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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
On The Blog Recently
- What Is Literary Fiction? + Book Recommendations!
- I'm In Love With A Sentient Object
- Best Books By Black Authors
- My Favorite Historical Fiction Books Ever
- Quotes From Classic Books
In My Reading Life
I actually finished a book! Two books, in fact. I found both of them tedious, which makes me think it's a "me" problem and not a problem with the books. Maybe don't trust these reviews. I've been struggling to focus on anything lately.
I finished The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It's about a family of Baptist missionaries who leave Georgia and move to the Congo in the late 1950s. In stereotypical American fashion, they do exactly zero research on the place before they move there. They just show up and expect everything to go their way. The Congo has other plans. The people are living in poverty and fighting to create a government and win independence from Belgium. They don't have much interest in getting baptized.
The story is told from five different points of view, which I enjoyed because each character has a distinct personality and opinion about what's happening. I also appreciate the attention to detail. I can tell that the author has lived in both the Congo and the southern US. The settings feel very real.
My problem with the book is its length. It doesn't need to be 546 pages. I don't usually have a problem with slow-paced books, but this one is too slow. We kept getting hints that something bad was going to happen. By the time it happened, I was so bored that I no longer cared. I was just ready for it to be over.
Then I read another tedious book. It was The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This 1,276-page brick was first published in 1846 and stars a dude who really knows how to hold a grudge. Edmond Dantès was framed for a crime he didn't commit and thrown in prison for years. While he's locked up, he learns about a treasure hidden on the deserted island of Monte Cristo. When he gets out, he retrieves the treasure and uses the money to ruin the lives of the people who framed him.
Edmond Dantès is my kind of character.
This book hooked me right away. I understand why Edmond is angry, and I love his all-consuming desire for revenge. I guess if you spend 14 years in prison, you have a lot of time to plot and scheme. He's a memorable character for sure.
I struggled with this book because I had a hard time following it. I often got confused about the timeline and how all the characters are related. Edmond has a bunch of aliases, and his enemies all have families that need to be destroyed. I spent a lot of time rereading because I couldn't keep everything straight.
I had a hard time with this one, but I'd love to find a modern retelling. The premise is phenomenal. Book recommendations, please!
In The Rest Of My Life
What's been happening lately?
1. I'm still doing the 75 Hard Challenge. For 75 days, I'm giving up junk food, doing 90 minutes of exercise a day, and drinking a US gallon of water a day. I'm on day 49. I've started dreaming about eating candy, so that's how it's going. I have not eaten any actual candy in 49 days.
2. I visited a library in another county. The library was packed! I've never seen a busier library. It was awesome.
3. In bigger news, this blog is now a Bookshop.org affiliate! I feel like I'm living my dream of owning a bookstore. I'm having tons of fun making book lists with my "staff" recommendations. (Staff is me. I'm the only staff.) If you buy any of the books I recommend, I'll make a commission, and you'll be supporting independent bookstores. Click here to see my recommendation lists. I'm adding more lists whenever I have time and motivation.
Here's what Bookshop.org says about itself:
"Bookshop.org works to connect readers with independent booksellers all over the world. We believe local bookstores are essential community hubs that foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading, and we're committed to helping them thrive. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities."
You buy books, and they donate the money to real life bookstores. It's a good idea. You can even choose which bookstore gets your money.
We Interrupt Your Doomscrolling With An Important Announcement . . . Books!
I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible when I read it years ago but I am so over long books at this point. They really need to be amazing to hold my attention for that long.
ReplyDeleteYay about being a Bookshop.org affiliate. The 75 Hard Challenge sounds great, good luck with it. No candy for that long is impressive. Enjoy your week!
Now I am torn about The Poisonwood Bible. I’ve had a couple of books lately that dragged to the point that I was skimming, but what an interesting setting.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, I bought a book at a garage sale called King Leopold’s Ghost. I thought it was fiction, but it turned out to be history. It was about Belgium’s domination of the Congo and enslavement of the Congolese to create rubber from the rubber trees. The word rubber in their native language is synonymous with terror. It’s one of the genocides we never hear about. The estimate is 10 million people were killed. If I recall correctly, this occurred in the late 1800s. And so now you know more about that than you ever wanted to!
Good for you keeping up with the 75 Hard Challenge. I have thought about doing it again, but haven't found the motivation, LOL! Maybe when/if things settle down. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing amazing with the Hard Challenge! Other than craving candy, are you feeling any better?
ReplyDeleteI've stepped away from Amazon (completely, I hope) and I'm buying books now from independent bookstores. Congrats on being a Bookshop.org affiliate.
ReplyDeleteI just recommended The Count of Monte Cristo to a friend last week! Oh dear! I hope I didn't make a mistake.
Congratulations on becoming a Bookshop.org affiliate! That's so exciting! I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible, but I can see what you mean about the pacing.
ReplyDeleteI was able to get through the Poisonwood Bible without getting bogged down. In fact, it's one of my favorite books! Glad you finished it though!
ReplyDeleteOK I recommend some mysteries or thrillers as they have a faster pacing if you are getting bored. Congrats on staying with your challenge and getting together with bookshop.org.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post