Sunday, March 14, 2021

The Sunday Post #266

 

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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 ReviewerReaderbuzz, 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!






38 comments:

  1. Yay, congrats on the giveaway win! That's always fun. Glad your work interview went well!

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  2. Oh, yay to the giveaway! I have yet to win a book. It could happen, though, right?

    Your books do sound both weird and interesting. Have a great week, and Happy Birthday!

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  3. I love Derry Girls, think they were meant to start filming series 3 last year and it got delayed - hopefully it won't be too long a wait!

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  4. I think I must need to read about people who love each other unconditionally right now, because I really liked Snow Child.

    I saw Malala on the new-ish Dave Letterman show last night and now I want to know more about the Syrian refugees. I just found Unwanted and requested it. Thanks for sharing this book.

    I would love to have some Cadbury chocolate eggs. Unfortunately I am still finishing off my box of Valentine's chocolates (rule: one a day) so perhaps I should wait on that.

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  5. Cadbury eggs... hmmm. Great diet food. One of the critical food groups. My comparable purchase was from Giardelli.

    be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  6. I actually liked the movie Gerald's Game, but Stephen King's books are so hit or miss for me. I'm glad your meeting went well!

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  7. Derry Girls is the best!! Did you see the Great British Bake Off special with the Derry Girls???

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  8. Happy Birthday to you this week and congrats on winning your book. I loved The Snow child and just like you, I like drama in my books. But sometimes I let the exceptions slip in. Then I read Harlan Coben or something like that just to shock my system back.

    Derry Girls, hmmm. Will take a look!

    I gave Sleeping Beauties to a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago and she loves it. But I haven't read it yet. Let me know what you think!

    Have a good week and hope you make lots of friends for your birthday!

    Elza Reads

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  9. I do the same with my clothes AJ! I have some who have 20 years!!

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  10. I probably liked The Snow Child more than you ... but think it could've been edited a bit shorter. It felt long. Have a great week.

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  11. I love the Reeses peanut butter eggs. We got a bunch of tops from Lands End and I have shirts and sweatshirts and coats from them which are much older than 20 years. My daughter is trying out some new pants through Prime Wardrobe. But then I have my ice skates from when I was 9 which still fit (1969), a toaster that still works from my parent's wedding (1951) and ski bibs and a jacket which also still fit (1973). So I'm a long time user of my things. My parents grew up in the Depression so I guess it seems normal to me.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  12. Happy Birthday! Celebrating in a pandemic is just not the same, but you got a free book and, hopefully, will get Cadbury eggs. I have the most difficult time finding those for my mom who loves them. In our area, only one CVS carries them!

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  13. Haha! I really enjoyed reading this post lol.. it made me laugh xD Cadbury mini eggs for the win!! Then I connected your last sentence with the initial meme and I snort laughed... very unattractive ;P lmao have a great week!

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  14. I need to read UNWANTED. I've read other books by Dan Brown and they've all been good. My Sunday Salon post

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  15. Cadbury's :)

    Everything Is Teeth looks interesting. And congrats on the giveaway!!

    Hope you have an awesome week. :)

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  16. I'm glad I bought my favorite cadbury and russell stover Easter chocolates back in Jan & Feb because all I can find on the shelves now is that nasty Palmer's candy that's not even chocolate.

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  17. Congratulations on winning books and have a wonderful birthday this week. I heard there may have been some snow out your way :)

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  18. LOVE Derry Girls. Watched it myself and then immediately made my husband watch it with me so I saw it twice and it was still so great

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  19. Happy birthday!! And yay for a giveaway win! Hope the book is awesome! Funny enough, I definitely can understand the "too sweet and soothing" thing, like come on, where is the awfulness? Maybe we have problems 😂

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  20. Congrats on the giveaway win and Happy Birthday!

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  21. Derry Girls is soooooooo funny! Congrats on winning Cemetery Boys, it's a great read! I liked the movie version of Gerald's Game.

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  22. Oooh! I need to start reading some Stephen King books again! Hope you have a great week!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  23. LOL, clothes, same. I saw the film version of Gerald's Game and it was perfectly creepy. I want to read Stephen's latest, Later, soon. Have a good week.

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  24. Happy birthday 🎈
    I have shark phobia, they are terrifying things. Even photos make me uncomfortable. And since I live in Australia it means I rarely swim in the ocean now.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  25. I'd generally take the Cadbury egg too...actually I've cut out the junk food a lot since I started my exercise bit I do allow myself a bit a couple of times a week! I have a big box of Lindor and I take maybe three of the balls two or three times a week! OOH I love sharks! I've been fascinated by them since I first saw Jaws!

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  26. Happy birthday! 🎂

    My sister is addicted to Cadbury eggs. She buys extras at Easter time and freezes them. Ha ha.🍫🐇🐣

    I hope your blizzard is over. ⛄

    Have a wonderful week! 🌞

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  27. I hope your weather has improved. Cadbury eggs are a nice way to get through it. You read an interesting assortment of books this week. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  28. Now I'm obsessing about chocolate. Never ate Cadbury eggs, but there are some homemade chocolate cookies in my pantry. At least you have something good to withstand the blizzard :)

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  29. Thanks goodness the eye strain went away. That had to be maddening. And congrats on the book win! That's always exciting. Glad your work meeting went well. I always get worked up over those, too, even when I know there's nothing to worry about.

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  30. I love Cadbury eggs and I think the fact that you can't get them year-round makes them more of a "must have" when they are available.

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  31. Yay for winning a book giveaway! And I'm glad your meeting for work went well. Oh gosh, cadbury eggs are the best. I haven't had one this season yet but I'm sure it will happen soon. I still need to watch Derry Girls. I've wanted to for awhile now!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  32. I listen to all my Stephen King on audio, but I started with Lisey's Story and haven't gotten to all his older stuff. I haven't heard many good things about Gerald's Game, and, sadly, Sleeping Beauties was the only one of his books that I gave up on and DNF'd. I think it needed some cutting down!

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  33. HAHAHA! Cadbury eggs are my favorite type of eggs! And I'll take them regular, caramel or chocolate hehe. And yay for wining a giveaway, congratulations!
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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  34. Lots of great things up there. YEAH for new clothes and the job thing going well, and whoo hoo, look who gets a new book. Awesome! Hope it's a winner for you

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  35. I have Gerald's Game on my shelf but had no idea what it was about. Hmm, I am not so sure about it. I can be doing great with eating healthy and then my husband will offer dessert in the evening and I mess it all up. Oh well. Yay for the giveaway win!

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  36. Happy birthday! Cadbury Egg season is my absolute favorite season. It's probably best they don't sell them all year as that's all I would eat. Congrats on the giveaway win and glad your interview/meeting went well. Hope you're having a great week!

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  37. I like Cadbury Eggs too. :-) You just reminded me I need to think about what to put in everyone's Easter baskets . . . That's coming up way too soon. I really want to read The Snow Child, but it probably wouldn't be a good choice for me right now. The Unwanted sounds like something I would like.

    I hope you had a good Birthday! Take care, AJ. Have a great week!

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  38. Happy birthday! I want to watch Gerald's Game but I don't think I will read it. I am glad your eyestrain went away. I hope you will enjoy cemetery boys! It's always nice to win a giveaway. And that is one I want to try as well. I stress about things I shouldn't too :P

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