My 2019 in Review

It is the last day of 2019, and a perfect time to take a look at some of my reading stats. Overall, I am pretty happy with how I did. I read 107 books total. The graph below shows the breakdown by genre.

I am especially happy about the fact that I read 12 classics and 8 non-fiction books. Those are the two genres I always want to read more of.

Finishing the following four titles in particular gave me a tremendous sense of accomplishment as a reader: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Here are some other fun stats.

I think this is a pretty balanced picture in terms of formats and own/library. Audiobooks continued to have a strong presence in my daily commute. In fact, if not for audiobooks, I would not have read as many books. In terms of quality, I definitely read a lot of middle of the way books that did not make a huge impression on me. As I go into the new year and make plans for 2020, one of the things I would like to focus on is reading more titles that have withstood the test of time. New hyped up releases with pretty covers have been a source of much disappointment for me.

Happy New Year, everyone! May it be filled with magical stories that make our lives brighter!

"Spitfire" by M.L.Huie

If you like a spunky female lead who knows how to stand for herself, WWII and spy novels, look no further. Spitfire features Livy Nash, a former British intelligence operative who had worked behind the enemy lines and assisted the French resistance.

At the very end of the war, she and her colleague and lover Peter Scobee were betrayed by the man they knew as Luc.  Livy and Peter were captured and only Livy was able to escape in the end. Now, with the war over, Livy struggles to adjust in the post-war London. She drinks herself to sleep most nights and is barely able to make ends meet. But then out of the blue, a man named Ian Fleming approaches her in a bar with an offer to jump back into the game and have a shot of avenging Peter's death. This is a fast-paced mystery set in London and Paris, and is sure to be enjoyed by all historical mystery lovers.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

The Classics Challenge: "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

I knew going in that Faulkner was not an easy author to read. However, when the first chapter is written from the point of view of a mentally disabled individual, with the narrative jumping around in time and space with no warning, AND the said chapter is 75 pages long, I was frankly blown away. But the stubborn reader in me smiled and dug in before the challenge. There was no way I'd give up now.

Chapter 2 did not get much easier. If Benjy's mind just jumped around in space and time, at least his focus was on simpler things: sounds, sights, smells and feelings. Quentin's narrative is more eloquent, but just as disjointed and all over the place. I do appreciate and admire Faulkner's ability to stay "in character" and express his narrators' inner thoughts and feelings.

Chapter 3 is a vast improvement. Written from the point of view of Jason, a perpetually angry and dissatisfied with his family younger brother, the narrative flows smoothly despite the fact that Jason's mind is fixated on money and the moral characters of his sister and niece. The final chapter is written in the third person and does not have one primary narrator. It is thus the most straightforward in the book.

Overall, reading Faulkner is both like looking at a Picasso's painting; and hacking through a thorny thicket hoping that there is a beautiful view up ahead. The good thing is there is a lot of material written about this novel on the internet. I highly recommend going in blind, but then about half way through chapter one looking up the list of characters just so you can keep them straight in your head. Since Benjy's thoughts jump around all over a thirty-year period, it is good to at least be aware who belongs where.

Reading this book must have been a crazy experience when it first came out in 1929. If you survived the first 100 pages, you would probably get to the end, just to realize that you needed to start again from the very beginning in order to put all those ramblings in perspective now. I can definitely see the genius of experimenting this way with the form and structure of the novel, but this book is definitely not for everyone.

Upon finishing the novel I felt an almost overwhelming sense of wonder. How did he do it? Out of the utter chaos of the first two chapters emerged a painful and profound picture of inexplicable human existence. He repeats pretty much the same story four times from a different point of view, as if to say: as conscious beings we all have a story to tell. In addition, each of those stories is slightly different based on the narrator's perception, opinions, beliefs etc. As in life, so in reading Faulkner, no matter how painful moment to moment is, one cannot help but be in awe of the overall concept.

As for rating, how do you rate a genius? I think I will just quote what Robert Penn Warren had to say:

"For range of effect, philosophical weight, originality of style, variety of characterization, humor, and tragic intensity [Faulkner's works] are without equal...." This is one of those books that will stick with me for a while. Finishing it definitely gave me a profound sense of achievement.

"The Queen of Nothing" by Holly Black

The Queen of Nothing is the third and final book in The Folk of Air trilogy that began with The Cruel Prince. Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the story, but my initial thoughts on Holy Black's writing stay the same. The plot is not well fleshed out, it lacks depth and complexity. The world is not well developed, and we do not get a lot of interaction between Cardan and Jude even though theirs is the main romantic story in the book.

In general, the entire enemies to lovers tension is created because Jude misunderstands and fears him. We get the story only from her perspective, and she does not spend much time with Cardan even in book 2 where she is his seneschal. This third book is also disappointingly short (305 pages). I definitely think Black could have done more with the world, given how popular this series has been.

In my reviews of the first two books I mentioned that I did not like Jude. In book 3, she is more likable. I definitely felt that she was less desperate and more sure of herself. I guess becoming Queen helped in that regard too, as she is also acting less power hungry.

My overall rating for this installment is 3 stars. If this is Holly Black's best work, I am not sure I want to read her backlist. This trilogy is extremely over-hyped and underwhelming.

"The Wicked King" by Holly Black

The Wicked King is a sequel to The Cruel Prince, which I reviewed earlier. The story picks up right where the first book ended. This book also is written entirely from Jude's perspective. As such, it is still hard to tell what Cardan's intentions are. On the one hand, there are scenes where he behaves like he really cares about Jude and wants to trust her. But then there is the ending, which I know left a lot of readers wondering.

I still do not like Jude very much. I realize she is supposed to be a morally gray character, she just seems very immature and too power hungry for my taste. With morally gray characters, I usually enjoy sophistication, humor, self-assurance and cunning manipulations. Jude is just too young and inexperienced for that. So she comes off flippant and desperate. I also don't like the way she seems to be willing to sacrifice anything for power. We'll see what book 3 has in store, but at this point, it is hard for me to root for her.

I was glad to see that Cardan is much more present in this book. I was also happy he finally took charge in the end. I have no problem with strong female characters, but when the female lead begins to be inept, I appreciate that someone else can step in and save the day. A closer look at the underworld and the King's powers were also nice additions in this installment. Overall, I enjoyed the second book more then the first. Solid 3 out of 5 stars. Book 3 is coming out tomorrow and I can't wait to read the conclusion.

"The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince is the first book in a highly over-hyped YA fantasy trilogy (the third and final book is scheduled to come out this month). I finally decided to check it out as I prefer to read all the books in a trilogy close together so the information is fresh in my mind.

I must say that I wanted to like this book much more than I actually ended up enjoying it. It did not blow me away in any sense of the word. I think my main problem with The Cruel Prince is that the world is not well developed. We basically get a handful of characters (many of them very young) which does not match up well with the epic proportions of the political machinations they engage in. This flaw is not anything new. Lots of YA books have similar premises. However, I think I was holding the bar a bit higher for The Cruel Prince simply because of all the wonderful reviews that I've seen.

Our main character Jude is a human girl who as a child was carried away into the Faerie world along with her twin sister Taryn and half-sister Vivi. She lives in the house of her mother's first husband who is a powerful general in the High King's army. When we are first introduced to Jude, she is portrayed as a feisty but powerless girl who struggles to survive among the Faerie gentry children she is forced to go to school with. Jude, however, is extremely ambitious and craves control and power. She gets tangled up in court intrigues and ends playing a critical role in the Faerie coup d'etat.

Many of the reviews I read focused heavily on the romance in the book. However, there is close to zero romance in this novel. Prince Cardan certainly occupies Jude's thoughts (mostly as the hateful bully she would love to run through with her sword), but he is barely present in the story until the very last few chapters. In fact, the only reason I gave this book a neutral rating (2.5 stars) is because I ended up really enjoying the plotting and the intrigue in the last quarter of the book. We also finally get a glimpse of chemistry between Jude and Cardan at that point.

So overall, I will continue with the series. But I would really like to see the world built up a bit more. It is just too simplistic and barely populated for my taste. I would prefer to see more magic, more mythology, more complexity to the social structure, and a wider lens on the world as a whole.

"Dark Shores" by Danielle L. Jensen

This book was an unexpected gem. After the fiasco with the Otherworld audio book (see my earlier review), I checked out Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen. The story immediately pulled me in. It is a YA fantasy with a very interesting world based on the Greco-Roman civilization. The main male character Marcus is a legionnaire whose service to the Empire involves exploring and conquering new lands. The main female lead Teriana comes from the seafaring nation called Maarin. Her people are the only ones who possess the secret knowledge of how to cross the sea to Dark Shores – an area of the world where the Empire would like to extend its reach.

The book is filled with political intrigue, betrayals and manipulations. The world is expansive and complex. The characters are interesting and the story is action packed and fast moving. I really enjoyed the adventure Marcus and Teriana embark on. The book is the setup for a much larger story. There is definitely going to be a sequel and I for one cannot wait to see where the story goes.

One note on the audio book. The book alternates Teriana’s and Marcus’ points of view, and the audio book is read by two actors. The male voice was fine, but the female voice actor, especially in the beginning, sounded almost like a computer reading the text: very emotionless and with a machine like inflection. I am not sure when the next book comes out, but I will likely opt for reading it rather than listening. Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book.

"Twice in a Blue Moon" by Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is a master of writing fluffy romance stories that you can immerse yourself in for an evening or two. It is actually a writing duo so technically I should have said "they are," but I am not going to dwell on it since the pen name is that of a single person.

Twice in a Blue Moon features a second chance romance. Tate and Sam first meet on a trip to London when she is 18 and he is 21. Things go horribly wrong and now 14 years later they meet again. Second chance romances are hard to pull off. The reader needs to be able to understand that whatever happened in the past could be overcome in order for the relationship to work. For me, in this particularly plot, it worked ok, but not perfectly. I think their first go at it in London was already not very realistic, and the second chance was even less so.

The implausibility aside, what I really liked about the story is the setting and the atmosphere: the movie set, the filming and the behind the scenes look into how fake and PR-driven the life of celebrities can be. Tate's dad was particularly hard for me to understand. He just epitomizes everything that is bad about Hollywood and the celebrity culture. Think, an egomaniac obsessed with staying famous despite the pain he causes other people. I also think the authors did a good job keeping the reader in suspense as to which way to story will go, which made it an even quicker read. This was overall an enjoyable book. 3 out 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com.

"Fireborne" by Rosaria Munda

This year, I have been reading a lot of excellent YA fantasy novels. Fireborne is another one that I really enjoyed and highly recommend. The story, according to the author, is inspired by Virgil’s Aeneid and Plato’s Republic. Thus, the world in terms of social class divisions, clothing and customs appears to be very Greco-Roman, although there is also a mention of Highlands/Lowlands that felt more Scottish-inspired. The country – Calleopolis – is located on an island, and has historically been ruled by dragon riders called the dragonborn. However, 10 years prior to the events of the book, some of the patricians from the ruling family’s inner circle led a revolt and brought down the monarchy.

The book is written from the point of view of two orphans. Lee is the youngest  and the only surviving son of the last dragonborn ruler, whose identity remains a secret; and Annie is a former serf whose family was killed by a dragon rider. Lee and Annie, the two misfits at the orphanage, become close friends They are later selected to be part of the elite group of dragon riding guardians meant to protect the country and form the new regime's ruling body.

I really liked this book. I was particularly impressed by Rosaria Munda’s descriptions of the first dragon riding tournament. This book is not all action. There is a lot about politics and structure of the society. At the center of the story, there is an epic moral struggle that Lee faces as he continues to hide his true identity. His character in particular is reminiscent of classical heroes both in terms of his moral courage and strength and the truly impossible situation he finds himself in. Annie’s character undergoes a lot of growth throughout the novel as well. She learns to be confident in her own skin and really shines towards the end as the leader she never thought she was cut out to be. 5 out of 5 stars. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Otherworld" by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

I honestly cannot recall a time when I did not finish a particular book because I found the mind of the narrator too unbearable to dwell in for a few hours.  Well, there is truly a first for everything. I downloaded Otherworld by Jason Segel as an audiobook to listen to during a recent weekend drive to another city. I like his middle grade series called Nightmares! and wanted to check out his other work.

Otherworld is supposed to be the YA version of a story in the vein of Ready Player One, which I loved. A few minutes into the book, it became very clear that the main character from whose point of view the book is written, cannot get his mind out of the gutter for even a second. I kept cringing at his descriptions and both my husband and I kept glancing at each other in disbelief. Thankfully, our teenage daughter was not particularly interested in listening to the book and had her earphones on.  We finally decided to quit midway through chapter two when the main character was about to pull a particularly cringe worthy prank on his neighbors.

Perhaps the book gets better later on. There are certainly very positive reviews on Goodreads, and it clearly merited two sequels. I did not stick around to find out, and based on the first two chapters cannot imagine the main character’s thinking would elevate above his waistline. 1 star out of 5.

"The Grace Year" by Kim Liggett

The Grace Year is a dystopian YA novel in the vein of The Handmaid's Tale and The Lord of Flies. Our main character Tierney James lives in a closed community that vaguely reminds me of puritan villages of colonial America. Men are in charge of all aspects of life. Women are either obedient wives, or if not chosen for marriage, lead lives of hard labor in the fields or one of the mills. Those who are punished for any transgression are banished to the outskirts and live as prostitutes.

Tierney assumes that no one will select her as their future wife and looks forward to being a laborer in the field. She is much more comfortable with nature than with people. Thus, she is shocked when her father presents her with a veil, which means that someone has chosen her as his future wife.

The people in the village believe that women are full of magic and possess supernatural powers. Girls who turn 16 are sent away from the village for the entire year - called the grace year - to live in a camp in the wild and expel their magic. This year it is Tierney's turn to join with other sixteen year old girls and depart the village for a year. Talking about the grace year is forbidden so none of them really know what to expect. They only know that not all of them will come back, and those who do return, will come back scarred both physically and emotionally.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I do believe it is better to go into it knowing as little about the plot as possible. Liggett's writing is very suspenseful and discovering what happens next is part of what made this novel appealing to me. The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars is because some of Tierney's views seemed too unrealistic to me. For an uneducated young girl who grew up in a closed, superstitious society, she tends to think in a way that would suggests she's had exposure to more radical ideas and ways of thinking, and those are simply not present in the novel. So whenever that happened, it tended to grate a bit on my enjoyment of the novel. 4 out 5 stars. I definitely recommend this book.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"10 Blind Dates" by Ashley Elston

I must admit I almost quit reading this book about 15% in. However, I am glad I decided to stick with it. Our main character Sophie is a high school senior and is looking forward to spending time with her boyfriend Griffin during the winter break while her parents are visiting her older sister. However, Sophie's joy is short-lived. The same evening as her parents leave town, she overhears Griffin telling his friend that he wants to break up with her. Sophie is devastated and goes to stay with her grandparents who live in a town a couple of hours away. There, she is surrounded by her large extended family, who take upon themselves to cheer her up and draw up a schedule to arrange 10 blind dates for Sophie. And so the adventure begins.

The book ended up having some really funny moments. I found myself laughing out loud a few times. Sophie's grandparents have 8 children, so her family is large, noisy and everyone is in everyone else's business. If you like the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you will probably enjoy this book. As often with YA contemporary novels, the main characters sometimes feel much older than they are supposed to be in the book: the fact that can be irritating to some readers. I myself almost quit reading it, as the beginning was a bit too melodramatic and hard to believe. I did end up enjoying the book and rated it 3 out of 5 stars. This would make a nice light holiday read.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Enormity" by W.G. Marshall

With my book club this month, we read a Sci-Fi novel by a local Rhode Island author. The book is called Enormity. It is reminiscent of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and more modern takes on giants such as Godzilla or King Kong. So even though the subject is not new, W.G. Marshall puts a new spin on it. The setting is South Korea. Our main character Manny Lopes finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and accidentally gets blown up to giant proportions by a dark matter device.

Marshall’s giants are much bigger than we are used to seeing in this genre. Manny is over a mile tall which makes any sort of interaction with regular humans impossible: he cannot see them and basically causes havoc and destruction simply by moving around.

Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed are geo-political and military implications. Parts of this book are really witty and clever and I found myself chuckling as I was going through the novel.
It is a very quick and enjoyable read, and the book is definitely grossly underrated. I highly recommend it.

One word of caution: the book does contain several graphic sex scenes. When we met with the author, he said he included them to demonstrate how much privacy factors into our lives, and for a giant being privacy is just not even an option. Overall, a great read. 4 out of 5 stars.

"Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun" by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke

I grabbed this book from the shelf in my local library and it turned out to be a huge surprise. This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. It reads as a spooky fairy tale, and is a faithful adaption of the film Pan's Labyrinth. There are definitely parts in this book that are quite dark and macabre. At the same time, it is filled with magic and love.

The setting of the story is the fascist Spain in the 1940s. Our main character is a little girl named Ofelia whose father is dead and mother recently remarried and is about to give birth to a new baby. Ofelia stumbles upon an ancient labyrinth in the forest surrounding the mill where her mother's new husband (Captain Vidal) lives. There, she meets a Faun who tells her that she is a long-lost princess of the Underground Kingdom where her parents and loved ones have been waiting for her for a very long time.

The story is written from multiple perspectives. It also includes legends/stories from the past that allow the reader to see how the various characters and physical items are connected to the main heroes of the story. It also alludes to the invisible ways our past and our emotions shape us. Overall, the story is multilayered and complex. I definitely want to go back and re-read it just so I can trace all the connections. It quite unexpectedly gave me the vibes of reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez: same dreamlike and surreal atmosphere layered over real historic events. 5 out of 5 stars. Loved it.

My favorite quote from the book:
Mortals don't understand life is not a book you close only after you read the last page. There is no last page in the Book of Life, for the last one is always the first page of another story.

"Tiger Queen" by Annie Sullivan

Tiger Queen is a new standalone YA fantasy novel that is coming out in the US next week (September 10, 2019). Unfortunately, this book was very predictable and filled with typical YA fantasy tropes. The name of the novel also pretty much spoils the entire plot. In addition, the writing style was not my cup of tea. The author had to many "sand" things in the novel and an exorbitant amount of sand similes (sand dancers, sand blessings, etc). Finally, I thought the world was not very well developed and the entire book is set in the one city and the surrounding desert.

That being said, I do think this book could appeal to young (i.e., Middle School) children, particularly girls. The main character is a warrior princess fighting for the throne. All characters are pretty much either totally evil or good and noble. The plot also includes elements of both Peter Pan and Robin Hood, where "Desert Boys," a ragtag band of orphans, steal water from the King's wells and distribute it to the people. I did like the fact that this is a stand alone. I think it will be more accessible to younger readers who do not necessarily want to get invested in a trilogy or a series.

Overall, I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was not for me, but I can clearly appreciate that younger readers could love it.

I received e-ARC from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

"The Idiot" by Elif Batuman

The Idiot by Elif Batuman is a meandering and slow-paced account of experiences of a freshman student at Harvard in mid-1990s. Even though it is a work of fiction, it is largely autobiographical in nature. The main character Selin is a Turkish-American girl and the entire novel is written from her perspective. In fact, it reads as a series of observations and impressions, which she writes down as she meets her roommates, registers for classes and tries to develop new relationships.

I believe Batuman borrowed the name of the book from Dostoyevksy in order to highlight the inexperience and naiveté of the main character. In particular, Selin struggles in her romantic life. Early on in the semester, she meets a Hungarian student named Ivan in her Russian language class. They then get into an email exchange, which develops into a fascination with the online personas both of them present to each other. Once they decide to meet and talk in person, however, Ivan and Selin are unable to recreate the magic they both felt while writing emails.

Selin also appears to be largely disappointed with her academic life. She feels that her professors are by and large self-absorbed and removed from reality. She reads incessantly and keeps looking for outlets for her intellectual curiosity but ends up bitterly disappointed each time. She feels she is not learning anything. In the summer after her freshman year, following Ivan’s advice, she travels to Hungary to teach English in a village school. However, even there, her experiences are marred by her unrequited love and obsession with Ivan. She admits that her objective in traveling to Hungary was to learn more about him.

Overall, The Idiot is a pretty realistic depiction of how confusing, disappointing and painful growing up can be. However, even though Selin feels she is not learning anything during this first year of her adult life, she is in fact gaining valuable experiences of living and traveling on her own, making friends, choosing classes and subjects to study and to be more comfortable in her own skin. This is not a book about overcoming insurmountable obstacles, or gaining some ground-breaking perspective. It is quiet, largely dispassionate, and self-absorbed. I believe a lot of college students would probably be able to relate to Selin’s story or at least to some portion of it. I ended really enjoying this book and gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club" by Heather Vogel Frederick

I thought I would include something more lighthearted than the previous two reviews on this blog. In August, I picked up The Mother-Daughter Book Club at my local library. It was such a heart-warming read, that I definitely recommend it to all mothers and their daughters. The book is set in Concord, MA, the birthplace of Louisa May Alcott. There are a lot of references to Little Women (one of my all time favorite classics) and in fact this is the book the newly established book club picks to read.

Even though the book is truly lighthearted and cute, it also explores some tricky situations that middle school aged girls find themselves dealing with. Issues such as cliques, popularity, friendship and bullying are discussed in a very approachable and easy to discuss with kids manner. I think this could be a great audiobook for the entire family to listen to on a road trip, or if your daughter, little sister, granddaughter or niece likes to read, this is a perfect book to read and discuss together. 5 out of 5 stars - I definitely recommend it.

The Classics Challenge: "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dostoyevsky is an intimidating name in the world of literature. Readers tend to avoid him for fear of not being able to understand his ideas. This is a pity. When I read The Idiot this past month, I was struck by how contemporary his prose was. Granted I read it in Russian, however his language is not archaic or hard to understand. Moreover, the subjects, the characters, the issues are all timeless and still relevant today.

The main theme in The Idiot is society's inability to take seriously an adult who conducts himself with childhood innocence and trust, who constantly gives people the benefit of a doubt and is always ready to see good in everyone. For others, such an individual (in this novel it is Prince Myshkin) is a subject of ridicule. His manner is not refined, his speech is not sophisticated, and he is very far from being street smart. He is always genuine and frank, compassionate to a fault, and is the absolute opposite of cynical. This is not compatible with our worldly notions of wisdom and maturity. Dostoevsky is a master of writing unforgettable characters. Each one is truly a masterpiece. Each one is complex and meticulously thought out. 

It is truly impossible to describe the depth of this novel in a blog post, so I will focus on one other theme which struck me as quite relevant today. The main female character Nastasya Filippovna was molested as a young girl by her benefactor and guardian. When she comes of age, she is basically a kept woman; or a fallen woman in the eyes of all upstanding citizens. What Dostoyevsky zeros in is her brokenness. Her mind and soul are a gaping wound that would not heal. She yearns for love and goodness. She never lost her innocence, but she is unable to understand that what happened to her is not her fault. She defies all notions of propriety in any way she chooses, except one: she cannot allow herself to become "good". I thought it was fascinating that she alone understands Prince Myshkin and makes her mission to see to it that he is happy. And he, for his part, understands how confused and damaged she is. He refers to her as "mad" and feels deep compassion for her. The love he feels towards her is what King James Version of the Bible calls "charity" in I Corinthians Chapter 13. 

Dostoyevsky is always true to his Christian ideals. His protagonist, who is always an idiot in the eyes of the world, is the author's Christian ideal of a man: innocent, forgiving, always seeing good in his neighbor. In the end, the world rejects this ideal man, just like it refused to accept and chose to crucify instead the one perfect man: the Son of God. Those parallels are clearly there. And in fact, in early drafts, Prince Myshkin was Prince Christov (Christ's). 

This book was entertaining, frustrating, profound, never boring, in many ways surprising, and so very readable. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 5 out of 5 stars - could it be any other rating?

"Hunger" by Roxane Gay

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body is a deeply personal, heart-wrenching and powerful story of a woman whose life has been a perpetual struggle of a kind I never experienced myself. Roxane Gay was raped by a group of boys when she was only 12 years old. She then found solace in food and built around herself a fortress of a 500+ pound body.

This book undid me. I hated listening to it while driving to work and I hated listening to it on my way back home. It filled me with sympathy, pain and depressed me to no end. It also made me feel angry and helpless. Gay is very frank about the reality of her life: about our society's inability to accept people "of a certain size" and our unwillingness to give them opportunities to live with dignity and respect. Before reading this book I never thought about the size of chairs in our public spaces, booths in restaurants, or ill suitability of doctor's offices (out of all places) to accommodate obese bodies. This is to say nothing of the cruelty she has to endure from complete strangers who feel they are at liberty to call her names, stare and offer unsolicited advice.

Gay describes the way that initial childhood trauma affected her romantic relationships, her sense of self-worth, her ability to connect with others, her family life, and pretty much every other aspect of her existence. This book was painful to consume, but it provided me with a perspective I would not have otherwise had. I can honestly say that for me there is a "before I read Hunger by Roxane Gay" and "after". This book is exactly why I read. It gives me the ability to see the world through the eyes of someone whose reality has been so unlike my own. This is a must read for everyone. I gave it 5 out 5 stars, which is an immeasurably inadequate way to describe how I feel about this book.

"Foundyside" by Robert Jackson Bennett

Foundryside is the start of another epic fantasy trilogy (I do realize I keep reading a lot of firsts-in-series and need to be better at continuing and finishing the various trilogies that I start). The world as I picture it in my head is somewhat medieval and all the technology is powered by "scriving" (a type of magical writing on objects that "convinces" them to perform certain tasks or behave in a certain way). For a example, bricks would have sigils written on them that convince them to stick to each other, and thus a wall would be created.

The author does a good job setting up the world and explaining how things work without boring the reader. In fact, this book is anything but boring. Every time I sat down to read, I could not help but zoom through 50 to 100 pages at a time. It is that action-packed and suspenseful.

Our main character is Sanchia, a street urchin and a thief. We first meet her as she is about to steal an  highly-priced item from a well-guarded safe. Sanchia has an unusual ability: she is able to touch objects around her and "hear" their history. For instance, by touching the floor, she'll get information on who and when passed there and get details on where a weak or rotted through floorboard might be located.

I liked her character development. She grows a lot throughout the novel, learns many things about the world and herself, and really by the end of Book 1 has all preconditions to become the real hero of an epic story.

The world that Bennett weaves is gradually revealed to the reader and is unimaginably intricate and large. The world building includes not just the immediate surroundings and how thing work, it also encompasses a centuries-long history, lore, and beliefs. As our characters encounter new larger problems, we gradually get a wider-lens view of the world, and by the end of the book, the setup for a conflict of an epic proportions is complete. If anything, in reading the last chapter, I was stunned by the vastness of the world that Bennett succeeded in revealing.

Being a fast-paced and engaging read, it is also a novel that requires deeper thinking. It tackles social and economic issues, morality, people's insatiable hunger for power and the concept of a just and fair society. I really enjoyed this book. 5 out of 5 stars. The sequel comes out in January 2020.

"Trail of Lightning" by Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning is the first book in a Navajo mythology inspired Sci-Fi series. The book has been nominated for both Hugo and Nebula awards and has been lauded by critics and readers alike. I'd been wanting to pick it up for a while and now finally had a chance to read it.

Overall, I think the book would appeal to readers who like post-apocalyptic settings, strong female warrior characters and Native American mythology. Personally, I enjoy all three so in many ways this was a great book for me. It is on a shorter side, action-packed and not overwhelming with world building. In fact, I thought the author did a great job gradually introducing the backstory and history of the world without inundating the reader with information.

This book is quite violent with multiple descriptions of fights and killing. So if this is something you try to avoid in books, this one is probably not for you. I loved the magic in this novel. The premise for the novel is that Navajo gods and monsters have left the spirit world and now walk the earth. To counteract their powers, some humans have received "clan powers," i.e. supernatural abilities specific to their clan. Our main character Maggie, for example, is super fast and is great at killing monsters. The one thing I thought would be helpful is a glossary of Navajo words used throughout the book.

In addition to the main character, I also really like the Coyote or the trickster. In some ways, he reminds me of Loki. I did not love the ending of the book. Without spoiling anything, one of the so called plot twists just seemed way too predictable to me. But overall, still a very enjoyable read. 4 out of 5 stars. I do already have book 2 and will probably read it next month if not earlier.

2019 Mid-Year Reading Goals Check-In

Since we are halfway through 2019, it is a good time to check on my reading goals for the year and see how I am doing. This year, I decided to keep it pretty simple and have only set 3 goals for myself. So let's see how I've done so far!

Goal 1: Read the books I want to read
I have definitely tried to read only the books I was excited about. I have been pretty selective about the ARCs I request and read. I have also stopped pushing myself to read bookclub picks that I was not particularly interested in. So I would say, I've been doing great in this area.

Goal 2: Read 80 books in 2019
As of the end of June, I've read 50 books so I am definitely on track to meet the overall goal for the year. I do, however, have plans to read some large books in the second half of the year.

Goal 3: Read more classics.
For this goal, I have 12 specific challenges to help make this goal more achievable, and I have so far met 7 of them (and read 7 classics!). Here is the full list of challenges and progress to date:
1. 19th century classic - not yet
2. 20th century classic - DONE, Jack London Call of the Wild (1903)
3. Classic by a female author - DONE, Elizabeth Gaskell North and South
4. Classic in translation - DONE, Charles Dickens Great Expectations (I read it in Russian)
5. Classic comedy - not yet
6. Classic tragedy - DONE, Alexander Kuprin Olesya
7. Very long classic - no yet
8. Classic novella - DONE, Alexander Kuprin The Garnet Bracelet
9. Classic from the Americas (includes Caribbean) - not yet
10. Classic from Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia) - DONE, Miles Franklin My Brilliant Career (Australia)
11. Classic from the place you've lived - DONE, Alexander Grin The Scarlet Sails (USSR)
12. Classic play - not yet.

"Spin the Dawn" by Elizabeth Lim

Spin the Dawn is the start of a new Chinese-inspired YA fantasy series (US publication date is 7/9/2019). The main character Maia Tamarin is the youngest child of a famous tailor. Her three older brothers are not really interested in sewing and besides all three of them end up going to war. Two never return and one comes back injured and unable to walk. Maia is a talented seamstress, but unfortunately, in her world, girls do not become tailors. So when a representative from the imperial court arrives to summon either her father or brother to sew for the emperor, Maia dresses up as a boy and journeys to the capital to compete with other famous tailors for the title of the Imperial Tailor.

I was skeptical about this book. So many YA novels are filled with tropes and are basically variations of the same rags-to-riches/nobody-to-a-hero story. Spin the Dawn does have the same overall theme, but it had several elements that I like in YA books and that instantly drew me in. First, it reads like a fairy tale, and is filled with luscious descriptions of exotic settings. Second, the main character is a spunky female who perseveres no matter the odds and always insists on making her own decisions. Third, it is a very fast read. At just over 400 pages, I finished it in less than 3 days. Finally, it has a slow-burn romance that many readers will appreciate.

If I have to pick a thing that I did not like about the story, it will have to be the ending. To me, the final resolution felt rushed and a bit illogical. If Maia was going to put a request in front of a powerful goddess, why didn't she word it in a way that would make her happy? Instead, the wish that was granted to her led to much bigger problems.... I am definitely curious to see what happens next, but am very worried about the direction the novel is taking. I think I would have been happy with a well-rounded stand-alone.

A very enjoyable read overall. 4 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

"With the Fire on High" by Elizabeth Acevedo

I loved this book! If you are looking for a heart warming, inspiring book to read, please pick this one up. There are tons of contemporary YA novels that have cute romance stories. This one is definitely not your run of the mill contemporary book.

Our main character Emoni is a high school senior who is juggling being a mother, finishing school, working and figuring out her future. Emoni is also a talented cook whose creativity in the kitchen does not go unnoticed by family, friends and teachers. Her life is not easy. She's been through a lot and still has a difficult path ahead. But her enthusiasm and love do not let her falter. I also loved the characters of Malachi, Abuela and Emoni's friend Angelica. It's a perfect summer read. It made me smile and even tear up a few times. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies is considered to be an older YA series. With the publication date of 2005, this was one of the first dystopian YA series. In fact, Uglies was published 8 months before Twilight, which as we now know will spark such a reading frenzy among young adults that the YA book market will completely reshape itself.

I had heard mixed opinions about the Uglies trilogy. Some claimed it was full of tropes and did not live up to expectations. Personally, I think Uglies (at least the first book) is a solid dystopian series. The premise of the book is that all humans upon reaching the age of 16 undergo an operation which makes them pretty. 12 to 16 year-olds are considered to be uglies and live in dormitories on the outskirts of town. Their lives are basically centered around anxiously awaiting the operation.

Our main character Tally will soon turn 16 and cannot wait to turn pretty. A couple of months before the eagerly anticipated date, she meets another ugly Shay who tells her that there are people in the world who do not want to turn pretty and instead live out their lives with the appearance they got from birth. Even though this sounds pretty simplistic, Westerfeld explains why and how humanity came to this point.

Overall, I gave this novel 4 out of 5 stars and will continue with the series. I liked the way the novel was structured. I also enjoyed the fact that the main character struggles with moral decisions. She is someone who I would call a gray character. Even though her intentions always remain good, she does make major mistakes and is forced to make difficult choices. I definitely recommend this novel and hope the sequels will not disappoint.

"The Love Interest" by Cale Dietrich

Love Interest came in one of my Book of the Month boxes back in 2017. It is Dietrich's debut novel. For a while, I actually was not sure if I'd read it and was seriously considering donating it to the library. However, I am glad I decided to give it a go. It was a solid 3-star read.

It is hard to pinpoint the genre exactly. It is speculative fiction set in the present-day US. There is a secret organization that raises and trains orphans to become future love interests of the famous and powerful. Basically, once a kid gets older and is deemed ready, he or she is assigned to a potentially powerful or famous person (think movie stars, athletes, scientists, etc). The idea is to do everything possible to get the celebrity to fall in love with the love interest and then spy on them. The organization thus trades in secrets and rules the world behind the scenes.

Our main protagonist Caden is a love interest, who is about to be released into the world to meet his Chosen one: Juliet is a young high school progeny who will clearly become a very talented scientist. One other thing worth mentioning is that the love interests are divided into the Nice and the Bad. So each potential target gets two love interests assigned to him or her: a Nice one and a Bad one. The love interests basically compete for the Chosen's heart, and whoever loses, dies.

Overall, I thought the premise was mildly interesting. I also liked the twist in the story. Caden is the Nice and his opposite - the Bad - is Dylan. They both begin vying for Juliet's attention (this was a great spoof on an overused YA trope), but then instead fall for each other.

I enjoyed the story for about two thirds of the book. The end in my opinion was a bit too good to be true. Everything was just too easy and unrealistic. Other than that. a great beach/vacation read. The author should definitely keep writing.

The Classics Challenge: "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

I had been meaning to read more Dickens for a while. Prior to this, I had only read Oliver Twist and The Christmas Carol. So as part of my classics challenge for this year, I picked up Great Expectations. 

It took me a little while to get into the book. The first half of the novel was pretty slow and a lot of narrative was basically a set up for a rapidly developing chain of events in the second half. Overall, I ended up really liking this book. It had a lot of unexpected depth and examination of human motives.

Our main character Pip gets pulled from poverty into riches by a mysterious benefactor whose identity is not revealed until much later in the novel. Pip, driven by ambition and "great expectations," easily abandons the family he grew up in and throws himself into the life of wealth and leisure. He also forms some unreasonable ideas about the source of his wealth and his own future as it relates to a certain young lady whom he met when quite young in the house of a rich gentlewoman.

However, despite his seeming ungratefulness towards Joe, the blacksmith who raised him, Pip is not a bad person. The unselfish way he assists his roommate Herbert and the role he plays in Matthew Pocket's fortune definitely raise him in the eyes of the reader. Furthermore, the trials and heartbreak he goes through make him stronger and develop his character. He really is quite a likable character by the end of the novel.

I, unfortunately, cannot say the same about Estella, the young woman Pip falls madly and unhappily in love with. She behaves like a spoiled and heartless brat towards everyone including the woman to whom she owes her position in life. It was really hard for me to understand Pip's misplaced fascination with such an unlikable young lady. That's the one thing I believe Victorian novels sometimes suffer from: as long as a woman is pretty, our character will fall in love head over heels with her no matter how flawed her personality is. Overall, even though Estella's and Pip's stories ares somewhat similar, and both of them in the end realize their mistakes, Pip's character is much better fleshed out and nuanced, whereas Estella's remains just a sketch, almost a caricature.

4 out 5 stars. I will definitely read more Dickens.

"Passion on Park Avenue" by Lauren Layne

There are quite a few books reviewed on this blog which I do not remember reading at all - and I consider myself to have a pretty good memory. I am afraid Passion on Park Avenue will end up joining the ranks of my least memorable reads. I knew going in that this was a chick lit novel (based on the cover and description). However, I did not expect it to completely lack any sort of believable plot.

In the beginning of the novel we meet Naomi Powell, one of the most successful female entrepreneurs under 30. She is about to attend a funeral of her lover, who she discovered from the obituary, was married. The first question that comes to mind is why would she even go to the funeral? She only dated him for three months and she now knows he is married.... Well, she goes into the church, gets some accusing stares from the audience (the questions is why? Is the fact that she was his mistress stamped all over her face??), then decides to go for a stroll in the Central Park. Guess what happens next? Not only does she run into her late lover's wife, she also meets his other mistress and the three of them decide to become friends! If you do not think this is ridiculous enough, it gets even better from there. 

Needless to say, I felt mostly irritated while reading this book. 2 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided to me for review by NetGalley.com.

"Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things is the story of an African-American nurse named Ruth Jefferson who gets blamed for a death of an infant and gets arrested and tried for murder. The child's parents are white supremacists who had insisted that Ruth be removed from caring for their son. However, when another patient is rushed to an emergency C-section, Ruth finds herself alone with the baby boy, when he unexpectedly goes into distress.

This book is phenomenal. The characters are very well-defined, the plot is well-thought out and nuanced, and the themes are poignant and very close to my heart. I listened to this book on audio and I highly recommend the audiobook. The novel is written from three different points of view: Ruth's; Turk Bower's, the white supremacist whose son died; and Kennedy's, Ruth's public defendant. All three readers did a great job. They all sounded very authentic and truly brought the characters to life.

The thing that I appreciated the most about this book is Picoult's deep dive into the meaning of white privilege. Her assertion that ignorance (and the root here to think about is "ignore") is just another facet of privilege. People of color do not get to be ignorant about issues of race. They live it daily. This is a powerful and much needed book. I devoured it and could not get enough of it. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet" by Will Hunt

I began the month of May with a non-fiction read. Will Hunt is originally from Providence, RI, and his fascination with the underground began with a childhood discovery of an abandoned railroad tunnel near his parents' house. In this book, we follow him through the walks in the subway system of Manhattan, catacombs of Paris and Cappadocia, and explore mines and caves of Australia, Europe and Central America. Throughout the book, Will Hunt not only relates amazing facts about underground places, but also recounts stories about humanity's age-old fascination with caves and darkness.

Personally, my favorite parts of the book were about religious beliefs associated with caves and the underground. I loved the chapters on worshiping cave spirits in Australia and Mesoamerica. Because this book is fairly short (under 300 pages), you only get bite-size portions of information in each chapter and just a glimpse into the rich mythology and history surrounding subterranean places. I do hope this book is successful enough for him to write another one, perhaps a bit more in-depth and focused on just a couple of topics covered in this overview. Overall, a very interesting book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars simply because it did not go into enough detail for my taste.

"The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren

This was my second Christina Lauren book and ok, now I get the appeal of her books. Lauren writes fluffy chick lit, the type of books you grab to read on an airplane or on a rainy weekend. Last year I read her My Favorite Half-Night Stand and was underwhelmed at best. I am glad I did not give up on the author. The Unhoneymooners was a lot better. It is a basically a hate-to-love story. Most of it is set on Maui with picturesque sunsets and boat rides. There is plenty of banter, lots of awkward moments,  and just all around good time. I definitely recommend it if you need to a pick-me-up or looking for something light and entertaining to read. 5 out of 5 stars.


An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"The Devouring Gray" by Christine Lynn Herman

The cover blurb promises that The Devouring Gray will appeal to fans of The Raven Boys and Stranger Things. Since I am not familiar with either series I cannot verify that it is so. However, I did really enjoy this novel. It is set in a small town in upstate New York called Four Paths. The town is very unusual in that it is a home/prison to an ancient evil (aka the Beast) that was trapped there by the town's four founding families. As a result of this deed, the four founders acquired magic powers that allowed them to keep the Beast trapped. Descendants of those founders still live in town and the magical abilities are passed down from generation to generation.

Our main character Violet Saunders has no idea her mother's side of the family comes from Four Paths. But after her sister dies in a car accident, she and her mother move to Four Paths to take care of Violet's ailing aunt. Now, Violet gets to learn about the town's history, her family's legacy and her own, thus far dormant, magical abilities.

I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the pacing. The ending definitely left an opening for a sequel, and I am glad we'll have an opportunity to return to Four Paths. 4 out of 5 stars. I definitely recommend this book.

"Trophy Life" by Lea Geller

When I originally saw the cover and the title of this book, I expected it to be a fluffy chick lit novel. So I decided to pick it up as a palate cleanser after reading a long classic. I was in a for a pleasant surprise.

Our main character Agnes Parsons, a thirty-something stay-at-home mom of a three-month old Grace, is married to a much older wealthy man and lives in Santa Monica, CA. She has a full-time housekeeper and a nanny, and her life consists of yoga classes, beauty salon appointments, lunches with other moms and dinner dates with her handsome husband. Agnes gives little thought to where the money comes from and how it is managed. She is just focused on looking pretty and wasting her days away. So when she gets the news that her husband lost all the money, is in trouble with the law and has to go into hiding, she is in complete shock. She is forced to move across the country to New York and take a job of an English teacher in an all boy boarding school.

Agnes is unexpectedly really good at being a teacher. She is also for the first time connecting with her baby and learning to stand on her own two feet. This is definitely a book about growth and self-discovery. I really liked Agnes as a character and I also think her transformation was well-executed. I did find it a bit unbelievable that a poor girl who grew up in foster families would so quickly forget what it feels like to be strapped for cash or not know about junk food aisles in a supermarket. But overall her portrayal was quite realistic. I also loved her Californian perspective on New York. 4 out of 5 stars, a very enjoyable read.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com.

The Classics Challenge: "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell

Somehow, despite all my love for British classics, I had never picked up a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. Furthermore, I don't think I even heard that much about her when I was younger. No one was reading Gaskell whereas many were swept away by the Bronte sisters, Jane Austin and Charles Dickens.

I must say, I do love her writing. I think a lot of people are intimidated by classics - Victorian literature in particular - because the novels tend to be wordy, expressions - full of pathos, and characters - too prim and proper. It takes a certain type of a reader, one who loves the historic period, and probably somewhat idolizes the atmosphere created in the novels and the manners of the day, to actually like Victorian (or Edwardian, or the Regent period) classics. Gaskell's language is beautiful and simple at the same time. I would definitely recommend her novels to someone who is concerned that the turn of phrase in Victorian novels is too archaic or difficult to understand.

North and South is a romance story at the heart of it. Ms. Margaret Hale is a daughter of a clergyman who decided to leave the church and moves his family from the South of England to the industrial city of Milton in the North where he takes a position of a private tutor. Mr. John Thornton is a rich industrialist who owns factories in Milton. We do get the perspectives of both characters, although admittedly, Thornton's figure is much less fleshed out than that of Margaret.

I did see this novel compared with Pride and Prejudice, and must admit that you could find a few similarities: a hate to love relationship and a domineering older female relative who does not approve of the heroine are the two main similarities that jumped out at me. Overall, North and South is completely unique and does not compare with Austin's comedy of manners. Gaskell's characters are somehow grittier, they suffer and toil more, their problems definitely go beyond immediate domestic interests. Gaskell not only paints the somewhat sheltered life of a Victorian young woman, but we also get a glimpse of the impact the Industrial Revolution has on the life in England. There are unions, strikes, fortunes made and lost. And by the same token, in the South, we see Margaret's cousin and aunt lead the carefree life of landed gentry.

To sum up, North and South is a solid, enjoyable classic. I would not call it the best one I've ever read and I am definitely not certain I will ever pick it up again (I might watch the TV series). But I definitely recommend it and will be picking up Gaskell's other works. 4 out of 5 stars.

"Never-Contented Things" by Sarah Porter

Never-Contented Things is a dark YA fantasy novel by Sarah Porter. And, when I say "dark" I do not mean that there is an evil faerie prince in the story who falls in love with a human heroine. Porter's faeries are creatures of nightmares and pure evil. They are utterly devoid of feeling, and are more akin to the folk stories about them, heartless beings who steal human children in the night and replace them with counterfeit changelings.

Our main characters are Ksenia and Joshua, two foster kids growing up in a small American town, who very soon will be separated because Ksenia is about to turn 18. That is until Joshua makes a deal with faeries and gets both of them spirited away into Nowhere.

I have seen quite a few negative reviews by readers who received advanced copies of the book from the publisher. I honestly do not understand that. I loved this book. The plot was unexpected, dark, interesting and wholly unlike the cookie-cutter YA fantasy that is being churned out by the publishing industry nowadays.

The story felt like an allegory for being stuck in a dark abusive relationship, or a situation you cannot get out of. Ksenia, for all intents and purposes, is dead to her friends and foster parents. But she is very much alive and suspended in a parallel world of faerie where she is kept by Josh and his twisted obsession for her. She feels powerless in this situation because she is vulnerable. She was hurt and abused as a young girl, and is starved for love and affection. She also has an appallingly low self-esteem and feels utterly undeserving of love. Josh, under the guise of saving both of them, robs her of her ability to make choices for herself. This is a startlingly accurate description of how a dominating abuser might be justifying the way he treats his partner.

Ksenia starts finding her way to who she is only when Lexi appears. Lexi is the one who truly loves her in a completely unselfish and genuine way. She does not see Ksenia as someone broken and requiring constant care. Lexi's ability to precisely voice her feelings, set boundaries and allow others and herself to make choices, fascinates me. There is a lot I can learn from her.

Overall, I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars. I took my time reading it and I enjoyed every minute. An e-ARC was provided to me by NetGalley.

The Classics Challenge: Reading an Australian Classic

Continuing my efforts to incorporate more classics into my reading, in February I picked up an Australian classic called My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. The novel is considered to be semi-autobiographical in nature and is set in the late 19th - early 20th century in the South-East of Australia. The main character is a seventeen year old girl named Sybylla. She is head-strong and unruly, she is also vivacious and a tomboy. I definitely appreciated the author's stance on women's place in society, her desire to break away from the expected role of wife and mother, and her rebellion against the proper look and behavior for a young woman.

There were, however, other aspects of the novel that I did not enjoy as much. For example, for all her yearning for independence in life, Sybylla is for the most part shallow and immature. She is utterly insecure and has such a low self-esteem that no matter how many young men shower her with attention, she still professes to be ugly and undesirable. Her behavior towards Harold is odd to say the least. She flirts with him, and then goes out of her way to try to make him jealous simply because she wants him to exhibit his passion and admiration for her. In the end, she hurts him over and over again, the person who truly loves her. I do understand her desire to be independent, but I don't think asserting one's independence lies through hurting those who care for her.

In the end I rated this book at 2 out of 5 stars. I am glad I read it, but the heroine definitely did not live up to my expectations.

"Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren

Lab Girl is a deeply moving, personal, at times heartbreaking and always candid memoir and account of one woman's love for science. This small non-fiction book contains some of the most lyrical passages devoted to plant life I have ever read. Jahren candidly talks about her struggle to make meaningful personal connections, devotes pages to efforts of getting her mental illness under control, and always warmly talks about Bill, her fellow scientist and life-long friend and lab brother.

I loved the way she described her pregnancy, childbirth and being a mother. Those pages are filled with the wonder of unconditional, immeasurable love and the horror of the accompanying deepest insecurities and fear. Jahren is an amazing writer. To pull off such a book, which is largely about her life-long fascination and study of trees and other plants, is nothing short of amazing.

She also delves into the intricacies of obtaining scarce grant funding, and the challenges female scientists face in a male-dominated field. This is the first book I've read where a real-life scientist talks about her curiosity-driven research and all the attendant difficulties. Since her work has no military application and does not pursue any pharmaceutical breakthroughs, her ability to secure research funding was unbelievably limited. I loved this book, the writing, the message. It all felt genuine and heartfelt. 5 out 5 stars.

"The Winter of the Witch" by Katherine Arden

The Winter of the Witch is book 3 in Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. I read and reviewed the first book The Bear and the Nightingale on this blog over a year ago. Having now read the entire trilogy, I can confidently say that this is one of my favorite fantasy series. The trilogy is based on Russian fairy tales and folklore, and is set in the 14th century Muscovy. The main character Vasilissa (or Vasya) comes from the line of women who are able to see pagan spirits and deities, which gradually weaken as the Christian faith becomes more dominant throughout Russia. Vasya is certain that the old beliefs can co-exist with the new ones in harmony. However, not everyone considers her views and unusual abilities to be harmless.

The last book in my opinion was perfect. All the various plot lines were brought together and tied nicely off. The historic setting, which frankly was vague in the first two books, became crystal clear. And the Battle at Kulikovo, whose historic significance is in the unification of Russia under the banner of Moscow, was the perfect way to bring all of Russia (its saints, warriors and pagan spirits) together in fight for independence from the Tartar yoke. The way Vasya and Morozko's relationship evolved was also satisfying to me as a reader. And even the demise of the evil priest came about in a meaningful way. I highly recommend the entire trilogy. It was clearly well thought-out, has an elaborate and polished plot line and interesting characters. I personally am already planning a re-read of the series. 5 out 5 stars.

The Classics Challenge: "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

In an effort to start working on my goals of reading more classics this year, in January I picked up Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The book was originally published in 1903 so this will satisfy my challenge to read a classic published between 1900 and 1969. The story is about the life and adventures of a dog named Buck. He is a crossbreed between a Saint Bernard and a shepherd, whose early years were spent leading a leisurely life in Santa Clara Valley, CA, on the estate of a wealthy local judge. Buck’s life changes dramatically when one day he is kidnapped and transported up North to be a working sled dog as the gold rush strikes the Klondike region of Canada.

The book relates the hardships Buck goes through and the lessons he learns along the way. Some parts of the book describe the brutality of the life on the trail in vivid detail. Life was hard for both men and animals, and not all humans had the talent to understand and bond with dogs. The reckless and the careless are mercilessly punished by “the wild” – the nature and the hardships of climate and living conditions. For Buck, the return to the wild and getting in touch with his animal nature is a slow process, but one he masters brilliantly. In addition, the book shows a beautiful bond a man and an animal can forge under the hardest of circumstances.

I ended up really enjoying this short book and would highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Slayer" by Kiersten White

I decided to read Slayer by Kiersten White because the cover claims the book is “from the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I was a huge Buffy fan back in the day. Watched the series from the very first episode when it released in 1997. The book is set in the same world, but Buffy is not the main character.  Instead, we follow Nina and her sister Artemis, who live with the remnants of the Watchers’ Council in a castle outside of Dublin.

I would say the world felt more like that of the spin-off show Angel, where you know Buffy is in it doing her thing, but this is a different story. I have seen some not so positive reviews from Buffy fans, but personally I loved the book. I thought the pacing, the banter, the setting were all on point. Perhaps since I’ve read so many disappointing YA novels lately, it was not hard for Slayer to clear the bar set so low. But I truly do think Kiersten White did a great job with this book. If you are a Buffy fan, and in particular, if you also enjoyed the spin-off show Angel, I would definitely give it a go. Five out of five stars for me. Can’t wait for book 2!

"This is Our Story" by Ashley Elston

This is Our Story is a YA mystery set in a small Louisiana town. Five teenagers, spoiled rich boys and high school seniors, host a party at a hunting lodge, and in the morning one of them is found dead, shot with his own hunting rifle. None of the other four admits to shooting Grant Perkins and all of them decide to stick together and deny having seen anything.

The story is narrated by Kate Marino, another high school senior who interns at the prosecutor's office and works for the official who gets the case. Kate has a personal stake in the case, as for weeks leading up to his death, Grant had been texting with Kate and they seemed to have a real connection.

This book is a real page turner with a lot of twists in the plot. Nothing is as it seems. I was at the edge of my seat while reading pretty much the entire time. If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, I definitely recommend this one. It is a quick read that kept me guessing until the very end. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Gilded Wolves" by Roshani Chokshi

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley. The novel is scheduled to release in the US tomorrow, January 15, 2019.

I have to be honest, I was skeptical going into this book. Lately, I've read too many YA fantasy novels that fell far too short of my expectations. The Gilded Wolves is by far one of the best YA fantasy novels I've read in the last few years.

I always struggle when rating books. How do you give the same rating (5 stars) to a classic novel that has withstood the test of time (e.g. Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment) and a YA fantasy book that you know might not be remembered 20 or 30 years from now? Well, for me, a YA fantasy deserves a 5 star rating if (a) it is engaging and unpredictable; (b) has interesting characters; (c) has some inkling of an angsty romance; and (d) is well written. The Gilded Wolves checks all of these items. I was completely swept away by the world. The writing is exquisite. The world is interesting and unique, and the characters are as complex as they are varied. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the sequel.

I do think it is best going into this book blind. But if you have to know anything, know this: it is set in the 1880s Paris. There is magic and interesting mythology. There is a crew of misfits that is trying to pull of a major heist. The book has lots of action and twists and turns, reads very quickly, and the author is skilled with metaphors and descriptions.

5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this to all YA fantasy fans.

"Village School" by Miss Read

This was my second attempt at reading this book and this time around I got through it. Last time, I just wasn't in the mood for a slow-paced English-village-comedy-of-manners kind of narrative. Village School is the first book in a long series centered on a fictional English village called Fairacre set in the 1950s. The story is told by the local school headmistress Miss Read. The author herself was a schoolteacher and quite possibly used a lot of material from her own life for the books.

Village School is fairly short (under 250 pages), and is written as a compilation of short vignettes about the life of the school. We start on the first day of the term and follow the headmistress, her students and the various village inhabitants until the school year ends. There is no real plot. Nothing major really happens. What you get is a great glimpse into what an English village school was like in the 1950s. You also get a cast of likable characters, and well-written stories about every day life in the village. I ended up really enjoying this book. At one point while reading, I did think it was a bit dull. But the author has a wonderful sense of humor and I found myself chuckling quite a bit at her witty good-natured commentary on village manners and habits.

If you enjoy cozy reads set in the English country side about simpler times and life, I would definitely recommend Miss Read and this series. I have read one other of her books from another series called Thrush Green, and it was also wonderful. 4 out of 5 stars.

"A Pigeon and a Boy" by Meir Shalev

A Pigeon and a Boy is a literary fiction novel by a renown Israeli writer Meir Shalev. The novel follows two separate timelines alternating between the present day Israel and Israel on the brink of and at the beginning of its War of Independence in the 1940s. Ultimately, it is the story of two boys and two love stories. Slowly, deliberately, Shalev allows us to see how the stories are connected. What I liked about his writing is that he does not spell things out to the reader. He has confidence his readers can infer and figure things out on their own. The book also includes some of the most lyrical passages I've ever read in literature. Here is one of my absolute favorites:

"Migrating birds have winter homes and summer homes"... "But which of the two is the real one, the one they come home to?"
"The whole world's their home," Tirzah said. "When they fly down to Africa all they're really doing is moving from room to room" (p. 151).

This quote moved me to tears. As someone who has moved quite a bit and always struggled with the idea of "home," this passage is quite liberating on so many levels. We all just move from room to room. That is so beautiful!

The one thing that did not quite work for me in this book were the sections focused on the physical relationships between characters. Instead of being beautiful, innocent and touching, I thought they were extremely awkward and I tended to skip over them. Fortunately, there weren't that many.

Overall, if you like well-written novels with well developed characters and a slowly emerging plot line, I would definitely recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

2019 Reading Goals

Happy New Year!

In 2019, my main reading goal is to read the books I want to read. Many times I feel obligated to read an ARC for review or a bookclub pick, and it really ruins the joy of reading. So in 2019, my goal is to have fun. I am also going to set my Goodreads challenge goal a bit lower as I do want to read some longer books without worrying about the number of books I am reading. Finally, since reading classics has proven to be a real struggle, I found a classics-focused reading challenge online, which I will try to follow. The categories in this challenge are pretty broad so I should still be able to stick to the plan of "reading the books I want to read" while ticking of specific challenges. And here is the overall list:

1. Read the books I want to read
2. Read 80 books in 2019
3. Read more classics. Here is the classics challenge I have chosen:

2019 Back to Classics Reading Challenge

_ 1. 19th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1800 and 1899.

_ 2. 20th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1900 and 1969. All books in this category must have been published at least 50 years ago. The only exceptions are books that were published posthumously but were written at least 50 years ago. 

_ 3. Classic by a Female Author.

_ 4. Classic in Translation. Any classic originally written in a novel other than your native language. You may read the book in your native language, or its original language (or a third language for all you polyglots!) Modern translations are acceptable, as long as the book was originally published at least 50 years ago. Books in translation are acceptable in all other categories as well.

_ 5. Classic Comedy. Any comedy or humorous work. Humor is very subjective, so if you think Crime and Punishment is hilarious, go ahead and use it, but if it's a work that's traditionally not considered humorous, please tell us why in your post. 

_ 6. Classic Tragedy. Tragedies traditionally have a sad ending, but just like the comedies, this is up for the reader to interpret. 

_ 7. Very Long Classic. Any classic single work 500 pages or longer, not including introductions or end notes. Omnibus editions of multiple works do not count. Since page counts can vary depending on the edition, average the page count of various editions to determine the length.

_ 8. Classic Novella. Any work of narrative fiction shorter than 250 pages. 

_ 9. Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean). Includes classic set in either continent or the Caribbean, or by an author originally from one of those countries. Examples include Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (United States); Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (Jamaica); or One Hundred Years of Solitude (Columbia/South America). 

_ 10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia). Any classic set in one of those contents or islands, or by an author from these countries. Examples include Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt); The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki (Japan); On the Beach by Nevile Shute (Australia); Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria). 

_ 11. Classic From a Place You've Lived. Read locally! Any classic set in a city, county, state or country in which you've lived. Choices for me include Giant by Edna Ferber (Texas); Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (Chicago); and Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (Germany). 

_ 12. Classic Play. Any play written or performed at least 50 years ago. Plays are eligible for this category only.

Happy Reading!