really just as tragic, and we don't usually even hear numbers of how many people are affected this way.
Anyways, this book is about a Sri-Lankan lady who lived happily with her husband and two children in London and went to Sri Lanka to visit her family. She, her husband, two children, and both parents were happily vacationing in a hotel they regularly stayed at on the coast when the tsunami struck. So much of this book is about her life weeks, months, and years afterwards and is very sad and depressing, but that was her life. We never know what we would do in those situations until we're there ourselves. So, this was pretty interesting and thought-provoking, but if you want something about the tsunami that ends up slightly happier, try the movie The Impossible, based on the true story of another family vacationing during the tsunami. Fair warning though: I found this movie emotionally jarring and pretty frightening because they do an incredibly realistic job of the terror of being caught in the tsunami. 3 stars.
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
A pretty good fantasy book, but not as good as some of Sanderson's other works. Every time, he creates a world of magic that works in a different, creative way. Besides just being a deft storyteller, I think that is what primarily draws me back to his books. 4 stars.
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
This is a young adult fiction book about two girls set during WWII. Verity is a secret agent and her friend is a pilot. When they are shot down over Germany and Verity is captured by the Gestapo, she writes and writes "secrets" for the Germans in order to stay alive. The point of view in this book is interesting and unique. 4.5 stars.
The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen
This is a unique period romance in that it's told mostly from the man's point of view. The main dude is a dancing master like his famous father was, and when he and his mother and sister move to this small town where dancing is mysteriously but unofficially banned, he decides to go against that sanction and teach dancing anyways. 3 stars
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
As a girl, Bethia encountered a Native American boy and they secretly romped the woods together. Her father is attempting to convert the various tribes and teach them English. The boy later goes on to attend college and Bethia has a change in circumstances that gives her a front-row seat to observe his accomplishments and challenges. Not intensely interesting, but okay. 3 stars.
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
I had a hard time getting into this book because it seemed so comic bookish, but I took it on vacation with us and it ended up being pretty good. There are some people who have superpowers but most of those are evil and rule their various domains. There is a group of rebels who want to overthrow the current evil leader of Chicago, Steelheart, who rules with an iron fist and has turned the whole city to steel, killing whomever he wishes. David saw Steelheart kill his father and now believes he knows Steelheart's secret weakness, so he sets out to try to join the rebels in their quest. 4 stars.
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
The plot in this book is a bit comical because this young lady runs away from home and secretly and in disguise becomes a maid at the manor of two brothers who both were at one time potential love interests. Neither recognize her and she lives secretly as a maid there until circumstances force her to come back to society. 3 stars.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The story of the woman whose mysteriously immortal cervical cancer cells were taken and distributed, later being used in many important discoveries. So much of it is about her poor family, and how they dealt with the aftermath of learning about Henrietta's life and death and what has happened with her cells since then. 4 stars.
What We Eat
10 years ago
