Laura’s Comments (group member since Jan 02, 2017)

Laura’s comments from the Challenges from Exploding Steamboats group.

I read that this year, too! I don’t think it registered with me that it takes place in Ohio. I don’t remember if I have a Ohio book yet. Thanks!

Just finished Bearskin; a mystery-thriller which normally isn't my genre but I I really enjoyed.

I read Red Clocks for my book club. I wrote a fairly lengthy (especially for me) review for it. I liked it all right, nowhere near as much as I'd hoped to.

I actually decided to listen to The Help on audiobook and it was excellent. Definitely recommend it, especially in that format.

Annihilation. The movie, which came out this year, is actually based on the whole trilogy, but it shares the same title as the first book.

Stina wrote: "This was a summer-specific prompt last year, so I'll be saving it for my summer reading challenges starting sometime in May.

I have tons to choose from here. Perhaps I will finish [book:My Cousin ..."

I *strongly* recommend Starship Troopers; doubly so since you've read the book. They're almost nothing alike. The movie version made me cringe. It could have been done so much better...

Updating: it looks like this has been a year of sequels for me.

The Doll's House - the second in Neil Gamian's graphic novel series The Sandman

The Roses of May"> Sequel to The Butterfly Garden. Not as good as the first (which was only okay, really), though an interesting concept and a better follow-up than I expected.

Persepolis 2 - A very logical follow-up; the continuation of the story.

Authority Second in the Southern Reach series. It's a continuation of the first, but from a totally different perspective, which I like.

I read so many non-fiction books that I'm almost hesitant to post them all, though I think it might be interesting at the end of the year to have a place to look at and see just how many fall in each category. Thus far I've read:

Sin in the Second City - The story of a high-end brothel in Chicago, which I very much enjoyed.

The Day Lincoln Was Shot - This covers the 24 hours from when Lincoln woke up the day of his assassination to the moment they placed the coins on his eyes. Very interesting.

Chosen by a Horse - A horse-loving woman rescues a horse and their relationship changes her perspective on life and love.

Persepolis - This and its sequel (Persepolis 2) are graphic novels telling the story of a young woman growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. I learned a ton and it's presents in a very readable format.

Papa Hemingway in Key West - Just as it sounds, this covers Hemingway's years in Key West, when the town was pretty much just a small fishing village. Interesting, but really only because I've been there.

Born a Crime - Trevor Noah writes about what it was like to grow up in South Africa during apartheid. *Very* interesting, touching, and sometimes hilarious. I listened to it on audiobook, read by him, which I strongly recommend.

I Am Not Myself These Days - The author writes about a time in his life when he was working as a drag queen and dating a male escort who became hooked on crack cocaine. This was my choice for my small book club and everyone liked it.

Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs - Just like it sounds. An interesting, though not particularly well-written, account.

So I finished Gaiman's Trigger Warning and just loved it. I'm an unabashed fangirl of his, though, so that's not super surprising.

I read that one! I quite liked it.

Another book I read set in NY: I Am Not Myself These Days. A great memoir about a drag queen and his life with a male escort. Really enjoyed it.

I read Papa Hemingway in Key West. It only covers his life in Florida. I found it passingly interesting.

I found Rockin' A Hard Place: Flats, Sharps, & Other Notes from a Misfit Music Club Owner on my bookshelf.

I was looking through my books for titles that would qualify for hte 50 States Challenge and found Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl which takes place mostly here in Virginia.

Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl. It looks like it starts in New York, but the bulk of the memoir is in Virginia.

I thought this one was going to be tough and I'd have to go out and get one of the two in my previous post, but then I found Fools Crow on my shelf.

I've got The Help on my shelf which I keep meaning to read. This will be a good excuse to do so.

I think The Monkey Wrench Gang will work for this book. I know it's at least partially set in Arizona, as there is focus on the Glen Canyon Dam which is located in that state.

For this state, I found South of the Big Four on my TBR shelf.

I'll be reading Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs