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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.

 

 

  

The Sunday Post #266

 

 

 

 

On The Blog This Week

 

• On Tuesday we're going to talk about what I’m reading this spring.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

I read a lot last week because my eyestrain finally went away. I can see again! Mostly. So, let’s get into this:

I read The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. It’s historical fantasy about a couple in 1920s Alaska who can’t have children. They build a child out of snow, and she comes to life. Maybe. Possibly. She’s a very mysterious child. The story is slow-paced and sweet with loveable characters and detailed writing. It’s a very quiet book. It’s just ordinary people (and an extraordinary child) living their lives. For me, it’s a little too quiet. I got bored waiting for something to happen. I need more drama in my books. This one is too safe and soothing for my tastes. That’s a “me” problem, though. I know why this book gets so much hype: Sometimes you just want to read about people who love each other unconditionally. Ultimately, that’s what this novel is about.

Then I read Gerald’s Game by Stephen King. I’m about to sound like a Negative Nancy, but I got bored with this book too. It’s about a husband and wife whose bondage sex game ends badly. The first half of the book is mostly scenes of the wife being sexually abused in graphic, gratuitous ways. It gets repetitive. I was constantly tempted to skim past the yucky abuse scenes, but I would have missed most of the book if I did that. This is a horror story for sure, but it’s not my kind of horror story. I completely understand why it’s on Goodreads’ “Most Disturbing Books Ever Written” list. I was disturbed!

After a shaky start to my reading week, the books got a bit better. I really like the unusual art style in Everything Is Teeth by Evie Wyld. It’s a graphic novel / memoir about the author’s childhood in Australia. She developed a (possibly unhealthy?) obsession with shark attacks. The art in the book is a mixture of cartoonish humans and ultra-realistic sharks. It’s very effective at showing Evie’s fear without being overly bloody. I didn’t love the story as much as the art. The writing is beautiful, and Evie’s vague sense of impending doom is relatable, but the ending is abrupt. Evie is worried that something bad will happen to her family. (That’s why she’s so worried about shark attacks.) Then something bad does happen to her family. Then the book is over. I wish the ending had come back to the sharks to make the book feel more cohesive. It’s a good book, though! It perfectly captures the powerlessness that children sometimes feel.

 

Since I enjoyed Everything Is Teeth, I picked up another graphic novel. The Unwanted: Stories Of The Syrian Refugees by Don Brown. This book is exactly what it says on the cover. It’s a basic overview of the civil war in Syria and the resulting refugee crisis. The book is meant for kids, so it doesn’t go into much depth. If you read newspapers, you probably won’t learn anything new from it. The graphics are informative and quick to read. I think it would satisfy a child’s curiosity without overwhelming them with details. Mostly, it made me want to read a memoir about Syria that’s actually written by a Syrian refugee. This graphic novel is journalism. The author did a bunch of research and reported what he discovered. There’s nothing wrong with reporting, but it does create distance between the reader and the refugees he’s writing about. The author is an outsider looking at a crisis. I’d prefer to hear about the crisis from someone who was impacted by it. So, tell me about books written by refugees, please!

 

Right now, I’m reading Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King. I just started it. It’s about women who fall asleep and build cocoons around themselves. I don’t know what’s going on yet, but it’s gross! I'm interested.

 

 

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy last week:

 

1. I won a book giveaway! It’s been a long time since that happened. I’m getting Cemetery Boys. It’s my birthday this week, so it feels like the book is a birthday gift from the universe. (Well, the universe and Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction.)
2. My stressful work meeting/interview/thing went well. I knew it would be fine. My boss is a good human. I don’t know why I get stressed out about every stupid little thing. Someone needs to teach me how to calm down.
3. I got new clothes. Normally I loathe shopping, but it’s been two years since I got new clothes. It was time. I tend to wear my clothes until they rot off my body. Nobody wants to see that.
4. I watched Derry Girls on Netflix and loved it. Where’s the next season? If you don’t mind crude teenage girl humor, you should definitely watch it.
5. Cadbury chocolate eggs. I know it’s not Easter yet, but there’s currently a Snowmageddon happening, and I needed supplies to survive a multi-day blizzard, so I had to go to the store, and the chocolate eggs were right by the checkout counter. I’m weak!

 

 

 

 

I Want Friends For My Birthday

 

 

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