This book has been on my list for a couple of years now and when my book club selected as their book of the month for December I was glad to finally have an excuse to read it. I actually didn’t know very much of what it was about when I put it on my TBR list; or even when I picked it up to begin reading, but I’m glad to say that I enjoyed it immensely. One of the books greatest strengths is the quick beginning. Sometimes it takes a while to get into a book-to set the scene…
Posts Written Byadmin
Top Ten Books of 2017
I love this part of the year, when I get to look back at all the books I’ve read, all the characters I’ve fallen in love with, and all the “places” I’ve been. 2017 started out a little rough but, as far as book quality goes, finished strong. Before we get to the top 10, let me give you the stats. Of the 66 books I completed this year: 11 were contemporary fiction 2 were Classics 10 were Fantasy 34 were Historical Fiction 2 were Memoirs 1 Middle Grade 3 Non-Fiction informative 3 were Science Fiction I also started 2-4…
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
If you’re looking for a non-fiction or memoir that’s engaging, informative and witty, you’ll find it in Lab Girl. Hope Jahren, a botanist and multiple scientific award winner, chronicles her career and life in this memoir/non-fiction hybrid. The chapters alternate between engaging information about plant life (and the similarities to human life) and Jahren’s personal struggle with paranoia, her stoic upbringing, and most importantly-being a woman scientist. I loved (and appreciated) how accessible the subject matter was, Jahren writes in a such a way that science gives way to poetry and occasionally humor. I laughed out loud many times while reading…
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
I only need one word to capture the essence of this book: enchanting. I fell captive to its spell while reading (which only took me two days) and when I finished it was with no small struggle that I awakened to reality. This is a fascinating re-telling of a little known Russian fairy tale and is perfect for the winter season. I’ve never known the original fairy tale so I can’t speak to how true it was to it’s source, but I can say that I enjoyed it immensely. Its greatest strength is it’s atmospheric tone and vividly fresh setting.…
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It was phenomenal. I feel completely unequal to the task of reviewing this book. I almost never give 5 stars to a book that doesn’t change me in some way, but I am abandoning that standard here because this book is just too perfect. I’ve been putting off reading it for a couple years now, hoping that Patrick Rothfuss will finally complete his trilogy and thus pave the way for me to binge read all three at once-but that was not to be. So, I moved on to Plan B,…
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Did everyone else besides me read this when it came out? I feel like I’m soooooooooo late to the party. I think my sister has even read it multiple times. When it was published I was in my early twenties and life was good. I was a college student with basically no responsibilities except to take classes and live life to the fullest. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say I was very happy back then. I certainly didn’t think I needed to read a book about being happy. And honestly, I wouldn’t say I’m unhappy now,…
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
I was just so disappointed with this book. I instantly fell in love with the first book “three dark crowns” and was excited to have found another YA series that offered something new and had so much potential. But to my great sorrow this next installment really went off the rails. One of the main characters does a complete 180 in personality with very little explanation, taking everything I loved about her and throwing it in the trash. Another MC lost all her strength (metaphorically) and just faded into the shadows. The third (who was my least favorite at the…
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
I loved this! Despite having really enjoyed Ruta Sepetys last YA novel, I didn’t feel I needed to read this one. I generally have an unspoken rule that I follow which is: don’t read more than one or two books by the same author (unless it’s a series, then I read at an alarming and possibly unhealthy rate). I do this because I am on a quest to read only the cream of the crop, I want the best each author has to offer. If I read only the best, then I have more time to read more authors. I…
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
This is by far the best book I read in the month of September. I picked it up because I wanted to connect more presently with reality and I was so pleased how perfectly it hit the mark. This book is equally educational and compelling. Anne Fadiman’s work is a tragic tale of a small Hmong child who, while being treated by the American medical system, becomes brain dead by the age of four. The book explores the clash of two dynamic forces, the Hmong culture/belief and western medicine, and how Lia Lee’s permanent condition was a direct result of…
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Ultimately this book disappointed me. Imagine a bell curve; that perfectly illustrates the energy and my interest in this novel. The beginning was slow and that’s okay, a lot of books begin that way. I was prepared to be patient. The writing was good and occasionally very clever, clever enough I felt it promised satisfaction just around every page. I waited, then podded, onward. Even though I’m a self-proclaimed anglophile and I just absolutely adore anything British I was seriously contemplating not finishing this book. Nothing was happening, no character was strong enough to care too deeply about. Could I…