Lexi’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2016)

Lexi’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

We should have known the end was near. So begins Imbolo Mbue’s powerful second novel, How Beautiful We Were.

Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of cleanup and financial reparations to the villagers are made—and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interests. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle will last for decades and come at a steep price.

Told from the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold on to its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.

Well, having read no books, I appear to not even be on the list yet

Got us a new hard one:

Pulgasari
500 to 650
Tagged Korea (at least 8 times)
"bear," "elephant," "rhino," "tiger," or "bull" in text
Fire important to the plot
Weapon on cover

We have two tasks left from last year if someone has a book that fits:
1. author initial EB or BE
2. a unit of measurement in the title

No more Pumpkins and back to the world

Hayreddin Barbarossa (Ottoman Empire)
200 to 299
Takes place in a country ruled by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s (Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia - see map - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...)
MPG Pirate
character has red hair
person with facial hair on cover

Melindam wrote: "#10

2 stars

This series took me literally decades to read. When I first read book 1 (after the movie came out), I was unimpressed, but after some years I m..."

I know I read one and two as a child but I have absolutely no memory if I ever read three. I also didn't like the second that much.

DQs Day 4

13. What do you think about Emily’s plan to wake the trapped King? Aside from for plot purposes, do you think it is consistent with her character that she would make this choice?

14. We see a lot more faeries in this section. Would you like to be part of an ice court? Did you have any particularly favorite visual element from the book as a whole?

15. Do you think Emily has grown as a person over this book and did your view of her change at all across the book?

16. Did you like how the ending was told or were you expecting more details or have other suggestions?

Bonus. If your version comes with an extra story at the end, what are your thoughts on a gown with added hedgehogs and pomaded chickens? If you did not read this story, you are missing a lot of hedgehogs.

DQs Day 3

9.) Emily seems to have a bad habit of wandering off by herself to deal with faerie problems. I'm all for independence and what not, but sometimes help is very much warranted. She got a bit lucky her first trip into faerie worked out, do you think she'll be as lucky in getting away from the King?
I think she is going to need help but I also think it makes sense she has to get used to counting on someone other than herself and she keeps telling herself that it is logical. At least she left a note.

10.) I chuckled a bit when I realized that Wendell wrote in her journal. Did you enjoy this snippet from his POV?
I really liked that part and I enjoyed the shift in voice. Someone indicated that was it for this book but I wonder if he gets more pages in later books.

11.) Wendell bemoaned a bit the lack of sword fighting in the mortal world. Thoughts on being able to settle work problems with a sword fight in the parking lot (or whatever is appropriate for your workplace)?
Nope, seems to lead to the Hamilton problem with duels.

12.) The changeling problem has been solved (at least it appears so). Was this a satisfactory conclusion for you?
It weaved well together and I don't want this to be a 500 page epic so some things will need to be easier than others.

Sammy wrote: "I could totally see you doing something similar to what you do now, only with magical creatures! 😁"

I think I would make a great mythical animal vet. I had a book with mythical animal skeleton pictures but I gave it away because they never provide bone attachments for wing musculature.

DQs - Day 2
5. I spy with my little eye: Faeries. 🧚‍♀️
Faeries, faes are very popular creatures in Fantasy. Do you like books featuring them or try to avoid them? How do you feel the author manages them here? Is it similar to other books of the genre or different?

I like when they are like the myths and tricksters and not bad excuse for YA/NA romances with all the bad boy trappings and none of the substance. This is fun as it is more ”scientific” and while I can’t think of it having been done with fae, it has been done with dragons and others but still quite fun so far.

6. In this part we have further confirmation that Emily's assumption about Bambleby's origins are correct. But it seems like her dog Shadow may also not what he seems to be. Any ideas? 🐕

That was pretty clear from the start considering age, intelligence and indication that she lied about how she got him.

7. I have to say that I found the story of the couple who are left with the changeling really tragic. Apart from some weak and unsatisfactory attempts on Emily's and Bambleby's side, they seem to be left to their fate by the villagers to sink or swim. What do you think will happen to them?

I think there will be movement in the right direction and not left as is in the book

8. As I was reading along, the thought struck me why I didn't like Bambleby. To me it seems that despite socially awkward and inept, Emily is a caring person, while Bambleby very much displays the suavity and heartlessness of his kind? What do you think?

I am starting to really like him as he clearly tries and I appreciate an attempt to make everything cozy.

Bonus: a little quiz about what kind of fairy are you? 😁

Apparently:

Water Fairy – which doesn’t quite seem right

DQs Day 1

1. Emily finds herself in a very cold, snowy location, and worries about surviving the cold.
What do you think of the setting?
Have you ever found yourself in similar surroundings, and how did you cope, or how do you believe you would cope if you haven’t?
Also splitting logs…Would you manage like a boss, or risk loss of limbs?

The sea adds something different but it reminds me of my time in Mongolia. So much of being there is focused on the winter and the bitter cold. Good clothes and boots are key and glad they got some. I also got a cat, which is good for mental health and camel wool blankets. Camel wool makes good blankets. I am pretty sure you should not let me near an ax just on general principle.

2. How do you feel about footnotes?
I like them in some books and not others. The e-book works fine and does not get stuck which can be an issue with older foot notes. They provide info if people want them or can be skipped. I am currently listening to Discworld and the footnotes there are somewhat awkwardly done since it is an audio but generally great fun since it is Discworld. I read one recently which had fun footnotes on all the random, horrid ways the MC’s ancestors died, which was fun - Saint Death's Daughter.

3. In a world where the existence of faeries is an established fact, would you consider dryadology as a profession?
Maybe but I tend to be more practical in what I study and not just recording facts but that is a very Victorian thing and very few people still do that today with modern science.

4. What do you think of Emily so far? And Brambleby?
I am in part two now but at this point, he annoyed me as many males with older careers taking advantage of younger work but I like that he is more nuanced than that later. I indirectly know the people involved in this: https://www.science.org/content/artic...

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing.

Emlyn doesn’t let herself think about the past.

How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the man she thought was the love of her life, left her freezing and half-dead on the side of the road three years ago.

Her new life is simple and safe. She works as a fishing and hunting guide, spending her days in Idaho’s endless woods and scenic rivers. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer, her closest friends a handsome and kind Forest Service ranger and the community’s makeshift reverend, who took her in at her lowest.

But when Tyler shows up with the news that Janessa is missing, Emlyn is propelled back into the world she worked so hard to forget. Janessa, it turns out, has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged survivalist boyfriend. But she hasn’t posted lately, and when she does, it’s from a completely different location than where her caption claims to be. In spite of their fractured history, Emlyn knows she might be the only one with the knowledge and tracking skills to save her friend, so she reluctantly teams up with Tyler. As the two trace Janessa’s path through miles of wild country, Emlyn can’t deny there’s still chemistry crackling between them. But the deeper they press into the wilderness, the more she begins to suspect that a darker truth lies in the woods―and that Janessa isn’t the only one in danger.

Poignant, suspenseful, and unforgettable, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING explores what it takes to start over―and the cost of letting the past pull you back in.

My new nominate until it wins one:


We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Also, joining it to say it went on forever and as I really like Vicious & Vengeful, I was sad. I am much less fond of the author's newer work sadly.

Sammy wrote: "If it comes to it, I can swap too, and then you can do the final set with no serious time pressure?"

I will take you up on that Sammy. I will find a copy by then.

Judith wrote: "Lexi, if you run into procurement issues I can swap if you need the extra days. Just give a shout!

I picked it up the last time Tiny Tyrant asked to go to the bookstore"

I might need that. I'm 2nd in line with 24 copies so fingers crossed. I should have thought of this earlier but I got back from a conference to a document that was due the same day to meetings start at 7:30 am today.

I should likely go get the book considering this starts soon but good for day 1.

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

A rich, magical new book on belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal, from the Booker shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he’s searching for lost love.

Years later a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited -- her only connection to her family’s troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world.

A moving, beautifully written and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history and eco-consciousness, The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak’s best work yet.

I won, yay. New one is:


We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Done reading for 2024 as well.

I started the year with 376 books on my TBR and ended the year with 325. I read 206 new to me books this year (and various other re-reads).

I have only 4 left from before 2020, and they are priorities for next year. I did not get to my goal because of these four but still progress.