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books and reading

2019 Wrap-Up

My goal is always to read more pages than the year before, rather than more books. I  almost made it this year, by Goodreads standards. In 2018, I read 110 books for 36914 pages, and in 2019 I read 132 books for 36038 pages. A good chunk of the books I read were ones I edited, which are kids’ books and pretty short. If I count all the books I edited that aren’t on Goodreads, I definitely surpassed the page number goal.

Here are some reviews for the highlights of my reading year.

Best book I read this year: The Book of M by Peng Shepherd. It’s dystopian, but in a way I had never read before. And it gutted me. I read it in January, and it’s stayed with me all year. I think about it a lot.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. Wow. As a parent, this one is horrifying. About a little girl who is a sociopath and has a desire to harm her mother. But it’s so good.

I really enjoyed The Fourth Monkey series. It’s a “police catching a serial killer” series, and the dialogue is cheesy, but it kept me guessing.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. An excellent ghost story.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Same author as The Goldfinch. I just love everything she writes.

The Jack Caffery series by Mo Hayder is another great police detective series, but it’s very graphic. Birdman is the first.

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay. Another one that left me guessing. I’ve read a few of Tremblay’s books, and he’s really good.

The Girls by Emma Cline. This one was wacky. It’s a fictional story of the Charles Manson group and subsequent murders.

The Run of His Life: The People vs OJ Simpson. I couldn’t believe how much I learned from this book. I know a lot about the case already, but this had info I had never heard.

The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I really don’t care for fantasy, but these are excellent young adult books.

The Dublin Murder Squad books by Tana French. I read two of them this year. Each one is better than the last. In the Woods is the first, the Likeness is the second, Faithful Place is the third.

Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich. I read a lot of true crime, but this one stands out. The author is simultaneously doing research into a crime, yet learning things about herself. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Again, another I was expecting not to think was so great, but I was blown away. Crichton really was ahead of his time in describing DNA, technology, etc.

Parkland: Birth of a Movement by Dave Cullen. Unlike Columbine by the same author (EXCELLENT BOOK) this one doesn’t focus on the shooter or the day, but rather the students who started a movement for gun control. Gives me hope for the future.

I read some great own voices books this year: A Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob, and Shanghai Girls by Lisa See were both great.

Best thriller I read was The Silent Patient. It wasn’t the greatest thriller ever, but it didn’t fall into the stupid thriller tropes like A Woman in the Window. Ugh that one was awful.

I started a lot of great series this year: the Harry Hole detective series, the Penny Green series about a Victorian reporter who also solves crimes, the Armand Gamache Canadian detective series, which is a good cozy mystery series.

 

 

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Clean Getaway

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read and review this book! I read Dear Martin when it came out and really loved it. I was just heartbroken over the story, though. I tried to read Odd One Out, but there was so much teenage slang in it that my brain was working too hard to decipher. I’m not a teenager, nor am I around teenagers in any capacity, so their slang just is a struggle for me. That’s not a knock against the book in any way. I’m not the target audience and that’s fine. From what I’ve heard, Odd One Out is a great book and very supportive of LGBTQ teens, which I will always get behind. But when I saw Clean Getaway on Netgalley, I read the summary and knew I wanted to read this one. I love middle-grade YA for its excellent blend of serious themes with a little levity. And this one didn’t disappoint.

William “Scoob” Lamar is struggling in school. He’s super smart, but he is a bit too clever for his own good and gets into some trouble. While suspended, his grandma, who he calls G’ma, decides they need to take a road trip. She has sold her house and bought an RV, so the two of them head out. G’ma is white, and Scoob is black, so traveling through the south is difficult, even today.

As they travel, Scoob learns more and more about his grandmother, long-dead grandfather, his absent mother, and his strict father (his G’ma’s son). G’ma gives him the Green Book she and G’pa used as they traveled through the south back in the 60s. She introduces Scoob to various important landmarks in the Civil Rights Movement, as well.

But things take a turn when G’ma starts calling Scoob Jimmy,  his grandfather’s name. Scoob realizes that maybe things aren’t quite what they seem between him and G’ma. She seems okay most of the time, but she forgets things, refuses to let him talk to his dad, going so far as to throw away her phone, and as they continue to travel through the south, Scoob becomes more suspicious and nervous, but he is torn because G’ma is his favorite person.

This book is great for middle school-aged kids. It presents some critical history of the Civil Rights Movement in an understated way that is a bit easier to swallow than Dear Martin, which tackles some equally important race issues in our society, but in a more heartwrenching way. Clean Getaway is more approachable and opens the door to the subjects such as Medgar Evers, Dr. King, and the church bombing that killed four little girls. Scoob is a great young man, who is struggling in his world as a black boy living with expectations of a white society and a dad who is fully aware of said white society. I highly recommend this for middle school kids and their parents to help kick start a conversation about the past and how it shapes our world today.

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Series I’m Working On

I  have a terrible habit of starting a book series and then never going back to it. Because I do the book challenge each year, I will start a series by reading the first book because it fits into a prompt, but then I get distracted and don’t continue the series. Every few years, I make a point to wrap up any series that I’ve started, whether through the book challenge or not.

This year I’m finally finishing The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder review here) and The Dublin Murder Squad (In the Woods review here and The Likeness review here).  I have really enjoyed both of them, up to the point I’m at. Last year, I started a few more series, but I am making an effort to wrap up everything. Here is what I’m working on:

  • The Jackson Brodie books by Kate Atkinson. I have read the first three and am currently working on the fourth.
  • Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
  • The Armand Gamache books by Louise Penny. I have read the first two. These are so much fun to read, given that they involve murder. The people of Three Pines are charming, and Gamache is a great investigator.
  • The Harry Hole books by Jo Nesbo. I read The Bat this year.
  • The Jack Caffery series by Mo Hayder. I’ve read the first two (Birdman review) and have really enjoyed them, but they are definitely some of the more graphic police detective books I’ve read.
  • The Penny Green books by Emily Organ. (Limelight review). I discovered her by accident, honestly. I needed a book with a fruit or vegetable in the title and searched my Kindle for various fruits and stumbled upon lime. I have gotten most of her books for free and have read the first two. They are a lot of fun. Penny is a reporter in 1800s England works closely with the police to solve murders. They are really well-written and clever.
  • The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard. (Red Queen review). I’m really iffy about this one. There is a giant plot hole in Red Queen and it still irritates me. But I’ve been told that the rest of the books are better, so I’m giving them another chance.
  • The Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro. I listened to A Study in Charlotte a couple summers ago and really enjoyed it. It’s a bit of a modern Sherlock Holmes Dr. Watson series (involving their descendants) and is more complex than I was expecting.
  • The Broken Earth series by NK Jemisin. The Fifth Season review. I really liked this one even though fantasy isn’t my favorite genre.
  • The Inheritance series also by NK Jemisin. I didn’t like this one as much, but I’m going to stick with it.

Between finishing all these series and the PopSugar reading challenge, I’m going to be very busy this year trying to complete them all, but I look forward to it.

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2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge

Here is my plan for the reading challenge. Can’t wait!

A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club Lovecraft Country Matt Ruff
A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it The Lucky Ones Mark Edwards
A book that has a book on the cover The Book of Lost Things John Connolly
A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name Little Voices Vanessa Lillie
A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics Leaving Atlanta Tayari Jones
Book published in the month you were born Joyland Stephen King
Book with a map The Regulators Stephen King
A book published in 2020 If It Bleeds Stephen King
A book my a trans or nonbinary author An Unkindness of Ghosts Rivers Solomon
A book with a great first line Still Life with Woodpecker Tom Robbins
A book about a book club Mayhem at the Orient Express Kylie Logan
A bildungsroman Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Benjamin Alire Sáenz
The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed Doctor Sleep Stephen King
A book with an upside-down image on the cover Topics About Which I Know Nothing Patrick Ness
An anothology Spoon River Anthology Edgar Lee Masters
A book that passes the Bechdel test The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood
A book by or about a woman in STEM Cress Marissa Meyer
A book that won an award in 2019 The Testaments Margaret Atwood
A book on a subject you know nothing about Concussion Jeanne Marie Laskas
A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics Doomsday Book Connie Willis
A book with a pun in the title Ella Minnow Pea Mark Dunn
A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins Misery Stephen King
A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character Winter Marissa Meyer
A book with a bird on the cover Brief History of Seven Killings Marlon James
A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader A Warning Anonymous
A book with “gold,” “silver,” or “bronze” in the title The Devil in Silver Victor LaValle
A book by a WOC Children of Virtue and Vengeance Tomi Adeyemi
A book with at least a 4-star rating on Goodreads The Talisman Stephen King
A book you meant to read in 2019 Broken Harbour Tana French
A book about or involving social media If We Had Known Elise Juska
A medical thriller The Farm Joanne Ramos
A book with a made-up language The Country of the Ice Cream Star Sandra Newman
A book set in a country beginning with “C” Dreams of Joy Lisa See
A book you picked because the title caught your attention Gnomon Nick Harkaway
A book with a three-word title The Perfect Nanny Leila Slimani
A book with a pink cover Bunny Mona Awad
A western Inland Tea Obreht
A book about or by a journalist The Girl Who Lived Twice David Langercrantz
Read a banned book during Banned Books Week Song of Solomon Toni Morrison
Your favorite prompt from a past PopSugar challenge- book set in a hotel The Shining Stephen King
A book written by an author in their 20s Everything is Illuminated Jonathan Safran Foer
A book with more than 20 letters in its title The Deep Dark Descending Allen Eskens
A book with 20 in the title 20th Century Ghost Joe Hill
A book published in the 20th century Black House Stephen King
A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement Blindness Jose Saramago
A book from a series with more than 20 books The Black Echo Michael Connolly
A book set in Japan Shogun James Clavell
A book with a main character in their 20s The Mothers Brit Bennett
A book by an author who has written more than 20 books The Dark Half Stephen King
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2019 PopSugar Challenge complete

book becoming a movie in 2019 Woman in the Window

book that makes you nostalgic The Run of His Life 

book written by a musician The Dead Zone

book you think should be turned into a movie The Hero of Ages

book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads The Alchemist

a book with a plant in the title or on the cover Killers of the Flower Moon

reread of a favorite book The Goldfinch

book about a hobby A Voyage for Madmen

book you meant to read in 2018 Faithful Place

book with pop, sugar, or challenge in the title Challenger Deep

book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing 

a book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore Circe

book published posthumously I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

book you see someone reading on tv or in a movie A Tale of Two Cities

a retelling of a classic Scarlet

book with a question in the title Who Fears Death

book set on a college campus The Secret History 

book about someone with a superpower Firestarter

book told from multiple character POVs An American Marriage

book set in space Dark age

book by two female authors An Anonymous Girl 

book with a title that contains salty, sweet, bitter, or spicy After Dark, My Sweet

book set in Scandinavia The Bat

book that takes place in a single day 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn

debut novel Children of Blood and Bone

book published in 2019 Parkland

book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature Jurassic Park

book recommended by a celebrity you admire Disappearance at Devil’s Rock

book with love in the title All the Lovely Pieces

book featuring an amateur detective Body in the Library

book about a family The Book of M

book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America Six Four

book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title The Fourth Monkey 

book that includes a wedding Well of Ascension

book by an author first last names same letter Carry On

ghost story Heart-Shaped Box

book with a two-word title The Likeness

a novel based on a true story Invention of Wings

book revolving around a puzzle or game Wildcard

your favorite prompt from past challenge Birdman 

climate fiction book Gold Fame Citrus

choose your own adventure book

own voices book Shanghai Girls

read a book during the season it is set in Rage

LitRPG book Warcross

book with no chapters/usual chapters Survivor

two books that share the same title The Girls

book inspired a common phrase or idiom Fangirl

book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent Redwall

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The Dead Zone

Every year, I make a point to read old SK books that I have never read before. This year, I read Rage and Firestarter, as well as his newest, The Institute. Once the 2020 PopSugar Challenge comes out, I will see which of his books fit into more categories. It’s been a lot of fun going back and reading the old stuff. And although, I read The Shining decades ago, I think I’m going to reread and then read Doctor Sleep after, which is one I haven’t read.

The Dead Zone follows a young man, Johnny Smith, through an accident. He is in a coma for four years and wakes up with psychic powers. He touches someone and gets flashes of information about their past, but he can also see the future. For example, he sees that someone’s house is on fire and alerts her to call the fire department, which saves her life.

Johnny struggles with his “fame.” He’s a humble, kind man who just wants to be a teacher and fall in love. However, he also feels an obligation to do the right thing. He catches a murderer, tries to tell people about terrible events (most don’t believe him, because, well, he’s a psychic, which is hooey), but he knows his most important job is to stop a dangerous man.

This book was one of the slower ones. I fully expected to love this one and to think Firestarter was going to be a bit dull, but it was the opposite. Although I didn’t review Firestarter, I loved it and was really surprised at how well he captured the psyche of a young girl. But, of course, his books are great. I’m sure there are some that aren’t as great as others, but I have yet to find one that I didn’t enjoy.

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14

I like a good creepy story. One that isn’t too graphic or gross but has some mystery and suspense to it. A friend recommended this to me, and the ladies of the Books in the Freezer podcast have mentioned it. This story went places I wasn’t expecting, which was awesome, but the style of writing wasn’t for me. The dialogue felt a bit forced and unnatural. But overall, it was a creative story that I enjoyed.

Nate moves into a dirt cheap apartment in Los Angeles, but he quickly realizes the place isn’t all he had hoped for. A light in his kitchen burns like a black light, although it’s a regular bulb. He notices the building isn’t hooked up to any electrical source. Every apartment is a different size and shape. Some apartments run cold, no matter the weather or temperature. Nate and a few of his neighbors decide to dig into the mysteries. Uncovering said mysteries takes time, and every layer they uncover leads them to a weirder and stranger place.

I can gladly say this isn’t a book about a haunted house, which I was expecting it to be. It took turns that I didn’t see coming. I really enjoyed the mystery behind the building, and specifically, apartment 14. The dialogue wasn’t my favorite part of the book, but that’s just my personal preference. Overall, the book was worth reading, and although not truly horrifying (I wouldn’t put it in the freezer), but definitely creepy and unique.

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The Secret History

Donna Tartt has written three books, and her first was in 1992 with The Secret History. Next is The Little Friend, published in 2003 and finally The Goldfinch in in 2013. So about every 10 years, she has a new book. I’m not used to waiting so long in between books. Most authors publish every year or so, George RR Martin aside, of course. Stephen King cranks out two a year, thankfully. Markus Zusak waited 14 years between The Book Thief and Bridge of Clay. But when a book is as good as The Goldfinch or Bridge of Clay is, the wait is most definitely worth it.

The Secret History is set in the 1980s at a small liberal arts school in Vermont. Richard is the new kid in an elite group of students studying Greek intensively. Francis, twins Camilla and Charles, Edmund (Bunny), and Henry grudgingly accept him into the circle, although Richard doesn’t really know what he is getting into. Joining a tight-knit group is extraordinarily difficult in the best circumstances, but whilst in the middle of an academic setting is near impossible.

Richard handles it as well as possible, mostly aided by alcohol. But when the original group gets into some hot water, to say the least, Richard is put into a very difficult situation. They do try to protect him, realizing he is truly innocent, but unfortunately that doesn’t last. Basically, the group does something terrible, tries to keep Richard out of it, but he ends up in it anyway.

This book is a beautiful character portrait, much like The Goldfinch. Plenty of things happen, but the focus on the character is first and foremost. Before the big terrible things happen, you spend half the book wandering around the college with the kids, getting to know and like (or dislike) them, so when the terrible thing happens, you are gut punched by it because you are so wrapped up in their lives.

I really did love this book, though The Goldfinch is her masterpiece (Pulitzer winner for a reason). The Secret History is an excellent, solid debut book.

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The Institute

My love of Stephen King has been well documented. I’ve read and reviewed more of his books than any other author’s. I’ve read over half his work and when a new one comes out, I preorder it not even bothering to read the summary. I like being surprised by the subject matter and diving into the story not having any clue where it will lead.

Certain authors only write female characters well, male characters, teenagers, whatever, but King manages to tap into the characters’ psyches and write them authentically and realistically. And it’s hard to write from a kid’s perspective when you are an old man. And make no mistake, King is well removed from his teenage years. But the main character of this one, Luke, is a great kid.

Luke is brilliant. At 12, he’s probably going to start college, if his parents are on board. But Luke’s intelligence isn’t what makes him special. He can make things move. Cabinet doors shut, pizza pans shake, book pages flutter without him even trying. When Luke is kidnapped by people from “The Institute,” he’s thrown into the worst situation possible. He’s been taken to a place with other telekinetic and telepathic kids and experimented on. The sadistic guards and doctors have no concern for the well-being of the children, as long as the kids do what they are told. They are essentially tortured to enhance their abilities. Then they go to the Back Half and are never seen again. What happens in the Back Half is about as bad as you can imagine.

When it comes to King, you really never know what kind of book you will get. And although this one deals with some rather unpleasant things, it’s not true horror like some of his other works. Maybe he’s mellowing out a bit as he ages, or maybe the next book will be flat out graphic horror. That’s what I love though. You really just never know what you’ll get with him.

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The Goldfinch

I try to keep up with Pulitzer winners, but many of them are rather dull. I read The Orphan Master’s Son, American Pastoral, The Shipping News, all were rather dull. However, some like The Underground Railroad, Beloved, and Middlesex were amazing and worth reading. So when I hear a book has won the Pulitzer, I’m a bit leery. I first read The Goldfinch a few years ago and absolutely fell in love. It was the best book I read that entire year. I’ve recommended it to everyone, but I realize it’s not a book that all will love. It’s not always the most exciting book, but it is beautifully written and kept me engaged from the first page. I reread it in anticipation of the movie coming out this week.

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The story of Theodore Decker is a difficult one. His mother is killed in an art museum bombing. Theo was spared, but in a moment of insanity, he steals a painting during the chaos. A simple little painting of a bird. Theo’s entire life revolves around the fear of the authorities discovering the painting. As a teenager, he bundles it up, hides it, doesn’t think much about it. But as an adult, he realizes the magnitude of what he’s done and doesn’t know how to handle it.

The story is told in two big chunks, Theo as a teenager and as an adult. As a teen, he his mother has died, his father abandoned him, and he ends up living with a family friend. Once his dad resurfaces, Theo moves with him to Las Vegas and ends up meeting Boris, a classmate. Boris is hands-down the most interesting character in the book. You love Theo and are heartbroken for his life, but Boris leaps off the page, both in the teenage years and when he reappears in Theo’s adult life.

I don’t want to say much about the plot because it doesn’t go the way you expect, but it all revolves around the painting. Theo is flawed. He’s a drug addict, a thief (aside from the painting), a liar, and you still love him. But Boris is the dynamic one, and I can’t wait to see him portrayed on screen. He equally oozes charm and violence. He’s a scoundrel to the highest degree. But he is loyal and protects Theo. So far the trailers seem to get the book right. I’m cautiously hopeful for this one.