Wednesday Reading Meme and an update
I had a very fun and busy family weekend this past week. Spent Saturday planting flowers at the cemetery with Margie, Dan and my niece Krystle, then our traditional lunch at Easterbrooks (a famous hot dog place here). Then it was back to Krystle's where we were picked up by Krystle's boyfriend Adam (he has a bigger car) to head to Niagara Falls and my nephew Robbie's place for a barbeque. I should have taken photos of his 'man cave' and all the bajillions of collectibles he has displayed. Stayed there late, then back to Margie's to sleep. On Sunday Margie and I did a long walk to her closest Walmart. That was a tough one for Margie because she's not used to walking so far and she has the same medical problem I have yet refuses to take pain pills for it *ugh* so she was struggling a lot by the time we got home. Sunday night we watched movies, and then Monday morning I had to do some clothes shopping for new capris since I currently have only two pair that fit and that wasn't going to last me all summer. All in all it was a very fun and very busy weekend.
Since I've been home I've been focusing on working. I just try to do as many files as I can even if I've made my daily quota (that I set for myself) because it scares me not having a little buffer in case something happens.
What I Just Finished Reading: Since last week I read three books, but two were quite short: Contagion by Erin Bowman, Zoo Tails by Oliver Graham-Jones, and Dreaming in Libro by Louise Bernikow. Reviews below.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I'm about halfway through Half Bad by Sally Green, which I'm enjoying.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Next I think will be The Bright Lands by John Fram, which has been on my Want To Read list forever.
69. Contagion by Erin Bowman
A distress signal at a distant space mining camp leads a small rescue crew to an almost-abandoned outpost, a lot of dead bodies, and the contagion of the title. This was a little lopsided in that the ages of the protagonists and the general bickering of the characters skewed to young YA, but the gruesomeness of the infecteds hinted at an older audience. It did take a while for things to pick up - the first half of the book is mostly the already-mentioned bickering and the dead - but things pick up once the contagion comes roaring back to life and brings with it a resurrection of the thought-to-be-dead miners.
My bullet point for this in my “want to read” journal said ‘space zombies?’ and that’s generally what the second half of the book produces, so I was happy. It does end on a cliffhanger, but the sequel is already out so I’ll be happy to pick that up soon and find out how it all ends.
Dates Read: June 14 to 15, 2023
Page Count: 423
4 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 8 - read 8 books written by a woman (01/08)
Lost Challenges Want To Read Bingo - N34 (09/25)
Challenge Factory Dusty Bookshelf - June pick
Crazy Challenge Connection Aah Walkers - Prompt 24 - YA Book (18/52)
ATY Summer Reading Challenge - August 2A - science fiction book (07/12)
70. Zoo Tails by Oliver Graham-Jones
This is a short book of usually amusing, sometimes sad stories from the London Zoo’s first ever resident veterinarian, who started there in the 1950s. He was responsible for insisting the zoo open a proper hospital where he could care for the patients and for inventing the first makeshift tranquilizer gun. (Previously, if animals escaped they had to be shot.) The book is hampered I think by not quite knowing what it wants to be. It’s a mix of memoir and anecdotes, but it ends up falling short on both because there’s not enough backstory or a proper timeline for either.
Date Read: June 16, 2023
Page Count: 195
3 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 18 - read 18 books with a red, white or blue cover (08/18)
ATY Summer Reading Challenge - August 4C - related to birds, bees or bunnies (08-12)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aah Walkers - Prompt 21 - character who is a vet (19/52)
71. Dreaming in Libro by Louise Bernikow
Louise is a single, middle-aged writer living in Manhattan who spontaneously adopts a dog who was found wandering in a park. This short book details their lives together, as she transforms into someone who never gave animals a second thought to an avowed dog person, her life strengthened and changed for the better by the string of people joyous and friendly Libro brings into her life. I loved reading about Libro’s vibrant personality, his smarts, and his protective nature that came to the fore when Louise dared to go into the water. I only wished that the author had strung together the vignettes and developed the timeline to anchor Libro’s stories and give the book more depth.
Dates Read: June 18 to 20, 2023
Page Count: 202
4 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 10 - read 10 books that take place in a city [New York City] (02/10)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aah Walkers - Prompt 45 - character you’ve come to know dies (20/52)
ATY Summer Reading Challenge - July1A - first letter of title in HORSE AROUND (09/12)
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Since I've been home I've been focusing on working. I just try to do as many files as I can even if I've made my daily quota (that I set for myself) because it scares me not having a little buffer in case something happens.
What I Just Finished Reading: Since last week I read three books, but two were quite short: Contagion by Erin Bowman, Zoo Tails by Oliver Graham-Jones, and Dreaming in Libro by Louise Bernikow. Reviews below.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I'm about halfway through Half Bad by Sally Green, which I'm enjoying.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Next I think will be The Bright Lands by John Fram, which has been on my Want To Read list forever.
69. Contagion by Erin Bowman
A distress signal at a distant space mining camp leads a small rescue crew to an almost-abandoned outpost, a lot of dead bodies, and the contagion of the title. This was a little lopsided in that the ages of the protagonists and the general bickering of the characters skewed to young YA, but the gruesomeness of the infecteds hinted at an older audience. It did take a while for things to pick up - the first half of the book is mostly the already-mentioned bickering and the dead - but things pick up once the contagion comes roaring back to life and brings with it a resurrection of the thought-to-be-dead miners.
My bullet point for this in my “want to read” journal said ‘space zombies?’ and that’s generally what the second half of the book produces, so I was happy. It does end on a cliffhanger, but the sequel is already out so I’ll be happy to pick that up soon and find out how it all ends.
Dates Read: June 14 to 15, 2023
Page Count: 423
4 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 8 - read 8 books written by a woman (01/08)
Lost Challenges Want To Read Bingo - N34 (09/25)
Challenge Factory Dusty Bookshelf - June pick
Crazy Challenge Connection Aah Walkers - Prompt 24 - YA Book (18/52)
ATY Summer Reading Challenge - August 2A - science fiction book (07/12)
70. Zoo Tails by Oliver Graham-Jones
This is a short book of usually amusing, sometimes sad stories from the London Zoo’s first ever resident veterinarian, who started there in the 1950s. He was responsible for insisting the zoo open a proper hospital where he could care for the patients and for inventing the first makeshift tranquilizer gun. (Previously, if animals escaped they had to be shot.) The book is hampered I think by not quite knowing what it wants to be. It’s a mix of memoir and anecdotes, but it ends up falling short on both because there’s not enough backstory or a proper timeline for either.
Date Read: June 16, 2023
Page Count: 195
3 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 18 - read 18 books with a red, white or blue cover (08/18)
ATY Summer Reading Challenge - August 4C - related to birds, bees or bunnies (08-12)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aah Walkers - Prompt 21 - character who is a vet (19/52)
71. Dreaming in Libro by Louise Bernikow
Louise is a single, middle-aged writer living in Manhattan who spontaneously adopts a dog who was found wandering in a park. This short book details their lives together, as she transforms into someone who never gave animals a second thought to an avowed dog person, her life strengthened and changed for the better by the string of people joyous and friendly Libro brings into her life. I loved reading about Libro’s vibrant personality, his smarts, and his protective nature that came to the fore when Louise dared to go into the water. I only wished that the author had strung together the vignettes and developed the timeline to anchor Libro’s stories and give the book more depth.
Dates Read: June 18 to 20, 2023
Page Count: 202
4 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 10 - read 10 books that take place in a city [New York City] (02/10)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aah Walkers - Prompt 45 - character you’ve come to know dies (20/52)
ATY Summer Reading Challenge - July1A - first letter of title in HORSE AROUND (09/12)
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