books: April 2017 (7 books)
The Doll's House (The Sandman #2), by Neil Gaiman: Originally read in November 2005, reread 4/3/17. I didn't remember much of this. The serial killer convention was a little much for me these days, but I did enjoy the reread.
Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell: Finished 4/6/17. I started this as an audiobook on a day when I had a long drive to make by myself in the car (a thing that never happens anymore). Cath did get on my nerves, and I had some trouble understanding why these interesting people wanted to hang out with her. But the Simon Snow stuff was fun.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening, by Marjorie M. Liu: Finished 4/12/17. Wow. The art is amazing, and the story is unique, with so many interesting plot threads and so much rich history. All the gory death and torture was pretty disturbing for me, but I will definitely read the next one.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1), by J.K. Rowling: Finished 4/16/17. My fourth reread, and OK, fine, I read this aloud to my four year old. I figured I'd read until it got too scary, but even toward the end she was hanging in okay, so I kept going. A LOT of it was over her head, but she seemed to really enjoy it, and the big bad reveal at the end was a total surprise to her. It was really a pleasure to read it with her, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in a few years.
I Liked My Life, by Abby Fabiaschi: Finished 4/20/17. Really, really enjoyed this, even if I was anticipating the twist at the end. A quick and engaging read, in one of my favorite niche genres, “ghost love stories”.
The Lost Princess of Oz (Oz, #11), by L. Frank Baum: Finished 4/30/17. Read this aloud with my daughter at bedtime. She enjoyed the mystery of it a lot and laughed pretty much every time I said "Cayke the Cookie Cook".
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin: First read in maybe 2002, reread 4/30/17. I was surprised how much I didn't remember: all the folk tales and anthropological bits, much of political machinations. I had remembered the book as being primarily (and endlessly) traveling over the ice, but that's really not even a third of the text (according to my friend Warren, who read it on an eReader and took note). My sci-fi book club read this on my suggestion, and it was the book that led to the most and deepest book-related conversation, so I was pretty proud.
Also, the copy my husband got out of the library had an interesting essay by Le Guin included at the end, about how she would have done things differently if she'd written the book later, and some alternate versions of chapters where she actually plays with the pronouns. This really added to my understanding and appreciation.
Genly isn't a particularly accessible character, and we know so little of his life before he came to Gethen (like, for example, why he would choose to give up everyone he'd ever known). But even without that backstory, by the end we see Genly opened. It's a sad book. I had forgotten the ending.
Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell: Finished 4/6/17. I started this as an audiobook on a day when I had a long drive to make by myself in the car (a thing that never happens anymore). Cath did get on my nerves, and I had some trouble understanding why these interesting people wanted to hang out with her. But the Simon Snow stuff was fun.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening, by Marjorie M. Liu: Finished 4/12/17. Wow. The art is amazing, and the story is unique, with so many interesting plot threads and so much rich history. All the gory death and torture was pretty disturbing for me, but I will definitely read the next one.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1), by J.K. Rowling: Finished 4/16/17. My fourth reread, and OK, fine, I read this aloud to my four year old. I figured I'd read until it got too scary, but even toward the end she was hanging in okay, so I kept going. A LOT of it was over her head, but she seemed to really enjoy it, and the big bad reveal at the end was a total surprise to her. It was really a pleasure to read it with her, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in a few years.
I Liked My Life, by Abby Fabiaschi: Finished 4/20/17. Really, really enjoyed this, even if I was anticipating the twist at the end. A quick and engaging read, in one of my favorite niche genres, “ghost love stories”.
The Lost Princess of Oz (Oz, #11), by L. Frank Baum: Finished 4/30/17. Read this aloud with my daughter at bedtime. She enjoyed the mystery of it a lot and laughed pretty much every time I said "Cayke the Cookie Cook".
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin: First read in maybe 2002, reread 4/30/17. I was surprised how much I didn't remember: all the folk tales and anthropological bits, much of political machinations. I had remembered the book as being primarily (and endlessly) traveling over the ice, but that's really not even a third of the text (according to my friend Warren, who read it on an eReader and took note). My sci-fi book club read this on my suggestion, and it was the book that led to the most and deepest book-related conversation, so I was pretty proud.
Also, the copy my husband got out of the library had an interesting essay by Le Guin included at the end, about how she would have done things differently if she'd written the book later, and some alternate versions of chapters where she actually plays with the pronouns. This really added to my understanding and appreciation.
Genly isn't a particularly accessible character, and we know so little of his life before he came to Gethen (like, for example, why he would choose to give up everyone he'd ever known). But even without that backstory, by the end we see Genly opened. It's a sad book. I had forgotten the ending.