Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Best of the Bunch (August 2022)

Best of the Bunch header

Today I'm sharing the best book I read in August.

Of the 10 books I read this month, I had only one 5-star read, so that's my Best of the Bunch!
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory was a fascinating and worthwhile read, narrated in an engaging and entertaining way by the author on audiobook. Doughty dives into the day-to-day tasks involved in working in a crematory and other areas of the death industry, as well as providing a good bit of history of death-related practices in both the United States and elsewhere. The entire book is written in an irreverent, humorous tone (another good reason to experience it on audio), which made it go by very fast even as it was engaging with heavy topics. Doughty says upfront that she isn't going to shy away from the realities of what bodies do after death, but even as a sensitive reader I didn't find it too difficult to read because she doesn't intentionally dwell on any details to try to paint a gory picture for you. And dealing with death matter-of-factly is kind of Doughty's whole thing, trying to normalize for readers the reality that we will all die and have bodies that need to be dealt with. Whether the idea of death terrifies you or fascinates you, I think this book is worth the read.

What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Sun Is Also a Star, Womanist Midrash, and Strange the Dreamer
Five years ago I was reading: Infinite Jest and Taken at the Flood
Ten years ago I was reading: The Art of Racing in the Rain

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Monday, August 29, 2022

Ten Fictional Schools I Wouldn't Want to Attend


I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week is a school-themed freebie. I opted to list out ten schools from books I've read that I'm glad I never had to attend!
1. Bailey School (from the Bailey School Kids series)
Not that it was always bad to have a school staffed by magical creatures, but the kids at the school ended up spending so much mental energy trying to figure out whether each person was actually a vampire, a leprechaun, a ghost, and so on and rarely getting concrete proof, which has to feel like a years-long gaslighting experience.
2. Croydon Academy of the Arts and Sciences (from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer)
The fact that this school seemed terrible may be a result of the entire book being kind of terrible, but it seemed like the teachers were either negligent, rude, or overly harsh, and the social strata among the students was intense.
3. Crunchem Hall Primary School (from Matilda)
Any school run by a headmistress like Miss Trunchbull is one I'd like to avoid!
4. Hailsham (from Never Let Me Go)
It's hard to explain this one without spoilers, but let's just say that the students are part of an experiment that has major implications for their existence, which is a lot of pressure to have hanging over your art projects.
5. Hogwarts (from the Harry Potter series)
I know, the whole idea of learning magic spells and how to fly sounds awesome, but in reality, the chance of dying while attending this school is much too high...
6. Innovations Academy (from Girls with Sharp Sticks)
I'd prefer to go to school to learn actual subjects, rather than how to be obedient and beautiful.
7. The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (from The Mysterious Benedict Society)
Besides the school being a cover-up for evil doings (which the main characters are sent there to uncover), it's like the worst parts of regular school — long, repetitive lectures and constant quizzes that require memorizing the content — and none of the fun parts.
8. Lowood School (from Jane Eyre)
The students at this school for female orphans are overworked, underfed, and discouraged from having a will of their own.
9. St. Jerome's Indian Residential School (from Indian Horse)
Based on the actual residential schools that Native children were forced to attend, the students at this school are not only stripped of their culture in an attempt at forced assimilation, they're also subjected to slavery-like conditions and physical and sexual abuse.
10. Wayside School (from the Wayside School series)
Besides having teachers that can turn you into an apple or read your mind or trap you on an invisible floor doing busy work forever, you may have to walk as many as twenty-nine flights of stairs to get to class, the lunchroom food is inedible, and there are never enough usable balls available at recess.

Which fictional schools would you not want to attend?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Sun Is Also a Star, Womanist Midrash, and Strange the Dreamer
Five years ago I was reading: Infinite Jest and Taken at the Flood
Ten years ago I was reading: The Art of Racing in the Rain

Monday, August 15, 2022

Ten Books I Love That Were Written Over Ten Years Ago


I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic is books we love written over ten years ago, but since I already did a post of favorite books written before I was born, I decided to confine my list this time to books published between 1985 and 2011. Turns out most of my favorite books of all time were written during this period! It was quite hard to narrow it down to just ten. These are all ones I've talked about on the blog before, so you can search them if you want to know more about why I love them!
1. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
2. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
4. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
6. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
8. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
10. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

What older books do you love?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Weapons of Math Destruction, The Buried Bones Mystery, Womanist Midrash, and Nothing to See Here
Five years ago I was reading: Infinite Jest and Bel Canto
Ten years ago I was reading: Nudge

What I've Been Reading Lately (Quick Lit)

Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.

The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie: Most of the stories in this collection don't follow the typical mystery format. Some might be classified more as thrillers, others as stories of the paranormal. I'd recommend this collection more for the atmosphere than anything else, if you're in the mood to read about eerie happenings and narrow escapes from death.

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd: I can understand why this book has been powerful for so many women over the decades since it was published. That said, coming to this book as a Christian feminist in 2022 who did not grow up in a conservative church, there wasn't a lot that was new or startling to me, and a few parts haven't aged well.

Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride: This is an excellent memoir by an amazing woman. McBride details both the intimate moments of her life and those on a larger, political stage, striking a nice balance between acknowledging the progress that has been made and facing the progress yet to be made in our country.

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe: I enjoyed this just as much on reread, and the members of my queer book club each found some different piece that resonated with them. I'd say it's valuable as both a window and a mirror.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn: This thriller definitely has a lot of suspenseful moments and creepy happenings, which made an immersive read once I got through the incredibly slow beginning.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty: This was a fascinating and worthwhile read, narrated in an engaging and entertaining way by the author on audiobook. Whether the idea of death terrifies you or fascinates you, I think this book is worth the read.

A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing by Amanda Held Opelt: I picked this up mainly because Opelt is Rachel Held Evans' sister, though I found that she hews much more closely to traditional American Protestantism than RHE did. Each chapter looks at a different ritual around grief and mourning, from covering mirrors to wearing black, and intersperses historical detail with Opelt's own lived experiences of loss.

Rabbits by Terry Miles: This book was a wild ride! I'd recommend it for anyone who likes fast-paced sci-fi thrillers and doesn't mind investing a lot of hours in a read. There were definitely world-building elements that weren't fully explained, but for the most part I could follow along as things got increasingly complex.

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Weapons of Math Destruction, The Buried Bones Mystery, Womanist Midrash, and Nothing to See Here
Five years ago I was reading: Infinite Jest and Bel Canto
Ten years ago I was reading: Nudge

Monday, August 1, 2022

Ten Books Set in a Place I'd Love to Visit


I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic is books set in a place we'd love to visit. I decided this is different than bookish settings I'd love to visit, where a specific book makes me want to visit a place; in this case, I listed ten places I want to visit and paired them with books I've read set there. Some of these are places I've been before and want to return to, and some are places I have never been to but would like to.
1. Australia: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
I have never been to Australia, but I'm interested to visit someday!
2. Canada: The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
I've been to a couple of spots in British Columbia briefly and on the other side of the Niagara Falls, but otherwise I've never made a proper visit to Canada. I have some friends in BC I'd love to visit, and it would also be great to try out my French skills in Quebec!
3. France: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
I spent a week in Paris in college, but I'd like to see more of France, plus people in Paris tended to speak English to me when I tried to speak French. I have a friend living in Paris now, though, so I'd be happy to go back there as well!
4. Ireland: One Hundred Names by Cecilia Ahern
I spent a week touring Ireland with my family in 2010, but I had mono and spent a lot of time sleeping on the tour bus. I enjoyed the trip and would love to go back with the ability to walk around more!
5. Italy: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
I was supposed to go on a trip to Sicily (where my grandmother was born) with my family in 2020, which was rescheduled for obvious reasons, and when it finally happened this summer I wasn't able to take the time off work to go. I'd still like to visit someday.
6. Japan: After Dark by Haruki Murakami
My dad lived in Tokyo for work for a year and a half and we went to visit him for a week. I really liked a lot about the city and would love to go back.
7. Massachusetts: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I've been a lot of places in the United States, but never anywhere in New England. Boston feels like a place I should have been by now, and I have a friend in Cambridge I could visit.
8. New Zealand: A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
I had a wonderful time visiting New Zealand four years ago for the wedding of some friends who live there. I definitely want to go back and see them again, especially now that they have a child!
9. Vermont: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Another place in New England I haven't been where one of my friends now lives!
10. Wales: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
I had Wales on my list because I wanted to see the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, but I didn't realize until now that it was only there from 2012 to 2017. It's not clear if the museum will be rehoused somewhere else at this point, but if it is, that's where I'd like to visit!

What places would you like to visit?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Thursday Murder Club, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Homecoming of Samuel Lake
Five years ago I was reading: Infinite Jest, Faithful Place, and Crime and Punishment
Ten years ago I was reading: The Grapes of Wrath