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

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

I read this for 35 (a book where one of the main characters is royalty). I'm not sure if this qualifies, but one of the earlier characters is the son of an Asante princess, so all the characters descended from her could be considered royalty.

I really enjoyed it, but had the same issue that many other people had in that there were so may characters and some were more compelling then others. I talked a little more in depth about it here: https://readingdiverselyayearofnotrea...

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

- Is your book about fictional or real world royalty?

It is a fictional book, but features characters who are part of the royal family in Asanteland, which is a real location and a real historical lineage

- If you could be royalty, would you want to be?

Nope.

I'm the one Sophie mentioned above who took this year to avoid books by straight white men. It wasn't originally about makibg it more difficult, but mostly seeking voices that aren't anyways at the forefront of the reading culture. I am writing a blog about it - come by my profile and check it out if you are interested!

This is also why I like the Book Riot challenges, although I don't think I have completed one because there is always one category I am just uninterested in.

This is the best set of categories I have seen and I like that it is flexible enough to accommodate personal reading goals.

I think I will have to check out the Wacky challenges!

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves

Location: Whalsey, Shetland Islands, UK
(you can find the exact locations on this map here: http://www.anncleeves.com/shetland/ma...)

White Nights by Ann Cleeves

Location: Biddista (fictional) on Northmavine, Shetland Islands, UK (see link above)

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Location: Illmorog, Kenya (fictional location, somewhere in "upcountry Kenya")

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

Location: Aba, Abia, Nigeria

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

- Did you pick the book first or were you interested in a particular author?

The book first - it was a Lamda Literary Award winner

- Do you read new authors often?
All the time - many of the books that I have read this year fit into this category

- What are you reading this week?

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

- How many books are on your TBR list?

Too many - I think it is around 400 right now, but that is after I have pared it down

- Did you manipulate your TBR list at all to choose the book from the middle of the list?

Not really, I just was generous about what the "middle" was (about the middle 75/100 books

- Is shortening your TBR list one of the reasons you participate in the ATY Challenge?

Not really - I am more interested in expanding the books I read

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

Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

- Do you consider this book a "modern classic", and if so, why?

I don't know enough about African literature to have my own opinion, but after reading it, I can understand why this book would be considered such a classic.

- Do you usually pay attention to the publisher or the collection of the book you're reading?

Not as much as I focus on the author, especially because I get most of my recommendations for others, and am usually looking for any edition of a book

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

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

- What is the fictional place?

The kingdom of Adarlan

- Would you like to visit it?

Nope. Not for a second. Mostly because it is ruled by a tyrannical despot, but also because it seems like the kind of place were most women are expected to wear corsets and look pretty.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

- Where was your book set/where is the author from?

The book is set in Capetown, South Africa, and I believe the author is also from South Africa

- Did you feel like this prompt helped you read more diversely?

Yes and no. I had actually picked this book up, and then realized it was set in South Africa, but it was recommended to me when I asked for diverse recommendations.

- Is it important to you to read diverse books?

Absolutely - I am actually documenting my experience of not reading books by white men this year on my blog https://readingdiverselyayearofnotrea...

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

- Which format (nonfiction, picture book, graphic novel, illustrated novel, etc) did you choose?

Graphic Novel

- Do you think illustrations add something to stories or do you usually avoid them?

It really depends on the book - I really appreciate some comics and graphic novels, but not all books need/would benefit from illustrations

Bonus question: who's your favorite illustrator? (share a link to his/her work)

I don't know, although I have a huge soft spot for Quentin Blake (Roald Dahl's illustrator) https://www.quentinblake.com/

Women in Wonderland: Lives, Legends, and Legacies of Yellowstone National Park by Elizabeth A. Watry

- Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

Location - London, UK

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Primary - Wichita Falls, Texas, US
Secondary - San Antonio, Texas, US

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

Location: Sandwick, Shetland Islands, UK

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Primary: Kingsbridge, South Devon, UK
Secondary (the story is about a cross country journey, so I have included the top 10)
- South Brent, Devon, UK
- Buckfast Abbey, Devon, UK
- Exeter, Devon, UK
- Taunton, Somerset, UK
- Bath, UK
- Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
- Darlington, UK
- Wooler, UK
- Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, UK

- What are you reading this week?

Women in Wonderland: Lives, Legends, and Legacies of Yellowstone National Park by Elizabeth A Watry

- Are your reads balanced between genders or do you favorite one of them?

At the moment, I am reading books written exclusively by women, people of color, and other groups of people often not represented in literature in part because I realize that the books I have access to and choose are generally weighted more towards male authors, even when there are female POVs.

- Who's your favorite book heroine (add the book)?

So Many!!! Any heroine from Tamora Pierce

- Who's your favorite book hero (add the book)?

I can't think of one off the top of my head - probably a character from The Lord of the Rings

- What are you reading this week?

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

- Did you have a hard time finding a book with a long title?

Not quite - but I was happy to find one I had already read that fit the category!

- Do you think the title was fitting for the book?

Yes and no - it referred to a portion of the book I thought was less directly related to the central emaotional core, but it was catching

- If you were choosing a title for the book, would you keep the author’s title? If not, what title would you give the book?

Sure I might keep it - I can't quite think of anything better.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

- If you chose the cover option, what animal is on the cover?

Ravens are in the title and also in the cover:


- Do you consider yourself an animal lover?

Yes!

- What is your spirit animal?

A seal or a lynx

I read this for 36, (a Hugo Award winner or nominee). I also had mixed feelings about this book - I really liked Carrie Fisher's voice, and was impressed by her kindness towards her younger self. But as I have heard from others, the journals themselves made me so sad for her.

I haven't read much of what Carrie wrote about her life after the movies, and I think if I had, I would have enjoyed it a little more.

I actually listened to this, and I think I liked it more because of that. The humor in her writing is so much more obvious, because she is able to communicate the irony and sarcasm of what she says through her voice. She has a great sense of humor, and I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say about the past from the "present" part of the book.

- What are you reading this week?

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

- Did you read a winner or a nominee?

A 2017 Nominee (I don't know yet if it will win)

- In what category was your selection nominated?

Best Related Work

- Do you pay attention to whether your book is an award winner when you choose what to read next?

I do love book award short lists, I don't always read all the books, but I like to see what is getting noticed

- What are you reading this week?

Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

- Who is the publisher?

Twenty7 books (Bonnier Publishing) - UK publishing house

- Did you find any biases in your typical reading this week? i.e. Do you tend to favor the big publishers?

Not consciously, but I absolutely do read more books from mainstream publishers because they are more likely to be advertised and sent around to reviewers, and so I hear more about them.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey

- What is the book a continuation of?

The Expanse Series by James Corey

- When did you read the previous book?

I started the series last year, and read the book right before this one earlier this month

- What are you most looking forward to in the continuation of the story?

Seeing how the characters continue to grow and develop (and whatever the next thing they are about to be killed by is)

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

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

- In which time period is this book going to take you?

Reconstruction Era Texas

- Is there another period you'd like to read about?

I love good accurate historical fiction from any period, although I don't love it when fictional characters play pivotal roles in historical events

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Primary: Yeongdo, South Korea (part of modern day Busan)
Secondary: Yokohama, Japan

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

Primary: New Terra/Ilus
Secondary: The Ring Station, "two Astronomical Units (AU) outside the orbit of Uranus"

The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories by Penelope Lively

Primary: Pompeii, Italy

Enchanted Islands by Allison Amend

Primary: Isla Floreana, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Secondary: San Fransisco, CA

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Primary: Northanger Abbey, Gloucestershire, UK (fictional map here: http://www.jasna.org/info/images/map-...)
Secondary: Bath, UK

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

Primary: Limbe, Cameroon
Secondary: Harlem, New York City

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Primary: Aldwinter, Essex, UK (fictional, but closest to Brightlingsea)

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben

Primary: Münstereifeler Str. 20, 53520 Hümmel, Germany

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Primary: Cheltenham, England

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

Primary: Rome, Maine (https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?...)

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

Primary: Three Pines, Eastern Townships, Quebec (fictional town, real county)

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Primary: Dorset, England (on the coast somewhere)