This post is a little late, but I didn’t forget about it — I just didn’t have access to to the Interwebs for most of yesterday. But I did a lot of reading (and book buying) this week. So, let’s get started…
Inbox (books acquired)
- Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay (Kindle) — This book has come highly recommended from several different sources, and it’s showing up on a lot of “best of 2014” lists. I thought it might be an interesting way to kick off my 2015 reading project (which I will talk about in a future post). So, when I saw it was only $4.99 on Kindle, I grabbed a copy.
- The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (Kindle) — This book came highly recommended from one of the women in my UCBx Craft of Reading class. She had it on her “top five” list and raved about it. This came on sale and I went to buy it, but then I saw the reviews and hesitated. There are a lot of negative reviews for this book. I spent some time skimming the reviews (to avoid spoilers) and trying to determine if I would like this book or not. Then I saw that it’s going to be a movie staring Emma Watson, and I figured I’d trust the woman I knew from class over a bunch of random Amazon reviewers. We’ll see how that turns out…
- The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler (Kindle) — I might have mentioned that Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is one of *my* “top five” favorite books. So, when I saw that Erin Morgenstern made a list of *her* favorite books over on her blog (back in 2012), I added them to my “someday / maybe” book list. This was one of those books, and it went on sale this week, so I snatched it up.
Outbox (books finished)
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (paperback) — Okay. I read it. But I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I think there are other books that tackle the theme / message better, and I didn’t really enjoy the story, characters, or writing. Maybe this is just one of those books that you have to read when you’re in middle or high school in order to love it…
- Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (Kindle) — This book, on the other hand, I loved. I’ve mentioned before, when I read Eleanor and Park then Fangirl, that I could probably read Rainbow Rowell’s grocery lists and love them. I still think that’s probably true. This book is the first one I read by her that features adult characters with jobs. But, like Eleanor and Park, this book is firmly set in that “Y2K” window of late 1999 to early 2000. I loved the characters, I loved the writing, and the story is just unbearably sweet. If you want a warm and cozy, holiday read, this is your book. I plan on giving it to several family members who I think will also enjoy it.
Queue (what I’m reading next)
- I started Bad Feminist and have been reading the essays at a leisurely pace. I might finish it this week.
- My pre-order of This Shattered World should magically appear on my Kindle on Tuesday, and I am so excited to dive into that one. I’m debating re-reading These Broken Stars before I start this one. I don’t think it’s necessary because this isn’t exactly a sequel, but it might be fun.
Hope you are all having a festive holiday season!
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