This was a slow book week (as expected). And I (shockingly!) did not acquire any new books this week! I know. Are you amazed? I am amazed.

Maybe instead of telling you about the books I bought this week, I’ll just tell you about the books I added to my wish list this week…

Inbox (books acquired)

• No books bought or borrowed this week… instead I just added these four books to my watch list for future purchasing (or borrowing):
  • The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette — I found this one on a “best of March” book list post on Book Riot. I grew up during the Beanie Baby craze and had quite a few of these cuddly critters. So, of course this captured my attention. I’m surprised they have enough material for a book on this topic, but the review in the blog post made it sound fascinating, so I added it to my list. I’ll probably try to get this one from the library…
  • Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan — This was also listed in that “best of March” Book Riot post. I’ve seen this one around and it sounds like your basic (new adult?) romance novel. But, the Book Riot reviewer raved about the author’s writing style and how she enjoyed reading about this culture. It reminds me of that Psy song that was so popular a few years ago… this one might be worthy of a vacation read, especially if I can catch it during a price drop…
  • Chase Me by Tessa Bailey — This one is DEFINITELY a “new adult” romance novel, and also from that Book Riot March round-up post. It’s only $2.99, but I’m adding it to my list and saving it for when I need a fast and flirty fun read. Last time I was in the mood for something like this I had to fall back on a re-read because I couldn’t find one with a description that didn’t make my eyes roll. The description for this one is equally cringe-worthy, but I’m ignoring that and basing my interest solely on the recommendation in the review — specifically on the fact she said this book was “funny, and “the love interest was “ernest and sincere,” and it “embodies what modern romance is all about.” I’m interpreting that as a sign that the love interest will not be a Edward-Cullen-like overprotective stalker dude and the romance won’t be overly dramatic.
  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy Book 1) by N.K. Jemisin — This was recommended to me by a friend, and then I saw this series featured in a Book Riot blog post and decided it was time to add it to the list. I might actually break down and buy this before I see a price drop, but only after I work through some of the books I’ve already bought and haven’t read yet…

Outbox (books finished)

• X-Men, Vol. 1: Primer by Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel (paperback) — I really like what they did here. This volume also includes the Uncanny X-men comic where Jubilee first appears and what I think was the formative idea for this grouping. I hadn’t read that one, even though it did feature Psylocke as one of the main characters. I like the team they assembled, and, even if this first story line was a little weak, I can sense they are building up to something, and I’m psyched to read the next volume.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I’ve been reading (and enjoying) the essays in Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids… 
• I’m about half-finished with X-Men: Psylocke — I’ve read the four Psylocke spin-off comics, but this volume also includes (bonus!) the three or four Uncanny X-Men comics that serve as backstory for the Psylocke spin-off…
• And I completely neglected Half a Yellow Sun this week, so I’ll probably be ignoring those other two books and focusing on this one next week because it’s probably due back to the library soon…

My plan was to read less this month so that I could spend more of my free time writing. But that plan didn’t work out so well in practice this week. Instead of reading, I just spent more time procrastinating on writing. Then I beat myself up because I “wasted all this time” and didn’t enough writing done *and* I could have been reading. So, my plan needs work…

I went a little crazy with the book buying this week… but, I completed my March reading challenge! So, reward! Right?

March is technically not over yet, but I don’t think I’m going to finish any more books this month. So, I’m going to summarize my March reading stats now:

• Total books finished: 7
• Favorite book read: Lock In by John Scalzi
• Book(s) read by diverse authors (per my 2015 reading project): The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Now, let’s get back to all those books I bought this week…

Inbox (books acquired)

• X-Men, Vol. 1: Primer by Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel (paperback) — My favorite X-Men character is Psylocke. Over the course of my sophmore and junior years in college, I searched for, bought, and read as many of the X-Men comics that featured her storyline as I could find. Then, sadly, during one of our many moves, my husband convinced me to get rid of my comic collection. I don’t even think I bothered to sell them. I probably just gave them away. Sadness. Regret. Sigh… So, when I read that Marvel had come out with a new series featuring an all lady X-Men team that includes not only Psylocke, but two of my other faves: Storm and Jubilee, I decided I must buy it.
• Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (paperback) — While I was giving in to comic book nostalgia, I decided to finally order Volume 1 of this new series as well. I have been hearing nothing but raving reviews from all over the Interwebs. So, I am really looking forward to diving into this one.
• X-Men: Psylocke by Christopher Yost, Harvey Tolibao (paperback) — Okay, so maybe I went a little crazy with the comics this week. I think I’ve read these already, but, as I mentioned above, I got rid of my comic collection. So, I’m not entirely sure. But how could I resist a collection featuring my favorite of the X-Men?
• Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids by Meghan Daum (Kindle, pre-order) — I saw this listed as a new release somewhere (probably on Book Riot), and I immediately added it to my wish list. It comes out on Tuesday, so technically I am “pre-ordering” this, but I think it will be worth it. This is a topic near and dear to me and I’m always fascinated by people’s reasons why they did or didn’t have kids. I’m in the “no kids” camp, but I’m constantly wondering if I’m missing something or if maybe I was absent the day they handed out biological clocks, because I’ve just never had a burning desire to have kids. I love kids, I love my friends’ and family’s kids, and I hope they will love me, too, but I just never felt the need to have any of my own. So, I’m really interested in reading this and will probably start it right away when it is magically delivered to my Kindle on Tuesday.

Outbox (books finished)

• Landline by Rainbow Rowell (Kindle) — Guess what? As predicted, I liked this book! Surprise! It wasn’t my favorite Rainbow Rowell book (that’s still Fangirl), but I tore through this one, just like all the others, not wanting to put it down. I don’t usually like stories about people struggling in their marriages, especially when it’s struggling best friend / soul mate marriages, but the quirky details and side-plots, the pop culture references, and the unique characters kept things light-hearted enough that I kept going. My copy had “reader questions” at the end, and I mostly skipped those (as I almost always do), but one stood out to me. It was asking if you thought the ending was “happy.” So, slight spoiler, maybe, but I think the ending was “hopeful,” and to me, hopeful = happy. So, I’m going to go with, yes. Also because I really needed Neal and Georgie to have a happy ending.
• All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews (hardcover, signed, special edition) — I just finished this one today. So, I probably don’t have enough distance from it yet to say anything terribly useful. It’s not a book I would have picked out on my own, yet I enjoyed it. It’s heartfelt and well-written and funny and sad and tragic, yet also hopeful and thoughtful. Maybe after I’ve had some time to reflect on it, I’ll have something more thoughtful to say about it.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I’ve already started Half a Yellow Sun… this is a long one with a lot of unfamiliar names of people and places, and I need to finish it before it’s due back at the library…

I am already planning my April reading list. I’m planning on reading fewer novels in April because I need to shift the balance a bit and use more of my precious free time for writing. So, there will be no ambitious April reading project. April will probably be mostly comics, at least one novel, and that book of essays on not having kids.

Another big National Reading Month week for me — both for book acquiring, and book finishing…

Inbox (books acquired)

• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Kindle, pre-order) — I wish I could remember how I heard about this book… I added it to my Someday/Maybe Kindle wishlist at the start of January, but I really can’t remember where I heard about it. I could have sworn it was on a list in a Book Riot blog, but all my Googling has come back with nothing. For some reason this book is on sale for $2.99 and it hasn’t even come out yet. The reviews on Amazon (from pre-release copies, I guess) are all saying how surprised they were at how much they liked this book. So, I decided, what the heck? And I pre-ordered it. It comes out at the end of April.
• The Selection by Kiera Cass (Kindle) — I’ve seen this book and the others in the series EVERYWHERE. I admit, I’ve rolled my eyes every time I see these girls in these elaborate dresses on the covers, but all I know about the series is that the premise sounds a lot like the TV show The Bachelor. Fancy dresses and reality TV do not make for a book that I would usually pick up. But… this one was only $1.99, and the people who like this series are rabid fans. So, I thought I might just pick this one up for a future beach read.
• Half A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Kindle, library) — My library hold finally came up for this book! Hooray! I just downloaded it to my Kindle this morning.

Outbox (books finished)

• Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase (Kindle, re-read) — I had a craving for some ooey-gooey, straight-up romance this week. So, I fell back on a new favorite. I read this a few years ago and really liked it. But it was long enough ago that I could re-read it without really remembering all the details. It’s still good, even on the second time through.
• Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman (Kindle) — This book is a YA historical fiction novel about a girl and her family that come over from China in the 1920s and end up on Angel Island while their paperwork is being processed, hoping to be let into America. I originally bought it because of the premise, and because the editor is Cheryl Klein*.  I expected the book would be good, and I was not disappointed. If you are a fan of historical fiction, want to read something that takes place in China and San Francisco in the 1920s, and/or love complex and feisty female heroines, you should add this one to your TBR pile. If I know you IRL, I can loan this one to you on Kindle because lending was actually enabled by the publisher on this title (hooray!).

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I’ve only got two books left on my March reading list. The hardcover (All My Puny Sorrows) is going to have to wait until next weekend (at the earliest) because I’m not hauling it with me on my commute. That leaves Landline as next up on my list. I’ve been dragging my feet about starting this book, as I do with pretty much every book I’ve read by Rainbow Rowell. This feet dragging is due to the fact that I love her books so much, and I dread being disappointed. I’ve read (and loved) all her other published books. There is no reason to think I won’t love this one, too. And, inevitably I will kick myself after I read it (and love it), and think that I’m ridiculous for having waited so long to read it. (Spoiler for next week’s post, I guess…)

That wraps things up for this week… stay tuned for next week to see if I manage to complete my March reading challenge… Until then, Happy National Reading Month!

 

 

*  Cheryl Klein is one of my favorite kid-lit editors, and I’ve been following her blog for at least six years, maybe longer. It’s the first blog I remember “following” in my RSS reader back when I first discovered blogs. She gives amazing writing/story-telling advice and just seems like a really nice, fun person. I also really like the podcast she does with her husband.

Last week I decided that in March I wanted to put a major dent in my TBR pile by reading all the “short” books (<350 pages) that I’ve purchased at (almost) full price but haven’t read yet. There were six total. I finished two of them this week. I also went a little crazy with the book buying… But, it is National Reading Month, so what do you expect? 🙂

Inbox (books acquired)

• A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy Book 1) by Libba Bray — I don’t even remember how I heard about this book, but I probably saw it mentioned on Book Riot (I’m really enjoying that website, btw). Anyway, at some point I added it to my someday/maybe watch list. When I saw the price drop, I re-read the synopsis and took a peak at the first few pages via “look inside this book” and decided to take a chance on it. I’m somewhat fascinated by India, and I have a soft spot for boarding school books, and I (usually) like magic and Victorian dramas, so I think this one might be a winner.
• The Crown of Embers (Girl of Fire and Thorns Book 2) by Rae Carson (Kindle) — I took advantage of a price drop to pick up the second book in this series. I read the first book last year and I liked it, but I decided to hold off on reading the rest of the series. It also features magic, and some pretty unique characters and world-building (compared to many of the popular YA novels featuring heroines that came out around the same time…). I am excited about reading this, but I probably will hold off for a while.
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (kindle) — Okay, I finally bought this book. I’m still going to wait to read it until after I finish all six of the books for my March TBR challenge. BUT! As I mentioned last week, I’ve been paying close attention to the buzz around this book and I am very much looking forward to reading this one…
• Lock In by John Scalzi (Kindle, library) — My hold came up at the library! YAY! I’ve been wanting to read something by Scalzi for a while. I’ve had Redshirts on my watch list forever, but then I got excited about Lock In after watching him talk about it at Google. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to attend in person (I was busy that day), otherwise I would already have a copy of this book. The talk is posted here — it’s good. If you have any interest in reading this book, I’d recommend watching it. I will be breaking into my March TBR challenge to read this because I only get 21 days to finish it. Even without the library loan time limit, I’m so excited to read my very first Scalzi book that I will probably dive into this one today.

Outbox (books finished)

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Kindle) — This is short and has drawings. It’s geared toward ~ 8th grade boys. I’d say “middle school” in general, but there is some swearing, violence, and discussion of the drinking and drinking-death related problems common on reservations. So, it’s one of those books that’s really good for kids to read, but probably one that their parents don’t want them reading. I have to say, given the weird “politically correct” climate during whichI went to school, I cringed a lot while reading this book because the author directly addresses many stereotypes, which in his experience were (sadly) true. The book is loosely autobiographical. It’s not a happy book, but contains a dark humor, and it’s about hope. The conclusions he comes to as a young boy (basically that you have to leave the reservation to survive) make me sad. It’s one of those books where I’m left with all the feels, but no idea what to do.
• Sword by Amy Bai (Kindle) — This one is a fantasy book from a small press that features three main characters (two girls and one boy) who take on somewhat non-traditional gender roles. The title character, “Sword,” becomes Captain of her country’s army, sworn to defend her best friend who becomes the queen. Her brother, meanwhile, becomes a bard. The world building is awesome. The storytelling relies much on how these characters feel about each other and events. Sometimes that made the writing feel a little too vague and/or emo, but it’s never saccharine or simple, and the overall effect actually enhanced the world-building and drama. I really enjoyed this one. It had a relatively conclusive end (not really a cliffhanger), but I suspect a sequel is coming, and I can’t wait for the next book in what I’m expecting will become a series.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• As I mentioned above, I’ll probably start reading Lock In today.
• And then, I still have four books left to read to complete my six book March reading challenge: The Handmaid’s Tale…  All My Puny Sorrows (hardcover)…  Landline…  The Fire Horse Girl …

I’d say I’m doing a good job celebrating National Reading Month, wouldn’t you?

And just like that, another month is over. February had some really fun bits (trip to Portland, friends/family birthdays, and more…), but it also had some really stressful and frustrating bits (like some stuff that kept me out of the water for almost a week, and then the fact that in exchange for an awesome Portland trip I caught an annoying cold that won’t go away…).

But, in February there was some good reading. Here are my February book stats:

• Total books finished: 6
• Favorite book read: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
• Book(s) read by diverse authors (per my 2015 reading project): Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck  <– I’m counting this one because my rules were “non-American and/or non-white…” and she’s Swedish / Canadian

And now, more about what I bought, finished, and have been reading this past week…

Inbox (books acquired)

• Heaven’s Queen by Rachel Back (Kindle) — I finished the first two in the series and decided I needed just keep going…

Outbox (books finished)

• Honor’s Knight (book #2 in the Paradox series) by Rachel Back (Kindle) — I wrote a longer review of the whole series, but I’m still editing it and haven’t posted it yet. So, some quick (short) thoughts… Note: This is going to have some spoilers for the first book… I was worried that the memory wipe at the end of book one was going to send us back to square one and I was going to have to suffer through another whole book of her trying to block out what’s going on around her so she can “just do her job.” Luckily, the memory wipe only lasted for about a third of the book. The reward for persevering until Devi’s memories were restored: events inspire her to start taking matters into her own hands and making decisions that started to drive the plot, instead of just reacting and trying to maintain status quo. Granted, it’s still mostly in the effort of self-preservation, and she’s still showing a frustrating lack of curiosity about the events going on around her. She’s like the anti-Harry Potter. I like these books because of the world and the action, but the storytelling leaves me very frustrated, as I will expand on in my longer review.
• Heaven’s Queen (book #3 in the Paradox series) by Rachel Bach (Kindle) — I read most of this while I was home sick. Luckily, it’s one of those books that lends itself well to reading while sick (action packed, and not intellectually challenging…). This last book in the series does a nice job of wrapping up the challenge facing Devi and “the Eyes” in the first two books. It also leans pretty heavy on the romance aspect of the story, with lots of Rupert-ogling and declarations of commitment, love, and affection, distributed at regular intervals. So, spoiler (I guess…), she gets back together with His Hotness pretty quickly after the end of book two. I appreciated that Devi’s character drove more of the plot in this book — she’s basically calling the shots in this one, even though others are still trying to hold her back. Again, an enjoyable space-drama, with several frustrating bits I’ll expand on in my longer review.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I haven’t started anything yet, but I’m thinking I may try to read all six of these books from my “books I bought for (almost) full price and haven’t read yet” list: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sword, The Handmaid’s Tale, All My Puny Sorrows (hardcover), Landline, The Fire Horse Girl — these are all under 350 pages, and all on Kindle (except where noted)…
• And, if I succeed in that challenge, I think I can justify buying myself Station Eleven, which I’ve wanted to read since it first came out because it was recommended by a ton of authors and friends whose bookish opinions I pay attention to. Then, today I read this blog post by Alastair Reynolds, who is one of my favorite science fiction writers, and now I want to drop everything and read this book.

Apparently, March is National Reading Month! So, that’s pretty cool! That’s almost as good as National Novel Writing Month… which reminds me… I really should be writing…

I had a busy weekend up in Portland celebrating a family and a close friend’s birthday, and catching up with old friends I haven’t seen in way too long. I got so wrapped up in the festivities that I neglected my weekly inbox/outbox blog post… but I didn’t forget! Here it is, a day late!

Inbox (books acquired)

• Honor’s Knight by Rachel Bach (Kindle) — I had to buy this so I could continue the series after I finished the first book (more below), even though I had to pay full price.

Outbox (books finished)

• Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck (signed hardcover) — I finished this over the long weekend. This was a good, and surprisingly (for literary fiction) fast-paced debut novel, featuring some really nice descriptive writing, about a family that moves to the wilderness on the side of a mountain and has to survive their first, harsh winter. They also get mixed up in some “settler drama” and help solve a murder mystery. The book is historical fiction that takes place in the late 1700s in Sweden.
• Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach (Kindle) — I was really torn on this one… it checks all my boxes for the perfect mix of military (mercenary) heroine in space action / adventure drama — one of my all-time favorite sub-genres of science fiction. When this book came highly recommended by a friend whose bookish opinions I trust, I added it to my list. Then, looking for something new to read, I re-read the blurb, read a few of reviews (including one that compared the heroine in this book to Starbuck from the Battlestar Galactica TV series), and knew I had to read this right away. The heroine is everything everyone promised she’d be — she’s an excellent, kick-ass character. But…. I have some problems with the plot and the romance. My thoughts really deserve a much longer and more thoughtful review than I have time for right now. The bottom line is, I still think that both the Planet Pirates series that starts with Sassinak (by Anne McCaffery and Elizabeth Moon) and the Vatta’s War series that starts with Trading in Danger (by Elizabeth Moon) are better for a variety of reasons that I don’t have time to get into tonight. And yet, despite what I see as some fundamental flaws in the story construction, I want to know what happens next, and while I’m reading, part of my brain is making notes about what I do and don’t want to do in my writing. So, on to book two…

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I started Honor’s Knight on the plane ride home. I’m already almost half done…

It’s been a very long day and I’m about ready to crash… So, stay tuned for a longer, more thoughtful post on Rachel Bach’s Paradox series… Until then, happy reading!

Recharging with some long-weekend reading in the California sunshine…

Inbox (books acquired)

• Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck (signed hardcover) — My Indiespensible shipment arrived this week! Volume 51 featured this debut novel from a Swedish author currently living in Canada. The box also included a blank notebook and a bag of hipster-Portland granola. Powell’s is the best. I’d never heard of this book/author before, but I trust the book buyers at Powell’s.

Outbox (books finished)

• The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler (Kindle) — I didn’t realize that the author of this book is (probably better known as) Lemony Snicket. This book reads like a cross between Fight Club and We Were Liars with maybe a little Dare Me thrown in for good measure. What I mean is, it’s smart prose featuring an unreliable narrator and a good amount of darkness that hovers at the edges, creeping over more and more of the story, until, before you know it, basically everyone is soaked in blood. This isn’t really a genre I read often. But, I have to say, I’m impressed by the story structure and I think the author pulled off something unique here. It’s hard to say I “liked” this book. It’s not an easy read with a simple, happy ending. It’s complex and messy. But, it’s a story that will stick with me for a while.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• I started Wolf Winter since I knew I had a long-weekend ahead of me and could probably read and finish a hardcover while I’m home. I feel like it’s kind of cheating to read this very “atmospheric” book in the 70+ degree (F) California spring sunshine. It’s kind of making me long for real winter and the great outdoors.
• I was going to start Sword after I finished The Basic Eight, but I didn’t get a chance to, and now I think I’m leaning towards reading Fortune’s Pawn next…

And now, back to reading… and maybe a cat-nap in the sunshine… Here’s to lazy holiday weekends!

This week… sigh. I feel like I really haven’t gotten a break since the start of this year. Between work and swimming I’ve been going almost non-stop since New Years. At least I’m still finding time for reading. It’s my writing time that’s suffering…

Inbox (books acquired)

• Sword by Amy Bai (Kindle) — I was going to say that I didn’t buy or borrow any books this week, but then I just read this post about four small-press books coming out in February, and I made an impulse purchase. This book comes out on Tuesday and will now be magically delivered to my Kindle sometime in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. I think it will make a nice mid-week, bus-reading book that I can start after I finish my current in-progress book.
• I was expecting the latest Indiespensible shipment, but it hasn’t arrived yet… I guess I’ll just have to save that for next week.

Outbox (books finished)

• Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Kindle, library) — I really liked this book. The story-within-the-story was a little silly and not really my thing (paranormal romance). But, it served the main story well because it made the fantastical elements of this NaNoWriMo writing fantasy nearly perfect. I’ve seen reviews that complain that “this would never happen” (18 year old girl writes a novel in one month, immediately signs with an agent, with no revision to the original work, who turns around and immediately sells said un-editied book for a $300,000 two-book contract. Yeah. Right.). I think those reviewers are missing the point. This book is meant to be a fantasy. Not fantasy like elves and magic and fairies, etc., but a writing fantasy. Like what romance novels are to compared to “real” relationships.  Like chick-lit. Granted, this may be a fantasy only for a small sub-set of the population. But over 300k people participated in NaNoWriMo in 2013 (stats are not posted for last year, yet), that’s not *that* small of a market.

Queue (what I’m reading next)

• The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler — I mentioned this in a previous inbox/outbox post, back when I purchased it in December. So far, I’m enjoying it. I managed to get sucked into it during my swim meet yesterday, and I don’t think I’ve ever really been able to focus on a book during one of my swim meets before… So, I guess that’s saying something… I think that people who like “smart girl” contemporary YA fiction, along the lines of E. Lockhart’s books, or Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, would enjoy this book.

We are having quite the wind storm tonight. So, I’m going to make sure all my devices are charged up and then curl up with a book and see how long it takes for the power to go out (again).