Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Top Books of the year (no re-reads included).


I read 115 books this year. Of that 115, 26 were rereads. Why do I reread? Well in some cases it’s because a new book in a series has come out after a few years and so, to remember where it left off, I’ll reread the series or the last couple of books, it just depends. Also, I reread certain books at night, in bed, while waiting for my sleeping concoction to take me away. I read something I already know so that it doesn’t keep me up. Honestly, I read each Harry Potter book and the Hunger Games Series, every year. FYI: A new book is coming out from Suzanne Collins in 2020, related to the Hunger Games. Finally, I reread for book club.  Sometimes, a book I read years ago is finally an available book at the library and I do try to choose books for book club that are available in 2 out of 3 formats from the library. I do a lot of research on this.
Now, On to my favorite books of the year:
Fiction:
1.       This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger - Just a beautiful book really. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to turn back around and read it again. I will. Eventually

2.       A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum - I read this book because of #ReadWithJenna and came to find out that Etaf Rum is an NC State Grad (Go Wolfpack!). She also runs a book and coffee shop in Rocky Mount, NC called Books and Beans  I wanted to make this Number 1 and it would have been if not for This Tender Land.  How do we learn about other cultures, religions? By reading books like this! This book is on my list of books to read for book club next year. Thus, a reread in 2020.

3.       Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas - For Fantasy lovers - This is the seventh and last book in The Throne of Glass Series. This book is THAT fantasy, with Fae folk, shape shifters, and more types of fantastical beings with superpowers. Not gonna lie, it also has some hot romances going on. I was in shock when I put it down not even knowing where to go. I didn't know what to read that would ever jog me out of the fog I'd been in. It was that good. Thankfully, I read it at the beginning of the year and was able to take a quick break. I probably dove in and out of some books before finally finding a new read. 

4.       The Gown by Jennifer Robson - Not sure what I expected but it wasn't this. And I liked it! 

5.       Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - This book recommendation came from Reese Witherspoons book club, Hello Sunshine. Solid book. I loved the way it was written, like interviews with rock stars. Quick read despite the page count.

6.       Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult - A book club attendee mentioned some Jodi Picoult. I remembered that when this one came out I had a hard time getting it from the library. I finally got it and was amazed. Another eye opener. 

7.       The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - Every blog I encountered, every book site/place I went to was talking about this book. As a "follower" I took the bait and I'm glad I did.  Great suspense read. 

8.       The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - I think I liked this better than The Underground Railroad. While not a "true" story, it is based on the real story of a reform school in Florida. I am no longer amazed at the horrors of our country. This was a tear jerker.  

9.       Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane -  Another book that appeared everywhere over the internet and for good reason. Really great story telling. 

10.   Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner - I've read a few JW novels but a coworker was reading this one and said I should give it a try. I did.  I enjoyed this a lot better than some others that I've started. 
Non-Fiction:
1.       The Daily Stoic: The Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance,and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday -  I needed to find some perspective this year and this book helped greatly. I enjoyed waking up every day to read a new thought. 

2.       The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of FredRogers by Maxwell King - Name dropping here but Fred Rogers spoke at my college graduation in 1996 and he was awesome. I'll never forget it just like I'll never forget watching his show when I was younger. 

3.       The Stranger in the Woods: The ExtraordinaryStory of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel - I never knew we had real true hermits until I read this book. As someone who oftentimes just wants to chuck it all and get away from civilized life I found this entertaining and sad. 

4.       The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates - Powerful words and relevant. 

5.       Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon ValleyStartup by John Carreyou - If you want to make nothing out of nothing, read this book. Seriously. I still don't understand how so many famous and powerful people got duped. Well, I do see how in the beginning but at the end, no..no...no. 

6.       We Were Eight Years in Power: An AmericanTragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates -  I like Ta-Nehisi and the way he writes. It's from the soul and from the mind and from life. This is a good intro to his writing. I cannot wait to read his novel, The Water Dancer, on tap for 2020.

7.       Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will toSurvive by Stephanie Land - Not gonna lie, I thought about becoming a maid for awhile. I kind of like cleaning but then realized, I hate cleaning bathrooms. Nope. Not gonna do it. I'm glad I didn't as it appears to be a lot harder than it looks. I don't have kids but can't imagine having to work like this while trying to raise children.  Way to go! 

8.       Lab Girl by Hope Jahren - Another book I couldn't seem to get away from found me in 2019. After a poll this became one of my book club's non-fiction reads for the year. I enjoyed it and found myself utterly enjoying a topic I knew nothing about and it involved...SCIENCE! 

9.       The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis - My Favorite "political" read this year. I don't like to read them often but if I do, I want something that goes fast but is informative and this was it.  


10.   My Reading Life by Pat Conroy - A book about books and the man who loves reading and writing them. Beautiful writing. I've actually never ready anything else by him but I intend to. 


See you next year! 2020 looks to be another great reading year for me.  I hope it is for you too. 

Friday, February 1, 2019

February 1, 2018...Life is Good

I decided to start blogging again this year but not on the 1st of January, oh no. Give myself some time, figure out what I want to do, where I want to go.  So here I am on February 1 doing this thing. I've finished my taxes and opened up a glorious bottle of wine. It's one of my favorites and I knew I'd need a favorite tonight.
I've finished doing my taxes and didn't even finish one glass.  Damn HR Block is good.  I don't owe anything either this year so, that's good.

Now, I'm going to finish Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen Series this weekend since nothing else is really going on around here.

February is my first favorite month of the year. Why? Because I was born in February and that makes it a great month. 

Off to paint my nails, or take a bath, or something. Stay warm peeps. Spring is getting closer every day!

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Review: Not My Father's Son

Not My Father's Son Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Color Purple

The Color Purple The Color Purple by Alice Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Thirteenth Tale

The Thirteenth Tale The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Immortalists

The Immortalists The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Ready Player One: The Movie - NO SPOILERS I PROMISE

Let's face it, the book was better than the movie. However, I will concede that if you didn't read the book you would probably really enjoy the movie. In fact, you'd probably really like it.  I liked it, but I didn't love it.  I loved the book.

As an 80s child (I graduated high school in 1990) this book brought back so many memories. Things I had forgotten came back with force; video games, movies and music. As a side note, I bought the War Games movie on DVD right after reading this book.  I have most of the 80s music and video games. 

I went to this movie with my favorite movie critic (Trevor) and another voracious reader (Brittany). 
We had all read the book but felt we were far enough removed from the book that we would appreciate the movie. I last read it in 2016 and I tried really hard not to read this again when I heard about the movie.  I remember the 2 Deathly Hallows movies (that still hurts). I wasn't going to go through that again.

Trevor said it wasn't Spielberg enough and it could have been better.  I'll believe him because he knows Spielberg movies and I don't.  I wasn't sure exactly how they were going to do the virtual world vs. reality and I thought it was okay. I'm not well versed on avatars so I thought the avatar's were pretty well done. Art3mis was probably the closest to how I imagined the characters. He agreed it wasn't real close to the book but that it was okay on it's own. It was.

Brittany, who wasn't even around in the 80s (she's a youngun) liked it. She was the most positive about it. Maybe because she wasn't like me, searching for those youthful reminders.

And therein lies my overall disappointment but I realize that getting licenses for some of the 80s things that were mentioned in the book may have been the hangup. I had also heard/read that Spielberg didn't want to make this movie all about him (because he is featured pretty heavily in the book!). This is why, at the end of the movie, I was okay with it. I will definitely see it again. I'll probably buy the Blu-Ray.


Happy National Beer Day!



***I went to listen to Ernest Cline speak when Armada came out in Paperback (yes, I geeked out over an author!) and I fell a bit in love with him. His appearance at Flyleaf in Chapel Hill in April 2016 was spectacular. The whole time I was thinking, he gets me. He really gets me. Too bad he had his fiancee with him.***










By the way, I'm so 80s that most of the spaces after my periods are double spaced ;)