It’s time for a reading update December style. All the things I read between spooky thrillers to the end of the year. I was glad to get back to reading this year and I’m already making plans for reading in 2024.
Babel by R.F. Kuang, pictured above, was quite good. It’s fantasy of a historical nature, taking place between England and China in 1830. It’s a good study in social structure and doesn’t have a very complex world or magic system to learn. Well worth the read if you like a book like I’ve described. I sent it on to my friend Kaciana, as she enjoys fantasy books as well.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a fast science fiction read dealing with multiple universes. I really enjoyed this one, and passed it on to my friend Liz when I was done. It’s absolutely readable even if you aren’t really into science fiction.
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison tickled my fancy. It starts out having you believe one thing, and then kind of turns it on its head. It was quirky and entertaining. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but my coworker Shevy enjoyed it.
I’m currently reading Melissa Blair’s A Broken Blade. It’s true fantasy and is an entertaining read so far. I’m only a few chapters into it and then had to stop for some sideline projects. It is the sort of light reading that sucks you into the world it creates and doesn’t ask too much of your brain. It’s rather the opposite ends of the fantasy spectrum than Babel is.
I have a number of books up on my TBR list for 2024. I know I need to do a general update, but I’m not sure I will get to it by the end of 2023. The last few months were somewhat challenging as a whole, but I’m looking forward to the new year.
What are you reading now, and what’s next on your list?
For some time now, maybe over a year, I’ve had difficulty concentrating on reading. For those of you who have followed me for some time, you know I always had a book going and did a yearly Summer Reads list. I still haven’t been able to get my reading mojo back, but I have been enjoying some audiobooks. I just started Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six and I’ll update when I’m done with that. Other audiobooks I’ve read this year are:
I’m going to link all book titles to their amazon page, however if you are interested in audiobooks there are other places to get them other than amazon/audible. Stephen King’s The Institute is long. I’m sure it’s crazy long if you read it. It took forever to listen to as well. I primarily do my listening when I’m cooking on the weekends and making dinner. The Institute wasn’t bad, really. I just compare every King book to my absolute favorite King book, Joyland. This is not as good.
One of the things about an audiobook isn’t just the story itself, but the narrator reading the book. I suggest if you are able, listen to a preview of the book before you pay for it because some voices may just grate on your nerves. I enjoyed the interesting story of The Golem and the Jinni written by Helene Wecker and it was well narrated. Another long listen, I find that months later I can’t seem to remember the ending. But the path that will get you there is worth a listen.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher is book 1 of 17 in the Dresden Files books. It’s fantasy, wizard stuff and I really did enjoy it. Why are so many fantasy books long, long series? I never feel like I want to devote that much time. Are there any fantasy series you’ve read all the way through and think each one is worth it? Let me know in the comments. Anyhow, this book kept my attention, I enjoyed the story and the narrator, and it went quite quickly.
My goodness, it’s been awhile since I’ve read Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me. It was a quick mystery, and not a bad one at that. Is it worth your time? I guess it depends on how much time you have. I strongly suggest you listen to the preview though, to see if you enjoy the narrator.
In July, I listened to Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. Here’s my description of that: They aren’t ghost stories in the traditional sense, though I suppose there’s one or two like that in there. It’s more the uncanny type of stories that will remain in your mind long after you’ve read them. I wasn’t sure with the first one or two, but now I highly recommend it. Many years ago I read a collection from Breece D’J Pancake, and there was one particular short story that never left me about a snow plow driver. This book is full of interesting tales like that one.
I loved listening to The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore. The narrative was great, the narrator was great, and the subject was great. If you like historical fiction, this book about life in the leper colony at Carville in the 1920s will captivate you.
Another fantasy book, Holly Black’s Book of Night is a fairly quick listen. If you loved Holly Black’s YA Modern Faerie Tales trilogy, this isn’t going to get you there. I’ve been chasing the dream of those three books since I read them years ago.
The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan is indeed a cold case investigation, perfect if you like listening to true crime podcasts. The team doing the investigation was thorough, and did come to a likely answer. In the end, the horror of those who were betrayed and those who did the betrayal left me feeling a bit of hopelessness.
Julia Drosten’s The Girl with the Golden Scissorsis the last audiobook I’ve completed. It’s a bit of historical fiction, taking place in Austria and Hungary just prior to and through World War I. It was a very fast listen, and a nice little story. Well worth the time.
Do you have any favorite audiobooks or narrators? What have you been listening to?
Ah, time again for some misc. summer updates. It is a busy time of the year, no? And I actually left the house and did something outside of work! Mom and I went to the Leila Arboretum Society‘s summer garden tour this year. We hadn’t been before. This year’s gardens were on the north side of town, and many were in very small lots. It is amazing to see what can be done in such a small space. If you’re interested in seeing some of the photos, swing over to My Michigan Garden. It was a really fun time, and I’m glad we went. I think, give it another year, Mom’s garden could easily be on the tour. It’s that good.
Summer Reads
I finished Tim Madigan’s The Burning last night. You know how a non-fiction book can be a horrific tale, but it is written so well and is so enlightening you’d call it a really good book? This is that book. I think anyone who reads it would be horrified over the events in Tulsa and how the story was essentially buried for so many years. I think you’d be hard put to read it and not think reparations are due, not just for slavery but for how black people in America have been treated every day since slavery supposedly ended.
Next book up is Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary. I told you I was no longer shopping at amazon, so I got the book from New Story Community Books in Marshall. They happened to have a signed copy in stock, but they can order whatever else you need. It is a fantastic store, and I highly recommend locals shop there! A friend recommended the book and I read a sample online, and I can’t wait to start reading it. I think it’s going to be really good. If I finish that and still have time on my summer reads, Tom Cooper’s Florida Man will be the book after that. Originally I only set three books and was concerned I wouldn’t have time to get through them, but all three books so far were very engaging and pretty fast reads. Don’t you think summer reading just hits differently? I love it.
Painting
We finished the HSSCM Pet Portrait fundraiser (here is the catalog). There is one painting that hasn’t come in, and I will need to paint it myself if it doesn’t make it by the end of the month. Currently, I’m doing a special cat portrait in gouache for a dear friend who lost her handsome panther just recently. You can see I have the colors blocked in, but that’s it. I figure it will take another three hours or so to finish it. I’d like to say it will be done this weekend, but I’m not confident in my time. After I finish this one, and the one that didn’t make it to the HSSCM event, I’ll hopefully get back to watercolor. I find the days are very long and hard, and by the time evening rolls around I’m too mentally tired to paint.
Can you believe we are nearing the end of July? The cicadas are singing on the hot afternoons, and smoke from the wildfires out west are creating hazy sunlight skies. Bob is quite busy at work, and will be attending some events coming up for his job. I’ll be attending the MSU Master Gardener conference virtually in August. My thoughts are already turning to Halloween. With no event, there will be no costume this year. But maybe I can entertain myself with some historybounding? Who knows. There are so many things I’d like to do to entertain myself, and so little time outside of work. And some of the hours (many of the hours) outside of work are still dealing with work issues.
We are maybe 1/3 through the summer, and I’m making progress on my summer reading. First up was Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time which I guess would be classified as a fantasy novel. The main character ages very, very slowly. It was a good read, but not very memorable. A week after I had read it, I forgot what happened in it. If you’re looking for a light beach read though, this could be your book.
Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is maybe more of a novella. I started and finished in it just a couple of hours. It was an interesting read for sure. The woman the story is centered around has some sort of un-diagnosed personality disorder. From not being understood in childhood to trying to find her place in life, she finds peace working part time in a convenience store. The descriptions of the store and her surroundings are quite good. You can really feel yourself there. Though I couldn’t identify with the character personally, the story gave me insight into another kind of life. I don’t think this is a book for everyone, but I have a few friends who might like it including my cousin Angie.
I’ve also been daily reading selections from Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic looking for peace and inspiration. I’ve also been tracking down the Splash watercolor books. They are excellent for ideas and inspiration. Here’s my latest watercolors, #44 and #45.
The second one got a bit of traffic on the watercolor Facebook groups I belong to, and I did learn a lot through all of the comments. It seems the watercolor people are more active than the gouache or acrylic people. I did start a new watercolor last night and it’s not going well. Hoping it can still be salvaged. I need to sit and wait for things to dry instead of constantly reworking them while wet. Things always look different in the morning. That’s a pretty good metaphor for life as well. Worry and overwork things at night and it’s a disaster. The morning light will cast a new reality for you.
Next up on my reading list: The Burning [Tulsa Race Riot] by Tim Madigan
I’m done with Amazon. Their refusal to pay corporate taxes, the way they treat their staff members, and the horror that is Amazon Prime delivery services has finally ended it for me. So for me, it’s no more amazon. I’ll be paying more to place orders at independent stores and will be supporting hopefully the USPS (even UPS and FedEx are better than Amazon Prime deliveries). Today I ordered a book from The Book Beat in Oak Park, Michigan. Last week I ordered two from Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately we don’t have any great independent art supply stores around here, so I usually order from Blick. My favorite peanut butter is cheaper on Amazon, but I ordered directly from the company. And don’t even get me started on Etsy:
Anyhow, in July please consider shopping local or supporting independent sellers online. It can really make a difference in their lives! Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite local or online independent retailer.
It’s been raining a crap ton (over four inches in the past week). Everything is wet, inside and outside the house. Ants have moved into my office. But at least we haven’t had to water? Consumer’s Energy gouged electric rates daily from 2:00 – 7:00pm. That’s not an exaggeration. It was literally a 50 percent increase. When it rains forever, it’s pretty humid. And the only way to beat it back is using air conditioning. Which is now much more expensive. At least it’s not as hot as it is in the west right now.
I did start the summer reads with Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time. It’s pretty good so far. Lots going on this week, and at this point I’m not sure how everything is going to shake out. In the meanwhile, try to breathe deep and appreciate the little things.
Time for another misc. updates post. How quickly June passes! Since the last post, I did finish my final baby blanket, but forgot to take a picture. Hopefully no more baby blankets for some time. I have a personal crochet project I’m kicking around in my mind, but in the meanwhile I’ll probably just crochet a few cat blankets for the shelter. Last week was super hot and humid, but this week is cooler.
Last weekend Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney came to visit. We went up to Lansing to water the graves, and the lavender was in bloom on the Thorne/Cleary plot. Drove past Hudda’s house, stopped for lunch. It was a lovely few days, and it’s a reminder of how lucky I am to have family I not only love, but I really like and enjoy spending time with!
In my last post, I mentioned the pet portrait FUNdraiser for the Humane Society. In the end, we had 26 people request a portrait, for $520 in total revenue which is really disappointing to me. Some of the completed works have already come in, and they are fantastic. I’ve been slowly working on the one I assigned myself, otherwise known as painting #42 in my collection.
I’ll have to take some photos and a video of the gardens. I’ve had to water a lot as it’s been so hot and we haven’t gotten much rain at all. In fact, Calhoun County is now in a “moderate drought”. The flower beds look good, though we have yet to have a single monarch butterfly or caterpillar. I would guess our group didn’t survive the winter in Mexico. The honey bees and bumble bees are enjoying the flower garden, and we’ve had some moths as well.
Michigan is pretty well open from the pandemic closures, and what isn’t open by state regulation will be released completely July 1st. The shelter is still open by appointment only, mostly for the stress benefit to the animals and staff members. Not sure when that will change. The Field of Flight balloon championship will go on as usual this year, with 20,000 guests expected and only 42% of Calhoun County folks vaccinated.
I’ve started pulling together my list of Summer Reads. With so much going on (gardening, painting, work, worrying) I’m not sure how much time I have to read. I’ve got three books set for sure, then some potentials if I get time. Here’s the list
Painting #31 is an acrylic study of a photo I took some time back. It could use a little more work, but I will likely leave it as is. I’m doing an online class on painting nocturnes now, which is interesting, but I’m having some trouble finding reference photos I like. Am I improving? Who knows. But the time spent painting is time not spent fretting about stressful or unhappy things. It’s impossible to paint and mentally deal with anything else other than paint, brush, and paper. I’ll take it.
The weather is endless gray days and snow. We’ll have a few minutes of sun here and there, and thankfully it’s not been bitterly cold, but I’m feeling the strain just the same. It’s harder to get out of bed and damn near impossible to get off the couch. I did read Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, which is the first book I’ve been able to finish in some time. Like a year. I don’t know if it’s just my mood or if my new glasses are helping my eyestrain some. I know it’s only 61 days until the official start of spring and we’ll probably have a February thaw and the end of winter will happen. I’m trying to plan on bright things, like a surprise Twin Peaks Day package I’m sending out and Valentine’s gifts for the staff members. Still, it’s a struggle. It’s hard to write letters when I don’t have much to say. It’s hard to take photos when everything is the same color of gray all the time.
I had a little bike accident that involved a flat tire, sore shoulder and nasty road rash. When I stood up, I apparently had tiny liquor bottles stuck to my leg (yay, Battle Creek!). And since my tires were old and shredded, I had to order new tires. In the meanwhile, as I wait for the new tires to arrive, I’ve been walking at lunch hour. It’s a very small tour of Battle Creek. And very hot for walking. If you’ve seen a sweaty, scowling individual walking around, it could be me. Photos from recent walks:
We are reaping the rewards of our garden, with adult monarch butterflies and a second round of monarch caterpillars.
We’ve pulled a few cucumbers, green beans and cherry tomatoes, plus romaine and parsley from the garden. And the monarch beds are really filling in. I’m pleased with how it turned out this year for sure.
Haven’t had a ton of time for reading or painting or sewing or crocheting lately. When I do seem to have time, I’m way too tired to attempt any of it. I did manage to read this Barbara Delinsky book, which was a fun summer read. I have another fun read sitting on the table waiting. And I do have a sewing project on tap! It is amazing how fast the summer is going already. What are you working on this summer?
Time for a summer reads update, though there’s not much to report as I haven’t been reading much. I have been crocheting a lot and watching a ton of shows (Project Runway Season 16, Pose, Fleabag…).
And I have even more shows waiting (Stranger Things, Derry Girls). I don’t know if it’s everything else in life or if it’s just the books I’ve been choosing, but I’ve had a hard time really falling into a book lately. I’ve also had a real series of headaches again, and that makes it difficult to read in the evenings. I need to schedule an appointment with the eye doctor.
I started the summer reading with a light read. Emma Rous’ The Au Pair has an interesting twist. I wouldn’t say it’s the kind of book that is going to stay with you, but if you’re looking for a nice, easy beach read that will keep you entertained, it’s a good one.
When I was younger, I’d battle through a book to the very end, no matter what. As I’ve gotten older, I realize there are so many books I will never read them all, and why waste your time reading something you’re not enjoying?
Jillian Cantor’s In Another Time is a well-written, interesting book. However, I found it sad and distressing to read. I am sure everything will work out for the characters in the end of the book, but I just couldn’t finish it. I found myself sad thinking about it, and I didn’t want to pick it up to read it. I only got about half way through before I gave it up entirely.
Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was not on my original list, but it was recommended by a friend. It was a good read, though a little sad and stressful like the Cantor book, still I was able to get through it. I suspect my next read will be off the list as well, and something light.
Not only have I been slothful in posting, I haven’t been reading much this summer either. In fact, I sort of wonder what I have been doing. I had a nice little summer bucket list, and have checked off very few things (yoga on the beach at Lake Michigan, baseball game and attending an outdoor concert). Here it is, nearing the end of August and the trees are already starting to turn, and I’ve only been out paddle boarding eight times. Yikes.
I did read the Megan Miranda book, The Perfect Stranger. It was not bad.
Then I read The Ninth Hour and I think it was pretty good, but then I had to go look up the synopsis to write this as I couldn’t remember what it was about.
Then it was The Night Circus, which was interesting but I was more than ready for it to be over by the time I finished it.
I also read Slade House, but didn’t manage to get the cat and couch photo. The last two chapters, I realized it was sort of a sequel or at least had some characters in it from a previous David Mitchell book that I had loved. This one was just ok.
And that’s where I am. Rather, I’m about halfway through Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible and it’s just delightful. Best thing I’ve read since last year’s American Fire. As it’s nearly Labor Day, it doesn’t look like I’m going to be finishing my summer reads as planned this year, but I suppose it’s not terrible as I did get more than half way through. I did pick up another couple books, including a real beach read and a more challenging novel. Maybe autumn will be a more fitting time to read this year.