Emma’s Comments (group member since Jan 05, 2017)

Emma’s comments from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.

This was my choice for 23 (A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list). I hadn't read it since I was young, and I was pleasantly surprised. I had always preferred the later books in the series, but I found this to be delightful!

- What are you reading this week?

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (from the Amazon list instead of the Goodreads one)

- What genre is the book from?

This is a graphic memoir

- Do you typically read young adult books?

Sometimes - but I'm not a huge fan of YA fantasy, so that limits me.

- What are you reading this week?

Tortall: A Spy's Guide by Tamora Pierce

- Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?

Not at all - knowing the characters and their opinions made it fun to read in between the lines to find out what was really going on.

- What made the narrator unreliable? (Make sure to use the spoilers tag if needed for your response!)

The book is a series of letters and reports by various characters in the Tortall universe - they each share their own limited perspective, and so often readers are left to figure out the larger context and events on their own.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

- In which countries the story & author are set?

Lindgren was a Swedish children's book author whose books are all set in Sweden (I don't know that this is ever named)

- How do you picture Scandinavian countries? Did you visit one of them?

I have been to Norway about 8 or 9 years ago, and I loved it!

Progress Post
- What is the magic of the internet making you read?

White Nights by Ann Cleeves

- Did you know of this book beforehand or is it a complete discovery?

Yes, I knew about it.

- What did you enter in the search bar (book, author)? Did you do multiple searches before finding "the one"?

I looked for Louise Penny because I wanted a cozy mystery author

- Will you use this website again in the future to make your TBR grow?

Probably, if I ever get to a point that I need more recommendations (not sure when THAT will happen)

Progress Post:
- What are you reading for this category? Did you know of this book already or was it a complete discovery?

Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson. I had read an essay of hers and included it in my graduate thesis, but I actually didn't realize there was a whole book until I found it on the shelf of free books at work.

- Whose bookshelves did you get inspiration from?

I don't have any that I go to for inspiration, but I always snoop when I am at people's houses.

- Do you often browse what people read to discover new books?

Absolutely. I love the book comparing tool on Goodreads for this.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore (this is non-fiction, but digs into how Wonder Woman was created, and deals with the mythology enough that I figured it counts)

- What is the myth the book is based on?

Wonder Woman is based on the stories of the amazons from Greek Mythology

- Is your knowledge good about this myth?

Actually yes. I went through period in middle school where I was obsessed with Greek mythology and read everything I could get my hands on.

- Is there another mythology you'd like to explore?

I don't know as much about Norse Mythlogy, but would like to know more.

This was my book coming from another challenge, and it was from Read Harder 2017, "a book you have read before".

I absolutely LOVE this book. The themes and images from this book have stuck with me for years, and it was just as good coming back to it as it was the first time.

Overall, this is a intricate look at a post-apocalyptic world, but also a look at what it is like to watch the world you know disappear, something that is normally only referenced as a distant memory in books like this.

I wrote more about this book on my blog here: https://readingdiverselyayearofnotrea...

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mantel

- Which challenge did you pick? What is the category?

This was from the Read Harder Challenge 2017 from Book Riot. The category is "A Book you Have Read Before"

- Why did you choose this category?

I was looking for something that fit books I have been reading, and this one jumped out.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell

- Which author recommended it?

Roxane Gay

- Do you usually pick authors' recommendations?

Sometimes, especially if I like their books and they are suggesting things I am already hearing about.

- Is there an author you like to follow on the web?

I love Roxane Gay's book reviews. They are incisive, thorough, and I appreciate that she is willing to explain her issues with books.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading for this topic?

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

- What do you think a book must have or be to be considered a "best book of the century"?

I'm not sure - honestly, I am surprised by what books made it on some of these lists. For me, I think it would have to be an epic story that also speaks to issues current to the time the book was published

- While browsing the lists, did you see a lot of books you read? Do you think some of them don't have their place in those lists?

As I said, I was really surprised by some of these. They definitely don't all fit my idea of a best book, but I think its a category that everyone will have a different idea of.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Evicted by Matthew Desmond

- In which category was your book nominated? Did it win?

It was nominated in non-fiction, and it did not win (but I think it should have!)

- Is there another Choice Awards book you're very interested in?

Actually, I have read a lot of these books this year, and most of them fit into other categories as well.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey - it is about astronauts simulating going to Mars, can you ask for more of an adventure?

- Do you remember any major adventures in your own life?

I spent much of my late teens and early 20s traveling around Europe and South America, and had a fabulous time!

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? by Kathleen Collins

- What made you pick this book in 2016? Any reason you didn't read it?

It was a Book of the Month pick for me, and the idea of a collection that had been rediscovered intrigued me. I don't quite know why I never got to it, but I was graduating and didn't have a lot of time to read.

- Which other book did you really want to read but didn't open last year?

Plenty - I was in school. The first title that comes to mind is This Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams

This was my book I chose randomly, and it was a super fun and entertaining book that also taught me a lot about what life was like for women not all that long ago.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill

- How did you choose your book?

I saw it as a possible ebook to take out on Overdrive and thought it sounded interesting

- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?

Sometimes. I actually really enjoy it when I do, but usually I have so many books that have been recommended to me that I don't feel I have the time to pick up random books I have never heard of.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith

- What mediums made up the story (letters, journal entries, etc.)?

Letters and the occasional telegram

- Do you like epistolary fiction?

Yes!

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Doc by Maria Doria Russell

- Who is the historical figure(s)?

Doc Holliday and the Earp Brothers and their friends and adversaries

- What are they most known for?

The shootout at the OK corral

- What are you reading this week?

The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch

- What classic inspired this book?

The works of Christine de Pizan and Jean de Meun and the story of Joan of Arc

- Have you read that classic? Did you purposely choose a book inspired by a classic you've already read?

I haven't read either of their works - I had never heard of them before I heard an interview with this author

- Did you think your choice was a good reinvention/representation of that classic?

Absolutely!

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer

- What is your favorite genre?

Non-fiction is definitively one of my favorites

- What is the sub-genre your book falls into?

This book is a natural history/nature studies book

- Do you have a favorite sub-genre or read mostly one sub-genre of your favorite genre?

I love memoirs, but naturalist books are definitely my favorite sub-genre