Holy BDSM, Batman!
Did that get your attention?
I had a fanfic dream last night. I don't remember anything about it except one of the characters ending a conversation with "Holy BDSM, Batman!"
I don't know how my mind works sometimes.
I do know that I've been struggling of late with a whole bunch of emotionallly/mentally challenging issues related to my work, so I've been basically hunkered down in protective mode, which is when I don't write and don't really socialize in 'real life' or online and just mainline reality shows. This time it's been The Great British Bake-Off. Mel and Sue were fine, but I loves me some Noel and Sandi.
Anyhoo, I've had the week off so I'm starting to feel better, and I thought I would do that Blogtober book thing that... erm... someone posted about. Of course I'm way behind, so I am posting the first ten today, the following ten tomorrow, and then maybe maybe maybe I'll be able to post every day and get back on track. Yes.
01. Spooky TBR
I just picked up a few books from the library and most of them qualify in one way or another. Definitely looking forward to all three and can't decide which one to start first!
A. The Troop by Nick Cutter - about a scout troop attacked by a man while on a wilderness trip. Described as part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later.
B. Slade House by David Mitchell - about a haunted house
C. A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh- about a murder that takes place during a plaguepocalypse
02. Most Anticipated October Releases
The Institute by Stephen King and Full Throttle by Joe Hill. Both are already out but I haven't got them yet because I'm having kindle issues. Sooooon.
03. Bookish October Bucket List
Book-related things I plan to do?
A. Definitely read at least the three library books and hopefully the King/Hill books as well. I have currently read 62 out of the 80 books I had set for my goal, so I need to read one book every four days. It's doable!
B. Finally get my kindle sorted. I had to buy a new one when a coworker spilled water all over my old one. This one automatically downloaded everything on my amazon cloud even though I didn’t want half of them. So I think I need to delete things from my cloud and then sync the device? I don't know. I hate technology.
C. Going to do a clean sweep of my books. I do this every few years to get rid of the ones that I really didn't love or really did enjoy but will probably never read again.
D. Contact library to see if they will take donated books and DVDs.
04. Perfect cozy reading nook
I would LOVE to have one of those leather-ish reclining chairs with the footrest and the spot for your drink right in the arm. So comfy. Unfortunately I am not rich so I just have my sofa. And I really do most of my reading on the night shift at work, sitting at my desk.
05. Top 5 Disney Villains
Erm. Not sure how this is book-related but sure, I'll try.
01. Cruella DeVil - so deliciously evil. LEAVE THE PUPPIES ALONE, CRUELLA. 101 Dalmatians is my favourite. I love the little chubby puppy. Rolo? And the twilight bark!
02. The Evil Stepmother from Snow White - So my mom took me to see this when I was a little kid, right? And there's a scene where the evil queen walks up some stairs and I think there's a storm outside and … I burst into tears. My mom had to take me out of the theatre and I refused to go back in, even when she showed me that that part was over. So yeah. Definitely the evil queen.
03. Erm. The Evil Stepmother from Cinderella?
Yeah, that's all I've got. I really have not seen many Disney movies!
06. Spooky middlegrade
I think this is asking for young adult novels? Unfortunately I do not read many of those anymore so I can't think of anything to rec.
07. Fave reading snacks
Hmm. Well, again, I do most of my reading at work so there are generally no snacks. Thinking on it, even when I read at home there are no snacks. I don't want pages - either paper or kindle - to get all smudged and dirty.
08. Five perfect autumn reads
Is there really a specific time of the year when you should read certain types of books? Creepy ones in October for Hallowe'en, romantic ones in February, frothy 'beach reads' for the summer. No! I read spoooooky most of the year, romantic only occasionally, and frothy when the mood strikes.
09. Fave vampire/werewolf
Oooh. Okay, I'm not a werewolf fan but there are lots of book contendors for favourite vampire. After thinking long and hard, I'm going with Eric Northman from the Southern Vampire series (which became True Blood, the TV series.) I think Charlaine Harris did a fantastic job of making Eric intriguing and sympathetic while still retaining the otherworldliness and self-absorption that a one thousand year old being who had to be fully focused on his own survival for centuries would have.
10. Reading Challenge Update
Well, isn't that convenient. See below!
I also never stop reading. Getting caught up on my 80 book goal.
52. The Wonder of Lost Causes by Nick Trout
A young boy with cystic fibrosis helps out after school with his vet-mom and really wants to adopt a dog.
Jasper has cystic fibrosis. His single mother Kate balances her busy life managing an animal shelter with taking care of Jasper, frequent weeks-long hospital visits, and making ends meet. According to her there isn't room in their life for a dog. But then Jasper meets Whistler, an older dog that has been abused, and forms an immediate connection.
The point of view switches between the Jasper and Kate, and I did feel that the passages from the mother's pov tended to become repetitive. But the author nailed the inner voice of a child with an almost-always-terminal illness. He has a blend of innocence (various step by step plans on how to convince his mom that he needs a dog) and worldliness that comes from the endless medications and processes he has to go through every day just to be able to breathe. The idea that he can somehow communicate with Whistler is executed well, as is the tension that ramps up toward the end of the story.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenge
438 pages
53. When It's Real by Erin Watt
Oakley Ford is a hot 19 year old pop star with a rabid female following. Vaughn Bennett is a 17 year old girl working with her older sister to take care of two younger brothers after their parents die in a car crash. When Vaughn is offered a huge payday to be Oakley's pretend girlfriend in a bid to clean up his image, she reluctantly agrees for the sake of her family.
I am a huge sucker for the pretend-girlfriend/pretend-boyfriend trope, and this is a lovely little YA take on the idea. Vaughn is sweet and kind but also speaks her mind and is not about to let herself get walked over, so she's a good role model for any teens reading the book. And Oak starts out pretty arrogant but mellows in time due mostly to Vaughn's influence. As an adult with some experience under my belt I rolled my eyes a little at some of Oakley's dialogue, but putting myself back into my young adult too-pointy shoes I know this is exactly what I would want to hear. What teen girl didn't imagine herself in just this scenario? If only Scott had needed a pretend girlfriend… I could be Mrs. Baio right now. ;)
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 02 - one of the five W's in title
416 pages
54. Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
A recently widowed Chinese-American man remembers his first love, a Japanese-American girl who was sent to an internment camp during WWII.
This gives the reader exactly what the title promises: a bitter, sweet, poignant, heartbreaking look back at a horrible piece of America's history. I admit I know very little about this time in history but I certainly felt like I was there due to the beautiful writing in this novel.
During WWII, Henry Lee's strict father demands that he only speak English at home (despite the fact that neither of Henry's parents speak the language) and sends him to the 'white school'. Henry is mocked by other Chinese children for being 'white' and assaulted at school for being Chinese (or Japanese, since the kids can't/don't want to tell the difference.) Isolated on all fronts, he makes a surprising friend in Keiko, a third generation Japanese girl also sent to the 'white school'. Henry defies his family to maintain the friendship, which soon blossoms into first love for them both.
4.5/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 22 - sweet/salty/bitter/sweet in title
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
300 pages
55. The Manson Women and Me by Nikki Meredith
Twenty years of visits to three of the Manson Family killers.
I picked this up at the library and then wondered why the hell I had chosen it. I read "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi for the first time when I was really quite young, and then re-read it many times, and learned all I could about the Manson Family. I found the idea of cults fascinatingly repulsive and confusing (and still do.) I am predisposed not to enjoy a sympathetic look at the women who gruesomely murdered multiple people.
So yeah, I hated this book and my review should be taken with several grains of salt. But I also hated it because it was repetitive, poorly written, and did not divulge a single iota of information that I didn't already know.
.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 10 - features a historical figure
347pages
56. Our Little Secret by Roz Nay
Angela is questioned by the police regarding the disappearance of her ex-boyfriend's wife.
She denies any knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing woman, but agrees to tell her story if she can tell it her way. This means starting the tale ten years previous, when sixteen year old Angela met HP, her best friend and, briefly, her boyfriend. HP eventually meets and falls in love with Saskia, whom Angela initially blames for stealing HP away. Over the years, though - as Angela tells it -- she becomes a friend to both and a loving pseudo-aunt to their child. But her love/obsession with HP never goes away…
This is one of the best examples of an unreliable narrator I have read. Angela is intriguing, her mind a devious whirlwind as she spins a tale with no clue as to her lack of self-awareness. The ending was surprising. A cracking good read!
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 35 - psychological thriller
228 pages
57. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
When an autistic boy finds his neighbour's dog murdered, he sets out to find the culprit.
An authentic character voice and an author that never strays from his precise portrayal of Christopher's unique mind, this is a wonderful work of art. Christopher lives with his father after his mother's death and decides to write about the murder of his neighbour's dog after encouragement from a teacher/therapist at the school he attends. In doing so, Christopher confronts his fears and learns much more about his parents, and himself, than he was expecting.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 27 - from 1001 Books To Read Before You Die
226 pages
58. End of the World Running Club by Adrian V. Walker
An out-of-shape man must travel across country to reach his family in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
There are a few things necessary to make post-apocalyptic fiction convincing. It's easiest and in my opinion more believable to just throw the reader into the fray. There are zombies - why? No one knows. A plague is wiping out mankind - but where did it come from? No one knows. I think this often works best because in reality the common man who makes up the protagonist in the novel would not know why these things happened.
But if you are going to explain how the apocalypse came about, you'd better make it realistic. And this is where the book fails. It's a series of asteroids (meteors? I can't remember) that crash all over the world. That no one sees coming until the evening before. And that somehow our hero and his family are able to survive without much struggle at all. Then the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts. And I simply didn't buy the long march across the country. Overall the book is well-written, but it just left me flat.
3/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 28 - recommended by a celebrity (Stephen King)
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
456 pages
59. The Hunger by Alma Katsu
It wasn't just being trapped on a snow-covered trail that forced the Donner Party to resort to cannibalism.
This is a fantastic take on the true story of the Donner Party. The author uses mostly real people but gives them her own unique twist, supposing that… well, I don't want to spoil the surprise. But there is a real zombie/vampire-esque twist that I found completely intriguing.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 20 - featuring indigenous people (may be a stretch, but there is one Native American supporting character)
373 pages
60. The Postman by David Brin
A survivor of an apocalyptic breakdown of society finds an old postal carrier's uniform, and discovers that he brings hope to the people.
This is probably my favourite post-apocalyptic book, but it's been quite a few years since I dug it off the bookshelf and gave it a re-read. It's still almost as fun as I remember.
A variety of factors (war, disease, bandits) have wiped out millions and left the United States in a shamble of small, isolated communities. Gordon travels between outposts performing Shakespearean plays in return for food and shelter, and searching for someone who wants to bring back order and civilization to the land. When he is robbed he finds an old postman's uniform and brings with him the bag and a few letters to read, but the next town he comes to assumes that he is actually a postal carrier. Gordon goes along with their mistake, talking of a Restored United States and telling the people that his route is the small communities in Oregon. He brings mail from that town to the next, and eventually becomes the hope that he was searching for in others.
Along the way there are radicals, raiders, and a new future.
I had no problem believing in this world or its people. The only detrimental thing in the book is the treatment of women, who are (subtly or not so subtly) assumed to be less intelligent and less adept at critical thinking than the men.
4/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 07 - reread of favourite book
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
321 pages
61. Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
Twenty years after falling in love at seventeen with his boarding school boyfriend, Travis realizes that Craig was his one true love and sets out to find him.
Travis is obsessed with Broadway musicals, is obsessive-compulsive, is a budding activist, and loves Smerko from the movie "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." Craig is the school jock, eager to learn, and also loves Smerko. They meet working on a play, fall in love, and then separate for college. Twenty years later, after a string of disastrous dates that Travis tries desperately to mold into his perfect man, he realizes that he had the perfect man all those years ago and heads off on a road trip to discover Craig's address and profess his love.
Told in a series of telephone conversations, memos, journal entries and the like, this is a laugh out loud, awwww out loud, fist pump kind of story. It's beautifully put together, and what I love about it is how convincing the characters are, even the outrageous Travis. Though they only have six months or so together as teenagers, they change each other in irreparable ways that shows in what they do, how they live, and the jobs they chose. Love this book!
5/5 stars
Meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 29 - 'love' in title
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
354 pages
62. Zone One by Colson Whitehead
In a small portion of barricaded New York City, a clean-up crew is assigned the job of rousting any zombie stragglers left behind from a Marine sweep of the area.
Well, this was… weird. The writing is very poetic and lyrical, which in my opinion did not match the tone of the novel. It takes place over three days, while 'Mark Spitz' and his companions travel through the empty buildings searching for zombies and a growing mass of them presses against the barricades. The story is also told in three long lurching chapters, swinging back and forth between Mark's time in the wastelands, his rescue to a refugee camp, and his eventual transfer to New York. The writing style and the time-switches, the outrageous characters (there is one guy who was a triplet and refers to himself as "we" and just.. why. Guh.) - I didn't feel this one at all.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar/Goodreads Challenge
322 pages
Books Read: 62/80
Goodreads Challenge: 44/52
Popsugar Challenge: 33/40
Pages Read: 22,095
Right. Hope to see you tomorrow!
.
I had a fanfic dream last night. I don't remember anything about it except one of the characters ending a conversation with "Holy BDSM, Batman!"
I don't know how my mind works sometimes.
I do know that I've been struggling of late with a whole bunch of emotionallly/mentally challenging issues related to my work, so I've been basically hunkered down in protective mode, which is when I don't write and don't really socialize in 'real life' or online and just mainline reality shows. This time it's been The Great British Bake-Off. Mel and Sue were fine, but I loves me some Noel and Sandi.
Anyhoo, I've had the week off so I'm starting to feel better, and I thought I would do that Blogtober book thing that... erm... someone posted about. Of course I'm way behind, so I am posting the first ten today, the following ten tomorrow, and then maybe maybe maybe I'll be able to post every day and get back on track. Yes.
01. Spooky TBR
I just picked up a few books from the library and most of them qualify in one way or another. Definitely looking forward to all three and can't decide which one to start first!
A. The Troop by Nick Cutter - about a scout troop attacked by a man while on a wilderness trip. Described as part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later.
B. Slade House by David Mitchell - about a haunted house
C. A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh- about a murder that takes place during a plaguepocalypse
02. Most Anticipated October Releases
The Institute by Stephen King and Full Throttle by Joe Hill. Both are already out but I haven't got them yet because I'm having kindle issues. Sooooon.
03. Bookish October Bucket List
Book-related things I plan to do?
A. Definitely read at least the three library books and hopefully the King/Hill books as well. I have currently read 62 out of the 80 books I had set for my goal, so I need to read one book every four days. It's doable!
B. Finally get my kindle sorted. I had to buy a new one when a coworker spilled water all over my old one. This one automatically downloaded everything on my amazon cloud even though I didn’t want half of them. So I think I need to delete things from my cloud and then sync the device? I don't know. I hate technology.
C. Going to do a clean sweep of my books. I do this every few years to get rid of the ones that I really didn't love or really did enjoy but will probably never read again.
D. Contact library to see if they will take donated books and DVDs.
04. Perfect cozy reading nook
I would LOVE to have one of those leather-ish reclining chairs with the footrest and the spot for your drink right in the arm. So comfy. Unfortunately I am not rich so I just have my sofa. And I really do most of my reading on the night shift at work, sitting at my desk.
05. Top 5 Disney Villains
Erm. Not sure how this is book-related but sure, I'll try.
01. Cruella DeVil - so deliciously evil. LEAVE THE PUPPIES ALONE, CRUELLA. 101 Dalmatians is my favourite. I love the little chubby puppy. Rolo? And the twilight bark!
02. The Evil Stepmother from Snow White - So my mom took me to see this when I was a little kid, right? And there's a scene where the evil queen walks up some stairs and I think there's a storm outside and … I burst into tears. My mom had to take me out of the theatre and I refused to go back in, even when she showed me that that part was over. So yeah. Definitely the evil queen.
03. Erm. The Evil Stepmother from Cinderella?
Yeah, that's all I've got. I really have not seen many Disney movies!
06. Spooky middlegrade
I think this is asking for young adult novels? Unfortunately I do not read many of those anymore so I can't think of anything to rec.
07. Fave reading snacks
Hmm. Well, again, I do most of my reading at work so there are generally no snacks. Thinking on it, even when I read at home there are no snacks. I don't want pages - either paper or kindle - to get all smudged and dirty.
08. Five perfect autumn reads
Is there really a specific time of the year when you should read certain types of books? Creepy ones in October for Hallowe'en, romantic ones in February, frothy 'beach reads' for the summer. No! I read spoooooky most of the year, romantic only occasionally, and frothy when the mood strikes.
09. Fave vampire/werewolf
Oooh. Okay, I'm not a werewolf fan but there are lots of book contendors for favourite vampire. After thinking long and hard, I'm going with Eric Northman from the Southern Vampire series (which became True Blood, the TV series.) I think Charlaine Harris did a fantastic job of making Eric intriguing and sympathetic while still retaining the otherworldliness and self-absorption that a one thousand year old being who had to be fully focused on his own survival for centuries would have.
10. Reading Challenge Update
Well, isn't that convenient. See below!
I also never stop reading. Getting caught up on my 80 book goal.
52. The Wonder of Lost Causes by Nick Trout
A young boy with cystic fibrosis helps out after school with his vet-mom and really wants to adopt a dog.
Jasper has cystic fibrosis. His single mother Kate balances her busy life managing an animal shelter with taking care of Jasper, frequent weeks-long hospital visits, and making ends meet. According to her there isn't room in their life for a dog. But then Jasper meets Whistler, an older dog that has been abused, and forms an immediate connection.
The point of view switches between the Jasper and Kate, and I did feel that the passages from the mother's pov tended to become repetitive. But the author nailed the inner voice of a child with an almost-always-terminal illness. He has a blend of innocence (various step by step plans on how to convince his mom that he needs a dog) and worldliness that comes from the endless medications and processes he has to go through every day just to be able to breathe. The idea that he can somehow communicate with Whistler is executed well, as is the tension that ramps up toward the end of the story.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenge
438 pages
53. When It's Real by Erin Watt
Oakley Ford is a hot 19 year old pop star with a rabid female following. Vaughn Bennett is a 17 year old girl working with her older sister to take care of two younger brothers after their parents die in a car crash. When Vaughn is offered a huge payday to be Oakley's pretend girlfriend in a bid to clean up his image, she reluctantly agrees for the sake of her family.
I am a huge sucker for the pretend-girlfriend/pretend-boyfriend trope, and this is a lovely little YA take on the idea. Vaughn is sweet and kind but also speaks her mind and is not about to let herself get walked over, so she's a good role model for any teens reading the book. And Oak starts out pretty arrogant but mellows in time due mostly to Vaughn's influence. As an adult with some experience under my belt I rolled my eyes a little at some of Oakley's dialogue, but putting myself back into my young adult too-pointy shoes I know this is exactly what I would want to hear. What teen girl didn't imagine herself in just this scenario? If only Scott had needed a pretend girlfriend… I could be Mrs. Baio right now. ;)
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 02 - one of the five W's in title
416 pages
54. Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
A recently widowed Chinese-American man remembers his first love, a Japanese-American girl who was sent to an internment camp during WWII.
This gives the reader exactly what the title promises: a bitter, sweet, poignant, heartbreaking look back at a horrible piece of America's history. I admit I know very little about this time in history but I certainly felt like I was there due to the beautiful writing in this novel.
During WWII, Henry Lee's strict father demands that he only speak English at home (despite the fact that neither of Henry's parents speak the language) and sends him to the 'white school'. Henry is mocked by other Chinese children for being 'white' and assaulted at school for being Chinese (or Japanese, since the kids can't/don't want to tell the difference.) Isolated on all fronts, he makes a surprising friend in Keiko, a third generation Japanese girl also sent to the 'white school'. Henry defies his family to maintain the friendship, which soon blossoms into first love for them both.
4.5/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 22 - sweet/salty/bitter/sweet in title
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
300 pages
55. The Manson Women and Me by Nikki Meredith
Twenty years of visits to three of the Manson Family killers.
I picked this up at the library and then wondered why the hell I had chosen it. I read "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi for the first time when I was really quite young, and then re-read it many times, and learned all I could about the Manson Family. I found the idea of cults fascinatingly repulsive and confusing (and still do.) I am predisposed not to enjoy a sympathetic look at the women who gruesomely murdered multiple people.
So yeah, I hated this book and my review should be taken with several grains of salt. But I also hated it because it was repetitive, poorly written, and did not divulge a single iota of information that I didn't already know.
.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 10 - features a historical figure
347pages
56. Our Little Secret by Roz Nay
Angela is questioned by the police regarding the disappearance of her ex-boyfriend's wife.
She denies any knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing woman, but agrees to tell her story if she can tell it her way. This means starting the tale ten years previous, when sixteen year old Angela met HP, her best friend and, briefly, her boyfriend. HP eventually meets and falls in love with Saskia, whom Angela initially blames for stealing HP away. Over the years, though - as Angela tells it -- she becomes a friend to both and a loving pseudo-aunt to their child. But her love/obsession with HP never goes away…
This is one of the best examples of an unreliable narrator I have read. Angela is intriguing, her mind a devious whirlwind as she spins a tale with no clue as to her lack of self-awareness. The ending was surprising. A cracking good read!
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 35 - psychological thriller
228 pages
57. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
When an autistic boy finds his neighbour's dog murdered, he sets out to find the culprit.
An authentic character voice and an author that never strays from his precise portrayal of Christopher's unique mind, this is a wonderful work of art. Christopher lives with his father after his mother's death and decides to write about the murder of his neighbour's dog after encouragement from a teacher/therapist at the school he attends. In doing so, Christopher confronts his fears and learns much more about his parents, and himself, than he was expecting.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 27 - from 1001 Books To Read Before You Die
226 pages
58. End of the World Running Club by Adrian V. Walker
An out-of-shape man must travel across country to reach his family in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
There are a few things necessary to make post-apocalyptic fiction convincing. It's easiest and in my opinion more believable to just throw the reader into the fray. There are zombies - why? No one knows. A plague is wiping out mankind - but where did it come from? No one knows. I think this often works best because in reality the common man who makes up the protagonist in the novel would not know why these things happened.
But if you are going to explain how the apocalypse came about, you'd better make it realistic. And this is where the book fails. It's a series of asteroids (meteors? I can't remember) that crash all over the world. That no one sees coming until the evening before. And that somehow our hero and his family are able to survive without much struggle at all. Then the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts. And I simply didn't buy the long march across the country. Overall the book is well-written, but it just left me flat.
3/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 28 - recommended by a celebrity (Stephen King)
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
456 pages
59. The Hunger by Alma Katsu
It wasn't just being trapped on a snow-covered trail that forced the Donner Party to resort to cannibalism.
This is a fantastic take on the true story of the Donner Party. The author uses mostly real people but gives them her own unique twist, supposing that… well, I don't want to spoil the surprise. But there is a real zombie/vampire-esque twist that I found completely intriguing.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 20 - featuring indigenous people (may be a stretch, but there is one Native American supporting character)
373 pages
60. The Postman by David Brin
A survivor of an apocalyptic breakdown of society finds an old postal carrier's uniform, and discovers that he brings hope to the people.
This is probably my favourite post-apocalyptic book, but it's been quite a few years since I dug it off the bookshelf and gave it a re-read. It's still almost as fun as I remember.
A variety of factors (war, disease, bandits) have wiped out millions and left the United States in a shamble of small, isolated communities. Gordon travels between outposts performing Shakespearean plays in return for food and shelter, and searching for someone who wants to bring back order and civilization to the land. When he is robbed he finds an old postman's uniform and brings with him the bag and a few letters to read, but the next town he comes to assumes that he is actually a postal carrier. Gordon goes along with their mistake, talking of a Restored United States and telling the people that his route is the small communities in Oregon. He brings mail from that town to the next, and eventually becomes the hope that he was searching for in others.
Along the way there are radicals, raiders, and a new future.
I had no problem believing in this world or its people. The only detrimental thing in the book is the treatment of women, who are (subtly or not so subtly) assumed to be less intelligent and less adept at critical thinking than the men.
4/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 07 - reread of favourite book
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
321 pages
61. Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
Twenty years after falling in love at seventeen with his boarding school boyfriend, Travis realizes that Craig was his one true love and sets out to find him.
Travis is obsessed with Broadway musicals, is obsessive-compulsive, is a budding activist, and loves Smerko from the movie "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." Craig is the school jock, eager to learn, and also loves Smerko. They meet working on a play, fall in love, and then separate for college. Twenty years later, after a string of disastrous dates that Travis tries desperately to mold into his perfect man, he realizes that he had the perfect man all those years ago and heads off on a road trip to discover Craig's address and profess his love.
Told in a series of telephone conversations, memos, journal entries and the like, this is a laugh out loud, awwww out loud, fist pump kind of story. It's beautifully put together, and what I love about it is how convincing the characters are, even the outrageous Travis. Though they only have six months or so together as teenagers, they change each other in irreparable ways that shows in what they do, how they live, and the jobs they chose. Love this book!
5/5 stars
Meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 29 - 'love' in title
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
354 pages
62. Zone One by Colson Whitehead
In a small portion of barricaded New York City, a clean-up crew is assigned the job of rousting any zombie stragglers left behind from a Marine sweep of the area.
Well, this was… weird. The writing is very poetic and lyrical, which in my opinion did not match the tone of the novel. It takes place over three days, while 'Mark Spitz' and his companions travel through the empty buildings searching for zombies and a growing mass of them presses against the barricades. The story is also told in three long lurching chapters, swinging back and forth between Mark's time in the wastelands, his rescue to a refugee camp, and his eventual transfer to New York. The writing style and the time-switches, the outrageous characters (there is one guy who was a triplet and refers to himself as "we" and just.. why. Guh.) - I didn't feel this one at all.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar/Goodreads Challenge
322 pages
Books Read: 62/80
Goodreads Challenge: 44/52
Popsugar Challenge: 33/40
Pages Read: 22,095
Right. Hope to see you tomorrow!
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