November Wrap Up #1

So far in November, I have read 5 books.

On the first I picked up Coraline by Neil Gaiman. (Since this was my spooky book I wanted to read it close to Halloween.) This was adorable about a little girl who finds a magical pathway that leads to a different life. At first she thinks it's exactly what she wants, but finds out not all is well. The audiobook was great and I enjoyed it so much that I watched the movie adaptation later that evening. I gave it 3 stars.

I then picked up A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved the movie as a child but I had never read the book. This was a sweet classic about a girl who is very wealthy and attending boarding school. She then finds out her father dies, leaving her a penniless orphan and is badly mistreated. She still pretends she is a princess and acts with grace towards those who are cruel to her. Even though it was written in the early 1900s, it felt timeless to me. I gave the book 4 stars.

My hold of The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill finally came in and I was able to see what the fuss was about. This is a cute graphic novel about creatures called tea dragons which are about the size of cats. There wasn't much story but it was sweet and I really liked the art style. I gave the book 3 stars.

After months of waiting, I also picked up No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder. This is a narrative nonfiction focusing on domestic violence and how that sometimes leads to more violence ending in mass shootings or family annihilation. This was a difficult book to read. She focused on victims, perpetrators, and resource communities trying to prevent the family violence from escalating. Incredibly informative and utterly heartbreaking. I gave the book 5 stars.

Additionally, I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. This is his memoir of training to be a surgeon and when he was finally about to reap the rewards of his efforts, he is diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. So sad, I literally sobbed at the end. I would recommend it to anyone but be prepared to cry. I gave it 5 stars.

November TBR

I'm partaking in two readathons that take place the whole month of November. The first is Nonfiction November and the other is Believathon which focuses on reading middle grade books. Here are the books I want to read for each:

Nonfiction November-

Sport- Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer
True- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Design- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Voice- No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder



Believathon-

Read the group book: Frostheart by Jamie Littler
Read a book with an animal character: The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Read a children's classic: The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read an atmospheric or creepy book: Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Read a book featuring magic: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Read a book with real-life issues: The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

October Wrap Up #2

In the latter half of October, I've read three more books.

First I picked up an essay collection called Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim. It was a wonderful examination of Snape's character and motivations in each of the seven books. While in the beginning, I felt she was making conclusion with little or no real evidence, in the later books she had much more to back up her theories. She really opened my eyes to some particular motivations which I had seen through Harry's eyes, that is to say a biased perspective. I loved reading the essays and it nearly felt like I had found a new Harry Potter book. I enjoyed in immensely and gave the collection 5 stars.

Next, I picked up the seventh Harry Potter book to finish my re-read of the series. With fresh eyes, I could see the many layers of Snape's decisions throughout the story. I almost lamented that he wasn't in the story more. I grieved the loss of him in addition to Fred, Lupin, and Tonks. This is such a great series. I gave it 5 stars.

Lastly, I read We're Not Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby. This is a collection of essays covering various aspects of Irby's life. Many of them were funny and some were a bit gross. She suffers from Crohn's disease and has a number of digestive issues, some of which she details a bit too graphically. Overall, I gave the book 3 stars and would probably pick up more of her essays in the future.

October Wrap Up #1

I have read six books in the first half of October.

I read two ARCs. The Forest City Killer by Vanessa Brown and Entanglement by Andrew J. Thomas. I've written individual reviews for these so I won't repeat myself.

I finally picked up Bookwanderers by Anna James. This is a children's fantasy book about Tilly who can "bookwander." That means she can literally pull favorite characters out of books and she can go inside a book to live out the story. This was very cute. There is a sequel that is already out in the UK and will be released in the US in spring 2020. I will likely pick up the next book. I gave this book 3 stars.

Then I listened to Confessions by Kanae Minato. This is a Japanese psychological horror story focusing on a middle school teacher and the events surrounding her daughter's death. There were many twists and turns and I couldn't consume the story fast enough. Definitely a page-turner! I gave the story 4 stars.

My library hold of This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger became available so I picked it up next. It's a historical fiction novel set in the Great Depression about some orphans who run away from their state care facility and survive in the wilderness. They meet people along the way, some good and some evil. Krueger wrote beautifully and I was very pleased with how the story turned out. I gave the book 4 stars.

Lastly, I picked up Christodora by Tim Murphy. Another historical fiction set in the 1980s, 1990s, up to 2021. This largely focused on the HIV/AIDS crisis and the people who were affected. The story focuses on Milly and Jared who choose to adopt a little boy who was orphaned when his mother died of AIDS. The stories interweave with several characters who impact the story in meaningful ways. The characters are mostly unlikable but I still enjoyed the story. I gave the book 4 stars.

ARC review of Entanglement by Andrew J. Thomas

I received an ARC of Entanglement by Andrew J. Thomas.

The book opens with a secret government building just disappearing. Why did it disappear? Is it related to other odd things going on? The author says he was inspired by Douglas Adams who famously wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There was definitely some whimsy and absurd humor reminiscent of Adams which I liked. However, in the beginning, there are 5-6 main characters whose stories have not yet converged. Because the author chose to focus on so many characters, I felt they were one dimensional and I had trouble connecting with them. Additionally, the "mystery" of the disappeared building took too long to resolve. There wasn't enough intrigue and I felt the story only really got going in the last 20-25%. The last part was very enjoyable and Thomas set up the ending to have a sequel or two. I feel I'm unlikely to pick up the sequel but I haven't completely ruled it out. I gave the book 3 stars. I would definitely recommend for people who enjoyed The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and want another absurd sci-fi romp.

This book was released on September 10, 2019. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

October TBR

It's not really getting cooler where I live but its officially autumn and I am in the mood for some more atmospheric books. Here's what I want to read:

1. Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
2. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
3. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
4. Christodora by Tim Murphy
5. Confessions by Kanae Minato (Translated by Stephen Snyder)
6. No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder
7. Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
8. A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore
9. Entanglement by Andrew J. Thomas

Review of The Forest City Killer by Vanessa Brown

I received an ARC from Netgalley called The Forest City Killer by Vanessa Brown. This is a true crime about a serial killer and rapist operating in Canada in the 1960s and early 70s. Vanessa Brown is not a journalist but a citizen who lives in the same area where the serial killer was targeting victims. She interviewed surviving family members, read detective's notes, and even tried to interview potential suspects.

Unfortunately, this case is still unsolved which made me feel very unsatisfied with the story. She will talk about a location and then includes snippets of her life. For example; suspect went to this church then she will mention her grandma went to the same church. She includes unnecessary details about where everyone lived which may be interesting if you lived there, but not if you don't. She also included random information about fires and a potentially related case that was solved. The writing was disorganized, at times way too detailed, and ultimately led nowhere. I now realize I do not like reading true crime if it's unsolved. My interest is more in who did the crime and why they committed it. It was a slog to get through. I gave the book 2 stars.

This book comes out October 4th. The only people I recommend it to are people who live in London, Ontario and/or knew the victims.