The Sunday Post #242

The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

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The Sunday Post #242

 

 

 

 

Public Service Announcement

 

I’ve been forced onto the new Blogger blogging editor (against my will, I may add). There’s no option to revert to the Legacy editor. I apologize for weird formatting issues in my posts. I can’t seem to make the new blogging tools bend to my whims.

 

 

On The Blog Last Week

 

• On Tuesday we talked about my (weirdly specific) love of illustrated blue nature book covers.

 

 

 

On The blog This Week

 

• On Tuesday I show you the books I’m hoping to read in fall.
• On Saturday there’s a book haul (of books that I should probably read in fall).

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

Last week, I finished Vox by Christina Dalcher. I felt kind of “meh” about it. It’s a dystopia about a scientist who is trying to help stroke patients regain their lost language skills, but she lives in a world where women are only allowed to speak 100 words a day. The book borrows a lot from The Handmaid’s Tale. Sometimes it felt like I was reading fanfiction. The worlds are extremely similar. I like that the main character has complicated feelings about the men in her life. She loves them, but she’s endlessly angry that they won’t speak up for her when she can’t speak for herself. I liked the beginning of the book more than the end. It turns into a thriller at the end. Most of the world’s problems are solved easily. I don’t like dystopias that blame the government for every problem. What about the ordinary citizens who put that government in power and helped it abuse people? Are they going to sit quietly while their lives are upended? I doubt it.

Then I finished The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I mostly loved this book. It has atmospheric writing, creepy mansions, ghost children, and a biographer who is trying to uncover the secret past of a famous author. The middle is a bit saggy and repetitive, but I didn’t care because it has all the scandalous twists of a great gothic/sensationalist novel. The end surprised me. This is a hard book to discuss without spoiling it, but if you’re a Jane Eyre fan, you need to read it ASAP. It would also make a great Halloween book.

 

Baby Brooklyn and I read Pet The Pets by Sarah Lynne Reul. It’s a book with flaps to lift, of course. I like this one because it has more purpose than the other books we’ve read. It teaches kids empathy and how to observe pets to figure out what they need. It’s short and interactive enough that Brooklyn wants to read it every day. The illustrations are adorable.

Right now, I’m reading two books and liking them both. American War by Omar El Akkad is another dystopia. (I seem to be reading a lot of those lately.) It’s about a young girl who is growing up in a refugee camp after the Second American Civil War forces her family out of their home. The other book is nonfiction: I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search For The Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara. It’s true crime. I think the title tells you everything you need to know about the plot.

 

 

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy last week:

 

1. New books. A lot of them. I went a bit overboard with the used book buying. I’ll show you on Saturday.
2. I’m still watching hockey playoffs. I guess I’m a Lightning fan now? I should stop picking teams to support. Every time I choose one, they lose.
3. I’m actually ahead with scheduling blog posts and making graphics. Usually I’m scrambling to get graphics done the night before the post is scheduled to go up. It’s weird to be ahead.
4. I started my Christmas shopping. I know it’s too early for the “C” word, but I love giving gifts and put way too much thought into them. I’ve been waiting since last year for this particular thing to be available for preorder.
5. I’m currently listening to old Green Day songs very loudly. It’s like I’m a teenager again, but without the acne and crippling depression.

 

 

 

 

I Rarely Bite (And I Have All My Vaccines)

 

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other! See you around the blogosphere!