Katy’s
Comments
(group member since Aug 04, 2010)
Katy’s
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from the Reading with Style group.
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Feed by Mira Grant is #5 on this list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...I may re-read it but if anyone is looking for a great zombie book, this is the one!
10.6 AnagramsHow to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France
Word: inside
+10 task
+15 combo (10.2, 10.3, 10.5)
+5 jumbo (640 pages)
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 50
10.3 The U's Have ItThe Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
+10 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.5)
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 20
Shannon wrote: "I found this oneHalf Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan"
I absolutely loved Half Blood Blues - and it's historical AND no O in the author name!
I just got into Louise Penny at the end of last season and so I am planning to rack up some multiples here :)
20.2 Rebecca Still Life by Louise Penny
A few of my friends have been bugging me to read this for a while now, and I'm so glad I finally got to it. In some ways, this might feel like a quiet, small story -- it's set in a tiny village in Quebec, full of gently odd souls, lovely bakeries, homey B&Bs, and so forth. Inspector Gamache is a break from the "tortured soul detective" trope and is a thoughtful, lovely man. It's just so NICE. And yet, there's a murder, and a pretty cruel one. And there are snakes, and abuse, and secrets, and long, long pasts. By the end, my heart was pounding and while I had a few ideas about the solution to the case, I didn't care -- I was ready to read wherever Louise Penny took me.
+20 task (#184 on list)
+10 review
Task Total: 30
RWS finish bonus: 100 (I am so excited -- this is my first RWS finish!)
Grand Total: 855
20.3 Evicted I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Of course I knew the story of Malala -- who doesn't, at this point? -- and I often talk about it with students. But I had not actually (shamefully!) read the book. Despite knowing the events that took place, it was a quick, fascinating, engaging read. I appreciated the historical background, learning how the Taliban came to such power in Pakistan, and about the Swat Valley. I had no idea until reading this book that Swat (where Malala is from) had such a different history and governance structure from Pakistan, and how that impacted the Taliban's rise. This definitely feels like a book everyone should read!
+20 task (shelved as current events 31 times)
+10 combo (10.2, 10.4)
+10 review
+10 nonwestern
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 725
20.5 FoundationDear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher
I found this a truly hilarious book - literally laugh out loud funny. It's told as a series of recommendation letters written by a bitter English and creative writing professor at a middling Midwest college. The letters range from heartfelt to ridiculous, as he writes letters in support of everything from jobs at paintball facilities to admission to seminary programs. Along the way, we learn about his ex-wife and ex-girlfriends, scandals in his past, his friendships, his desperation to assist one of his students in getting financial support to complete his lengthy novel, and the progress of the renovations in the English department building. (The commentary about the renovations alone makes the book worth reading). Along with the hilarity, there are moments of true emotion that make the book even more surprising and interesting.
+20 task (born in Delaware, 1958 - search here)
+10 review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 670
10.6 Spring Equinox An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction or history. The book tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair in 1890s Paris, from the perspective of Georges Picquart, an officer who was just promoted to lead the division that convicted Dreyfus. He comes across evidence that throws some doubt on the conviction and begins investigating -- only to find growing, dangerous obstacles in his way. Before reading, I had only a hazy understanding of the Dreyfus Affair, but enjoyed the book nonetheless (and found myself doing some additional research to round out the book). The sheer magnitude of the corruption in this case was astonishing, as was the anti-Semitism. I listened to this as an audiobook and found the narration engaging, though it was long and I often had to rewind to check something.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.3)
+10 review
Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 640
20.6 My Name is Red Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
WOW! I am really tempted to say that everyone should read this book...that's such a broad statement, but feels true. Certainly if you have an interest in criminal justice reform, race, policing, the death penalty, etc. - but I do think that all Americans would benefit from reading this book. (I imagine people in other countries will find some similarities but in many places, a lot more differences with their home justice systems). Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer who became involved with defending the underdogs, and quickly, at a young age, founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama. This practice defended people on death row, challenging unjust convictions as well as fighting to abolish the death penalty. They also fight death-sentence and life-in-prison sentences for children, take on cases of the wrongly convicted, etc. Stevenson frames the book around one case, Walter McMillian, who was wrongfully convicted and spent years on death row before being exonerated. Every other chapter continues his story, and the alternating chapters add context. I couldn't put the book down. It was well written, but more importantly, I was learning new things on every page (horrifying, stomach-churning new things, but new). I finished the book wishing I had become a lawyer (a feeling I rarely have!) so I could join in this fight.
+20 task (28,432 ratings, 4.58 avg rating)
+10 combo (20.3 - current events 18x, 20.5 - born Delaware 1959)
+10 review
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 610
10.8 AnthologyAfter: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia by Ellen Datlow
810 Lexile
I'm currently working on a major work project on teaching dystopian literature, and so I was eager to dig into this collection. I had dipped in and out of it before, but sitting down to read all the stories was a real pleasure. All the stories are good, if you enjoy dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, but some of my favorites were N.K. Jemisin's creepy "Valedictorian", the unexpected "The Segment" by Genevieve Valentine, the fairy-tale like "Faint Heart" by Sarah Rees Brennan, and "The Easthound" by Nalo Hopkinson which was just well-told. I don't read very much short fiction, and often lose interest in anthologies, so I'm glad I had the impetus to sit down and dive into these stories. Definitely worth reading!
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 570
20.1 Lord of the Rings The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
This is one of those books that is always and forever on my Reading with Style plan and never quite gets read -- so I feel pretty accomplished for having finished it this time! I thoroughly enjoyed it, too -- it's a terrific mystery with plot twists I didn't see coming, it's an early example of the story-told-from-multiple-perspectives style, and it's a fascinating window into roles of men and women in the 1800s (though I very often wanted to shake Marian when she came out with yet another remark about how since she's a woman she's more or less useless, despite being one of the few useful characters in the tale!). As a side bonus, the top reviews on the Goodreads page for the book are pretty entertaining as well.
+20 task
+20 combo (10.2, 10.3, 20.2, 20.10)
+10 review
+10 canon
+5 jumbo (672 pages)
Task Total: 65
Grand Total: 550
10.7 Dead Poet's Society Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
Prior to this, I had only read Gaudy Night by Sayers, and yet I come across her all the time as an author suggested to me or that I might like. Having now read Strong Poison as well, I'd say I find her an author I'll always reliably like but perhaps not always love. I enjoyed the mystery in Strong Poison -- did Harriet Vane poison her ex, using the knowledge she had gained by writing mystery novels? -- and was carried right along by Sayers' craft. I thought the book really picked up towards the end when we saw how the crime was investigated by Peter Wimsey and his crew.
+10 task
+5 combo (10.3 - born in UK)
+10 review
Task Total: 25
New Total: 485
20.8 Yours, Mine, and Ours A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon edited by Laurie R. King
What a great collection for anyone who enjoys Sherlock Holmes, or even a good mystery! I was so thrilled to find this - so thanks for the task! Some of the reviews I read weren't positive because they felt the stories were just straight retellings -- and perhaps if I knew the canon as well as others, I'd feel the same way. But as a casual Holmes fan, I loved the book. Some of the stories stood out, of course - I enjoyed Alan Bradley's contribution a lot, as well as S.J. Rozan's, Thomas Perry's, and Jacqueline Winspear's. Overall, a great read for mystery lovers.
+20 task
+10 combo (10.2, 10.8)
+10 review
Task Total: 40
Season Total: 455
20.9 National Doctor's Day What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear by Danielle Ofri
This is the second book by Ofri that I've read and though it felt very similar to the other one (What Doctors Feel), I still enjoyed it. She blends personal clinical experiences, stories of other doctors and patients, and research to dig into different aspects of doctor-patient communication. I find it a fascinating topic because as a teacher, I recognize parallels with ways I communicate with students, and also, of course, as a former ER and House junkie, because I can't get enough of strange medical cases! I would recommend this to anyone who likes medical lit -- it's well written and interesting and delivers exactly what is promised in the title.
+20 task
+5 combo (10.4)
+10 review
Task Total: 35
Season Total: 415
15.2 AotD - Time TravelerThe Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day
+15 Task (Anthony Award 2015)
Post Total: 15
Season Total: 380
10.1 Square Peg Unpaid Debts by Antonio Jiménez Barca
I picked up this book because I wanted some Spanish fiction to read on my recent trip to Madrid and Barcelona -- just got back! It was a work trip, so I had less time to read than I might have, but I always like traveling with a book set in the place I'm going. This was an interesting choice. It absolutely captured the flavor of Madrid, but invited me into a seedier side of Madrid than I was seeing. The story was well-plotted and tight and I was invested in reading on. It wasn't a "WOW 5 stars" kind of a book, but a solid, engaging 4 star read.
+10 task
+10 review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 365
