Goodbye and Good Riddance, 2019!
Well, after a promising start the last half of my year was just SHIT, so I'm so happy to be saying goodbye to it this evening. I did manage some good things.
I read lots of books.
I chatted a lot with Snick.
I saved $550 in loose change (my weekly "put any change in my purse in the money jar on Saturdays") which nearly paid a month's rent. Go me!
I finally quit my job. (Yes, I'm counting this as a good thing. The last two weeks since I haven't been working have been rejuvenating.)
I'm gonna do a separate post for the 2020 things. But here's the final wrap-up on 2019's books.
63. The Troop by Nick Cutter
A group of boy scouts are trapped on an isolated island when a man with a potentially deadly disease shows up.
Five boys and their scout master boat to a small deserted island off the coast of the Maritimes so the boys can work on getting their wilderness badges. They're meant to be picked up a few days later, but a visitor - deathly skinny and complaining of excruciating hunger - invades their camp and plans quickly change when their scout master realizes too late that the wasting disease inflicted on the man may be contagious. The boys are left to fend for themselves; each one has a hidden scar, secret, or desire that slowly gets revealed as the weekend progresses. The author skillfully weaves in testimony from a future hearing involving the ill-fated weekend to fill in the background for the reader. There is great escalating tension as the whole thing unfolds.
Normally I try not to be too specific in my reviews, but I do have to mention that there are two scenes involving animal cruelty (a turtle and a cat.) I actually could tell what was going to happen with the cat scene and skipped those pages entirely. Just a little warning for my fellow animal lovers.
5/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
355 pages
64. Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
Two boys get trapped in the world of faeries, genies, and other paranormal creatures.
It turns out that faeries do exist, and they really do steal human babies and leave changelings in their places. Genies are also real, but this one happens to be cursed so those wishes aren't quite what you think they are. Two boys - one kidnapped, one wish-maker - come together as children in the land of the faeries, and are reunited as adults. The paranormal world here is rich, but even at 433 pages I felt that the story was rushed and both the world and the boys could have been fleshed out significantly. Still, the story kept my interest.
3/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
433 pages
65. A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh
In a London hit by a new disease called "The Sweats", former journalist Stevie sets out to prove that her former lover has been murdered.
This is the first of a trilogy about a new plague that is quickly wiping out most of humanity in the UK (and presumably the world) mixed with an old fashioned mystery. Stevie, who was formally a journalist but now schleps poorly made products on a home shopping network, discovers her boyfriend dead in bed. Before she can truly react she comes down with "The Sweats" and barely survives. In the days following she comes to realize that her boyfriend may have been murdered, especially when she discovers a laptop filled with encoded files that he left her, with instructions to deliver it to one person only. As the city fills with the dying, Stevie is left to investigate on her own. I enjoyed the blend of murder mystery and apocalyptic drama, and am looking forward to checking out the other two books in the series.
4/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
355 pages
66. Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin
Easy to read true story of a former bait dog adopted by a loving family.
Oogy is missing an ear and a large portion of the side of his head when he's found - possibly during a police raid. The veterinarian at the emergency clinic where he's taken doubts that he can be saved but still chooses to operate on the dog despite the fact that there is no one to pay for his services. Oogy is eventually adopted by a family with twin boys. Heartfelt but a tad repetitive and the reproduced conversations tend to feel forced and fake.
2/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
214 pages
67. Slade House by David Mitchell
Every nine years, a particular type of person is lured to Slade House, a charming home with a large garden that one can only enter through an old gate. And then they are never heard from again.
This had so much potential. Two siblings discover… well, there's a lot of gobbledygook involved, but it's basically a Dorian Gray situation except instead of a painting that ages instead of the man, this brother and sister are able to possess the bodies of other people. But every nine years their original bodies need a re-charge which only a certain type of person can provide. So essentially the book is a series of vignettes as the couple lure that decade's victim into their trap. There's no suspense because the reader is aware from the outset that the first few victims do not survive. And the villains made me think that I was reading a script from the old Batman series, as in each vignette they told each other *things that they both already knew* in awkward, clunky chunks so that the reader would get the information. I'm certainly no expert, but surely there was a smoother and less intrusive way to provide the background details. Not impressed, sorry.
2/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 30 - a ghost story
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
233 pages
68. The Deluge by Mark Morris
A mysterious flood destroys the world, killing anyone not at the very top of a highrise. The few survivors realize there is something stalking them in this new world once the waters recede.
This is two books: an apocalyptic story about a massive flood that destroys the world, and the survivors who must now forage for food, supplies, and shelter in a world that is suddenly bereft of most of those things. And then it is also a supernatural/horror story about the inexplicable creatures who arrive in the wake of the flood, able to mimic humans and definitely up to no good. Either of those stories would have been interesting on their own, but the combination did not work for me. I really wanted to read about how people survive in a flooded world, and the "alien" aspect just took me away from the story. I did feel that the author did a very good job of maintaining suspense, though.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
342 pages
69. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Changed the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
A frostbitten abandoned kitten is taken in by the staff of a small-town public library.
Dewey is found one cold morning in the metal drop box at the library in Spencer, Iowa. His little paws are frostbitten and he bonds immediately with the head library, Vicki. With permission from city council, Vicki and the staff make Dewey their official library cat, a job to which he is well suited. He seems to know who needs attention, likes to plop down on people's laps and attend group meetings, and keeps people entertained especially when the town enters a recession and many people are out of work.
I wish there were more stories about Dewey and fewer stories about Myron and life in a small town (which is often expressed in a very treacly manner.) I have no doubt that Dewey helped - I know that when I am down, seeing and petting a dog or cat definitely raises my mood - but I'm not sure he was quite as influential as the writers believe. I would have loved to hear more about Dewey's 18 years and less about Myron's.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
271 pages
70. The Show Must Go On: The Life of Freddie Mercury by Rick Sky
Biography of Queen's Freddie Mercury.
This is just dismal. Many of the so-called 'facts' are wrong. The emphasis on Freddie's promiscuity and drug taking comes across as voyeuristic and prurient. The best the author could do for new interviews for this book were some people on the very periphery of Freddie's life, like the owner of the hotel that he stayed in while in Ibiza. The quotes from Freddie himself in the book are so common and well-known that I could even picture the clothes he was wearing in the interview when he said them. Don't waste your time on this one.
.5/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 03 - about/by a musician
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
179 pages
71. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
The residents of a small Florida town struggle to survive after a nuclear war.
Classic tale (written in 1959) that stands the test of time in terms of plotting, action and overall interest. Yes, it's dated (hi, did I mention it was published in 1959?) The casual racism is cringe-worthy. (Though our hero Randy is friends with the neighbouring African-Americans, it's still clear that he does not view them as equals.) The book does a little better by its female characters, splitting the difference between a traditional housewife/mother who 'needs a man' and a liberated woman who suggests that she and the hero live together for a while before deciding if they want to get married. It's the plot that keeps things interesting here, as our survivors have to deal with lack of electricity, finding fresh water and food, salt deprivation, hoarding fuel, attacks by highwaymen, the threat of fallout, etc. It's one of my favourite post-apocalyptic tales.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads and Popsugar Challenges
352 pages
72. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
A mysterious sleeping sickness overtakes most of the residents of a small town in England.
It starts in a college dorm, when freshman Mei cannot wake up her roommate. It doesn't take long for the sleeping sickness to spread: paranoia sets in, the military is called in, and a specialist determines that the sleepers have extremely elevated brain patterns indicating that they are dreaming intensely. The action switches between several characters - a young couple with a baby who are dealing with the wife's infidelity, Mei and a school colleague named Matthew, an older man with a dementia-ridden partner. There is a great use of unreliable narrator(s) in this novel as the action switches between reality and the dreams, and sometimes the reader doesn't necessarily know which is which. Overall, though, I felt like this needed a little more thought. It felt somewhat disjointed to me in parts.
2.5/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 05 - inspired by Shakespeare (blurb on book says that is was inspired by "Midsummer Nights Dream")
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
299 pages
73. Belly Up by Eva Darrows
A young girl deals with an unexpected teen pregnancy.
What a joy! Sara is fun, snarky, very smart… and pregnant by a one night stand with a cute boy at a school party. We follow her through the next nine months as she switches schools (already planned, not because of the pregnancy), moves with her mom into a home with her grandma Mormor, has the support of her bestie, meets new friends, and deals with a romance with Leaf, the only Rom in school. This book really has it all: one of her new friends is transgender, her bestie is Jewish and asexual, Sara was mom's teen pregnancy, and Mormor is the sarcastic somewhat aggravating but always loving grandma. (She reminded me a LOT of one of my aunts.) And then Leaf, who I already mentioned is Rom, is also chubby. I mean. This is a diverse cast of people yet never ever does it feel like anyone was pigeonholed in to round out a checklist. They just feel and read like real people, whose sexuality or nationality or religion is just a small part of who they are.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads or Popsugar Challenge
349 pages
74. Geekeralla by Ashley Poston
Elle must circumvent the machinations of her evil stepmother and her twin stepsisters if she is to attend the cosplay contest at her local sci-fi convention.
I love the IDEA behind this modern take on Cinderella. Elle works at the Magic Pumpkin food truck with a punk-y aspiring fashion-designer. Her favourite sci-fi series is being rebooted with a young soap opera star in the lead, and Elle is horrified. When the soap opera star reaches her while trying to call the convention - Elle's deceased dad started the con - they begin a text-romance. It all culminates in a meeting at the convention, the cosplay contest, and a missing slipper.
I wish I had loved this more than I did. There were so many cool ideas to modernize the Cinderella story. I did LOVE the Magic Pumpkin and the modern take on Elle's fairy godmother. But the evil stepmother/stepsisters felt like they were from some other story. Whereas the rest of the story had all these whimsical touches, the stepfamily were simply too cruel to be believed. Every moment with them felt jarring.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 15 - retelling of a classic
319 pages
75. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A brilliant woman on the autism spectrum hires an escort to help her overcome her feelings of inadequacy during intimacy.
Stella is a rich, highly intelligent woman who believes her autism is preventing her from finding love. Michael is an aspiring fashion designer, deeply in debt and working one night a week as an escort in order to pay his bills. Stella hires Michael, initially to teach her how to have sex. And for the first fifty pages or so I thought that was what this was gonna be - one long, dry, 'sex god rescues poor fragile woman' story. BUT THEN. Stella realizes it's not sex that she needs help with, it's navigating all the ins and outs of dating and relationships. That's when the book picks up steam (erm, so to speak. Heh heh) and takes the reader on a lovely journey through the 'fake relationship turns real' trope.
There is so much good on offer here. It's wonderful to see a character with autism as the main character. I believed in Stella and her voice felt authentic. Michael is half Asian and his family relationships felt equally real. The action can get steamy. I would have liked to have seen more thought put into Phillip, the other man seeking Stella's attention, as it would have been more fulfilling to see Michael best him if he wasn't so smarmy and unattractive. Overall, though, I loved this book and would love to see more of Stella.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads or Popsugar Challenges
317 pages
76. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
A boy is kidnapped and held captive in a hidden room in a library. With a girl who may be a ghost. And a half-man, half-sheep. Aaand maybe it was just too cerebral for me, but I don't get it. At all.
Not at all.
.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 49 - written by or set in Far East
91 pages
77. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
No review for this classic.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 29 - published before 1950
112 pages
78. Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Old Things Lost Between the Pages by Michael Popek
Photographs of items used as bookmarks.
Sometimes boring, sometimes fascinating, Popek has collected here the most interesting things he has found used as bookmarks in the old books he curates for his used book store. Most intriguing to me were the old letters, especially from those away at war. It made me want to start leaving a little card or something in every book I return to the library!
3/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 12 - about reading or an author
182 pages
79. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Cora and Caesar, two slaves from a cotton plantation in Georgia, attempt to flee using the Underground Railroad.
This is a devastating, brilliant, heartbreaking read. Cora's mother is the only slave who successfully fled the plantation and was never recaptured, so new slave Caesar tells Cora that she will be his good luck charm on his bid for freedom. The two manage to escape, but there is no true freedom for them even in the slave-free states… and the slave catcher that failed to return Cora's mother is hot on their tails. No matter where Cora ends up her decisions turn out not to be her own. So much a case of 'how far we've come, how far we still have to go', especially in this Trump-era of hate.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 48 - finalist/winner of National Book Award
306 pages
80. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
An elderly man reminisces about his early life in a travelling circus.
Jacob Jankowski is one exam away from becoming a veterinarian when his parents are killed in an accident. When the bank takes everything, Jacob hops the closest train which ends up being part of a travelling circus. It is home to the lovely Marlena -- who does the equestrian act -- and her paranoid, jealous, and abusive husband. And it soon becomes the home of Rosie, an elephant who only responds to commands in Polish. Get what nationality Jacob is?
The narrative switches between current-day Jacob, ninety-three years old and abandoned in a nursing home by a family who rotate obligatory Sunday visits among them, and the young man who travelled the rails during the Prohibition era. It is by turns heartwarming, shocking, and sweet. The main characters all felt authentic, especially Jacob and Walter, the performing dwarf that he rooms with in a small side stall next to the horses. In the author's notes at the end I learned that many of the anecdotes she included were from actual circus archives, which makes the story all the more fascinating.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 05 - with 1 million Goodreads ratings
335 pages
81. Foxlowe by Eleanor Wasserberg
A young girl is raised in a cult, where tragedy occurs.
Green is born and raised at Foxlowe, a crumbling manor house now taken over by a hippie-ish, pagan-like "Family" who get high and live in filth. Their leader is Freya, a cold and abusive woman who believes that The Bad is everywhere in the outside world and especially likes to infect children. Green and the other children, October and Blue, are regularly tortured for the smallest transgressions. What may have started out as an art commune and a return to nature quickly degenerates into a horror of cruelty, pettiness and neglect.
To Green, who mostly relates this story as an adult, this was an idyllic childhood. Desperate for love, she refused then and refuses now to see Freya as an evil force.
On the plus side, there is a sense of danger and … lopsidedness throughout the entire book. Something feels 'off' and that creepiness permeates the pages. Unfortunately on the negative side there is just too much left unsaid or unexplained. Characters who seem important disappear. Another character named Kai seems to be included only so that a certain plot point can happen later, as the reason for his arrival makes sense but his staying on at Foxlowe does not. There is a fairly important discussion about baby Blue's mother when the baby arrives at Foxlowe that is never resolved. Who IS her mother? Where did they get her?
Ultimately, the potential for this to be excellent was here. It just didn't reach it.
2.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 13 - on NYC public library list
312 pages
82. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
A reincarnation tale. Merle and Eric continue to meet in different timelines.
The story starts out in our time, as a reporter named Eric goes to visit a remote island where the people are rumoured to live forever… possibly due to the cultivation of a mysterious fruit. There he meets Merle, to whom he is instantly attracted. He's given a tea which tends to make him forgot why he's even on the island. And Merle and islander Tor appear suddenly out of nowhere only to say mysterious things (to match the fruit, I guess) and then disappear again. The story continues in different timelines, as we see a version or Eric and Merle meet and love each other again and again throughout history.
I found this in the YA aisle of the library, and I almost want to go easy on it because it's meant for teen readers. But teen readers deserve good writing, damnit. This is just clunky. Sedgwick has a tendency to TELL the reader how the character feels instead of describing the feeling and letting the reader figure it out herself. "Eric felt tired" is bad writing, no matter who you are writing for.
1/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 23 - set in Scandinavia
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
263 pages
83. Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Rich girl Josey finds her life altered for the better when she is visited by Della Lee, a woman from the 'wrong side of the tracks' with whom she should have nothing in common.
This was a strange book. I almost feel like the author had two ideas and meshed them together into one. On the one hand, this is a book about family - the one we're stuck with and the one we make - and about the choices we all make that can sometimes set us on a path that is irreversible and sometimes take unexpected twists so we end up somewhere we never expected. That book is, for the most part, a lovely one. I enjoyed watching Josey grow into herself as a person and realize that it was okay to put herself first. I cannot say that I equally enjoyed her friend Chloe's choice in the book. I don't want to spoil, but I believe her decision sent a horrible message and showed an extreme lack of growth.
And on the other hand, this is a story of the paranormal. There is a ghost. Books appear magically in front of Chloe whenever she needs them. One person cannot physically break a promise once it's been made. There is really no explanation for any of this; it's just a part of that world. But the rest of the world is so prosaic and normal that the weird stuff just seems shoehorned in. There needed to be a smoother blend of the two.
2/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 10 - pop, sugar, or challenge in title
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 21 - from a close call vote (related to playing cards)
311 pages
Success! My goal was 80 books and I read 83 books in 2019, which equalled 27,391 pages. I also finished one short on each of the Goodreads and Popsugar Challenges, simply because I left it too late in the year to find books that met the more harder-to-navigate prompts. Lesson learned, as I've joined up for 2020's challenges as well.
Goodreads has a cool end of year book recap. Through that, I learned that my average rating for 2019 was 3.1 stars. Hmmm. I'm a little surprised. Though I figure 3 stars is a "good" reating (with 4 being "great" and 5 being "omg love love love") I still thought I'd have more edging toward the 4. Maybe I am just a harsh critic.
Anyway, in my neck of the woods we are 3 hours from midnight. Gonna take a little break, then be back with my 2020 goals. Woot!
.
I read lots of books.
I chatted a lot with Snick.
I saved $550 in loose change (my weekly "put any change in my purse in the money jar on Saturdays") which nearly paid a month's rent. Go me!
I finally quit my job. (Yes, I'm counting this as a good thing. The last two weeks since I haven't been working have been rejuvenating.)
I'm gonna do a separate post for the 2020 things. But here's the final wrap-up on 2019's books.
63. The Troop by Nick Cutter
A group of boy scouts are trapped on an isolated island when a man with a potentially deadly disease shows up.
Five boys and their scout master boat to a small deserted island off the coast of the Maritimes so the boys can work on getting their wilderness badges. They're meant to be picked up a few days later, but a visitor - deathly skinny and complaining of excruciating hunger - invades their camp and plans quickly change when their scout master realizes too late that the wasting disease inflicted on the man may be contagious. The boys are left to fend for themselves; each one has a hidden scar, secret, or desire that slowly gets revealed as the weekend progresses. The author skillfully weaves in testimony from a future hearing involving the ill-fated weekend to fill in the background for the reader. There is great escalating tension as the whole thing unfolds.
Normally I try not to be too specific in my reviews, but I do have to mention that there are two scenes involving animal cruelty (a turtle and a cat.) I actually could tell what was going to happen with the cat scene and skipped those pages entirely. Just a little warning for my fellow animal lovers.
5/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
355 pages
64. Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
Two boys get trapped in the world of faeries, genies, and other paranormal creatures.
It turns out that faeries do exist, and they really do steal human babies and leave changelings in their places. Genies are also real, but this one happens to be cursed so those wishes aren't quite what you think they are. Two boys - one kidnapped, one wish-maker - come together as children in the land of the faeries, and are reunited as adults. The paranormal world here is rich, but even at 433 pages I felt that the story was rushed and both the world and the boys could have been fleshed out significantly. Still, the story kept my interest.
3/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
433 pages
65. A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh
In a London hit by a new disease called "The Sweats", former journalist Stevie sets out to prove that her former lover has been murdered.
This is the first of a trilogy about a new plague that is quickly wiping out most of humanity in the UK (and presumably the world) mixed with an old fashioned mystery. Stevie, who was formally a journalist but now schleps poorly made products on a home shopping network, discovers her boyfriend dead in bed. Before she can truly react she comes down with "The Sweats" and barely survives. In the days following she comes to realize that her boyfriend may have been murdered, especially when she discovers a laptop filled with encoded files that he left her, with instructions to deliver it to one person only. As the city fills with the dying, Stevie is left to investigate on her own. I enjoyed the blend of murder mystery and apocalyptic drama, and am looking forward to checking out the other two books in the series.
4/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
355 pages
66. Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin
Easy to read true story of a former bait dog adopted by a loving family.
Oogy is missing an ear and a large portion of the side of his head when he's found - possibly during a police raid. The veterinarian at the emergency clinic where he's taken doubts that he can be saved but still chooses to operate on the dog despite the fact that there is no one to pay for his services. Oogy is eventually adopted by a family with twin boys. Heartfelt but a tad repetitive and the reproduced conversations tend to feel forced and fake.
2/5 stars
Does not meet criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
214 pages
67. Slade House by David Mitchell
Every nine years, a particular type of person is lured to Slade House, a charming home with a large garden that one can only enter through an old gate. And then they are never heard from again.
This had so much potential. Two siblings discover… well, there's a lot of gobbledygook involved, but it's basically a Dorian Gray situation except instead of a painting that ages instead of the man, this brother and sister are able to possess the bodies of other people. But every nine years their original bodies need a re-charge which only a certain type of person can provide. So essentially the book is a series of vignettes as the couple lure that decade's victim into their trap. There's no suspense because the reader is aware from the outset that the first few victims do not survive. And the villains made me think that I was reading a script from the old Batman series, as in each vignette they told each other *things that they both already knew* in awkward, clunky chunks so that the reader would get the information. I'm certainly no expert, but surely there was a smoother and less intrusive way to provide the background details. Not impressed, sorry.
2/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 30 - a ghost story
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
233 pages
68. The Deluge by Mark Morris
A mysterious flood destroys the world, killing anyone not at the very top of a highrise. The few survivors realize there is something stalking them in this new world once the waters recede.
This is two books: an apocalyptic story about a massive flood that destroys the world, and the survivors who must now forage for food, supplies, and shelter in a world that is suddenly bereft of most of those things. And then it is also a supernatural/horror story about the inexplicable creatures who arrive in the wake of the flood, able to mimic humans and definitely up to no good. Either of those stories would have been interesting on their own, but the combination did not work for me. I really wanted to read about how people survive in a flooded world, and the "alien" aspect just took me away from the story. I did feel that the author did a very good job of maintaining suspense, though.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
342 pages
69. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Changed the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
A frostbitten abandoned kitten is taken in by the staff of a small-town public library.
Dewey is found one cold morning in the metal drop box at the library in Spencer, Iowa. His little paws are frostbitten and he bonds immediately with the head library, Vicki. With permission from city council, Vicki and the staff make Dewey their official library cat, a job to which he is well suited. He seems to know who needs attention, likes to plop down on people's laps and attend group meetings, and keeps people entertained especially when the town enters a recession and many people are out of work.
I wish there were more stories about Dewey and fewer stories about Myron and life in a small town (which is often expressed in a very treacly manner.) I have no doubt that Dewey helped - I know that when I am down, seeing and petting a dog or cat definitely raises my mood - but I'm not sure he was quite as influential as the writers believe. I would have loved to hear more about Dewey's 18 years and less about Myron's.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar or Goodreads Challenges
271 pages
70. The Show Must Go On: The Life of Freddie Mercury by Rick Sky
Biography of Queen's Freddie Mercury.
This is just dismal. Many of the so-called 'facts' are wrong. The emphasis on Freddie's promiscuity and drug taking comes across as voyeuristic and prurient. The best the author could do for new interviews for this book were some people on the very periphery of Freddie's life, like the owner of the hotel that he stayed in while in Ibiza. The quotes from Freddie himself in the book are so common and well-known that I could even picture the clothes he was wearing in the interview when he said them. Don't waste your time on this one.
.5/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 03 - about/by a musician
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
179 pages
71. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
The residents of a small Florida town struggle to survive after a nuclear war.
Classic tale (written in 1959) that stands the test of time in terms of plotting, action and overall interest. Yes, it's dated (hi, did I mention it was published in 1959?) The casual racism is cringe-worthy. (Though our hero Randy is friends with the neighbouring African-Americans, it's still clear that he does not view them as equals.) The book does a little better by its female characters, splitting the difference between a traditional housewife/mother who 'needs a man' and a liberated woman who suggests that she and the hero live together for a while before deciding if they want to get married. It's the plot that keeps things interesting here, as our survivors have to deal with lack of electricity, finding fresh water and food, salt deprivation, hoarding fuel, attacks by highwaymen, the threat of fallout, etc. It's one of my favourite post-apocalyptic tales.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads and Popsugar Challenges
352 pages
72. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
A mysterious sleeping sickness overtakes most of the residents of a small town in England.
It starts in a college dorm, when freshman Mei cannot wake up her roommate. It doesn't take long for the sleeping sickness to spread: paranoia sets in, the military is called in, and a specialist determines that the sleepers have extremely elevated brain patterns indicating that they are dreaming intensely. The action switches between several characters - a young couple with a baby who are dealing with the wife's infidelity, Mei and a school colleague named Matthew, an older man with a dementia-ridden partner. There is a great use of unreliable narrator(s) in this novel as the action switches between reality and the dreams, and sometimes the reader doesn't necessarily know which is which. Overall, though, I felt like this needed a little more thought. It felt somewhat disjointed to me in parts.
2.5/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 05 - inspired by Shakespeare (blurb on book says that is was inspired by "Midsummer Nights Dream")
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
299 pages
73. Belly Up by Eva Darrows
A young girl deals with an unexpected teen pregnancy.
What a joy! Sara is fun, snarky, very smart… and pregnant by a one night stand with a cute boy at a school party. We follow her through the next nine months as she switches schools (already planned, not because of the pregnancy), moves with her mom into a home with her grandma Mormor, has the support of her bestie, meets new friends, and deals with a romance with Leaf, the only Rom in school. This book really has it all: one of her new friends is transgender, her bestie is Jewish and asexual, Sara was mom's teen pregnancy, and Mormor is the sarcastic somewhat aggravating but always loving grandma. (She reminded me a LOT of one of my aunts.) And then Leaf, who I already mentioned is Rom, is also chubby. I mean. This is a diverse cast of people yet never ever does it feel like anyone was pigeonholed in to round out a checklist. They just feel and read like real people, whose sexuality or nationality or religion is just a small part of who they are.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads or Popsugar Challenge
349 pages
74. Geekeralla by Ashley Poston
Elle must circumvent the machinations of her evil stepmother and her twin stepsisters if she is to attend the cosplay contest at her local sci-fi convention.
I love the IDEA behind this modern take on Cinderella. Elle works at the Magic Pumpkin food truck with a punk-y aspiring fashion-designer. Her favourite sci-fi series is being rebooted with a young soap opera star in the lead, and Elle is horrified. When the soap opera star reaches her while trying to call the convention - Elle's deceased dad started the con - they begin a text-romance. It all culminates in a meeting at the convention, the cosplay contest, and a missing slipper.
I wish I had loved this more than I did. There were so many cool ideas to modernize the Cinderella story. I did LOVE the Magic Pumpkin and the modern take on Elle's fairy godmother. But the evil stepmother/stepsisters felt like they were from some other story. Whereas the rest of the story had all these whimsical touches, the stepfamily were simply too cruel to be believed. Every moment with them felt jarring.
2/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 15 - retelling of a classic
319 pages
75. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A brilliant woman on the autism spectrum hires an escort to help her overcome her feelings of inadequacy during intimacy.
Stella is a rich, highly intelligent woman who believes her autism is preventing her from finding love. Michael is an aspiring fashion designer, deeply in debt and working one night a week as an escort in order to pay his bills. Stella hires Michael, initially to teach her how to have sex. And for the first fifty pages or so I thought that was what this was gonna be - one long, dry, 'sex god rescues poor fragile woman' story. BUT THEN. Stella realizes it's not sex that she needs help with, it's navigating all the ins and outs of dating and relationships. That's when the book picks up steam (erm, so to speak. Heh heh) and takes the reader on a lovely journey through the 'fake relationship turns real' trope.
There is so much good on offer here. It's wonderful to see a character with autism as the main character. I believed in Stella and her voice felt authentic. Michael is half Asian and his family relationships felt equally real. The action can get steamy. I would have liked to have seen more thought put into Phillip, the other man seeking Stella's attention, as it would have been more fulfilling to see Michael best him if he wasn't so smarmy and unattractive. Overall, though, I loved this book and would love to see more of Stella.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads or Popsugar Challenges
317 pages
76. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
A boy is kidnapped and held captive in a hidden room in a library. With a girl who may be a ghost. And a half-man, half-sheep. Aaand maybe it was just too cerebral for me, but I don't get it. At all.
Not at all.
.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 49 - written by or set in Far East
91 pages
77. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
No review for this classic.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 29 - published before 1950
112 pages
78. Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Old Things Lost Between the Pages by Michael Popek
Photographs of items used as bookmarks.
Sometimes boring, sometimes fascinating, Popek has collected here the most interesting things he has found used as bookmarks in the old books he curates for his used book store. Most intriguing to me were the old letters, especially from those away at war. It made me want to start leaving a little card or something in every book I return to the library!
3/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 12 - about reading or an author
182 pages
79. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Cora and Caesar, two slaves from a cotton plantation in Georgia, attempt to flee using the Underground Railroad.
This is a devastating, brilliant, heartbreaking read. Cora's mother is the only slave who successfully fled the plantation and was never recaptured, so new slave Caesar tells Cora that she will be his good luck charm on his bid for freedom. The two manage to escape, but there is no true freedom for them even in the slave-free states… and the slave catcher that failed to return Cora's mother is hot on their tails. No matter where Cora ends up her decisions turn out not to be her own. So much a case of 'how far we've come, how far we still have to go', especially in this Trump-era of hate.
4.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 48 - finalist/winner of National Book Award
306 pages
80. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
An elderly man reminisces about his early life in a travelling circus.
Jacob Jankowski is one exam away from becoming a veterinarian when his parents are killed in an accident. When the bank takes everything, Jacob hops the closest train which ends up being part of a travelling circus. It is home to the lovely Marlena -- who does the equestrian act -- and her paranoid, jealous, and abusive husband. And it soon becomes the home of Rosie, an elephant who only responds to commands in Polish. Get what nationality Jacob is?
The narrative switches between current-day Jacob, ninety-three years old and abandoned in a nursing home by a family who rotate obligatory Sunday visits among them, and the young man who travelled the rails during the Prohibition era. It is by turns heartwarming, shocking, and sweet. The main characters all felt authentic, especially Jacob and Walter, the performing dwarf that he rooms with in a small side stall next to the horses. In the author's notes at the end I learned that many of the anecdotes she included were from actual circus archives, which makes the story all the more fascinating.
4/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 05 - with 1 million Goodreads ratings
335 pages
81. Foxlowe by Eleanor Wasserberg
A young girl is raised in a cult, where tragedy occurs.
Green is born and raised at Foxlowe, a crumbling manor house now taken over by a hippie-ish, pagan-like "Family" who get high and live in filth. Their leader is Freya, a cold and abusive woman who believes that The Bad is everywhere in the outside world and especially likes to infect children. Green and the other children, October and Blue, are regularly tortured for the smallest transgressions. What may have started out as an art commune and a return to nature quickly degenerates into a horror of cruelty, pettiness and neglect.
To Green, who mostly relates this story as an adult, this was an idyllic childhood. Desperate for love, she refused then and refuses now to see Freya as an evil force.
On the plus side, there is a sense of danger and … lopsidedness throughout the entire book. Something feels 'off' and that creepiness permeates the pages. Unfortunately on the negative side there is just too much left unsaid or unexplained. Characters who seem important disappear. Another character named Kai seems to be included only so that a certain plot point can happen later, as the reason for his arrival makes sense but his staying on at Foxlowe does not. There is a fairly important discussion about baby Blue's mother when the baby arrives at Foxlowe that is never resolved. Who IS her mother? Where did they get her?
Ultimately, the potential for this to be excellent was here. It just didn't reach it.
2.5/5 stars
Does not meet the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 13 - on NYC public library list
312 pages
82. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
A reincarnation tale. Merle and Eric continue to meet in different timelines.
The story starts out in our time, as a reporter named Eric goes to visit a remote island where the people are rumoured to live forever… possibly due to the cultivation of a mysterious fruit. There he meets Merle, to whom he is instantly attracted. He's given a tea which tends to make him forgot why he's even on the island. And Merle and islander Tor appear suddenly out of nowhere only to say mysterious things (to match the fruit, I guess) and then disappear again. The story continues in different timelines, as we see a version or Eric and Merle meet and love each other again and again throughout history.
I found this in the YA aisle of the library, and I almost want to go easy on it because it's meant for teen readers. But teen readers deserve good writing, damnit. This is just clunky. Sedgwick has a tendency to TELL the reader how the character feels instead of describing the feeling and letting the reader figure it out herself. "Eric felt tired" is bad writing, no matter who you are writing for.
1/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 23 - set in Scandinavia
Does not meet the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge
263 pages
83. Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Rich girl Josey finds her life altered for the better when she is visited by Della Lee, a woman from the 'wrong side of the tracks' with whom she should have nothing in common.
This was a strange book. I almost feel like the author had two ideas and meshed them together into one. On the one hand, this is a book about family - the one we're stuck with and the one we make - and about the choices we all make that can sometimes set us on a path that is irreversible and sometimes take unexpected twists so we end up somewhere we never expected. That book is, for the most part, a lovely one. I enjoyed watching Josey grow into herself as a person and realize that it was okay to put herself first. I cannot say that I equally enjoyed her friend Chloe's choice in the book. I don't want to spoil, but I believe her decision sent a horrible message and showed an extreme lack of growth.
And on the other hand, this is a story of the paranormal. There is a ghost. Books appear magically in front of Chloe whenever she needs them. One person cannot physically break a promise once it's been made. There is really no explanation for any of this; it's just a part of that world. But the rest of the world is so prosaic and normal that the weird stuff just seems shoehorned in. There needed to be a smoother blend of the two.
2/5 stars
Meets the criteria for Popsugar Reading Challenge 10 - pop, sugar, or challenge in title
Meets the criteria for Goodreads Reading Challenge 21 - from a close call vote (related to playing cards)
311 pages
Success! My goal was 80 books and I read 83 books in 2019, which equalled 27,391 pages. I also finished one short on each of the Goodreads and Popsugar Challenges, simply because I left it too late in the year to find books that met the more harder-to-navigate prompts. Lesson learned, as I've joined up for 2020's challenges as well.
Goodreads has a cool end of year book recap. Through that, I learned that my average rating for 2019 was 3.1 stars. Hmmm. I'm a little surprised. Though I figure 3 stars is a "good" reating (with 4 being "great" and 5 being "omg love love love") I still thought I'd have more edging toward the 4. Maybe I am just a harsh critic.
Anyway, in my neck of the woods we are 3 hours from midnight. Gonna take a little break, then be back with my 2020 goals. Woot!
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