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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 #273

 

 

 

 

On The Blog Recently

 

• I showed you my favorite animal book covers.
• I shared some thought-provoking quotes.
• There was a book haul.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

I read The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. I really expected to love this novel. The cover and synopsis sound exactly like a “me” book. It’s historical fiction about a female fossil hunter who becomes obsessed with finding the legendary Essex Serpent. Sounds awesome, right? Unfortunately, I felt pretty “meh” about it. It was fine. I like the flawed characters and how they thwart the expectations of polite society and forge their own paths in life. They’re all very strong-willed. My problem is the lack of action. I think the story has both too much and not enough going on. The author has a ton of ideas. The plot slowly wanders from idea to idea, and then the book ends. It never came together for me. I feel like I spent most of the book waiting for something big to happen that would tie the ideas together. Nothing happens except a love triangle. Maybe my expectations were too high. It’s not a bad book. It’s just not as adventurous as the synopsis made it sound.

Then I read Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. This book is adventurous! It’s a young adult fantasy novel about a crew of young thieves who get offered millions to kidnap a scientist. Danger ensues. I didn’t plan on reading this book, but I loved the Crows parts of the Shadow & Bone TV series and wanted to read the source material. Unpopular opinion, but I like the show more than the book. I’ve never been a massive Leigh Bardugo fan. I think the characters in the show have bigger personalities. The book has a ton of perspectives, and they aren’t distinctive enough for me. I wish the author had picked two or three characters and focused on developing them rather than bouncing around. That being said, I love Kaz! He causes excellent plot twists. I now want to read all the criminal mastermind stories. Please recommend books about smart people who are up to no good.

Speaking of smart people who are up to no good, I read Bomb: The Race To Build—And Steal—The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. It’s a short, fast-paced nonfiction book about the atomic bomb and the Soviet government’s efforts to steal it. Steve Sheinkin is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. He manages to make history books read like thrillers. This is not dry, boring textbook stuff! Even though I knew the story of the atomic bomb, I couldn’t put this book down. I flew through it in a few hours. I especially like the discussion about the ethical dilemmas the scientists faced. They knew they were creating something that would irrevocably change the world in horrible ways. It’s fascinating to read about. I highly recommend this book if you like history or thrillers.

Right now, I’m reading The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. I love it so far! It’s a creepy portal fantasy that reminds me of Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart A Doorway. I’m interested to see where it goes.

 

  

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy recently:

 

1. I got extremely lucky and somehow managed to get Monday off work. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a holiday off. I don’t know what to do with myself. What do normal people do on holidays? Sleep? That’s probably what I’ll do.
2. Hockey playoffs! The Avalanche are doing great so far.
3. My dog is still alive. We had a trip to the emergency vet and a stressful few days, but she’s not dead. Cross your fingers that her new medicines make her feel better.
4. I started the stupidly expensive Nutrisystem diet. I work a lot during the summer and don’t have the energy to think of healthy meals. Nutrisystem mails food to me so I can be lazy. So far, it hasn’t been awful.
5. I cheated on Nutrisystem and tested out a new restaurant. The nachos were delicious. I will be going back.

 

 

 

 

I’m Not (Very) Annoying

 

 

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