UPDATE: February Reads, vol 1

I read 12 books in February. After my great last year of reading nonfiction, I only managed one this month, and it was a re-read for my book club. Half my reads were audiobooks, probably because a number of the paper books felt like they took forever to finish. Today I'll review some of the slower and problematic reads of the month. Some other categories I hope to get to include my favourite reads of the month, some continuing series books, and a few featured on the Tournament of Books at themorningnews.

The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder, 363 pages

I read and loved Hayder's Jack Caffrey series. Jack was a great if troubled police detective, and the books veered into super creepy. I tried this stand-alone that revolves around the Nanking Massacre from the 1930s. Two stories occurred in two time periods and I could never decide which if either, story I was liking more. If I thought the Caffrey series was creepy, Hayder ventures into new taboo areas. I continued reading even while it was a very slow set up because I have liked Hayder's writing. I'll give Hayder another chance.




Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, 150 pages

How such a short book could take so long to read was very disappointing. I liked the Jane Eyre book, I really liked the movie, and I also enjoy reading women writing about their love of Jane Eyre. I missed this whole oeuvre in my younger days and I wanted to read this prequel of sorts, the story of how Rochester's first wife ended up the crazy woman in the attic.
Mostly set in the Caribbean, it was slow, the writing didn't flow for me, and the characters did not evoke any attachments for me. I didn't get a good sense of what the point of the book was, even though I did know. It picked up a bit when Mr Rochester arrived, but not enough to explain to me how she ended up in the attic.

Planet of Exile by Ursula Le Guin (4 h 30 min)

After the death of LeGuin, I looked for an audiobook that was available and fairly short. I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, but I have read some famous ones that I have enjoyed. Two tribes of people have lived for generations on a planet. They stick to their traditional ways, but of course, some one is trying to change things. There's a battle. I know now that general sci-fi is not for me. Sorry fans of Ursula K LeGuin.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, 288 pages

I finally read this multi-award winning book for young adults. Then in the next month, Alexie gets called out for very bad behaviour. I also read and enjoyed Al Franken last year. Stop ruining good reading experiences by being assholes, guys.
This was an easy read, but frustrating at the same time as the narrator deals with racism and trying to take control of his life. Being a teenager isn't easy, and one living on a reservation has extra problems. Alexie writes a thoughtful and engaging book with a great narrator.

BOOK: The Lumberjanes, Vol 6 and Vol 7

Lumberjanes Vol 6:  Sink or Swim

The campers of  Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types are having another adventure, this time on the sea. New counsellor, Seafarin' Karen is battling some selkies and the girls must work together to deal with these magical creatures. Graphic novels are quick reads (for me) and as usual, my favourite part is the exclamatives based on famous women, some of whom I have to look up. But any book that gets you researching is probably a good book.

Annie Edison Taylor - American school teacher, went over Niagara Falls in a barrel

Ching Shih - Chinese pirate in early 19th century

Grace O'Malley - lord of the O' Maille dynasty in west of Ireland, in 16th century

Gertrude Bell - English writer and traveller, archaeologist

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz - first woman to sail single handed around the world

Vol 7: Bird's-Eye View
I like the mix of supernatural that happens at the camp and that everyone just accepts, after freaking out somewhat. The High Council is coming to inspect the camp, the neighbour campers have kittens  but they are not your ordinary kittens. Hijinks ensue. I feel like I missed a few of the famous women exclamatives but these were three very good ones!

Agatha Christie - wrote mysteries

Katie Sandwina - circus strongwoman from Austria

Valentina Tereshkova - first woman to fly in space, Russian

UPDATE: January Fiction Reads

I feel I was all over the place in my January reading. Paper books are taking me longer and longer to read, yet I can zip through an audiobook in a few days. I realized in my end of the year recap that I hadn't read many/any short story collections, and I usually enjoy short stories. Somewhere, once upon a time, I marked some books at Goodreads from a list of connected short story collections, so I hope to find some of those this year.

Emerald City by Jennifer Egan is not one of those books.  I don't think. But some of the stories have the same type of characters (con men, models, daughters of adulterers) enough that made me question whether they were the same characters. None of the stories are happy, everyone has something to hide or reveal. I like short stories that are a little diabolical.
(5h 32 min, narrated by Richard Waterhouse, Madeleine Lambert, Charlie Thurston)


A couple of graphic novels series I have been following are the Lumberjanes and FBP (Federal Bureau of Physics)

FBP Vol 3: Standing on Shoulders by Simon Oliver is a science fiction world where something is happening on earth that defies the laws of physics and the FBP investigators. The series is only four long I believe, so I'm getting near the end. Each so far, besides detailing some of these black hole/dark energy issues, backstories the main investigators. Now that all of them have been thoroughly introduced, the final edition should be a doozy.

The Lumberjanes Vol 6: Sink or Swim by Shannon Watters was, as usual, excellent. I've got Volume 7 out from the library, so will review them together next month.

There are some classic novels I have no interest in reading, like The House of the Seven Gables, or Ulysses by James Joyce and there are some that seem intriguing (and short. That helps.) Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is one of those classics that seems worth reading. I was pleased that it ended up being a free YA Sync book last summer. It was readable, and a guy actually woke up turned into a giant bug. His family has to figure out what to do with him. It's the kind of book that makes me go look up Sparknotes to find out about themes and motifs and such.
(2h 12 min, narrated by Martin Jarvis)

While I'm getting better, I still get pulled in by books that win awards or get lots of praise. There has to be more than just prize-winning (in this case,  Booker Prize) to make me get it. I've read George Saunders' short story collection, Tenth of December so was predisposed to like him. Then, Lincoln in the Bardo was selected as one of the Tournament of Books. The cast of narrators is much too large to name, and it's more of a cast recording, so I chose to listen to it.

Ghosts surrounding Abraham Lincoln's son after he died tell lots of stories. Distractingly, real quotes about the person or event are included. I had to look up "op. cit." which was just a bibliographic reference to a book that had been previously quoted. I actually think the paper edition might have been better for me as I didn't recognize hardly any of the famous voices, and all the real quotes didn't help my listening. Parts dragged, but parts were humourous and interesting. Overall, Saunders created a unique style to tell a story, and for those interested in American History. I can see why it won the Booker Prize.


And finally, two books to round it out will get their own reviews later. 
The Dud: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and 
The Best: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (audiobook)

UPDATE: January Nonfiction Reads

Still keeping a good percentage of nonfiction books into 2018. A couple of perfectly fine memoirs that  were engaging and entertaining and made me look up information as I read.

Lion by Saroo Brierly, which the movie was based on covers a little boy who gets majorly lost in India, and eventually adopted in Australia. He uses what little he remembers to eventually search for his family in India. So many good people in this one, very hopeful and the author maintained such a good approach to life even after surviving as a five year old on the streets of Calcutta.
(7 h 29 min, narrated Larry Buttrose)

Similar to Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the story of Nike. It's hard to believe that Nike was once considered an underdog. A tad too much business information and money battles, but it was fascinating to see how an empire was built based on a few guys and a dream. I remember when the waffle sole sneaker came out in the late 70s. The afterward addresses somewhat the sweatshop factories in Asia.
(13 h 22 min, narrated by Norbert Leo Butz)




Two books were carry overs from 2017, and still took a long time to finish.

Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben was okay. Wohlleben's love of trees was clear, but the anthromorphication of their behaviour was a stretch for me. (They feel pain? They send messages? Not buying it. All I could think was what will the vegans eat?) I felt like I had read some of this before; maybe from Lab Girl? I guess it mainly felt too long, and repetitive. I get it, trees are amazing.
(288 pages, library)

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson also needed a bit of editing. I got it for the Marconi/radio story but it bored me far more than it should have. Larson does impeccable research and seems to not want to leave out any minor fact after learning it. The parallel story, about a murder in London was much more interesting. I could not figure out why the stories were paired, but once I realized (far too late - editing!) it was a very good pay-off.
Poor Erik Larson - the first book I read was by far his best (Devil in the White City) and each time I read another one of his, (Dead Wake, In the Garden of the Beasts) am slightly disappointed.
(480 pages, own book)

My final nonfiction was Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay, a real gut-wrencher. Gay writes heart-breakingly about when she was raped as a teenager, and the subsequent weight gain, so she could feel unapproachable to men. She is brutally honest and it was a difficult read, but seeing inside someone's head is always an aware-making experience. The stream of consciousness style led to, for me, some contradictions. Is everyone looking at you and judging you, or are you invisible and not paid attention? Clearly can be both on different days but still felt weird. I will read more Gay.
(320 pages, read on e-book)

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books I Really Liked but Can’t Remember Anything/Much About

This is my first week participating with Top Ten Tuesday now that it is hosted @ThatArtrsyReaderGirl. This topic was easy to research - I looked up my top rated books at LibraryThing, and found ones that I liked, but I could barely make a one sentence plot summary. Certainly not enough to rave about it to someone, but I know I liked them all. Some I consider my favourite authors - how can I forget books I loved? Do you remember any of these better than me?

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

something about a family

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

OWEN TALKED LIKE THIS

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

young kid, 80s England

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

teens at a boarding school, maybe dystopian

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry

was funny and touching about something at Christmas

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

it's the story of how the painting came about, 1500s Belgium

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

chasing books in Barcelona

Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos

there was tile being broken, and laid

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

maybe a newsman has a breakdown? 

I know I read two of her books in a row because 

I like one so much and both were very good

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

it's a classic, maybe time travel

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2017

For the last week of Top Ten Tuesday with The Broke and the Bookish, our topic is Ten Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn't Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!) I'm going to list books that were from 2017 to be able to limit this. I believe this was the same topic from last year and I only did okay getting them all read last year. Oh well, try try again!

Thanks for all the great weeks of Top Ten Tuesday.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine 

Gail Honeyman

Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng

 

 Manhattan Beach

Jennifer Egan

Word by Word 

Kory Stamper

Hunger 

Roxane Gay

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

Bellevue Square 

Michael Redhill

A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles

The Animators

Kayla Rae Whitaker

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Jesmyn Ward

LIST: Best of 2017

Here's my recap of my top books for 2017. It's really hard to pick when you have read a lot of books! I changed a lot of how I read by increasing my nonfiction incredibly.

total books 152
92 fiction
60 nonfiction

65 audiobooks,  42 library books(+ all the audiobooks)

77 female, (+2 by Robert Galbraith who I'm not sure where to put)
75 male
1 both


Best Mystery
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Honourable Mentions Best Mystery (because I read a lot of mysteries)
Icarus by Deon Meyer
The Silkworm AND Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Best Start to a Series
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrente

Best End to a Series
Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty

Best Historical Mystery
Dark Fire by CJ Sansom

Best Recommended Book
Field Notes by Sara Jewell as recc'd by lavenderlines and Debbie at ex-urbanis

 Best Childrens
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (audiobook)

Best Young Adult
The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez  

Favourite Characters
the Lumberjanes! from the graphic novel series

Best Science Fiction/Fantasy
Redshirts by John Scalzi

Best Book by a New to Me Author
Citizen Vince by Jess Walter

Best Historical Fiction
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Best  Book by a Tried and True Author
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry 

Best Apocalyptic
World of Trouble by Ben H Winters
(The Last Policeman trilogy) 

Best Short Story Collection
Although I read a few SS collections, none stood out. 
Goal for next year is to find one that does!

Best Short Story
To Everything There is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas story by Alistair MacLeod
 
Funniest
Based on a True Story by Norm MacDonald

Most Heartbreaking
March graphic novels by John Lewis 

Creepiest Novel
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich 

Best Debut Book
Girl at War by Sara Novic 

Most Unique Book
Finding Wonder by Jeanne Atkins
a novel in blank verse, that contains biographies of female scientists from across the world and the ages 

Best Audiobook
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and A Grander View of Life by Ed Yong  (nonfiction)
An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor (fiction)

Best Nonfiction (since I read so many nonfiction this year, I have broken this down a little more)
 
Best Nonfiction: science
The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker

Best Nonfiction: history
Sisters in Two Worlds: A Visual Biography of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Paar
Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood  Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez
 
Best Nonfiction: memoir/autobiography
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Best Nonfiction: feminist essays 
Shrill by Lindy West 

Best Nonfiction: self-help 
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Best Nonfiction: contemporary/social
Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

A few books I loved by couldn't find a category for!
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
The Pluto Files by Neil Degrasse Tyson
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert    

And the Three Books I Rated a Perfect 5 Stars as soon as I read them (which is very rare for me)

Finding Wonder: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeanne Atkins

Canada by Mike Myers

March: Book Three by John Lewis   

 

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Favourite New Authors from 2017

This week's theme from The Broke and the Bookish people is Favourite New Authors from 2017. I like these end of year type lists, especially when they are in January so I can include the full year. Lots of great new authors this year, some I read more than one after starting, some I will definitely read more of. Any of your favourites here?

Daphne duMaurier   
The House on the Strand 

Candace Savage      
Crows: Encounters With the Wise Guys of the Avian World - 

Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and One Very Interesting Boy

Elena Ferrante   
My Brilliant Friend

Ed Yong    
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life 

Caitlin Moran   

How to Be a Woman

Atul Gawande   
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Hope Jahren    
Lab Girl

Jess Walter     
Citizen Vince and Beautiful Ruins

Al Franken    

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them