It was a decent reading month, with nothing I'm jumping up and down about but several enjoyable and valuable reads.
The Bad Guys in Dawn of the Underlord by Aaron Blabey: After closing out the original story arc in the last book, this book starts a new story arc that involves a more stereotypical good vs. evil shooting-power-bolts-at-each-other kind of vibe. It had some funny moments, but it definitely feels like this far into the series it's gotten away from the original feel.
Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder: How to Keep Out-of-Control Emotions from Destroying Your Relationship by Shari Y. Manning: This was recommended as a good book for those who have a loved one who has experienced trauma, and I found it surprisingly applicable. Her tone is compassionate and hopeful, her advice is practical, and her basic principles are sound and based in research and experience. I'm grateful this resource exists!
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy: This was a dark, compelling read that unfortunately got bogged down in too many unnecessary tropes. I loved the premise, and the mystery kept me engaged, but I was asked to suspend my disbelief far too many times. The nature writing and the complicated ethics woven into the story would make me inclined to recommend this if it hadn't turned into a soap opera in the process.
This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something—Anything—Like Your Life Depends on It by Tabitha Carvan: This was a delightful read. The author found herself completely obsessed with Benedict Cumberbatch after having children, and this is the hilarious and very relatable exploration of why she feels shame about enjoying something so much and what it has to do with gender expectations. What starts out as trying to explain her love for Benedict Cumberbatch ends in an exhortation for her readers to find something they love unabashedly.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: Jackson is a master both at creating atmosphere and at depicting characters so that you get a sense of them with just a few lines of dialogue. I loved the first half of this book, as the main characters develop a sense of camaraderie and the house's haunted nature starts to become more apparent. As the main character's mental state becomes more affected by the house, though, I had a harder time following what was going on and thus had a harder time maintaining interest.
Green by Alex Gino: Gino's books are a gift to today's middle grade readers, both queer and not, in the clear, age-appropriate way they share information about identity exploration and the world more broadly. I love that this story of a nonbinary seventh grader moves beyond the traditional coming out narrative to grapple with things like crushes and hormone blockers, even if Gino tried to fit a bit too much in a short book and lost some of the impact on the central plot lines.
True Biz by Sara Nović: This is one of those books that I'm very glad exist even if the story itself wasn't super compelling to me personally. Through the story of one Deaf institution, Nović educates the reader on the importance of language access for Deaf children, along with other lessons on ASL and Deaf culture.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Radio Silence, McDonald's, and When Endermen Attack
Five years ago I was reading: Gaudy Night and The Future of the Mind
Ten years ago I was reading: Red Azalea and War and Peace
No comments:
Post a Comment