tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81933096288380738492024-03-18T16:17:18.242-06:00Read All The Things!Book Reviews, book lists, and literature discussions.Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.comBlogger1562125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-89710102964650707272024-03-17T06:00:00.044-06:002024-03-17T06:00:00.189-06:00The Sunday Post #362<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYmIAklvwPdPbWsBL8UspZY1h6qY0MNL6W-WX_HnBb0GCz7qtSHBUsxF_XbOjXtRu0M0iwLvWYgA6BkS3gXeXzGiRBog9MTpPUPGa2EqJlVOoFARmux4mIX1Uh6JDmrQOs_7Ggsy6q9XOy5U9wx06n-pkPqtlpKjuXT5xNlN4YathEt5LWxlTEcCMF6k/s735/Crunchwrap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="735" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYmIAklvwPdPbWsBL8UspZY1h6qY0MNL6W-WX_HnBb0GCz7qtSHBUsxF_XbOjXtRu0M0iwLvWYgA6BkS3gXeXzGiRBog9MTpPUPGa2EqJlVOoFARmux4mIX1Uh6JDmrQOs_7Ggsy6q9XOy5U9wx06n-pkPqtlpKjuXT5xNlN4YathEt5LWxlTEcCMF6k/w400-h395/Crunchwrap.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><u>The Sunday Post #362</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/best-short-novels.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Short Novels</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-additions-to-my-to-be-read-list.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Recent Additions To My To-Be-Read List</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/beautiful-text-only-book-covers.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Beautiful Text-Only Book Covers</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/03/march-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">March 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/03/i-read-highest-rated-books-on-my-shelf.html" target="_blank">I read the highest rated books on my shelf. Were they good?</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I've got nothing to report. I made a series of poor life choices and somehow ended up reading 3 thick books at the same time. I didn't finish any of them. I don't feel like I'm even making progress on them!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Five things that happened last week:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">1. The car broke, and the grocery store is too far away to carry a ton of groceries home, so I ate a bunch of take-out food. I guess I could have gotten groceries delivered, but burritos are better.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">2. I didn't just get burritos. I also had pizza. And chocolate cupcakes. The car has been broken for a while. I've had a lot of time to eat food.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">3. The season finales of the US versions of <i>Love Is Blind</i> and <i>The Traitors </i>happened. Now I'm watching the UK <i>Traitors</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">4. There was going to be a giant blizzard, so I went for a walk before the snow started. Here's the view from a random high school parking lot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHbOXbhvR-gdOIQQFvfHXBU-vSGT4Q9onxLW6akTqL5h2qwGAPHkAhziWduetHqeHEY2hNzvNM-8O9RJh8hj_MXxTIOTyh25vjcm_Ste52I2ew00gyUMJaj5iOIdQl6mFb-e14aP73ntdB2eVUoarXhotz8wXX-NxqYyniHp4SyIOJwZMHDgbIOmOSvo/s4032/Walk%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHbOXbhvR-gdOIQQFvfHXBU-vSGT4Q9onxLW6akTqL5h2qwGAPHkAhziWduetHqeHEY2hNzvNM-8O9RJh8hj_MXxTIOTyh25vjcm_Ste52I2ew00gyUMJaj5iOIdQl6mFb-e14aP73ntdB2eVUoarXhotz8wXX-NxqYyniHp4SyIOJwZMHDgbIOmOSvo/w640-h480/Walk%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetvUaEujZeML2HFo2jn5kftR4KW_v6vynhtR7OvuuOyMyIrn_HZ0bK-so9Z3KMJHd9gOStR8m840xyxa9bBnOiBgF_NpMRl3JoZ5BarRKd3-ysOrdfOos-roptF3TREQgLvgPUWg1X2-oSIE4wvR1Y0sE8FdOBE3rSvBtcOtbkh-Vh30Vdz0uHtC6n7g/s4032/Walk%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetvUaEujZeML2HFo2jn5kftR4KW_v6vynhtR7OvuuOyMyIrn_HZ0bK-so9Z3KMJHd9gOStR8m840xyxa9bBnOiBgF_NpMRl3JoZ5BarRKd3-ysOrdfOos-roptF3TREQgLvgPUWg1X2-oSIE4wvR1Y0sE8FdOBE3rSvBtcOtbkh-Vh30Vdz0uHtC6n7g/w640-h480/Walk%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">5. The Skunkumentary has fewer camera angles this week because of the blizzard. The cameras got buried. Skunk cameras are only 12 inches off the ground, and the snow was up to my thighs when I slogged outside to dig them up. I still haven't found the motion detector light. It's under the snow somewhere.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QpIw2xGdcig" width="320" youtube-src-id="QpIw2xGdcig"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For more books I'm not reading</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-62165811874919843352024-03-12T06:00:00.005-06:002024-03-12T06:00:00.152-06:00I Read The Highest Rated Books On My Shelf. Were They Good?<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8oYMtxezF30ecU7H2ZIOiwfnTdMNuInJm_AVtZ7uYWwBc1fNUj_SdS18o_9KgS6drSM7or40dl1j6OL2JCHKSkocj8OKsthDbCmrjiWIABK3ucjoWTBqf1lLWljNTMgPlFZpBdQ7Q-fnzjVePitporHWNt6TBilzAcs_0ArIgviwfVCtuzOF8EgdZiw/s2100/3-12%205%20Stars%205.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8oYMtxezF30ecU7H2ZIOiwfnTdMNuInJm_AVtZ7uYWwBc1fNUj_SdS18o_9KgS6drSM7or40dl1j6OL2JCHKSkocj8OKsthDbCmrjiWIABK3ucjoWTBqf1lLWljNTMgPlFZpBdQ7Q-fnzjVePitporHWNt6TBilzAcs_0ArIgviwfVCtuzOF8EgdZiw/w210-h400/3-12%205%20Stars%205.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Way back in March 2023, I made</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/03/reading-highest-rated-books-on-my-shelf.html" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">a 5-star TBR predictions post</a><span style="background-color: white;">. I picked a variety of popular books that I hadn’t read yet. They sounded like my kind of stories, so I thought I’d love them and give them all 5 stars.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">During the adventure that was 2023 (and January 2024), I read the books. Did I give them 5 stars? Let’s find out.</span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">⭐ <u>Do These Books Deserve High Ratings?</u> ⭐</span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>DESTINATION TRUTH: MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER</i> BY JOSH GATES</span></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Memoir</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.47</span></b></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFODhyrICAGH7c0H4QCKy7kloQHTTBk5h9DYzalMiyxpb2R2GrWjK3-TsX-_J0JNlHOJ9uo-2HYOA9tNmVrnNsghdmjXoB0d5-RJLit5ml5-aHFOjfiYqm5wHZJfxynXleW5rgx7ns1-MUsGlVFcR66PvqwbksF9iHFtmWZHoCXs6gz-AU_qFOUDIc/s475/Destination%20Truth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFODhyrICAGH7c0H4QCKy7kloQHTTBk5h9DYzalMiyxpb2R2GrWjK3-TsX-_J0JNlHOJ9uo-2HYOA9tNmVrnNsghdmjXoB0d5-RJLit5ml5-aHFOjfiYqm5wHZJfxynXleW5rgx7ns1-MUsGlVFcR66PvqwbksF9iHFtmWZHoCXs6gz-AU_qFOUDIc/s16000/Destination%20Truth.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">World adventurer and international monster hunter Josh Gates has careened through nearly 100 countries, investigating frightening myths, chilling cryptozoological legends, and terrifying paranormal phenomena. Now, he invites fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at these breathtaking expeditions.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Follow Gates from the inception of the groundbreaking hit show (at the summit of Kilimanjaro) to his hair-raising encounters with dangerous creatures in the most treacherous locations on earth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>My review</b>: </span>Josh Gates is the host of several TV shows on the Travel/Discovery/SyFy Channels. He's one of my favorite humans because I love his sense of humor and his curiosity. He always seems like he's having a good time on his travels, which makes them fun to watch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Josh's TV shows (and his book, honestly) are captivating because they're not overly organized. He just goes to a place and hopes to find interesting things. It leads to a lot of humor. One of the funniest moments in the book is when Josh's team finds a possible bigfoot footprint. They have no idea what to do about the print because they never expected to find actual evidence of the monsters they were hunting. They thought they were just making TV. They didn't believe in monsters.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />Like most celebrity memoirs, this one is probably only worth reading if you're already a fan of the celebrity. You won't get much out of it if you haven't seen <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Destination Truth.</i> If you're already a fan, I recommend the book!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★★</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3WAJs2m" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER</i> BY BERNARDINE EVARISTO</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Literary Fiction</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.29</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoyIFcE9cDQx4tmgoksN1st6aE8SiY8EJEmGYe4YC_uihbMRd6IjX76q6IvZKClygNiwB-t2S6bpblABBC-mXopZ4nzg21RrcFB9SobgQog7depZnaBHGeGDTBA5Sn2aBYm7AT4u2Xes3aGC8wWiggOygxAydMpt9At_-oUgBC0M_vx2wOPQz-6SJ/s475/Girl%20Woman%20Other.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoyIFcE9cDQx4tmgoksN1st6aE8SiY8EJEmGYe4YC_uihbMRd6IjX76q6IvZKClygNiwB-t2S6bpblABBC-mXopZ4nzg21RrcFB9SobgQog7depZnaBHGeGDTBA5Sn2aBYm7AT4u2Xes3aGC8wWiggOygxAydMpt9At_-oUgBC0M_vx2wOPQz-6SJ/s16000/Girl%20Woman%20Other.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Girl, Woman, Other</i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"> follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>My review:</b> </span><span>I think I overhyped the book in my head. It won the Booker Prize and sounded exactly like my type of pretentious entertainment. It's a composite novel that's made up of groups of short stories. Each group has 3 stories. One story focuses on a girl, one story focuses on a woman, and one focuses on someone who's connected to the first two people. The majority of the characters are Black women living in the UK.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>The structure of the book is its biggest strength and its downfall. I love the structure because it allows you to see a character from multiple perspectives. You might hate a character in one story and then completely understand her motives and change your mind after another story. It was a really interesting reading experience. At first.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Then the stories started to feel repetitive. You're introduced to a person. You hear their entire life story with a lot of emphasis on sex and politics. The end. Repeat with the next person. There's no overarching plot or forward momentum. Things happened in the characters' pasts, but nothing is happening in the present. I think that would be fine in a short book, but this beast is 400+ pages, so I needed more to keep me invested. Unfortunately, I got bored and forced myself through the last 100 pages.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><b><a href="https://amzn.to/41ixfCG" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>HAMNET </i>BY MAGGIE O'FARRELL</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Historical Fiction</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.21</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhyRkRzvNip-9B9xk9funoAUONSdEdp0QhdY16s4TJEtMVZx7v-p3NC-dynLRLhVSppH9IaVBzor6Jefw_v1C-oMT9CPLfUOB6Ao_jSIMTTBAcmjq0pQ9vtb0YyOZNh0C_XoTr5BqZxqCY6hgwu0A23QKQFYVaWPZYBpV_pc2ATpm5JsoBduCHKqc/s2560/Hamnet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1667" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhyRkRzvNip-9B9xk9funoAUONSdEdp0QhdY16s4TJEtMVZx7v-p3NC-dynLRLhVSppH9IaVBzor6Jefw_v1C-oMT9CPLfUOB6Ao_jSIMTTBAcmjq0pQ9vtb0YyOZNh0C_XoTr5BqZxqCY6hgwu0A23QKQFYVaWPZYBpV_pc2ATpm5JsoBduCHKqc/w260-h400/Hamnet.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="260" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley Street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called <i>Hamlet</i>.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>My review:</b> </span>The synopsis on the back of the book tells the reader the entire plot. Literally. That's ^^ all that happens.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The characters are developed beautifully. This is a very raw and realistic story about how grief can destroy a family. It's also a story about how art can keep a person's memory alive forever. Eleven-year-old Hamnet died in 1596, but parts of his personality are (possibly? We don't actually know) preserved in a play that's still preformed today.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />My favorite aspect of the book is how the author handles Shakespeare's character. It would be easy to make the book all about him. Instead, he's just one member of the cast. The story is mostly about his wife and kids.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />I wish the book either had more action or the synopsis had been vaguer. I knew from the synopsis that Hament dies and then his father writes <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hamlet.</i> That's all that happens. The book ended, and I was like, "Wait, it's over? That was all?" I spent the whole book waiting for something to happen, and then nothing did! I think the synopsis ruined things a little. I wish I had known nothing about this book before I started it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3I45k0o" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><br /></div><h2 style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE</i> BY LAURA INGALLS WILDER</span></h2><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Middle Grade Classic</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.21</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MuMwvmkN9X_vjMc44Y8zTNeg-D89ZnwfU9ZuTOlzHmPd0RdJKqXvd0w6H_2IshIsh1HvHp-c6gqJn2vvWcicKO2P9fx5KVbg0IgEik_zhGm14ZRGbGWmh9HqAa_k4D3kHJ7KfLxN9clsv7yvUL677dZraqzydbG5p_EZak5s0MALJB2TKzii4y6R/s1755/Little%20House.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1755" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MuMwvmkN9X_vjMc44Y8zTNeg-D89ZnwfU9ZuTOlzHmPd0RdJKqXvd0w6H_2IshIsh1HvHp-c6gqJn2vvWcicKO2P9fx5KVbg0IgEik_zhGm14ZRGbGWmh9HqAa_k4D3kHJ7KfLxN9clsv7yvUL677dZraqzydbG5p_EZak5s0MALJB2TKzii4y6R/w283-h400/Little%20House.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="283" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas, and there, finally, Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>My review:</b> </span></span>I remember a teacher reading this book to our class when I was really young. I went on to read other books in the series when I got older.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It's weird how my memory of the book is different from the actual thing. Maybe I'm getting this book mixed up with others in the series? I remember more action. And I remember the kids being more involved. The story is narrated by Laura—a child—but it's about Ma and Pa. I actually wondered what the kids did all day while their parents were building a house. They didn't have a school or friends or anything. How do you keep 3 young children safe and entertained on an empty prairie while you're doing construction work? Sounds like a nightmare.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />As an adult reader, I found the politics to be the most interesting part of the book. Pa moves the family onto Osage land because he expects the US government to take the land and remove the Native Americans. That doesn't happen as quickly as he wants. Understandably, Pa's actions cause drama with the Osage neighbors. The Native Americans just walk into the Ingalls's cabin and take whatever they want because the cabin is on their land.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />It's interesting to see the variety of attitudes that the characters have toward the Osage. Pa mostly wants to leave the neighbors alone. Ma is more passionately racist. Some of the other homesteaders in the area survived being massacred by Native Americans and were traumatized by the experience. The adults attempt to shield the children from the scarier stuff, but the reader can feel the fear and tension coming off the page.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />I'm not sure what to think about this book. I love that it's a snapshot of American history. As an adult, I found it shallow and meandering. As a kid, I adored stories about people adventuring to places they'd never been. I guess that balances out to "It's a little boring and a lot racist, but still worth reading and discussing."</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3XMV42d" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 21px; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 21px;">OCTOBER SKY</span></i></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 21px;"> BY HOMER HICKAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h2><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">(AKA <i>ROCKET BOYS</i>)</span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;">Adult Memoir</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.18</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNebwyeM5_ElKoszbWrI9S1TPL6hyphenhyphenx8EArV49iPLXN0jVRng3kKVIVUoRQUpTEUoxhJfkLNTTY73h7iOZQOe55eZA0lR2oljq82rKeL6JC9rf5ax3V1T3O0uahp2BbEyd4jBzK7lltiA/s450/October+Sky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNebwyeM5_ElKoszbWrI9S1TPL6hyphenhyphenx8EArV49iPLXN0jVRng3kKVIVUoRQUpTEUoxhJfkLNTTY73h7iOZQOe55eZA0lR2oljq82rKeL6JC9rf5ax3V1T3O0uahp2BbEyd4jBzK7lltiA/s16000/October+Sky.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;">It was 1957, the year Sputnik raced across the Appalachian sky, and the small town of Coalwood, West Virginia, was slowly dying.</span><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Faced with an uncertain future, Homer Hickam nurtured a dream: to send rockets into outer space. The introspective son of the mine’s superintendent and a mother determined to get him out of Coalwood forever, Homer fell in with a group of misfits who learned not only how to turn scraps of metal into sophisticated rockets but how to sustain their hope in a town that swallowed its men alive.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">As the boys began to light up the tarry skies with their flaming projectiles and dreams of glory, Coalwood, and the Hickams, would never be the same.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;">My review:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span>This book is fun and gives you faith in humanity. I enjoyed it! In a weird way, it reminds me of Stephen King's novels. It's not scary at all, but the writing style is simple, and the protagonists are misfit kids who do dangerous things while the adults are occupied with bigger problems. It has hilarious moments and heartbreaking moments. This memoir is proof that it really does take a village to raise a child. Rocket science is not an easy skill to learn, but the adults in Homer's life will do anything to help him succeed.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Just like with Stephen King's books, my only complaint is the length. It doesn't need to be 400+ pages! It drags in the middle. I didn't mind too much because I cared about Homer's family and wanted to know what happened to them.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />If you're looking for a fun memoir, please consider this one!</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★★</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3150IlC" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>ONE</i> BY SARAH CROSSAN</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Young Adult Contemporary Novel-In-Verse</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.17</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCXpPEF-CHXYhfdHfSPqhsz1u69tuVMxc3TKVsrcNOmMyIWYO3ydioRhGyxD11mmrssfCU3wZfpfjDVJn4X6LG42-MZh6cu2bMQYdL6Ha0yribOwKuumo-2kbRrYc109poVDhm1lQbHE/s475/One.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCXpPEF-CHXYhfdHfSPqhsz1u69tuVMxc3TKVsrcNOmMyIWYO3ydioRhGyxD11mmrssfCU3wZfpfjDVJn4X6LG42-MZh6cu2bMQYdL6Ha0yribOwKuumo-2kbRrYc109poVDhm1lQbHE/s16000/One.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Grace and Tippi. Tippi and Grace. Two sisters. Two hearts. Two dreams. Two lives. But one body.</span><br /><br /><span>Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, joined at the waist, defying the odds of survival for sixteen years. They share everything, and they are everything to each other. They would never imagine being apart. For them, that would be the real tragedy.</span><br /><br /><span>But something is happening to them. Something they hoped would never happen. And Grace doesn’t want to admit it. Not even to Tippi.</span><br /><br /><span>How long can they hide from the truth—how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives?</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>My review:</b> </span></span>The plot of this young adult novel-in-verse is extremely predictable, but I couldn't put it down. I went to work exhausted for several days in a row because I stayed up late reading this book. It's just too compelling! The characters are fascinating.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The side characters are where this story shines. None of them are perfect. They accidentally say insensitive things or project their own feelings onto the twins. They don't understand that there are worse things than being conjoined. Grace and Tippi love each other and don't want to be separated.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />Like all novels-in-verse, I didn't always understand why the author put the line breaks where she did. The poems would have been just as impactful as paragraphs. I want poems to have a reason to be poems. That's probably a "me" problem, though. I've never understood poetry.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />This is an awesome book about the bond between sisters. Read it if you love contemporary young adult fiction.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★★</span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3gnBsis" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>SAGA, VOLUME 1</i> BY BRIAN K VAUGHAN & FIONA STAPLES</span></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Science Fiction Graphic Novel</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.17</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDw7PdOqFmw-BVHCyXcQN6rzUU80gGmocNDCkLCCokdP1k2eX-EBuKrlSIAm4fA4f8LllJv5Np1T3N0FwimiBGgrD7T0myx2H8MbALjNM_2uRMVDjZGDEh8CHtyh2dyKwZCx8PyjXXPavC0FZxBSemCPqRYEJFVCUZww9WCTFOTERFt6UDNa6EQWg/s962/Saga.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDw7PdOqFmw-BVHCyXcQN6rzUU80gGmocNDCkLCCokdP1k2eX-EBuKrlSIAm4fA4f8LllJv5Np1T3N0FwimiBGgrD7T0myx2H8MbALjNM_2uRMVDjZGDEh8CHtyh2dyKwZCx8PyjXXPavC0FZxBSemCPqRYEJFVCUZww9WCTFOTERFt6UDNa6EQWg/w266-h400/Saga.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="266" /></span></a></span></div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>My review:</b> </span></span><span>If books had movie-style ratings, this one would be rated R. It's gory! Blood everywhere. There are characters with their intestines hanging out. There are alien sex clubs. Even the </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">spiders</i><span> have boobs and clothing-optional lifestyles. It's a lot.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>I understand the point of the sex and violence because it creates a hilarious juxtaposition with the young family. The parents grew up surrounded by death and exploitation. They're kind of numb to it. So they're having normal domestic squabbles while awful things happen around them. It's actually really funny. And slightly relatable. You have to feed and diaper your kid, even when the world is falling apart.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>I love the characters because they're snarky and opinionated. Their world is bizarre in an intriguing way. There's a pedophilia / sex trafficking plotline that I disliked because it feels stereotypical, but I'm still interested enough in the story that I want to know what happens next.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★★<br /></span><p><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3YYGCFu" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>OUR DARK DUET</i> BY VICTORIA SCHWAB</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Young Adult Fantasy</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.16</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd2lyL6Hca4Vni055M7Eo8tL8dvuFpBwibVcX7TVHiFjb8STfJEXBurgOwfsK4LBGyImOicHK7i7FQR2VUHgbZ8mvd39HW8blIAmyYnBZqyd1zeRljaZ0EXsjFCz5ZwmbNsPKQwRP0NBdZSEHhaXrw7rccjhKXEK9mWkf_i5ifDSRsH24D3WrBm5K/s475/Our%20Dark%20Duet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd2lyL6Hca4Vni055M7Eo8tL8dvuFpBwibVcX7TVHiFjb8STfJEXBurgOwfsK4LBGyImOicHK7i7FQR2VUHgbZ8mvd39HW8blIAmyYnBZqyd1zeRljaZ0EXsjFCz5ZwmbNsPKQwRP0NBdZSEHhaXrw7rccjhKXEK9mWkf_i5ifDSRsH24D3WrBm5K/s16000/Our%20Dark%20Duet.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Kate Harker is a girl who hunts monsters. And she's good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. Nearly six months after Kate and August were first thrown together, the war between the monsters and the humans is a terrifying reality. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she </span><i>could</i><span> be. When a new monster emerges from the shadow—one who feeds on chaos and brings out its victim's inner demons—Kate must face a monster she thought she'd killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>My review:</b> </span></span>Normally, I'm a big fan of Victoria Schwab's books, but I read <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Our Dark Duet</i> and was massively underwhelmed. Why is this book so long? Why are there so many words when nothing is happening?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Our Dark Duet</i> is the sequel to <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">This Savage Song.</i> It's a young adult dystopian fantasy about a world where violence breeds literal monsters. It stars August (a monster who wants to be human) and Kate (a human who wants to be a monster). In this book, they team up to defeat a new threat to their city.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />It's just too long! Kate and August spend a bunch of pages fighting monsters separately. Then they team up and fight monsters together. I was thrilled when they got back together, but the plot is too repetitive. The characters fight monsters. That's pretty much it. It's a bleak story because there's no way they can kill them all. There are too many monsters!<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />I considered giving up on the book, but I actually love the ending. I'm happy I didn't give up! There's a twist that caught me off guard. There's a lot of death in a world that's ruled by violence. How do you keep going when everyone around you is dying, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? I think it captures the hopelessness of people who live in war zones. (Or in countries where mass shootings happen every day.)<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />I'll continue reading Victoria Schwab's books, but I didn't like slogging through this one. It's too slow and repetitive for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★</span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><a href="https://amzn.to/373YtW7" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 21px; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 21px;">A GAME OF FOX & SQUIRRELS</span></i></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 21px;"> BY JENN REESE<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;">Middle Grade Fantasy</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.10</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8TSHNAStWe5Pg7ACIClWF29UcYKkUD3bxYMYWVqNkPUYciLaIROkOv2Kls4_nqzy8zgCMn9TqqfvCSOQ7sSbB3isFiMt9zokYeKdN4q24AUfyyS6dIw5DhxYiKpeZ87AbQKke7jqtes/s1000/A+Game+Of+Fox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="657" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8TSHNAStWe5Pg7ACIClWF29UcYKkUD3bxYMYWVqNkPUYciLaIROkOv2Kls4_nqzy8zgCMn9TqqfvCSOQ7sSbB3isFiMt9zokYeKdN4q24AUfyyS6dIw5DhxYiKpeZ87AbQKke7jqtes/w263-h400/A+Game+Of+Fox.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="263" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;">After an incident shatters their family, eleven-year old Samantha and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live in rural Oregon with an aunt they've never met. Sam wants nothing more than to go back to the way things were . . . before she spoke up about their father's anger.</span><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When Aunt Vicky gives Sam a mysterious card game called "A Game of Fox & Squirrels," Sam falls in love with the animal characters, especially the charming trickster fox, Ashander. Then one day Ashander shows up in Sam’s room and offers her an adventure and a promise: find the Golden Acorn, and Sam can have anything she desires.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">But the fox is hiding rules that Sam isn't prepared for, and her new home feels more tempting than she'd ever expected. As Sam is swept up in the dangerous quest, the line between magic and reality grows thin. If she makes the wrong move, she'll lose far more than just a game.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;">My review:</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"> </span>I have a massive amount of respect for this novel because it handles a terrifying topic in a way that children can understand. The fox and squirrels are obviously stand-ins for abusers and the people (or squirrels) they abuse, but the abuse is shown in non-gratuitous ways. The human characters learn to spot the signs of abuse and stand up for themselves.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />Unfortunately, there are kids in the world who really need this book. They're living in dangerous situations and are afraid to ask for help. This novel could be comforting to them. The author shows how abusers can be scary and charming at the same time. She also shows that life can get better once the abuser is gone. The book tackles a dark subject, but it leaves the reader with hope.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />Like many middle grade books, this one is heavy handed with its morals, but don't let that stop you from reading it. There should be a copy of <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Game Of Fox & Squirrels</i> in every middle school library.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★★</span><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 27px;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3hO2gtN" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></span></b><span style="line-height: 27px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>DOWN AMONG THE STICKS AND BONES</i> BY SEANAN MCGUIRE</span></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Young Adult Fantasy</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Goodreads Rating: 4.15</span></b></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RSfmu8I32jxu_VF6Y75-25KtB2cC9PeSH7_l4_Hn8DxSfotpdyPUME1I2F3xxGLgQOVWXS5cis29TH6wX1hdhOTrdNPtFs0LRDjvmOYYdkPumUCKqgoWDwj1lFSuoChmP6uaYZx3Aqzerco8PEGVNarG44jrH-wdJ_NmIdHBmG5NnsGo8OrMeEuX/s1110/Down%20Among%20The%20Sticks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RSfmu8I32jxu_VF6Y75-25KtB2cC9PeSH7_l4_Hn8DxSfotpdyPUME1I2F3xxGLgQOVWXS5cis29TH6wX1hdhOTrdNPtFs0LRDjvmOYYdkPumUCKqgoWDwj1lFSuoChmP6uaYZx3Aqzerco8PEGVNarG44jrH-wdJ_NmIdHBmG5NnsGo8OrMeEuX/w267-h400/Down%20Among%20The%20Sticks.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="267" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>This is the story of what happened first . . .</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">choices</i><span>.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>My review:</b> This</span></span> is the second book in the Wayward Children series, and I love it just as much as the first. The series is so creative!</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Wayward Children is a portal fantasy that follows a group of teens at a boarding school. The kids have all traveled through portals to hidden worlds. Then they came back. They ended up at the school because they can't cope with life in our world. They're desperate to find their portals again.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Down Among The Sticks And Bones</i> is the story of Jack and Jill, two twins who discover a secret staircase inside an old trunk. Jack becomes the apprentice to a mad scientist. Jill joins a vampire coven. It's quirky. It's quick to read. It shows the dangers of forcing your kids to be what you want instead of letting them be themselves.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />I wish these books were longer so we could get more world building. I need the next one right now.</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>My star rating:</b> ★★★★<br /></span><p><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3YKraxD" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDMJY6B6t7Np2-xgb8tgwynNt9qBANZN3AE96luVzOwR4JZDa6Bz6LsEjEDokIAbAwxt0whSEQ55IxLi9zyySMOmEBjO6lE5_0eUFlJ2uT9gjea5hyphenhyphenu08aRQUfphDA3Q0AlSvOU7TzBRLY-SfsPSQlGbJ0QN7htAbMyjXzmkTLBPaqLW3ichStoHESOA/s2100/3-12%205%20Stars%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDMJY6B6t7Np2-xgb8tgwynNt9qBANZN3AE96luVzOwR4JZDa6Bz6LsEjEDokIAbAwxt0whSEQ55IxLi9zyySMOmEBjO6lE5_0eUFlJ2uT9gjea5hyphenhyphenu08aRQUfphDA3Q0AlSvOU7TzBRLY-SfsPSQlGbJ0QN7htAbMyjXzmkTLBPaqLW3ichStoHESOA/w210-h400/3-12%205%20Stars%203.png" width="210" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I predicted I'd give all of these books 5 stars, and I ended up giving none of them 5 stars. I think that just proves I'm a picky bitch. I'm not mad about it, though. For me, a four-star book is a really good book! The majority of these got four stars.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Is there an unread book on your shelf that you think will get five stars from you?</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-27911934738891522852024-03-10T06:00:00.069-06:002024-03-10T06:00:00.173-06:00The Sunday Post #361<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ6gGwqa0vWyJUWho7Kj13VV2L6vk7HdWA12L0CPpd4Zrgp0OXRKlNZI1Tg1ObnuYJEI205IgJyTefq9VSwQAv5itSU06tHn3BYK65knTT48k8B_zpDLqf9EeShERe5rcS-nU2BbXTebYFY2LYGTHGACPDmFezggB6-D8EuuVFIoaBPZjvisHON3pG10/s828/Fun%20Facts.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="828" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ6gGwqa0vWyJUWho7Kj13VV2L6vk7HdWA12L0CPpd4Zrgp0OXRKlNZI1Tg1ObnuYJEI205IgJyTefq9VSwQAv5itSU06tHn3BYK65knTT48k8B_zpDLqf9EeShERe5rcS-nU2BbXTebYFY2LYGTHGACPDmFezggB6-D8EuuVFIoaBPZjvisHON3pG10/w640-h474/Fun%20Facts.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #361</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">February 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/best-short-novels.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Short Novels</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-additions-to-my-to-be-read-list.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Recent Additions To My To-Be-Read List</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/beautiful-text-only-book-covers.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Beautiful Text-Only Book Covers</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/03/march-2024-book-releases.html" target="_blank">March 2024 Book Releases</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIE8GfgOUVXKlpY938jFkabH5kdj15y0mtR5vZNFSLbk2DEbRchtQh25vs39d7sipuvxfb7HaBTAHprCE_gMcHzFhipn4f-m8pDR-FSWb8MZhgrsCHkjyArm2xuz5hZL9IXYqOrNJqimCN6I8thaULS5LCwwKJ8LwmAsl7V1uYjsX-HwbMc-ZXXccXNk/s1422/The%20House%20In.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="948" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIE8GfgOUVXKlpY938jFkabH5kdj15y0mtR5vZNFSLbk2DEbRchtQh25vs39d7sipuvxfb7HaBTAHprCE_gMcHzFhipn4f-m8pDR-FSWb8MZhgrsCHkjyArm2xuz5hZL9IXYqOrNJqimCN6I8thaULS5LCwwKJ8LwmAsl7V1uYjsX-HwbMc-ZXXccXNk/w267-h400/The%20House%20In.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I continued my streak of freakin' adorable books with <a href="https://amzn.to/3wOCpLW" target="_blank"><i>The House In The Cerulean Sea</i> by TJ Klune</a>. It's a heartwarming story about a case worker whose job is to oversee orphanages for magical children. One day, he's given a secret assignment. He has to travel to an orphanage on a remote island and write a report about the dangerous magical children who live there. At first, he's terrified, but he quickly falls in love with the quirky kids and their odd caretaker.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This book has literal laugh-out-loud moments. I switched to the audiobook for a while so I could listen while I was running. I'm glad I live in the middle of nowhere because I was running and laughing like a complete weirdo. The best part of the book is that it makes exercise suck less.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There's not a lot of action in this story. It's mostly about the cute characters and their conversations. It's about letting kids be themselves and not being afraid of something just because you don't understand it (yet).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This is the longest cozy fantasy book I've read, and it <i>feels</i> long. There's not much plot. The ending is predictable. The themes are heavy-handed and not super original. I think it could have been 100 pages shorter and still had the same impact. I got a bit bored.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Most of the book was a fun time, but I think some of the charm wore off because of the length. If you want a similar book (but shorter), I recommend <i><a href="https://amzn.to/49Lj90h" target="_blank">Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children</a></i> or <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4cj2Utc" target="_blank">The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches</a></i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lZVXiIsBh4HLn9aBYomTrfzeFAuJhhtkuS6BvxUyqu6zc10Pc9AjPOZ0fJmL5GNZt3PPvoJqof4h-quqDRb99PTEmuD-wjopo7ZnI9ZyJ-CMzs6gdEzzTNSVq8H17JSw_ZqjKXfD605IzyCN-ye7atpkVW1IFCU5ZvgMKuE4PHAe3Wp2RGV_CJEv2g8/s597/Unmask%20Alice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lZVXiIsBh4HLn9aBYomTrfzeFAuJhhtkuS6BvxUyqu6zc10Pc9AjPOZ0fJmL5GNZt3PPvoJqof4h-quqDRb99PTEmuD-wjopo7ZnI9ZyJ-CMzs6gdEzzTNSVq8H17JSw_ZqjKXfD605IzyCN-ye7atpkVW1IFCU5ZvgMKuE4PHAe3Wp2RGV_CJEv2g8/w268-h400/Unmask%20Alice.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I needed a break from adorable novels, so I read a nonfiction book called <a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank"><i>Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, And The Imposter Behind The World's Most Notorious Diaries</i> by Rick Emerson.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Okay, story time! When I was in graduate school, I wrote <i>a lot</i> about cults, which means I read <i>a lot</i> about cults. Most of the stuff I read was memoirs or sociological studies. I don't remember how, but I ended up with a book called <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3v2WIVe" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i> in my stack of cult books. I was told that it was the true diary of a teenage Mormon boy who got involved with Satanism in the 1970s.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I started reading it, and very quickly, it felt wrong. Everything was over-the-top. It reminded me of those Hell Houses that churches do at Halloween. The diary was simultaneously trying to be a horror movie and preach Mormon ideology. It felt fake, but the cover said it was true. I tried to believe it was true! I kept telling myself that this was the personal diary of a once-devout Mormon teenager. Of course he was going to write about the world through a Mormon lens. Also, he didn't expect the diary to be published. It was a personal project, so it might have been embellished for whatever reason.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The diary got harder and harder to believe. It was <i>nothing</i> like the memoirs and studies I had encountered. This couldn't be real life. (Could it?)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So, I Googled <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3v2WIVe" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i>, and . . . oh, no. No, no, no. The kids are not okay!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"Jay" was a real teenager who kept a journal in the 1970s. His name was actually Alden. He developed severe depression, lost faith in the Mormon religion, and committed suicide at age 16. He was never involved with Satanism and did not express an interest in it. After his death, his mother gave his journal to bestselling author (and con artist) Beatrice Sparks. Alden's mother thought her son's journal could help other depressed teens if it was published.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The real journal wasn't scandalous enough for Beatrice Sparks. She took a few entries from Alden's real diary and invented all the rest. The Satanic stuff was fiction. Sparks did not allow Alden's family to see <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3v2WIVe" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i> before it was published. She also did a terrible job of hiding Alden's identity, so everyone in his small Utah town figured out "Jay's" real name. People thought the Satanism was real because the book was sold as nonfiction. Alden's grave was vandalized. His headstone was stolen. His house became a curiosity. His parents eventually divorced and moved out of town.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3v2WIVe" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i> is an exquisite piece of Satanic Panic Mormon propaganda that ruined a family.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">After Google taught me the true story behind <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3v2WIVe" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i>, I was pissed. Teenage depression is a huge problem. I was a depressed teen! Nobody took it seriously! Having depression dismissed as "Satanism" is offensive and unhelpful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>That brings us to </span><span><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank">U</a></i></span><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank">nmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, And The Imposter Behind The World's Most Notorious Diaries</a>. </i><span>It's the story of Mormon con artist Beatrice Sparks and how her collection of phony diaries sparked (hahaha) the Satanic Panic in the 1980s.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There's a lot going on in <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank">Unmask Alice</a></i>. It's a mix of biography and history. It examines young adult literature and why it's so compelling. It's also a critique of the publishing industry and how it consistently puts profit ahead of people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The author of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank">Unmask Alice</a></i>—Rick Emerson—was clearly inspired by Beatrice Sparks. Just like in Sparks' books, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank">Unmask Alice</a></i> has breakneck pacing and a plot that goes in a million directions at once. It leaves the reader breathless. You don't want to stop reading to question what's real. Like Sparks, the author inserts his opinions into everything. It's nonfiction, so you're inclined to believe what he's saying, but . . . the whole book is about an author who lied in nonfiction. How "nonfiction" is "nonfiction"? This book makes you question everything you've ever read.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I recommend <a href="https://amzn.to/3wMK39s" target="_blank"><i>Unmask Alice</i></a> to anyone who's interested in 1980s culture or the publishing industry. It's provocative for sure.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">1. Have you ever forgotten how much you like something and then rediscovered it again? YouTube reminded me that I love the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9qQXSjI-WOqgtYxpBlrJn8d__xzzb8mN" target="_blank">Try Guys "Without A Recipe" videos</a>. Now I'm rewatching the entire playlist. It's a cooking show where funny people attempt to cook different things without a recipe. Sometimes they succeed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">2. I visited a bookstore for the first time in years. It was amazing! I missed everything about bookstores, even the smell. I've been on a book-buying ban since 2022, and before that was COVID. It's been a while. I didn't buy any books at the store because I'm still on a buying ban. I just admired the books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">3. I accidentally sliced my thumb while I was cutting up boxes for recycling. While I was bleeding all over, I discovered that we only have <i>Blue's Clues</i> bandages because (apparently) Baby Brooklyn does all our grocery shopping. Now my thumb smiles at me while I'm reading depressing literature.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmUE8z19psRIZmJuQgRArD8tyZ-ra25eOIyYSnvrw48QkG9OeTx7iTZ65YFaQMV6Ncl5REOtWsEUF43kh60-0xjCS-AQD2FV4U1ikHxod3hVvwgl3SMtarG6Hv99OVEdn3Yroukp9J1suXyz3ZfJuYHmyT64-DVpgwEcED5r6nlAU6CEAs4vc6d3omB0/s4032/Thumb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmUE8z19psRIZmJuQgRArD8tyZ-ra25eOIyYSnvrw48QkG9OeTx7iTZ65YFaQMV6Ncl5REOtWsEUF43kh60-0xjCS-AQD2FV4U1ikHxod3hVvwgl3SMtarG6Hv99OVEdn3Yroukp9J1suXyz3ZfJuYHmyT64-DVpgwEcED5r6nlAU6CEAs4vc6d3omB0/w640-h480/Thumb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">4. The weather was nice on my walk. Barely any clouds. I could (somewhat) see the mountains. I also saw random underpass ducks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyzFLz_m9WodWXj-yqzlyRXuJiq1uGFpsyqDgLnMkEDYc5GaSG8AFMPXGkTJy3UVZXPjGwUKyjUFdXtOrdxFeipoc0-u5TEvtNP5x0JOOoJfYAUAg5uAh2t9pwNiuP_Ffzg-5KF4VYIwZBLu7kcaWW7IF2GjQtjAT5E5VDeD30QRnrJWSHsvHqJ8z7Ak/s4032/walk%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyzFLz_m9WodWXj-yqzlyRXuJiq1uGFpsyqDgLnMkEDYc5GaSG8AFMPXGkTJy3UVZXPjGwUKyjUFdXtOrdxFeipoc0-u5TEvtNP5x0JOOoJfYAUAg5uAh2t9pwNiuP_Ffzg-5KF4VYIwZBLu7kcaWW7IF2GjQtjAT5E5VDeD30QRnrJWSHsvHqJ8z7Ak/w480-h640/walk%201.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIksY9TsNptD0W9Dhv-wV7XaK2P7c8IwBOzIsgQZQ3vBvlQbipL3gsATLh17aOYzO2_hmucOJPfl8WdmTokvu0_KEm8HRgUkkzgHWkby9ulE10skuqdBkLe_Zj2ofCoSsp6LHGTgEahB80FQwXCBOAZdc3W76cOia7MqrJ8YYiQchRXucPge7YzcZF9Y/s4032/Walk%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIksY9TsNptD0W9Dhv-wV7XaK2P7c8IwBOzIsgQZQ3vBvlQbipL3gsATLh17aOYzO2_hmucOJPfl8WdmTokvu0_KEm8HRgUkkzgHWkby9ulE10skuqdBkLe_Zj2ofCoSsp6LHGTgEahB80FQwXCBOAZdc3W76cOia7MqrJ8YYiQchRXucPge7YzcZF9Y/w640-h480/Walk%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP0qRX3rDaniBN3OMEhVhOBHH73UWfk_vKUOUzCj4dKGrrt89iv_oCGgHwfj1GW0BuRtYhFfh_dkqo9ommXB1jpSQ4kvNFnyOLMpJ0h_gNncRLsG-BSY2kfvDXNKS1DiaF0Y0yQsmCkaTF5HmhZ1oKtXr-X30B50YwcspfJLKGQWrKMEVVOnhQh2A-6E/s4032/Ducks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP0qRX3rDaniBN3OMEhVhOBHH73UWfk_vKUOUzCj4dKGrrt89iv_oCGgHwfj1GW0BuRtYhFfh_dkqo9ommXB1jpSQ4kvNFnyOLMpJ0h_gNncRLsG-BSY2kfvDXNKS1DiaF0Y0yQsmCkaTF5HmhZ1oKtXr-X30B50YwcspfJLKGQWrKMEVVOnhQh2A-6E/w480-h640/Ducks.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">5. There are still skunks under my house, so here's a new Skunkumentary. I'm learning a lot from making the world's stupidest nature documentary. Last week, I learned that I don't know all my neighbors' cats. I keep squinting at the videos and going, "Whose cat is that cat? I've never seen that cat in my life!"<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I also learned that rabbits are North America's most boring animals. They will park themselves in front of the camera and do <i>absolutely nothing</i> for hours. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time looking through rabbit footage to find the mildly interesting bits.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In addition to boring bunnies, this week's documentary features noisy foxes, mystery cats, skunks (of course), and a few blurry shots because the files got corrupted, and I don't actually know anything about video editing. Enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oHlyvRx3ypI" width="320" youtube-src-id="oHlyvRx3ypI"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For More Mildly Interesting Bits</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-42576016840557178442024-03-05T06:00:00.013-07:002024-03-05T06:00:00.151-07:00March 2024 Book Releases<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtKbwVGocna_AWURay-UEpkzSvF1GP1MPt5VTzQ-WzUtxa77YwJS1w45qW1nXI8C5AD1ZyHdsMgTERUaoFjxeQfZzNG0qNRh92NB5nMCQObfN52vuZiEv3M5hd8lBS22oIvJdha8MQttGzk-SPPddvk4wM_kFmtVknPbuhyphenhyphenHJqvJWz28zujg6aGi-Dyg/s2100/3-5%20March%204.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtKbwVGocna_AWURay-UEpkzSvF1GP1MPt5VTzQ-WzUtxa77YwJS1w45qW1nXI8C5AD1ZyHdsMgTERUaoFjxeQfZzNG0qNRh92NB5nMCQObfN52vuZiEv3M5hd8lBS22oIvJdha8MQttGzk-SPPddvk4wM_kFmtVknPbuhyphenhyphenHJqvJWz28zujg6aGi-Dyg/w210-h400/3-5%20March%204.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">March is a great month for books! I'm looking forward to reading all of these spring babies.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Note: Some of the release dates may change or be different in your part of the world. Don't come for me if they're wrong. I'm trying to keep up!</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">🌊 <u>March 2024 Book Releases</u> 🍃</span></span></h1><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>The Poisons We Drink</i> by Bethany Baptiste</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Young Adult Urban Fantasy</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 5, 2024</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIKSXc81yVkNFmq6Hu1eNjwxdndHzwUAQNKfUinw2N-CrhFsj54ACoZRUnLkLumeDoqEfPABVurpCDRZnCOuR-kx7Ms6y2d40S1H0BZ-5Z56EDk8enorzcBBjeQilLN8xZAveJCUeKgpLj9oCBAAvi9b1jZ1ANwVnzD82y8Kg8Z_yHyJt3n9KQIV7j44/s2775/The%20Poisons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIKSXc81yVkNFmq6Hu1eNjwxdndHzwUAQNKfUinw2N-CrhFsj54ACoZRUnLkLumeDoqEfPABVurpCDRZnCOuR-kx7Ms6y2d40S1H0BZ-5Z56EDk8enorzcBBjeQilLN8xZAveJCUeKgpLj9oCBAAvi9b1jZ1ANwVnzD82y8Kg8Z_yHyJt3n9KQIV7j44/w265-h400/The%20Poisons.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">When an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust . . . herself included.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> A revenge story? Sign me up. I love morally gray characters. It also sounds like it has the potential for a lot of plot twists.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48sAyuh" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>RAINBOW BLACK</i> BY MAGGIE THRASH</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Historical Fiction</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">March 19, 2024</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ukmanes1cX-Mk5FpC3gKKOfxTXoqjWnIxECnSr2JuS3tbmrzvwVJb7q-2BkcfSIE4_2-KD1rHY4Tb2VLQwb5efckc7LPwyZYyuZvKYNXhvAxE15pi16AjnsDMd-_9EtV3Bk54F5R4rVLf8OuypvleHGmM-n87tJUGDojEBDu5Fv2F7vk3E2AKcm6hXA/s2800/Maggie%20Thrash.jpg" style="color: #2631bb; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="1860" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ukmanes1cX-Mk5FpC3gKKOfxTXoqjWnIxECnSr2JuS3tbmrzvwVJb7q-2BkcfSIE4_2-KD1rHY4Tb2VLQwb5efckc7LPwyZYyuZvKYNXhvAxE15pi16AjnsDMd-_9EtV3Bk54F5R4rVLf8OuypvleHGmM-n87tJUGDojEBDu5Fv2F7vk3E2AKcm6hXA/w266-h400/Maggie%20Thrash.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="266" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Lacey Bond is a thirteen-year-old girl in New Hampshire growing up in the tranquility of her hippie parents’ rural daycare center. Then the Satanic Panic hits. It’s the summer of 1990 when Lacey’s parents are handcuffed, flung into the county jail, and faced with a torrent of jaw-dropping accusations as part of a mass hysteria sweeping the nation. When a horrific murder brings Lacey to the breaking point, she makes a ruthless choice that will haunt her for decades.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Maggie Thrash is amazing at writing teenagers. Her memoir, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4a0tXIC" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Honor Girl</a></i>, is one of my favorite graphic novels because the dialogue between the teenagers is hilarious. It brought back memories of the misadventures I had at Girl Scout camp. I'm interested to see what the author can do with fiction.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/46sURFM" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></b></a></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Under This Red Rock</i> by Mindy McGinnis</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Young Adult Mystery</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvbHG_JsKq0fEVkearwJTGvN9NdkPv61N7As0ACkd3VVAOncaFlnxmWYQOW4o_lQU6kCzoAXBTs_ijWJ6_WCocwXui-D6iKSLzayzJ4hsDIYLparr9QN-qyS9QqHDwV921_7Sxme-KR32nowRB78brbcvRkCyNQqyIaIs9vXArAhf05U_AbXQP_tW2Us/s2048/Under%20This%20Red%20Rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvbHG_JsKq0fEVkearwJTGvN9NdkPv61N7As0ACkd3VVAOncaFlnxmWYQOW4o_lQU6kCzoAXBTs_ijWJ6_WCocwXui-D6iKSLzayzJ4hsDIYLparr9QN-qyS9QqHDwV921_7Sxme-KR32nowRB78brbcvRkCyNQqyIaIs9vXArAhf05U_AbXQP_tW2Us/w265-h400/Under%20This%20Red%20Rock.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Neely’s monsters don’t always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she’s in trouble.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">With a history of mental illness in her family, and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow—the caverns. There she can find peace. There she can pretend to be normal. There . . . she meets Mila.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mila is everything Neely isn’t—beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open, and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Cave monsters! I love caves. They're a perfect place for monsters and murder. This book sounds like an intriguing mystery. Also, that cover is disturbing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3sSyNXy" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Future Tense: How We Made Artificial Intelligence—And How It Will Change Everything</i> by Martha Brockenbrough</b></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Technology Nonfiction</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoFv1xP0R_VWVa2E37eFS4dqiXh-0Lowz_skufUON064ALb4FFCZM0bxdV7n1MsWNPVlMUCJCjrvAwO1LgJF1cP5XRXfkQffeYngF_pWkjYCTy6a5ZiWAisian6TxdOtZ7ZK_5dJaDqL5sRAHhfHP9XN17eBix7rbXxP_5uJTXRhk1eIcrLdyif35_cA/s400/Future%20Tense.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoFv1xP0R_VWVa2E37eFS4dqiXh-0Lowz_skufUON064ALb4FFCZM0bxdV7n1MsWNPVlMUCJCjrvAwO1LgJF1cP5XRXfkQffeYngF_pWkjYCTy6a5ZiWAisian6TxdOtZ7ZK_5dJaDqL5sRAHhfHP9XN17eBix7rbXxP_5uJTXRhk1eIcrLdyif35_cA/s16000/Future%20Tense.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Human history has always been shaped by technology, but AI is like no technology that has come before it. Unlike the wheel, combustion engines, or electricity, AI does the thing that humans do: think. While AI hasn’t reproduced the marvelously complex human brain, it has been able to accomplish astonishing things. AI has defeated our players at games like chess, Go, and Jeopardy!. It’s learned to recognize objects and speech. It can create art and music. It’s even allowed grieving people to feel as though they were talking with their dead loved ones.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>On the flip side, it’s put innocent people in jail, manipulated the emotions of social media users, and tricked people into believing untrue things.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Like pretty much everybody else, I'm fascinated and terrified by AI. Is it going to take my job? What will it do to art? How will we know what's true? This book explores how "</span></span><span>AI has touched every corner of our world, including education, healthcare, work, politics, war, international relations, and even romance." It sounds interesting.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/49MtObs" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><b><i>A BOTANICAL DAUGHTER</i> BY NOAH MEDLOCK</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Adult Historical Horror</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc0Q7qYlYhTd28RAMgtYCzyRabfMqH7lV9PEwoiZZIwk1I0K9X6NepTeYxUAKDghX32Cl7Xp8w5FBvCbe8XokP71v15t_4c4Xjjf2RSTxOpba95_1N_GRvI1VgRi-B98crkF8gX4yFK9hY00zG1qpqtaoa8YRjuRqij0pWH6qkV7flxr1E4iKsfa_4ZE/s3118/A%20Botanical%20Daughter.jpg" style="color: #2631bb; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3118" data-original-width="2054" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc0Q7qYlYhTd28RAMgtYCzyRabfMqH7lV9PEwoiZZIwk1I0K9X6NepTeYxUAKDghX32Cl7Xp8w5FBvCbe8XokP71v15t_4c4Xjjf2RSTxOpba95_1N_GRvI1VgRi-B98crkF8gX4yFK9hY00zG1qpqtaoa8YRjuRqij0pWH6qkV7flxr1E4iKsfa_4ZE/w264-h400/A%20Botanical%20Daughter.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="264" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It is an unusual thing, to live in a botanical garden. But Simon and Gregor are an unusual pair of gentlemen. Hidden away in their glass sanctuary from the disapproving tattle of Victorian London, they are free to follow their own interests without interference. For Simon, this means long hours in the dark basement workshop, working his taxidermical art. Gregor's business is exotic plants—lucrative, but harmless enough. Until his latest acquisition, a strange fungus which shows signs of intellect beyond any plant he's seen, inspires him to attempt a masterwork: true intelligent life from plant matter.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />Driven by the glory he'll earn from the Royal Horticultural Society for such an achievement, Gregor ignores the flaws in his plan: that intelligence cannot be controlled; that plants cannot be reasoned with; and that the only way his plant-beast will flourish is if he uses a recently deceased corpse for the substrate.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />The experiment—or Chloe, as she is named—outstrips even Gregor's expectations, entangling their strange household. But as Gregor's experiment flourishes, he wilts under the cost of keeping it hidden from jealous eyes. The mycelium grows apace in this sultry greenhouse. But who is cultivating whom?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Why I want to read it:</b> It's a tale of family and fungus! What's not to like? Early reviewers are comparing it to <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3SVvnxY" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Mexican Gothic</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/40RFmWU" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Picture Of Dorian Gray</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3SUDudX" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Frankenstein</a></i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47HdCq1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>SLEEPING GIANTS</i> BY RENE DENFELD</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Mystery</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">March 26, 2024</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJglM1hhgRa0elE6miofC2ZNJZ1EoM9U_C4gcgjuf8yA7lLix2k7yNzvhLBg4VoGwSFKM20F4ThcKaWRDZxsBD20XXK-y-uzN5tuQ-R582n0pjfNP1-BDs7lHbNv0ruPHoO_Ca0TMWxlroHx079yMYA6tvhDWCGMYpFzsvRlwwtqwi-sxN0lXcohGU1g4/s2400/Sleeping%20Giants.jpg" style="color: #2631bb; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1590" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJglM1hhgRa0elE6miofC2ZNJZ1EoM9U_C4gcgjuf8yA7lLix2k7yNzvhLBg4VoGwSFKM20F4ThcKaWRDZxsBD20XXK-y-uzN5tuQ-R582n0pjfNP1-BDs7lHbNv0ruPHoO_Ca0TMWxlroHx079yMYA6tvhDWCGMYpFzsvRlwwtqwi-sxN0lXcohGU1g4/w265-h400/Sleeping%20Giants.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="265" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Twenty years ago, a nine-year-old boy was swept away by powerful waves on a remote Oregon beach, his body lost to the sea. Only a stone memorial remains to mark his tragic death.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For most of her life, Amanda Dufresne had no idea she had an older brother named Dennis Owens, or that he had died. Adopted as a baby, she learned about him while looking into her late birth mother, and is curious to know more about this lost sibling. A solitary young woman, Amanda has always felt distanced from the world around her. Her brain works differently from others, leaving her feeling set apart. Her one true companion is the orphaned polar bear she cares for working at the zoo. By getting to know her birth family, she hopes to understand more about herself.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Retired police officer Larry Palmer is a widower with nothing but time and in need of a purpose. He offers to help Amanda find answers. The search leads to shocking and heartbreaking discoveries. Dennis Owen had been a forgotten foster child abandoned to a home for disturbed boys off the coast. As Amanda and Larry dig deeper into the past, the two stumble upon decades of cruelty and hidden crimes—including a barbaric treatment still used today.</span></p><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> If I made a list of the most disturbing books I've ever read, <a href="https://amzn.to/3QK7O8w" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Enchanted</i> by Rene Denfeld</a> would be on it. It's about a death row inmate who has gone very, very insane and imagines his prison cell as a terrifyingly magical place. The author's new books sounds extremely different, but I'm hoping it has the same disturbing imagery.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47IyywX" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></b></a></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><h2><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Icarus</i> by K. Ancrum</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Young Adult Mythology Retelling<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 26, 2024</b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmcT9VIZvz6ff7cvDkM5SjF8RWrVi92VnVbd88yZzmoNJ5jl_T4w8bzFj_ffIE8TcE1UB6cHGvO9KKhk6T4RJbSthsh3NkH_8Dg0ydGdTn6zIIaH5c6qAxK3oGYvt8nkp8LlatP9kwShGE_Y_k2s_2n4qPkL9Q_VE58HUzjb2hWBbmTRFTs2AVmsdkak/s1536/Icarus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1017" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmcT9VIZvz6ff7cvDkM5SjF8RWrVi92VnVbd88yZzmoNJ5jl_T4w8bzFj_ffIE8TcE1UB6cHGvO9KKhk6T4RJbSthsh3NkH_8Dg0ydGdTn6zIIaH5c6qAxK3oGYvt8nkp8LlatP9kwShGE_Y_k2s_2n4qPkL9Q_VE58HUzjb2hWBbmTRFTs2AVmsdkak/w265-h400/Icarus.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Icarus Gallagher is a thief.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target, revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black, but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the bars of the gilded cage that has trapped both of their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose: the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Normally, the word "retelling" is an automatic <i>No</i> from me, but I trust K. Ancrum. She's awesome at writing morally gray characters. If you like books about young people who do questionable things, check out <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uFr7Z3" target="_blank">The Wicker King</a></i>. It's a quick, memorable read.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3urgA3G" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCGTjcosheBA-xw-3CzIk9-S-zKP6zFMzKgosCmHPm2Yq6Wxl-ys7XRnzhVYi6RI8kf5UnbDtK9N4aw3DME_DpDf59LWk3Jm2XJoeABAHuxSbFQgC8r4ca8SvUoxM7ksaCYZrxxIiy_3K8WnypHRbTuiq1eBTsZt_CAd56EIsNkZheQF6kaElav_yWq8/s2100/3-5%20March%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCGTjcosheBA-xw-3CzIk9-S-zKP6zFMzKgosCmHPm2Yq6Wxl-ys7XRnzhVYi6RI8kf5UnbDtK9N4aw3DME_DpDf59LWk3Jm2XJoeABAHuxSbFQgC8r4ca8SvUoxM7ksaCYZrxxIiy_3K8WnypHRbTuiq1eBTsZt_CAd56EIsNkZheQF6kaElav_yWq8/w210-h400/3-5%20March%202.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Which March releases are you looking forward to reading?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-1698772693310524942024-03-03T06:00:00.030-07:002024-03-03T06:00:00.141-07:00The Sunday Post #360<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm7fmR43whO6sEcLQGjrbsThcEp57g5boP3Ob-p6GEPIc4eYEl7i1PeDMM231RDQwzQY9Xtrsph-KO1P-Q5WrwPfRXKkoTTsdztbie1vb4GnKfbRmpLw3uBzL94oo80SI2wbVsd8X2wDg51oAZB5XDZRxpEhuRu17gklmc4C52EFkr_DcbXQxSF7H70U/s960/Hogs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="710" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm7fmR43whO6sEcLQGjrbsThcEp57g5boP3Ob-p6GEPIc4eYEl7i1PeDMM231RDQwzQY9Xtrsph-KO1P-Q5WrwPfRXKkoTTsdztbie1vb4GnKfbRmpLw3uBzL94oo80SI2wbVsd8X2wDg51oAZB5XDZRxpEhuRu17gklmc4C52EFkr_DcbXQxSF7H70U/w474-h640/Hogs.jpg" width="474" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #360</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">February 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/best-short-novels.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Short Novels</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-additions-to-my-to-be-read-list.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Recent Additions To My To-Be-Read List</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/beautiful-text-only-book-covers.html" target="_blank">Beautiful Text-Only Book Covers</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A bunch of my library holds came in at the same time. How am I supposed to read all these? One of the books is nearly 1000 pages! I decided to ignore the big one and read the ones that are short and (possibly) freakin' adorable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gO8JdPmjVdaeSpeGqAyZENVOiZEmE4BzuAWwYZ0jwWD7PDoCjjnNVPW7rxkthGvufnkC_nGoUn8BFVPQ9W4o5uxJwMuTOBp5Bx-e02JPy3oZeVlmECjgMAytxAvR9R4iWEDvLlvEKL8a37a9RCgwzdIB6RYq6TOpdHtxTRUt00v8mfurB6ICGGpvnB4/s2764/The%20Very%20Secret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="1843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gO8JdPmjVdaeSpeGqAyZENVOiZEmE4BzuAWwYZ0jwWD7PDoCjjnNVPW7rxkthGvufnkC_nGoUn8BFVPQ9W4o5uxJwMuTOBp5Bx-e02JPy3oZeVlmECjgMAytxAvR9R4iWEDvLlvEKL8a37a9RCgwzdIB6RYq6TOpdHtxTRUt00v8mfurB6ICGGpvnB4/w267-h400/The%20Very%20Secret.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I finished <a href="https://amzn.to/48GW7Gu" target="_blank"><i>The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches</i> by Sangu Mandanna</a>. It <i>was</i> freakin' adorable! It's about a lonely witch named Mika Moon who can't form close relationships because she has to keep her powers hidden. Then, someone sees through her efforts to hide herself. She's offered a job as a tutor for three young witches who live in a remote mansion. The children and the staff at the mansion quickly become Mika's new witchy family. However, they're keeping a dangerous secret that may expose all their powers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The characters are where this book shines. They're so kind and genuine. They get along well and care deeply about each other. I want to be friends with them in real life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There's a romance plotline, but I didn't hate it! The romance doesn't overwhelm the entire story because Mika and Jamie both have jobs and interests outside of each other. It's a slow-burn romance. Both characters are used to hiding themselves, so it takes them a while to open up. I like Mika and Jamie and was very happy that they found love when they badly needed it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I didn't like the plot as much as the characters. I know this is a cozy book, so it's supposed to be funny and low stakes, but some of the plot events are <i>really</i> convenient. All the messy problems are solved neatly and easily. It's one of those novels that I finish and go, "Oh . . . that's it? It's over already?" The plot just doesn't have much substance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If you're looking for a whimsical book with a romance that won't make you gag, then this is the novel for you! It'll make you smile.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZjHEkB0Fyjz00Am7wsXxNrOiH4x1tLNHOWxylVzGvP1cul2WkqjpPktdMbZ2kFYzjJK4xWYZwpGi_w0sSLQrDNJqbuJ04B_MapqhmAWEr6MAy3VFmDPBit5-iwbkBMkXgWjcztnQtZUpTn_zgpxDyU63SqM8clWgVdv7nOUwIs5zTYb8woTtCDKhX7U/s1000/Legends%20&%20Lattes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZjHEkB0Fyjz00Am7wsXxNrOiH4x1tLNHOWxylVzGvP1cul2WkqjpPktdMbZ2kFYzjJK4xWYZwpGi_w0sSLQrDNJqbuJ04B_MapqhmAWEr6MAy3VFmDPBit5-iwbkBMkXgWjcztnQtZUpTn_zgpxDyU63SqM8clWgVdv7nOUwIs5zTYb8woTtCDKhX7U/w264-h400/Legends%20&%20Lattes.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The second freakin' adorable book I read was <a href="https://amzn.to/49Bc3LL" target="_blank"><i>Legends & Lattes</i> by Travis Baldree</a>. It's a cozy fantasy about an orc named Viv who's tired of all the quests and battles. She decides to settle down in a small (I think?) town and open a coffee shop. There's only one problem: No one in town has ever heard of coffee.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">An orc, a succubus, and a Ratatouille open a Medieval Cinnabon . . .</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I'm not sure why a book about working at a coffee shop is labeled "cozy." Have you ever had a customer service job? "Cozy" is the <i>last</i> thing I'd call it. Technically, the book is "cozy fantasy." The "fantasy" part is where the customers are nice to the staff.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Mostly, this novel just made me crave cinnamon rolls. I'm so hungry all the time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Okay. Focus. <i><a href="https://amzn.to/49Bc3LL" target="_blank">Legends & Lattes</a></i> is exactly what it says in the synopsis. It's about a group of misfit magical creatures who open a coffee shop. They have to deal with renovations, sourcing equipment, advertising, and getting hassled by old frenemies and a local gang. Despite the bumps in the road, the reader knows that it will all work out in the end. It's a slow, comforting, low stakes story where the characters have way more successes than failures. Honestly, it reminds me of those cozy, repetitive video games that are meant to reduce anxiety. "Cozy" and "Repetitive" are good words to describe the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This novel is subtilty hilarious. Most of the humor comes from watching the characters step outside of stereotypes. Orcs and <strike>succubusses</strike> succubi aren't usually the heroes of stories. And there's an entire movie about how people don't want their cinnamon rolls cooked by Ratatouilles. It's amusing to watch the characters enthusiastically pursue their dreams while sidestepping everybody's expectations. There are even moments where Viv has to sidestep her own expectations. She's not a violent soldier anymore. Now she's a coffee shop owner and has to act accordingly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If the characters were humans instead of creatures, this story could have happened in our world. That's one of my complaints. I want more fantasy in my cozy fantasy. Or maybe more worldbuilding. I want to know about Thune, the town where the story is set. For example, Viv learns about coffee when she visits a gnome village on a quest. The majority of the creatures in Thune have never heard of coffee, even though there are gnomes living in Thune. How big is Thune? What are the demographics? Did the gnomes invent coffee generations ago, or did they recently get it from somewhere else? I realize that this stuff might be beyond the scope of cozy fantasy, but I spent way too much time thinking about it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's quick and fun. I like fantasy worlds where customer service is "cozy." I'll read the prequel if my library gets it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Are you ready for more riveting skunk content? Someday I'll stop writing about skunks, but today is not that day! (You're thrilled. I can tell.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I'm not sure if <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-sunday-post-359.html" target="_blank">the skunk deterrents</a> are working, or if the skunks are just following their own schedules, but most of them have left the building! I suspect there are only one or two skunks under the house right now. Progress has been made with the stink situation. It smells nearly tolerable in here. I don't have a constant headache from the stench anymore. My clothes and furniture still smell like a war crime, so the bottles of skunk odor neutralizer are getting a workout, but it's a major improvement over last week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My skunkumentary video is shorter this time because there are fewer skunks. I even captured some not-skunks on video! And we have new camera angles. Oooh, fancy. Much professional. Such documentary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t821kyLKqVA" width="320" youtube-src-id="t821kyLKqVA"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I'm still waiting for the BBC to buy my nature footage</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-80223279216012721332024-02-27T06:00:00.016-07:002024-02-27T06:00:00.155-07:00Beautiful Text-Only Book Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjo0pUy5zs7F4I1njsojh7bVFtbAUKWKJ7oDgBWkKJ7cCAqGPKKOCvMogQHRlkPMgfYm_3I3AoedePhQaQIaCm_Ue6f21sDxcm61eM5l2bwzSERWOh03YY3Kh5e9jtwnHXhTPQEkifqV4ySicq1srDa6O5pqv2hDVeDy87AUtl3xvJXWPdbKTvdqpiT4/s2100/2-27%20Covers%205.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjo0pUy5zs7F4I1njsojh7bVFtbAUKWKJ7oDgBWkKJ7cCAqGPKKOCvMogQHRlkPMgfYm_3I3AoedePhQaQIaCm_Ue6f21sDxcm61eM5l2bwzSERWOh03YY3Kh5e9jtwnHXhTPQEkifqV4ySicq1srDa6O5pqv2hDVeDy87AUtl3xvJXWPdbKTvdqpiT4/w210-h400/2-27%20Covers%205.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contain affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Today, we're taking about book covers. I always kind of dread talking about covers because I know nothing about art. I have <i>opinions</i> about art, but I don't have the vocabulary to express those opinions.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Here are 10 text-only covers that I think are beautiful. However, I suspect calling them "text-only" is wrong because a few of them have a tiny bit more than just text. Maybe they're minimalist covers? Text-focused covers? They're covers where "the artist uses font, color, and shapes to show a book's essence." That is too many words to fit in a blog post title, so we're calling these "text-only" covers.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h1 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">💄 <u>Beautiful Book Covers</u> 📚</span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw0Faf48WJYm518MHNldeNxuv14v33Cvq6NKvPL2af8d6AoyG3Ar-PvGga6jqXyB-QL0167wNcy4sG1ncc5Wupnp-PY3E7n2aGXLL4RSZXJ_m_E9tbGLTQUbvg52qvHFQzgnDndGG9r9opJhFkdl6kH2scv_IqH_e1sxFWDQL5EUWBZxg_WLDbcneW7M/s2560/I%20Have%20Some%20Questions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="I have some questions for you by rebecca makkai. The cover is red and blue with beige text. Each letter of the text is casting a shadow. The shadows look like they're melting." border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1695" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw0Faf48WJYm518MHNldeNxuv14v33Cvq6NKvPL2af8d6AoyG3Ar-PvGga6jqXyB-QL0167wNcy4sG1ncc5Wupnp-PY3E7n2aGXLL4RSZXJ_m_E9tbGLTQUbvg52qvHFQzgnDndGG9r9opJhFkdl6kH2scv_IqH_e1sxFWDQL5EUWBZxg_WLDbcneW7M/w424-h640/I%20Have%20Some%20Questions.jpg" width="424" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3SgvLpW" target="_blank">I Have Some Questions For You</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxO9qTk5o1ABqcueFvGU7NiAEctQBtU80Q1kGDWyXPFPyVwc39twB1UcBSWIfP6kVzsV3Km4w02GTHseAKZhwaIX6XsZdzcrEZpFDvibzlH1V3eZSyAcSsDiX2L5y5Gp-CPdBdESraLIhtEt4Vj521YnpCAk1iPvnusUBnu-hGgsZB6LnvsRcdF_wp4Y/s2560/The%20Invisible%20Life%20Of%20Addie%20LaRue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="The invisible life of addie larue by V.E. Schwab. The cover is solid black with gold all-caps text. There is a gold constellation of stars overlaying the text." border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1684" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxO9qTk5o1ABqcueFvGU7NiAEctQBtU80Q1kGDWyXPFPyVwc39twB1UcBSWIfP6kVzsV3Km4w02GTHseAKZhwaIX6XsZdzcrEZpFDvibzlH1V3eZSyAcSsDiX2L5y5Gp-CPdBdESraLIhtEt4Vj521YnpCAk1iPvnusUBnu-hGgsZB6LnvsRcdF_wp4Y/w422-h640/The%20Invisible%20Life%20Of%20Addie%20LaRue.jpg" width="422" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48uVC3f" target="_blank">The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55chwLeEnnFhf2YcXMJvHTDnmk3e3tLTYCbqYVKVSnRXVGuIld3g5IuX9iLuxWddEbhYj0tFam2mS-CG2rQ6hZT-c0MhojdvUZKCsVtSDTtGob-DGgmZSA-ES46fMrJ8zR2e2ClyUOqlV9YLUf_mAhNrQzIFJHBcmL_sGtSc3X5pEvMZQg2omNRQW-Dc/s400/Why%20I'm%20No%20Longer%20Talking.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race by reni eddo-lodge. White cover with black text. The words "to white people" are written in white, so they almost blend into the white background." border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="249" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55chwLeEnnFhf2YcXMJvHTDnmk3e3tLTYCbqYVKVSnRXVGuIld3g5IuX9iLuxWddEbhYj0tFam2mS-CG2rQ6hZT-c0MhojdvUZKCsVtSDTtGob-DGgmZSA-ES46fMrJ8zR2e2ClyUOqlV9YLUf_mAhNrQzIFJHBcmL_sGtSc3X5pEvMZQg2omNRQW-Dc/w398-h640/Why%20I'm%20No%20Longer%20Talking.jpg" width="398" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Hi6iWY" target="_blank">Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37gSATQ8zuRAazBDqLBBqcl7cTHnWUwdWffBJZwubqZYAI8dJ4b0CwaWef6vhE4dWq3TixXV6h5-WzA-sTRsPP6DENBXAAEJcLrhBh1_wXm5-p2J853KYRt8VkkLImwNFsJFQHPKqckCF52_QptDkESvdPUcwYhBABJ09E6knNej5glbxgv6iJtQZh2I/s475/You.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="You by Caroline Kepnes. The cover is a wrinkled sheet of white paper covered in red stains. "You" is written in all-caps." border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37gSATQ8zuRAazBDqLBBqcl7cTHnWUwdWffBJZwubqZYAI8dJ4b0CwaWef6vhE4dWq3TixXV6h5-WzA-sTRsPP6DENBXAAEJcLrhBh1_wXm5-p2J853KYRt8VkkLImwNFsJFQHPKqckCF52_QptDkESvdPUcwYhBABJ09E6knNej5glbxgv6iJtQZh2I/w424-h640/You.jpg" width="424" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48xDRQA" target="_blank">You</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuhCd3-j6tH0_kQ_WhAJ_GFelyawdf9xnYLO7zROwzITKssCNZh3Pdgg3oc_23i2PB6X9PId5yU5jy7OuGcDkkkMmLdprn7ybXM3J7XKUJ2sQmnFT8opDmx65MDTFtdvmsvvuChEgqQJsktI2MCcZLst3aD55tfFGqiv8COGKkqVfiVwjWHb0hgQMsrQ/s475/Illuminae.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. The cover is a red and yellow explosion. The text is all-caps black inside white boxes." border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuhCd3-j6tH0_kQ_WhAJ_GFelyawdf9xnYLO7zROwzITKssCNZh3Pdgg3oc_23i2PB6X9PId5yU5jy7OuGcDkkkMmLdprn7ybXM3J7XKUJ2sQmnFT8opDmx65MDTFtdvmsvvuChEgqQJsktI2MCcZLst3aD55tfFGqiv8COGKkqVfiVwjWHb0hgQMsrQ/w424-h640/Illuminae.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4aMQZD0" target="_blank">Illuminae</a></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVWHtgddPzv3ZQWMgJPFcbZRBqZwfRU15ACxfuGgVJdjlj_zwSftBiq4QEvzrGW1Jt_I8dWYyMxyr0X5bIDepSu6l0UnVs_0-guTUxHKZve-fbcnx1pbpx491AYGbYVg9kT2qWQPeSg_PsLyZgDGNcGwGNggp0FKNsQnjb7dJqtrXHz1BNx3dcsqrDRQ/s475/Destination%20Truth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Destination Truth: memoirs of a monster hunter by josh gates. Gold text on a black leather cover. The cover looks like a journal that has been ripped and chewed. The bottom third of the leather cover is missing, exposing red and brown pages underneath." border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVWHtgddPzv3ZQWMgJPFcbZRBqZwfRU15ACxfuGgVJdjlj_zwSftBiq4QEvzrGW1Jt_I8dWYyMxyr0X5bIDepSu6l0UnVs_0-guTUxHKZve-fbcnx1pbpx491AYGbYVg9kT2qWQPeSg_PsLyZgDGNcGwGNggp0FKNsQnjb7dJqtrXHz1BNx3dcsqrDRQ/w410-h640/Destination%20Truth.jpg" width="410" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48SxEym" target="_blank">Destination Truth</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScywd5dRb7yKh8Vf9r_Rhi4fVhVNwyMj99Yys1Nk-JYWa6ivPEYpX5ZjpZSMdzYYo-FdX_DWL2xYSYKpaETZQVX1TayHQu34FPIOY_Mh6Pm3j_725cVsehdCUsLDQqnqPEZzNgIhRZBLX6A-Mn-N6X_t8xhDpxcBA9xix3KZR78lSNb-ByLxSZL7y584/s400/Pew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="Pew by catherine lacey. The cover is made to look like a battered, old Bible. Gray background with gold text. The gray background is worn and peeling in spots." border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScywd5dRb7yKh8Vf9r_Rhi4fVhVNwyMj99Yys1Nk-JYWa6ivPEYpX5ZjpZSMdzYYo-FdX_DWL2xYSYKpaETZQVX1TayHQu34FPIOY_Mh6Pm3j_725cVsehdCUsLDQqnqPEZzNgIhRZBLX6A-Mn-N6X_t8xhDpxcBA9xix3KZR78lSNb-ByLxSZL7y584/w429-h640/Pew.jpg" width="429" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4aRWL6u" target="_blank">Pew</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMX-rbobrZxI_NZSpFWYbSAgGXzucPLulVh9xevZtRXYoxDLiQ0sLCYOBGsh7UNVkEnWbH2nl1grj7YaEE25rXsTV_sQekIgy77CdtGxLGbJKx1Ghj1dcKLZh9SsJ9Qqwq_sl1QfD3nu8UOFhYxxih4yuiQGELPFzmwrKAgxuwKjLYKDPklYak4sh6xs/s475/The%20Death%20Of%20Vivek.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="The death of vivek oji by akwaeke emezi. Gray background with white all-caps text. The top of the cover has abstract red and pink strands of hair that are braided together." border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMX-rbobrZxI_NZSpFWYbSAgGXzucPLulVh9xevZtRXYoxDLiQ0sLCYOBGsh7UNVkEnWbH2nl1grj7YaEE25rXsTV_sQekIgy77CdtGxLGbJKx1Ghj1dcKLZh9SsJ9Qqwq_sl1QfD3nu8UOFhYxxih4yuiQGELPFzmwrKAgxuwKjLYKDPklYak4sh6xs/w429-h640/The%20Death%20Of%20Vivek.jpg" width="429" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41WAeBg" target="_blank">The Death Of Vivek Oji</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbCnzR7UJj4KWzxRnVfcn1V14e1UOvBrwcjWZ0fvgG8MJGk7MH6XMAOoPMuKTDpY8WPP-fyXP9M9amcdYe5yFtyBtR6es6MeRCVHxMCgbkDR4toRzFAGCuZhvS-iPVI09UKaWl8c0d1ymZZ3FXMRqnKrcsbKtM9nus0IJeHM_5mQB-oWIkVP1Z-MB1Jw/s400/The%20Watsons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="The watsons go to birmingham 1963 by christopher paul curtis. The cover is made to look like a green road sign with a white border. The text is white. "The watsons" is written in curly font. The rest of the title is all-caps." border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="286" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbCnzR7UJj4KWzxRnVfcn1V14e1UOvBrwcjWZ0fvgG8MJGk7MH6XMAOoPMuKTDpY8WPP-fyXP9M9amcdYe5yFtyBtR6es6MeRCVHxMCgbkDR4toRzFAGCuZhvS-iPVI09UKaWl8c0d1ymZZ3FXMRqnKrcsbKtM9nus0IJeHM_5mQB-oWIkVP1Z-MB1Jw/w458-h640/The%20Watsons.jpg" width="458" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3U0N0ga" target="_blank">The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7kPwFOM5qPgpxnc9WD1ExpZcbTObBuGFO52llGtAo6wpehNgfBG218zINDFGktdmNI0vTI2QkNpgnHaPFl_F7d_lWZ9RBSPDQu8w9fT20YKY2r6cbrXDkTAOCQWamyW5L262r_Zwis2UHt6gmbZ7OtZNILDTZs28krMrRwb-SZroRrl6jmoVGer2XhU/s475/What%20It%20Means%20When%20A%20Man.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img alt="What it means when a man falls from the sky by lesley nneka arimah. The text is black and looks like watery paint that has spread. The background is bright green and yellow." border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7kPwFOM5qPgpxnc9WD1ExpZcbTObBuGFO52llGtAo6wpehNgfBG218zINDFGktdmNI0vTI2QkNpgnHaPFl_F7d_lWZ9RBSPDQu8w9fT20YKY2r6cbrXDkTAOCQWamyW5L262r_Zwis2UHt6gmbZ7OtZNILDTZs28krMrRwb-SZroRrl6jmoVGer2XhU/w424-h640/What%20It%20Means%20When%20A%20Man.jpg" width="424" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3ShnIcz" target="_blank">What It Means When A Man Fall From The Sky</a></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG68btyW-aRpssZU7rfZu5lan1Nn4Rjj_5WIynFYUfeYLPvJ_lD0Nu7MPBTtK6w6IN1V6AOG5ZZqCVHE7Wpo-f6WgTiP4f0TachrDaVrnk5VNNS0ZQyLdteMY-JUfpU1D_Nirex9l6fYwvPpVM313ODU4jP3vPQYp9dwUdwBK-eLVmtbASb-fj0bxd1s/s2100/2-27%20Covers%206.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG68btyW-aRpssZU7rfZu5lan1Nn4Rjj_5WIynFYUfeYLPvJ_lD0Nu7MPBTtK6w6IN1V6AOG5ZZqCVHE7Wpo-f6WgTiP4f0TachrDaVrnk5VNNS0ZQyLdteMY-JUfpU1D_Nirex9l6fYwvPpVM313ODU4jP3vPQYp9dwUdwBK-eLVmtbASb-fj0bxd1s/w210-h400/2-27%20Covers%206.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">What's your favorite text-only book cover?</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><br /></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-38712939640738907222024-02-25T06:00:00.043-07:002024-02-25T06:00:00.471-07:00The Sunday Post #359<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstPI1IOVTD_iHm6OMLhYmUxU29d5mAcNUWWzqOPopv5AX56yKoHWXPZKsd5fOikUuwYNLk4nfXAQD-TWcxea_rwJRV-pBcJcB0dvvCoPGG5iE4p46wZ-mQxFHoO3bWIQkxz8EEWwdIVrrwoNs1b1ry1oRkxqSGqIYSeRCBvJL88FhZT-bc9B-VzWPvyY/s886/Food%20Truck.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="886" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstPI1IOVTD_iHm6OMLhYmUxU29d5mAcNUWWzqOPopv5AX56yKoHWXPZKsd5fOikUuwYNLk4nfXAQD-TWcxea_rwJRV-pBcJcB0dvvCoPGG5iE4p46wZ-mQxFHoO3bWIQkxz8EEWwdIVrrwoNs1b1ry1oRkxqSGqIYSeRCBvJL88FhZT-bc9B-VzWPvyY/s320/Food%20Truck.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><u>The Sunday Post #359 </u></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-young-adult-book.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">February 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/best-short-novels.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Short Novels</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-additions-to-my-to-be-read-list.html" target="_blank">Recent Additions To My To-Be-Read List</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I finished two books last week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzVYSLKY0Q7WoP-K14QW_FYZ_LZgsaC5n6pGTiaxMP6riDQ2f_JV8jPGJt79xgMmdKouUqm-MrXTMAbeUlUnkDZp9sU1hFvq5lMulS_ZHafDeSlFwaUecup10ismVc7VWcRP7H8eRz5dAInQcFhWdO4k5CGp1zgIkr_VFf6Y1EOY4FthcX5t_seXAkEU/s475/Winterkill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzVYSLKY0Q7WoP-K14QW_FYZ_LZgsaC5n6pGTiaxMP6riDQ2f_JV8jPGJt79xgMmdKouUqm-MrXTMAbeUlUnkDZp9sU1hFvq5lMulS_ZHafDeSlFwaUecup10ismVc7VWcRP7H8eRz5dAInQcFhWdO4k5CGp1zgIkr_VFf6Y1EOY4FthcX5t_seXAkEU/s16000/Winterkill.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The first was <a href="https://amzn.to/3IbLa55" target="_blank"><i>Winterkill</i> by Kate A. Boorman</a>. It was fine. It's a young adult dystopia that takes place in a settlement on the Canadian plains (I think?). I love the setting and the culture of the characters because I haven't seen them in a dystopia before. The dystopias I've read have mostly felt like USA hellscapes. It's nice to see a different country's hellscape.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Unfortunately, the setting is the only thing I liked. Everything else follows a stereotypical YA dystopia script. If I read this book in 2010, I might have been obsessed, but in 2024? Not so much. That's probably my fault more than the book's. I went through a very intense dystopia phase in the early 2000s and read way too many of them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Like most dystopias,<i> <a href="https://amzn.to/3IbLa55" target="_blank">Winterkill</a></i> has Very Important Capitalized Words. There's a love triangle. There's an outcast teenage girl who seems to be the only person with a semi-functional brain. There are many moments of *Gasp* "The leaders lied to us? Who could have seen this coming?" There are forbidden woods where the leaders (very obviously) keep their secrets. There are prophetic dreams about the secrets in the forbidden woods.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I know I'm ragging on the book, but I didn't hate it! It has a few excellent plot twists, and you're never sure which characters to trust. You might like it if you want an extra dose of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uJlz0a" target="_blank">The Village</a></i>, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/49MroIW" target="_blank">The Hunger Games</a></i>, or <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3UN01KR" target="_blank">The Forest Of Hands And Teeth</a></i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFOqma48bJPKOmMpzgtvJAWAoJWfTIP5oC9GfZ-ogLTiXMYyTixZ6fHp7XaEuR1yZvkze3Ehqrp2RRk-Lb6IF3DnVjre3EMatQdF4rmsH-8H769qAagaro6aPPEBwZrDUvxG1G3kckCmLqZLI2EoJu_iVvioN0NFwfjvUu-Ncpnojywcv1_Flfp8tVO0/s475/Darker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFOqma48bJPKOmMpzgtvJAWAoJWfTIP5oC9GfZ-ogLTiXMYyTixZ6fHp7XaEuR1yZvkze3Ehqrp2RRk-Lb6IF3DnVjre3EMatQdF4rmsH-8H769qAagaro6aPPEBwZrDUvxG1G3kckCmLqZLI2EoJu_iVvioN0NFwfjvUu-Ncpnojywcv1_Flfp8tVO0/s16000/Darker.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then I reread <a href="https://amzn.to/4bO5xCL" target="_blank"><i>A Darker Shade Of Magic</i> by V.E. Schwab</a>. I've lost track of how many times I've read this book over the years. I think this might be my fourth or fifth reread. The logical part of my brain always says, <span style="background-color: white;">“I have some issues with this book.” The other part of my brain just fangirls over the adventures and Kell’s fabulous coat. Seriously, I want that coat.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/4bO5xCL" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic</a></i><span style="background-color: white;"> is about a magician, Kell, who has the ability to travel between parallel Londons. When he comes into possession of a dangerous magical stone from Black London, he teams up with a thief named Lila to destroy it.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The characters have so much personality, and it’s easy to fall in love with them. The dialogue is sharp, smart, and funny. The humor feels very organic and true to the characters. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I was happy for the mood-lightening dialogue because a few of the Londons are depressing places. The world-building is impressive. The Londons each have their own unique culture, language, history, and architecture. It’s fascinating to read about. I think White London is my favorite because it’s creepy.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Like all of V.E. Schwab's books, <span style="background-color: white;">I wish the magic system had been explained better and earlier in the story. It took me a long time to figure out how the magic works.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The problem with rereading the first book in a series is that I now want to reread the other two. This is terrible news for my TBR shelf and library books.<br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Let's talk skunks! (I know you're only here for the skunk update.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Last week, I discovered that <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-sunday-post-358.html" target="_blank">there are a distressing number of skunks living under my house</a>. After I wrote about them on the blog, the comments were like, "We need videos of the skunks!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A perk of working in the wilderness conservation field is knowing experts on the local wildlife. I sent a group text that said, "I'd like to observe a cuddle puddle of skunks in the dead of winter. How?" I got back essay-length replies that started with, "First, you must spend your life savings on special camera batteries because mere mortal batteries won't survive the mission."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Long story short: I now have <a href="https://amzn.to/49rhkpf" target="_blank">trail cameras</a>. And winterized batteries. And no money.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It was worth it because I'm having fun with these cameras. I feel like I'm making a nature documentary. Except, it's all skunks. It's a skunk-umentary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If the skunks didn't smell like Uncle Lester's foot fungus <i>literally all the time</i>, I'd let them stay under the house. The house smells absolutely foul. It gives me headaches. I have to drench my clothes in skunk odor neutralizer so I don't go to the grocery store smelling like a crime against humanity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I have tried multiple skunk deterrents to make them leave. The best part of the cameras is watching the skunks briefly consider the deterrents before deciding they don't care.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Here's what I've tried:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Removing all food and water sources</b>. I haven't seen the skunks eat anything. I also haven't seen them order delivery. I suspect they're dining out every night, which is financially irresponsible, but I can't judge because I bought skunk cameras.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Spotlights and strobe lights</b>. At first, these mildly startled the skunks. Then they got used to them. Now the yard is a skunk disco with fabulous lighting.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRW-_Hwaz5FvKhr6-rE-894b24o6wJpJl13A8tVFdXz75_ClJjQIj4IHwv-360u-i1kPC5zic4fhWflbpi4i-6fXZ9oFySbPY6OqDV4oDuHJPS4nodNQDLpLBu8nGmpURr3qbZD9y4oXr7zFkAtsToKPCQ3W4eIen7eghbsV7HpUJUO-Fr9xMfla_qus/s617/WTF.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="578" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRW-_Hwaz5FvKhr6-rE-894b24o6wJpJl13A8tVFdXz75_ClJjQIj4IHwv-360u-i1kPC5zic4fhWflbpi4i-6fXZ9oFySbPY6OqDV4oDuHJPS4nodNQDLpLBu8nGmpURr3qbZD9y4oXr7zFkAtsToKPCQ3W4eIen7eghbsV7HpUJUO-Fr9xMfla_qus/w375-h400/WTF.png" width="375" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Piling heavy stuff on top of their hole</b>. This caused them to dig a new and much-improved hole. It just shows that challenges spark innovation.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUZLhFUwdCEbg8p0IRbj6zkMuYCmVJ1d9LGfzNVFVbNgr5214uDcyN0ZLu7S7DyXrKSr_r2PrAqDTky3c5Tx27zOiN8McgOlIUzOBa8jPkUor6QrGNu-P1AQMjqPJGNcWKFvvKUvVIROkcIHv2I_sP6VuOllwcLM0JPBRdwpTBGMp00vXYVlFHDjklsw/s900/Holes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="900" height="605" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUZLhFUwdCEbg8p0IRbj6zkMuYCmVJ1d9LGfzNVFVbNgr5214uDcyN0ZLu7S7DyXrKSr_r2PrAqDTky3c5Tx27zOiN8McgOlIUzOBa8jPkUor6QrGNu-P1AQMjqPJGNcWKFvvKUvVIROkcIHv2I_sP6VuOllwcLM0JPBRdwpTBGMp00vXYVlFHDjklsw/w640-h605/Holes.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Skunk powder, cups of ammonia, rags soaked in ammonia, all the ammonia</b>. The skunks sniffed them and decided that ammonia smells better than skunks.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmD1T6wifCH6O17dNC19ZLdoTpkYsOnxh4QsObbNfOas1KoQ08pM9LU9UCgMXcIdadTDNoirjpmkn8HDzrxKwx2OldPaoqioBf_j8Q6mIJZzv64FHsaoZuxFnhkwUIKVXSIXBLBn-BG5d2CBvU3Uo-CGzRk-fIaOuX-e6xIVK3o5We7ExBBJZQ_hpOwg/s741/Life%20Choices.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="741" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmD1T6wifCH6O17dNC19ZLdoTpkYsOnxh4QsObbNfOas1KoQ08pM9LU9UCgMXcIdadTDNoirjpmkn8HDzrxKwx2OldPaoqioBf_j8Q6mIJZzv64FHsaoZuxFnhkwUIKVXSIXBLBn-BG5d2CBvU3Uo-CGzRk-fIaOuX-e6xIVK3o5We7ExBBJZQ_hpOwg/w400-h398/Life%20Choices.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Leaving a radio next to their hole</b>. It was my dad's radio, so it was tuned to a scary, shouty, conservative talk station. The skunks might be #MAGA now, but they're still in the yard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Since I can't get rid of the skunks, I did the next logical thing and made them a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLtsS-D9QVmUOqHAz2gfYRQ" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>. Here's Part 1 of their Skunkumentary. Like and subscribe! (I can't believe I just typed that. Gross.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/awgRo8USnj4" width="320" youtube-src-id="awgRo8USnj4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My DMs Are Open If The BBC Wants My Sweet Nature Footage</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-29198980272408691322024-02-20T06:00:00.004-07:002024-02-20T06:23:00.837-07:00Recent Additions To My To-Be-Read List<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuNAqOViNjd8N-PXN0fCktDyKve7zVN_zt6gFu-6NSl1gPe929HbmWDZZTlek33uzkinzDI7lMjX0TVdpVB08bf6egqM4phxukKh9ReGEEhi7mmayJFxjWebJ9OCCPrQ3eTzxyd3qcFejDYHF18glESa31np0aN7hpGG86iWnFV3VYagbPMV20dtFfho/s2100/2-20%20TBR%206.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuNAqOViNjd8N-PXN0fCktDyKve7zVN_zt6gFu-6NSl1gPe929HbmWDZZTlek33uzkinzDI7lMjX0TVdpVB08bf6egqM4phxukKh9ReGEEhi7mmayJFxjWebJ9OCCPrQ3eTzxyd3qcFejDYHF18glESa31np0aN7hpGG86iWnFV3VYagbPMV20dtFfho/w210-h400/2-20%20TBR%206.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A few weeks ago, I posted about how <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" target="_blank">I read/watched/listened to over 200 "Best Books Of 2023" lists</a>. In that post, I talked about the most popular books of last year. But, what about the books that are less popular? The books I saw on a few "Best" lists instead of on dozens of lists?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There are a bunch of intriguing books that (possibly) aren't getting the hype they deserve. Here are 18 books I discovered on "Best" lists and really want to read.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">✍ <u>Recent Additions To My TBR</u> ✅</span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>All Yours </i>by Claudia Piñeiro</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Crime Thriller</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5islWndSmd1L-Fc4PGhyuffO9Wrz80RVJN9K4nmnyg2lsEzQOKjBFL3W4InvZbIZDlm-fTMRnQlmMZYl3ubkMwP-99U7SHregk9XdpnOwmwjwolOcHxaNW7Ts5Uropa2ahbqAPc8RzclCFQPl4a01lcu2GFC1ZrBrcmz7XWHBBcpQX1BzKWmiNSYevY/s475/All%20Yours.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5islWndSmd1L-Fc4PGhyuffO9Wrz80RVJN9K4nmnyg2lsEzQOKjBFL3W4InvZbIZDlm-fTMRnQlmMZYl3ubkMwP-99U7SHregk9XdpnOwmwjwolOcHxaNW7Ts5Uropa2ahbqAPc8RzclCFQPl4a01lcu2GFC1ZrBrcmz7XWHBBcpQX1BzKWmiNSYevY/s16000/All%20Yours.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ines is convinced that every wife is bound to be betrayed one day, so she is not surprised to find a note in her husband Ernesto’s briefcase with a heart smeared in lipstick crossed by the words “All Yours” and signed, “Your true love.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She follows him to a park on a rainy winter evening and witnesses a violent quarrel he has with another woman. The woman collapses; Ernesto sinks her body in a nearby lake. When Ernesto becomes a suspect in the case, she provides him with an alibi. After all, hatred can bring people together as urgently as love. But Ernesto cannot bring his sexual adventures to an end, so Ines concocts a plan for revenge from which there is no return.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> It's about a woman who sees her husband commit a murder and then covers up his crime without his knowledge. Then she regrets her actions. That's a fascinating premise. I want to see how the author pulls it off. Also, it's a translated novel, and I want to read more of those.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/4b7VRTy" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Camp Damascus</i> by Chuck Tingle</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Horror</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgIh1Lud3gxpQ-qndF0lgRGAc0yZDkNyvZMMei5xolGdpbnzbbUaMbfGtA9QEuU5IRsyBfXKfxV0eE4zgZcgMSLqGDFJcrBXQGur5hmspNQO0WdwnHknqgyD_rXMfqSI3qFj8hEcKJSLYYsPq1ULQhThzeQ6U3ebWfKo3TPub_e4T6Gi53K8TmKEkHkI/s475/Camp%20Damascus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgIh1Lud3gxpQ-qndF0lgRGAc0yZDkNyvZMMei5xolGdpbnzbbUaMbfGtA9QEuU5IRsyBfXKfxV0eE4zgZcgMSLqGDFJcrBXQGur5hmspNQO0WdwnHknqgyD_rXMfqSI3qFj8hEcKJSLYYsPq1ULQhThzeQ6U3ebWfKo3TPub_e4T6Gi53K8TmKEkHkI/s16000/Camp%20Damascus.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Back when I used Twitter, Chuck Tingle's account was one of my favorites. It was hilarious. I wonder if any of the humor makes it into this book, or if it's all horror?</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48JzFNP" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Contagious: Why Things Cach On</i> by Jonah Berger</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Sociology Nonfiction</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEB9q8yu-SbJVaalOHx3ZNnlsmrye3KHAD7udAsnBOjsFVxb5d1c4LOyU7FtM1qS1hBV0N1fZmEp52Z9-3gordt5bFJi-3kRsvnNCL910GV2-pB1mBqL9ulI6TxY6dlC66AcBsPPofZoYpEK-9HoZiFj6fRrOSdS3spNbg7Pabes-MeLLQ0-ULfGcYFk/s2132/Contagious.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEB9q8yu-SbJVaalOHx3ZNnlsmrye3KHAD7udAsnBOjsFVxb5d1c4LOyU7FtM1qS1hBV0N1fZmEp52Z9-3gordt5bFJi-3kRsvnNCL910GV2-pB1mBqL9ulI6TxY6dlC66AcBsPPofZoYpEK-9HoZiFj6fRrOSdS3spNbg7Pabes-MeLLQ0-ULfGcYFk/w263-h400/Contagious.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">What makes things popular? Why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">If you said advertising, think again. People don't listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger has spent the last decade answering these questions. He's studied why </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">New York Times </i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">articles make the paper's own Most E-mailed List, why products get word of mouth, and how social influence shapes everything from the cars we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children. In this book, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> I'm chronically online and constantly wondering why I'm seeing the stuff that algorithms serve me. I just want to know how social media algorithms work! This book probably won't answer that question, but it might get me one step closer to understanding.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3SsnJKI" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Fixed It: Violence And The Representation Of Women In The Media</i> by Jane Gilmore</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Sociology Nonfiction</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChsWf1_8s9VRhQB4LqB2JO1z6S5JPfjmsVdWvfcCk5LflOJClxYWCVp3vbPpsVmKfsV5Hg0vanTMPjTaWrtlN_TqOy38yGTIywU6xevU-be9T6PXtrKTZe4myjJ7lI_8CPoxq393K3oADgUqNT9akKDFy_Gts67lb8r_5FSCqTrhis_z-cwD2ILIzlf8/s2764/Fixed%20It.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2764" data-original-width="1799" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChsWf1_8s9VRhQB4LqB2JO1z6S5JPfjmsVdWvfcCk5LflOJClxYWCVp3vbPpsVmKfsV5Hg0vanTMPjTaWrtlN_TqOy38yGTIywU6xevU-be9T6PXtrKTZe4myjJ7lI_8CPoxq393K3oADgUqNT9akKDFy_Gts67lb8r_5FSCqTrhis_z-cwD2ILIzlf8/w260-h400/Fixed%20It.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">On average, at least one woman is murdered by a current or former partner every week in Australia. Far too many Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence. Only rarely do these women capture the attention of the media and the public. What can we do to stem the tide of violence and tragedy?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Finally, we are starting to talk about this epidemic of gendered violence, but too often we are doing so in a way that can be clumsy and harmful. Victim blaming, passive voice and over-identification with abusers continue to be hallmarks of reporting on this issue.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><i>Fixed It</i><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i> </i>demonstrates the myths that we’re unconsciously sold about violence against women, and undercuts them in a clear and compelling way. This is a bold, powerful look at the stories we are told—and the stories we tell ourselves—about gender and power, and a call to action for all of us to think harder and do better.</span></span></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> OMG, I'm not the only one who rolls my eyes at crime stories in the media. I've read so many headlines that made me think, <i>Either that's clickbait, or the author profoundly misunderstood what they're writing about.</i> There's a whole book about stupid headlines!</span></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Hv962S" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things </i>by Dan Ariely</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Sociology Nonfiction</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi3SJIJvPr5HS2T4Nv6oVn508pAxoSSziJ86LylYU1RBaEcUu_jP9IKtdsN5HCEl6raJftvZ66Ik2M91I96zLugIeTqAGhcRffWn67h1D-l0rlr_vMAeMBHi4TogVUONqP81s9aWL6qQGFTdug6xp7217BibTYfmKWog1fmeu73cxr0dv0wG6BFfE6m4/s300/misbelief.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="199" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi3SJIJvPr5HS2T4Nv6oVn508pAxoSSziJ86LylYU1RBaEcUu_jP9IKtdsN5HCEl6raJftvZ66Ik2M91I96zLugIeTqAGhcRffWn67h1D-l0rlr_vMAeMBHi4TogVUONqP81s9aWL6qQGFTdug6xp7217BibTYfmKWog1fmeu73cxr0dv0wG6BFfE6m4/w266-h400/misbelief.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Misinformation affects all of us on a daily basis—from social media to larger political challenges, from casual conversations in supermarkets, to even our closest relationships. While we recognize the dangers that misinformation poses, the problem is complex—far beyond what policing social media alone can achieve—and too often our limited solutions are shaped by partisan politics and individual interpretations of truth.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">In <i>Misbelief</i>, preeminent social scientist Dan Ariely argues that to understand the irrational appeal of misinformation, we must first understand the behavior of “misbelief”—the psychological and social journey that leads people to mistrust accepted truths, entertain alternative facts, and even embrace full-blown conspiracy theories. Misinformation, it turns out, appeals to something innate in all of us—on the right and the left—and it is only by understanding this psychology that we can blunt its effects. Grounded in years of study as well as Ariely’s own experience as a target of disinformation, <i>Misbelief</i> is an eye-opening and comprehensive analysis of the psychological drivers that cause otherwise rational people to adopt deeply irrational beliefs. Utilizing the latest research, Ariely reveals the key elements—emotional, cognitive, personality, and social—that drive people down the funnel of false information and mistrust, showing how under the right circumstances, anyone can become a misbeliever.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Yet Ariely also offers hope. Even as advanced artificial intelligence has become capable of generating convincing fake news stories at an unprecedented scale, he shows that awareness of these forces fueling misbelief make us, as individuals and as a society, more resilient to its allure. Combating misbelief requires a strategy rooted not in conflict, but in empathy. The sooner we recognize that misbelief is above all else a human problem, the sooner we can become the solution ourselves.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Because I live in the US in 2024. My own mother believes that every inconvenience in her life is part of a vast Democrat conspiracy to do . . . something nefarious? I don't know. I honestly don't understand how the million different parts of a conspiracy theory link together. Maybe this book will help.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3ObUr0m" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Ms Ice Sandwich</i> by Meiko Kawakami</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oEcyelw-hOAS7deLTxHz8ZECtzikdGUiBmhKyl7vUzJEVPpzHK6K90oxG-hGjZmHU11RXR_nsxLRIDaBzloI9aF6qc-uu22tCBLOZUpIiWcGb_n2rfwd6hFSARoRgBrUY-6KjedLZuHiafmrimX92QYH9-vVcmgo1Clut5Kcm9B6L64uZgJncV2Iunw/s450/Mrs%20Ice%20Sandwich.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oEcyelw-hOAS7deLTxHz8ZECtzikdGUiBmhKyl7vUzJEVPpzHK6K90oxG-hGjZmHU11RXR_nsxLRIDaBzloI9aF6qc-uu22tCBLOZUpIiWcGb_n2rfwd6hFSARoRgBrUY-6KjedLZuHiafmrimX92QYH9-vVcmgo1Clut5Kcm9B6L64uZgJncV2Iunw/s16000/Mrs%20Ice%20Sandwich.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her. He is in awe of her aloofness, her skill at slipping sandwiches into bags, and, most electric of all, her ice-blue eyelids. Every day he is drawn to the supermarket just to watch her in action. But life has a way of interfering—there is his mother, forever distracted, who can tell the fortunes of women; his grandmother, silently dying, who listens to his heart; and his classmate, Tutti, no stranger to pain, who shares her private thrilling world with him.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Another translated book. It was compared to <a href="https://amzn.to/3Srmxal" target="_blank"><i>Convenience Store Woman</i> by Sayaka Murata</a>, and I badly want another <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Srmxal" target="_blank">Convenience Store Woman</a></i>. I love that book! I want to read about passionate people who are just trying to live their best life, even if other people don't understand.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3tZDrUh" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming The Legacy Of A Nazi Childhood</i> by Irmgard A. Hunt</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Memoir</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlLxs2Dxfm8i2MyVYmIxVMi4Cx7VFa1KKBha28GsR4jZsQuH-Y9MxclSmXmOlECzYir-x0qNAL4U6gyrLno0IJF6SkxTBqDTBm0zQWSlowBBeDm6o30t1rP4M7kgo-DAy0hp0sW0IpJiut77qv6jbGnzplyTQXMNv3AbjdQGBtDQiSD5oG916YxsF0gw/s320/On%20Hitlers%20Mountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="212" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlLxs2Dxfm8i2MyVYmIxVMi4Cx7VFa1KKBha28GsR4jZsQuH-Y9MxclSmXmOlECzYir-x0qNAL4U6gyrLno0IJF6SkxTBqDTBm0zQWSlowBBeDm6o30t1rP4M7kgo-DAy0hp0sW0IpJiut77qv6jbGnzplyTQXMNv3AbjdQGBtDQiSD5oG916YxsF0gw/w265-h400/On%20Hitlers%20Mountain.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Born in 1934, Irmgard Hunt grew up in the picturesque Bavarian village of Berchtesgaden, in the shadow of the Eagle's Nest and near Adolf Hitler's luxurious alpine retreat. The very model of blond Aryan "purity," Irmgard sat on the Führer's knee for photographers, witnessed with excitement the comings and goings of all manner of famous personages, and with the blindness of a child accepted the Nazi doctrine that most of her family and everyone around her so eagerly embraced. Here, in a picture-postcard world untouched by the war and seemingly unblemished by the horrors Germany's master had wrought, she accepted the lies of her teachers and church and civic leaders, joined the Hitler Youth at age ten, and joyfully sang the songs extolling the virtues of National Socialism.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">But before the end—when she and other children would be forced to cower in terror in dank bomb shelters and wartime deprivations would take a harrowing toll—Irmgard's doubts about the "truths" she had been force-fed increased, fueled by the few brave souls who had not accepted Hitler and his abominations. After the fall of the brutal dictatorship and the suicide of its mad architect, many of her neighbors and loved ones still clung to their beliefs, prejudices, denial, and unacknowledged guilt. Irmgard, often feeling lonely in her quest, was determined to face the truth of her country's criminal past and to bear the responsibility for an almost unbearable reality that most of her elders were determined to forget. She resolved even then that the lessons of her youth would guide her actions and steel her commitment to defend the freedoms and democratic values that had been so easily dismissed by the German people.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> It's a different perspective than most of the WWII books I've read. Most books seem to focus on soldiers, resistance movements, or on the people who Hitler hated. This book is about a person who started to question her beliefs as she got older. It sounds both unique and relatable.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/425YlxF" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Penance</i> by Eliza Clark</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Mystery</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVCIVOeSS8QNInOn4Dngl-xBfJqp1nTLKO9e209eHhyphenhyphenQgAS27cJaUR3eUSEzxfg4LnJMfw3X3HCnXK0-fzhFuX8-RawiVeFHksjHs3t-oFB9I5bD1RH_5sA2lpD03CjyK_IQ_Oix99LbqsGnT0vd75UpvIp-YRVZM-22R4XyMZwg40RM344zbo1E8tVs/s2622/Penance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2622" data-original-width="1630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVCIVOeSS8QNInOn4Dngl-xBfJqp1nTLKO9e209eHhyphenhyphenQgAS27cJaUR3eUSEzxfg4LnJMfw3X3HCnXK0-fzhFuX8-RawiVeFHksjHs3t-oFB9I5bD1RH_5sA2lpD03CjyK_IQ_Oix99LbqsGnT0vd75UpvIp-YRVZM-22R4XyMZwg40RM344zbo1E8tVs/w249-h400/Penance.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">On a beach in a run-down seaside town on the Yorkshire coastline, sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson is set on fire by three other schoolgirls.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Nearly a decade after the horrifying murder, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has written the definitive account of the crime, drawn from hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves. The result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">But how much of the story is true?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Supposedly, it reads like true crime, but it's also a critique of the true crime genre. As someone who has a love/hate relationship with true crime, this seems like something I should read.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48F2Hhy" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Slewfoot: A Tale Of Bewitchery</i> by Brom</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Horror</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMWy1bkkTcMcISwAgeJNY7k0ZD8H9Oc53MVMMYS87sFR1Tx2aKMqO9so7j4Edeyx1I6zv4dgppK87jm9oMs1hC5lnRxYCX7uhqCfEmFJ9IK3eusVXWaJGLyzc9dNShHxIIdtL6zJY2-mzGnFgLCFHa5-b83q_SULsTRl7ZDuke9Vo1aOIsN5077eCer8/s2821/Slewfoot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2821" data-original-width="2255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMWy1bkkTcMcISwAgeJNY7k0ZD8H9Oc53MVMMYS87sFR1Tx2aKMqO9so7j4Edeyx1I6zv4dgppK87jm9oMs1hC5lnRxYCX7uhqCfEmFJ9IK3eusVXWaJGLyzc9dNShHxIIdtL6zJY2-mzGnFgLCFHa5-b83q_SULsTRl7ZDuke9Vo1aOIsN5077eCer8/w320-h400/Slewfoot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">A spirited young Englishwoman, Abitha, arrives at a Puritan colony betrothed to a stranger—only to become quickly widowed when her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. All alone in this pious and patriarchal society, Abitha fights for what little freedom she can grasp onto, while trying to stay true to herself and her past.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Enter Slewfoot, a powerful spirit of antiquity newly woken and trying to find his own role in the world. Healer or destroyer? Protector or predator? But as the shadows walk and villagers start dying, a new rumor is whispered: </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">Witch</i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Both Abitha and Slewfoot must swiftly decide who they are, and what they must do to survive in a world intent on hanging any who meddle in the dark arts.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> It's a dark fairytale about a demon who (maybe) doesn't want to be a demon. Reviewers seem to love the characters. It's been a while since I read a really good horror book. I could use one.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3StfcWT" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Hopkins Manuscript</i> by R.C. Sherriff</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Science Fiction Classic</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uhA7_hyphenhyphenVhHK1j4tg27ov7QGYa_QJrn_rFYfBeDCG4da284WGHagH1jB8QyVe-aKknMj-685GlvxovurZX3yL_FSj8lB31ZV9jDtIbXIi2jgdAMSwMIgldTsQHK8IlE2ICt7UikbMKJP24wwHdHPA59fABeJwv8uwS_rVxoMq1tv5MKzZNSJD6rEEspA/s400/The%20Hopkins%20Manuscript.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uhA7_hyphenhyphenVhHK1j4tg27ov7QGYa_QJrn_rFYfBeDCG4da284WGHagH1jB8QyVe-aKknMj-685GlvxovurZX3yL_FSj8lB31ZV9jDtIbXIi2jgdAMSwMIgldTsQHK8IlE2ICt7UikbMKJP24wwHdHPA59fABeJwv8uwS_rVxoMq1tv5MKzZNSJD6rEEspA/s16000/The%20Hopkins%20Manuscript.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Edgar Hopkins is a retired math teacher in his mid-fifties with a strong sense of self-importance, whose greatest pride in life is winning poultry breeding contests. When not meticulously caring for his Bantam, Edgar is an active member of the British Lunar Society. Thanks to that affiliation, Edgar becomes one of the first people to learn the moon is on a collision course, headed towards Earth.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Members of the society are sworn to secrecy but eventually the moon looms so large in the sky that the government can no longer deny the truth. It’s during these final days that Edgar befriends two young siblings and writes what he calls</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"> The Hopkins Manuscript</i><span style="background-color: white;">—a testimony juxtaposing the ordinary and extraordinary as Edgar and the villagers dig trenches and play cricket before the end of days.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">First published in 1939, as the world was teetering on the brink of global war, R.C. Sherriff’s classic speculative novel is a timely and powerful warning from the past that captures the breadth of human nature in all its complexity.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> I want to read more classics, but I want them to be unusual ones. I think I'm over the "rich people in 1800s England" books. This one seems suitably odd. Really old sci-fi is interesting because we live in the future! We get to see if any of the story came true.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3vMsBl7" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a> </b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Midwich Cuckoos</i> by John Wyndham</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Science Fiction Classic</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvx8Rfa0iwo6auUIj-kK2sdDojkIx1pUriI_bEHGRCjyXf8YRL_RPzjs7P3Wwj8izPEHhK53vykehZ7oAPU9Rl7tFrJrUXhlBBsz9OSIe-w7sAuyF60DW_DpsruWfVmvSXKR_T50bVjV-uS6XAFvzsq5zjcM3A9o86nmI2PvJk1g5Z9VnNJMB3YyLdds/s475/The%20Midwich%20Cuckoo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvx8Rfa0iwo6auUIj-kK2sdDojkIx1pUriI_bEHGRCjyXf8YRL_RPzjs7P3Wwj8izPEHhK53vykehZ7oAPU9Rl7tFrJrUXhlBBsz9OSIe-w7sAuyF60DW_DpsruWfVmvSXKR_T50bVjV-uS6XAFvzsq5zjcM3A9o86nmI2PvJk1g5Z9VnNJMB3YyLdds/s16000/The%20Midwich%20Cuckoo.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the sleepy English village of Midwich, a mysterious silver object appears and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone and everyone awakens unharmed— except that all the women in the village are discovered to be pregnant.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The resultant children of Midwich do not belong to their parents: all are blond, all are golden-eyed. They grow up too fast and their minds exhibit frightening abilities that give them control over others. This brings them into conflict with the villagers just as a chilling realization dawns on the world outside.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Can I just say ditto? This is another modern classic that sounds odd. I want to read more odd classics! Also, I think this book inspired several horror movies.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48F7rE7" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The New Life</i> by Tom Crewe</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Historical Fiction</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdnR-xWp1nXZnvjFe9Z0rPYJIi-pdK3duyDbYP-3brxBicxmN5pqrrX13qe1tQJHT8daSQcwgibSgn9Va5DKb9sA0h13EB5jzgGJFDAIvAp7v5Fd3Kl5Z8SX1ujv9K4cFW-kptFTwSPpUyahnC2gjQzflF2tLB-retmUnjqrmc0K_HnEbgBseby4x4Cw/s2560/The%20New%20Life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1664" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdnR-xWp1nXZnvjFe9Z0rPYJIi-pdK3duyDbYP-3brxBicxmN5pqrrX13qe1tQJHT8daSQcwgibSgn9Va5DKb9sA0h13EB5jzgGJFDAIvAp7v5Fd3Kl5Z8SX1ujv9K4cFW-kptFTwSPpUyahnC2gjQzflF2tLB-retmUnjqrmc0K_HnEbgBseby4x4Cw/w260-h400/The%20New%20Life.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">London, 1894. </span><span style="background-color: white;">After a lifetime spent navigating his desires, John Addington, married to Catherine, has met Frank, a working-class printer.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Meanwhile Henry Ellis's wife Edith has fallen in love with Angelica—and Angelica wants Edith all to herself.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">When in 1894 John and Henry decide to write a revolutionary book together, intended to challenge convention and the law, they are both caught in relationships stalked by guilt and shame. Yet they share a vision of a better world, one that will expand possibilities for men and women everywhere.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Their daring book threatens to throw John and Henry, and all those around them, into danger. How far should they go to win personal freedoms? And how high a price are they willing to pay for a new way of living?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why it caught my attention: </b>Okay, I know I just said I'm sick of "rich people in 1800s England" books, but I lied. This one is allegedly based on real events, which is a quick way to make me buy a book. Reviewers say the characters are based on the real-life authors of England's first medical textbook on homosexuality. Apparently, the book caused quite a scandal.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/4b2Pe4J" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Nature Nonfiction</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One of my goals is to read more nature nonfiction. I'm especially interested in books about the western US because I work at a park in Colorado. I'm always slightly tempted to get better at my job. <i>Slightly </i>tempted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I found very few nature books on people's "Best Books Of 2023" lists, so I ended up on a side quest to find the best nature books ever. Here are a few that caught my eye. For some reason, they're all harrowing. Can't we have nice, peaceful stories about the west? These books are the literal nightmares of park employees. I don't want to deal with this crap!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>A Bolt From The Blue: The Epic True Story Of Danger, Daring, And Heroism At 13,000 Feet</i> by Jennifer Woodlief</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBueYtTcSUrdw6GO6pJWcYXek1dxShbG8M0pB3yc-Rbys80ZLKd45GV_NBcPr1GutAtihyxsF0bKbrFZ6lli6RjVcvp3Zhl9200TvSJnZmOpDdulSswW9RBfrIrx19dSrosPdm8awa_QGPFjoTamIlBLynda4oUryYOQyfcD4aCX92uxyFHBEVQrLkKUs/s475/A%20Bolt%20From%20The%20Blue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBueYtTcSUrdw6GO6pJWcYXek1dxShbG8M0pB3yc-Rbys80ZLKd45GV_NBcPr1GutAtihyxsF0bKbrFZ6lli6RjVcvp3Zhl9200TvSJnZmOpDdulSswW9RBfrIrx19dSrosPdm8awa_QGPFjoTamIlBLynda4oUryYOQyfcD4aCX92uxyFHBEVQrLkKUs/s16000/A%20Bolt%20From%20The%20Blue.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">On the afternoon of July 26, 2003, six vacationing mountain climbers ascended the peak of the Grand Teton in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Rain and colliding air currents blew in, and soon a massive electrical charge began to build. As the group began to retreat from its location, a colossal lightning bolt struck and pounded through the body of every climber. One of the six died instantly, one lay critically injured next to her body, and four dangled perilously into the chasm below. In riveting, page-turning prose, veteran journalist Jennifer Woodlief tells the story of the climb, the arrival of the storm, and the unprecedented rescue by the Jenny Lake Rangers, one of the most experienced climbing search-and-rescue teams in the country.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Oe892H" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Chasing The Thrill: Obsession, Death, And Glory In America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt</i> by Daniel Barbarisi</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJD6PCCTLXUSaUUUIynbQfhOTpJaYF0PiVmK23q4vuvSr0U4gszHxHiikvVkirJKVCQw6p57PhI1e31sjMx9sXzZEDmGko4hUbn4xCoHbkGP59tZEIvFjyrJsr9DNIDXL0UBSgdjwzxi8ly4Imi9VAh_Wc_dt_nLMUWXeFWSsmP-FMBRMbyRAVUH9xJo/s400/Chasing%20The%20Thrill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJD6PCCTLXUSaUUUIynbQfhOTpJaYF0PiVmK23q4vuvSr0U4gszHxHiikvVkirJKVCQw6p57PhI1e31sjMx9sXzZEDmGko4hUbn4xCoHbkGP59tZEIvFjyrJsr9DNIDXL0UBSgdjwzxi8ly4Imi9VAh_Wc_dt_nLMUWXeFWSsmP-FMBRMbyRAVUH9xJo/s16000/Chasing%20The%20Thrill.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">When Forrest Fenn was given a fatal cancer diagnosis, he came up with a bold plan: He would hide a chest full of jewels and gold in the wilderness, and publish a poem that would serve as a map leading to the treasure's secret location. But he didn't die, and after hiding the treasure in 2010, Fenn instead presided over a decade-long gold rush that saw many thousands of treasure hunters scrambling across the Rocky Mountains in pursuit of his fortune.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Daniel Barbarisi first learned of Fenn's hunt in 2017, when a friend became consumed with decoding the poem and convinced Barbarisi, a reporter, to document his search. What began as an attempt to capture the inner workings of Fenn's hunt quickly turned into a personal quest that led Barbarisi down a reckless and potentially dangerous path, one that found him embroiled in searcher conspiracies and matching wits with Fenn himself. Over the course of four chaotic years, several searchers would die, endless controversies would erupt, and one hunter would ultimately find the chest.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But the mystery didn't end there.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/4978Xi5" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Death In Yellowstone: Accidents And Foolhardiness In America's First National Park</i> by Lee H. Whittlesey</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S0pt2HF6qmm8YgCTp4PEB2yW-bryXKDLqK5XOe4Z-MD4pyy-wnsCr1F7vpnVFUCAQb8QBY-YMbnybTfW8LcjfKMyLDxghsjumfXinB8z3poAPvFMryA1jxs9ZCDWda7oitRIwYU-fGv2l1mD_vFe2jLo_aIEEQMYmHNlEpduD559Cgp7X6MOpQSHQOw/s400/Death%20In%20Yellowstone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S0pt2HF6qmm8YgCTp4PEB2yW-bryXKDLqK5XOe4Z-MD4pyy-wnsCr1F7vpnVFUCAQb8QBY-YMbnybTfW8LcjfKMyLDxghsjumfXinB8z3poAPvFMryA1jxs9ZCDWda7oitRIwYU-fGv2l1mD_vFe2jLo_aIEEQMYmHNlEpduD559Cgp7X6MOpQSHQOw/s16000/Death%20In%20Yellowstone.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">The chilling tome that launched an entire genre of books about the often gruesome but always tragic ways people have died in our national parks, this updated edition of the classic includes calamities in Yellowstone from the past sixteen years, including the infamous grizzly bear attacks in the summer of 2011 as well as a fatal hot springs accident in 2000. In these accounts, written with sensitivity as cautionary tales about what to do and what not to do in one of our wildest national parks, Whittlesey recounts deaths ranging from tragedy to folly—from being caught in a freak avalanche to the goring of a photographer who just got a little too close to a bison. Armchair travelers and park visitors alike will be fascinated by this important book detailing the dangers awaiting in our first national park.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3HtSGYM" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Night Of The Grizzlies</i> by Jack Olsen</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjJkGZqeKcvvTyZknLwFYJYLHfwAqoja7lmjwa56108M5rmiH2F_55JDnYxBz_ln5913UgDzDmRz_FOm30ns950D9ip_dFXlD89hjQHCkooY3Hd2fC4UPpB53A3Xn8IJ-Ff1n3TQybsdFeAh2Ll3Uf70i0b2Eh9hQxxc0VEohfDmlsabVFegDZ5iwACc/s449/Night%20Of%20The%20Grizzlies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjJkGZqeKcvvTyZknLwFYJYLHfwAqoja7lmjwa56108M5rmiH2F_55JDnYxBz_ln5913UgDzDmRz_FOm30ns950D9ip_dFXlD89hjQHCkooY3Hd2fC4UPpB53A3Xn8IJ-Ff1n3TQybsdFeAh2Ll3Uf70i0b2Eh9hQxxc0VEohfDmlsabVFegDZ5iwACc/s16000/Night%20Of%20The%20Grizzlies.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jack Olsen's true account traces the causes of the tragic night in August 1967 when two separate and unrelated campers, a distance apart, were savagely mangled and killed by enraged bears.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48Lq7SG" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Trail Of The Lost: The Relentless Search To Bring Home The Missing Hikers Of The Pacific Crest Trail</i> by Andrea Lankford</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9H8LIH9tyMr6QZm_X5_Et_ACGWt6m6tV0Pn5NkNQRjmW3PxZuB8u4cWqZQwXtpucWd0Zavdd8bdJF4dg2Q1ZUrrjM5VIjyyesbyYAbUriS5kDfnBWHcvpDHxsyUFu0GaZC92VKtr7shlZy4-gGHrptok9Yj0lqQXSw4wxSyqn-XSbGxhX9Bf0pf-_a6g/s2775/Trail%20Of%20The%20Lost.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9H8LIH9tyMr6QZm_X5_Et_ACGWt6m6tV0Pn5NkNQRjmW3PxZuB8u4cWqZQwXtpucWd0Zavdd8bdJF4dg2Q1ZUrrjM5VIjyyesbyYAbUriS5kDfnBWHcvpDHxsyUFu0GaZC92VKtr7shlZy4-gGHrptok9Yj0lqQXSw4wxSyqn-XSbGxhX9Bf0pf-_a6g/w265-h400/Trail%20Of%20The%20Lost.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left—three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile trek made famous by Cheryl Strayed's <i>Wild</i>, and no one has been able to find them. It’s bugging the hell out of her.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Andrea’s concern soon leads her to a wild environment unlike any she’s ever ventured into—missing person Facebook groups. Andrea launches an investigation, joining forces with an eclectic team of amateurs who are determined to solve the cases: a mother of the missing, a retired pharmacy manager, and a mapmaker who monitors terrorist activity for the government. Together, they track the activities of kidnappers and murderers, investigate a cult, rescue a psychic in peril, cross paths with an unconventional scientist, and reunite an international fugitive with his family. Searching for the missing is a brutal psychological and physical test with the highest stakes, but eventually their hardships begin to bear strange fruits—ones that lead them to places and people they never saw coming.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3uczbAJ" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Wild Rescues: A Paramedic's Extreme Adventures In Yosemite, Yellowstone, And Grand Teton</i> by Kevin Grange</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAV-R1Jg2W0W12C0SeQ0irFBVXpub7mkyb9uDKYcwul5RywQT1n0VgSlvlqHK0ve9C1SNE5ea6cdaC6PtTHbn3psdi2vu527CKbsvby4PWKHn6KVFsTiuykYLmKCsI5hyphenhyphen372TTkJx4utP0C1_clpEMC6Y3Y-FwzsiONEQ_VjOkJ44vPVjYxYyI28Inr0I/s1000/Wild%20Rescues.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAV-R1Jg2W0W12C0SeQ0irFBVXpub7mkyb9uDKYcwul5RywQT1n0VgSlvlqHK0ve9C1SNE5ea6cdaC6PtTHbn3psdi2vu527CKbsvby4PWKHn6KVFsTiuykYLmKCsI5hyphenhyphen372TTkJx4utP0C1_clpEMC6Y3Y-FwzsiONEQ_VjOkJ44vPVjYxYyI28Inr0I/w263-h400/Wild%20Rescues.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">In 2014, Kevin Grange left his job as a paramedic in Los Angeles to work in Yellowstone National Park. Seeking a break from city life and urban EMS, he wanted to experience pure nature, fulfill his dream of working for the National Park Service, and take a crash-course in wilderness medicine. Between calls, Grange reflects upon the democratic ideal of the National Park mission, the beauty of the land, and the many threats facing it. With visitation rising, budgets shrinking, and people loving our parks to death, he realized that—along with the health of his patients—he was also fighting for the life of “America’s Best Idea.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3HvaxOO" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RQKVxMC5BBkq3INI9uiRbqL2wfVhKuCKGi6RQx8PRqSI_wmfm7mVLtlPS6d8DiHxMfYhwJ35aVRwr7F7tTh_WaKmgo90Jk9uYVKnbJyC2i9Q7b4HwZcrBXscy5-2qJmcesLxcULgOsLT6Q2s-RCjkoA-Hrp4Spd4TCDm0NBeV7nQ1_xvd45HcQea01g/s2100/2-20%20TBR%205.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RQKVxMC5BBkq3INI9uiRbqL2wfVhKuCKGi6RQx8PRqSI_wmfm7mVLtlPS6d8DiHxMfYhwJ35aVRwr7F7tTh_WaKmgo90Jk9uYVKnbJyC2i9Q7b4HwZcrBXscy5-2qJmcesLxcULgOsLT6Q2s-RCjkoA-Hrp4Spd4TCDm0NBeV7nQ1_xvd45HcQea01g/w210-h400/2-20%20TBR%205.png" width="210" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Have you read any of these?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-18574026726336965942024-02-18T06:00:00.043-07:002024-02-18T06:00:00.139-07:00The Sunday Post #358<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq55iOiihuKTULmFEjZFkmZSD0MsDvu56deUrHdsJ_bGkVeRVAlP_gGeLSXIkXoi-PsR3C1euRaEniKUh3iayl_hyT9onGKpZWgXZAdzCCtfBCBtpxk9KsA8BI8rJAArWD80DS40EQuCmr05rAwtwO_ri4ooa8LZXk5hc6_1kugk1u2RCbTENEH5pmzrU/s2100/Valentines%20Day%20Nachos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq55iOiihuKTULmFEjZFkmZSD0MsDvu56deUrHdsJ_bGkVeRVAlP_gGeLSXIkXoi-PsR3C1euRaEniKUh3iayl_hyT9onGKpZWgXZAdzCCtfBCBtpxk9KsA8BI8rJAArWD80DS40EQuCmr05rAwtwO_ri4ooa8LZXk5hc6_1kugk1u2RCbTENEH5pmzrU/w210-h400/Valentines%20Day%20Nachos.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><u>The Sunday Post #358</u></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-young-adult-book.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">February 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/best-short-novels.html" target="_blank">Best Short Novels</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwmnW2P6dUyBtFT-UX8HAurL_Q8mFaN95yvWoyo4F_xk88ORTwTrgyXdK3DXvyI-_W_AFctPbVkL4F8hloe8CsnAvumRJo7O3mgPoI9XCLhymgRjMNUVO3wj44qpq8kjLVrpLsgjcoenUjCGgBZJbT8m1eJX2HQWw-bcqrY4IiM0hyphenhyphenypxFjx8yTJVWLk/s675/Emily%20Wilde.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="439" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwmnW2P6dUyBtFT-UX8HAurL_Q8mFaN95yvWoyo4F_xk88ORTwTrgyXdK3DXvyI-_W_AFctPbVkL4F8hloe8CsnAvumRJo7O3mgPoI9XCLhymgRjMNUVO3wj44qpq8kjLVrpLsgjcoenUjCGgBZJbT8m1eJX2HQWw-bcqrY4IiM0hyphenhyphenypxFjx8yTJVWLk/w260-h400/Emily%20Wilde.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Did I spend the entire week watching <i>Love Is Blind: Brazil</i> instead of reading books? Yes. Does that TV show cause brain cells to commit suicide? Probably. Do I have regrets? Absolutely not.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I did finish a book! It was a cozy fantasy where faeries casually decapitate one another. It's <a href="https://amzn.to/48ndz2P" target="_blank"><i>Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries</i> by Heather Fawcett</a>. <-- I had to look up how to spell pretty much every word of that title. This book is for spelling bee champions only because people like me can't find it on the internet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Anyway, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48ndz2P" target="_blank">Emily Wilde's <strike>Encyclopedia</strike> Encyclopaedia</a></i> is historical fantasy about Emily Wilde, a university professor who travels to a remote island to study the <strike>fairy</strike> faerie population. She plans to spend months alone in the wilderness, but then her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, shows up on the doorstep of her decrepit cabin. Wendell is also there to study faeries. (Or so he claims.) At first, Emily is irritated, but then she realizes that she might have a crush on her rival. And the feeling might be mutual.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I feel like I've been searching for this book for years. (Not just because I can't spell the title.) I've been craving a medium-stakes fantasy book with fun characters and a world that doesn't require my whole brain to understand. This is the exact novel I wanted! I loved it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The book has cozy vibes like a small town rom-com, but there's still danger because the faeries are unpredictably violent. They torture humans for fun. It's not always a light, whimsical story. However, it's not a stressful story either. That's probably because it's written like a diary. You know that Emily and Wendell are alive and safe because they're writing diary entries about the scary stuff they experienced. Dead people can't write. (I don't think . . .)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Speaking of Emily and Wendell, they're brilliant university professors but also too stupid to live. They don't know how to survive on the island in winter. They can't even work an ax! At first, I found both characters annoying, but as the plot progressed, I started to appreciate them. Their banter is funny. They have distinctive personalities and use their research to help humanity. They're just so wrapped up in the academic side of things that they overlook the practical stuff. I understood them better as the story went on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">You should believe the hype about this novel. It's a fun time. I'll be reading the sequel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Three things that . . . um . . . happened last week:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">1. Sometimes skunks dig burrows under my house. I always know when they're under the house because skunks smell horrific all the time. Also, I see their footprints in the snow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A few days ago, I woke up at 3AM because I had a boxing class at 5AM. When I looked out the door, there were skunks <i>everywhere</i>. It was a distressing quantity of skunks! I was like, "What the heck? I thought you guys were solitary animals!" Then I banged on the door to scare them away. They all tried to run under the house, but the hole they dug was so small that they had to line up to escape from me. It was hilarious. They looked like drunk girls waiting for the bathroom at a club. They were snapping at each other and falling all over the place.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I did research and discovered that skunks share burrows in winter. Up to 20 skunks can live in the same hole. So . . . basically, there's an entire cuddle puddle of skunks under my house right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Luckily, my dad showed up like a hero with skunk repellant and a motion-activated strobe light. Either the skunks will be scared away, or the yard will look like a club for real. I'll let you know.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">2. I get to keep my park ranger job. My job is weird because I have to re-interview for it every year. After the interview, my supervisor decides if he wants me for another season. I was pretty confident I'd get rehired, but I also realized I wouldn't be sad if I didn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Some parts of the job are cool. I love the educational programs, search and rescue, and the behind-the-scenes stuff. I hate dealing with the public. I die inside whenever someone screams, "You ruined my vacation!" after I ask them to do something reasonable. (The stuff I ask: "Buy a day pass to use the park," "Put your dog on a leash," "Put your car on a road," "Put a lifejacket on your child." All of those are state laws. I'm helping them avoid a ticket.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then they scream, "My taxes pay your salary! You can't make me do anything! I'm your boss!" Then I notice their car is covered in blue lives matter stickers because they (allegedly?) respect laws and law enforcement. The public is fun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">3. It was Brooklyn's birthday. She's five now. (Can you tell from the photo that she's five? She acts like she's five.) I can't believe we've had her for five years. It simultaneously feels like forever and not very long.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLE699o5rHZ2Hl7CfjbtyP0_RJ2oAWSc-T6phRq1x5a2C7QkZ8vFKyO9u6s9H2NhZ2Ch9CMcAV5HibAssIlWncF7g_c3BgaBfZcOu3R811qJNEyabbFpf4wfn33TwgIoZ0C2ISceKMOYGFJLJXCp51ndXEBOLf2WxmJwqF40KWuzrm6jDT8GkdN6G1JRE/s2048/Brooklyn%205th%20Birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLE699o5rHZ2Hl7CfjbtyP0_RJ2oAWSc-T6phRq1x5a2C7QkZ8vFKyO9u6s9H2NhZ2Ch9CMcAV5HibAssIlWncF7g_c3BgaBfZcOu3R811qJNEyabbFpf4wfn33TwgIoZ0C2ISceKMOYGFJLJXCp51ndXEBOLf2WxmJwqF40KWuzrm6jDT8GkdN6G1JRE/w480-h640/Brooklyn%205th%20Birthday.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For More Fun In Public</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-28255501009974405592024-02-13T06:00:00.093-07:002024-02-13T06:00:00.260-07:00Best Short Novels<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO8Y9eit81ILPscbKy0Pb178-F8yedoVE46uNgUVLmoooUkpgndhYiN-09f2Nchy9cXGYm_9js05ni9VI7KOCv-Au3HgG-_mFeEZ1WhCLPpf9xhDv62GXcn14OxJ7yfA1sfoqpCga2hsV_A_ECBn4IakgVdaEuKKQmTfEFq3VIM-uTmw5hafvNVTt6Ow/s2100/2-13%20Short%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXO8Y9eit81ILPscbKy0Pb178-F8yedoVE46uNgUVLmoooUkpgndhYiN-09f2Nchy9cXGYm_9js05ni9VI7KOCv-Au3HgG-_mFeEZ1WhCLPpf9xhDv62GXcn14OxJ7yfA1sfoqpCga2hsV_A_ECBn4IakgVdaEuKKQmTfEFq3VIM-uTmw5hafvNVTt6Ow/w210-h400/2-13%20Short%201.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Do you want to read but don't feel ready to tackle a fat bastard book? Then this list is for you! Here are 10 books that are under 250 pages and won't waste your time or break your wrists. All of these books are for an adult target audience because choosing children's novels felt like cheating. (There are a ton of awesome children's books under 250 pages, though.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Let's get into it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">🌟 <u>The Best Short Novels</u> 🔖</span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Deal Of A Lifetime</i> by Fredrik Backman</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>85 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BlXoKB_Rql95K6MhEDaMA2SDM7ZFRHAeGuTTzFxPw7T2jVbtOZGoENhv_EMpCcqpIfU4b6f3C2tIpM-HGvenN6TIb0rIdzNMOme4XEuBLcoJSnIRVe3aI410JDyCSdoNzYt0l5B8vwwdR4NM_PjFPjNRXMsU0qkq5FMTNHvhxTf3_nVJscNkp7NStOY/s443/The%20Deal%20Of%20A%20Lifetime.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BlXoKB_Rql95K6MhEDaMA2SDM7ZFRHAeGuTTzFxPw7T2jVbtOZGoENhv_EMpCcqpIfU4b6f3C2tIpM-HGvenN6TIb0rIdzNMOme4XEuBLcoJSnIRVe3aI410JDyCSdoNzYt0l5B8vwwdR4NM_PjFPjNRXMsU0qkq5FMTNHvhxTf3_nVJscNkp7NStOY/s16000/The%20Deal%20Of%20A%20Lifetime.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> We're starting the list with a sad one. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I love books where death is a character (or a profession, in this case). This book is</span><span style="background-color: white;"> about a man with regrets. He's spent his whole life working instead of having fun or caring for his family. Now he's dying from cancer. He makes a deal with death to do something meaningful with his final days. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The story is full of warmth and humor. It'll make you question how you're living your life and what legacy you want to leave behind. It's a perfect book to read on Christmas Eve because the </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/41R4WMg" target="_blank">Christmas Carol</a></i><span style="background-color: white;"> vibes are strong.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/41U8DAP" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Convenience Store Woman</i> by Sayaka Murata</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>116 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs76NKTfyVU3eXm1mbUB47OYhKRGj58IteP3YLbsQvN80c-cWc2QF63krLX-kc9BqQhvVT3chf6wHDuAoNfrpN0yTLSMtoSSmVA0prwGw2kTrCv-ANKuWCAnwzK32ifu-A-OXn4XdzW1WhyphenhyphenJfUN1TcIraYFDjNXotUTMvAKGWi4gYQd69HFN-Yg-aH34U/s2175/Convenience%20Store%20Woman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="1612" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs76NKTfyVU3eXm1mbUB47OYhKRGj58IteP3YLbsQvN80c-cWc2QF63krLX-kc9BqQhvVT3chf6wHDuAoNfrpN0yTLSMtoSSmVA0prwGw2kTrCv-ANKuWCAnwzK32ifu-A-OXn4XdzW1WhyphenhyphenJfUN1TcIraYFDjNXotUTMvAKGWi4gYQd69HFN-Yg-aH34U/w296-h400/Convenience%20Store%20Woman.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of “Smile Mart,” she finds peace and purpose in her life. In the store, unlike anywhere else, she understands the rules of social interaction―many are laid out line by line in the store’s manual―and she does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a “normal” person excellently, more or less. Keiko is very happy, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, increasingly pressure her to find a husband, and to start a proper career, prompting her to take desperate action.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it: </b></span><span style="background-color: white;">It's about the pressure that people face to conform. </span><span style="background-color: white;">We're expected to get a good job, get married, and have children. Keiko has her own ways of meeting society's demands, and they're definitely not what her family expects. The book highlights how ridiculous it is to "fix" people who aren't hurting anyone and who just want to live life on their own terms.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3SdMbzh" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Christmas Carol</i> by Charles Dickens</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Classic Paranormal</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>116 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmXkdy98SKppZQI3iB4XeqY-xdrrSDPDWacFTfSNOzrAjGNwI8sfBY7mjXwhWjBCiKVwuyK3oamaAsNiV3wPpAeJvAezZT5HUuyrqDcInJs7cZFSFdsTE-F9Ee3WSwXhao4iSkd6NQZ5Xdx7UvPkp7j1DQZhhHgh9q75PdPo3V-rAQRbWznCqUlzfEyQ/s475/A%20Christmas%20Carol.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmXkdy98SKppZQI3iB4XeqY-xdrrSDPDWacFTfSNOzrAjGNwI8sfBY7mjXwhWjBCiKVwuyK3oamaAsNiV3wPpAeJvAezZT5HUuyrqDcInJs7cZFSFdsTE-F9Ee3WSwXhao4iSkd6NQZ5Xdx7UvPkp7j1DQZhhHgh9q75PdPo3V-rAQRbWznCqUlzfEyQ/w261-h400/A%20Christmas%20Carol.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">With </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">A Christmas Carol,</i><span style="background-color: white;"> Charles Dickens created a modern fairy tale and shaped our ideas of Christmas. The tale of the solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of the season by a series of ghostly visitors and given a second chance, was conjured up by Dickens during one of his London night walks, who "wept and laughed" as he composed it. Taken to readers' hearts for its humor, compassion and message of redemption, it remains his best-loved book.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it: </b>Since I included <i><a href="https://amzn.to/41U8DAP" target="_blank">The Deal Of A Lifetime</a></i> on this list, why not include the book that (probably) inspired it.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Usually, I’m not a Dickens fan because I can tell he got paid by the word, but </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/41R4WMg" target="_blank">A Christmas Carol</a></i><span style="background-color: white;"> is pretty succinct. If you like Christmas and spooky stuff, then this is the book for you.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/41R4WMg" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Stepford Wives</i> by Ira Levin</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Classic Horror</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>148 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5F-V6V5lwxkcBRqk9y6b5dkKeDDcggWMjoEOt_LYZHfqdxee-j1WC1S58V4QiG5L9k-LPchL4r1AJbiv1OV0cxE-q9YiflqdbNtydZTSXwbZdWPAc4EMWTaFPTg4_LeL5TeaxbhYS1fJ0qzZEX-vLEwsqUib4jvmDxSFCzbR65LFt8-EW8oyS_x6AF0/s500/The%20Stepford%20Wives.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5F-V6V5lwxkcBRqk9y6b5dkKeDDcggWMjoEOt_LYZHfqdxee-j1WC1S58V4QiG5L9k-LPchL4r1AJbiv1OV0cxE-q9YiflqdbNtydZTSXwbZdWPAc4EMWTaFPTg4_LeL5TeaxbhYS1fJ0qzZEX-vLEwsqUib4jvmDxSFCzbR65LFt8-EW8oyS_x6AF0/w264-h400/The%20Stepford%20Wives.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For Joanna, her husband, Walter, and their children, the move to beautiful Stepford seems almost too good to be true. It is. For behind the town's idyllic facade lies a terrible secret—a secret so shattering that no one who encounters it will ever be the same.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">At once a masterpiece of psychological suspense and a savage commentary on a media-driven society that values the pursuit of youth and beauty at all costs, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">The Stepford Wives</i><span style="background-color: white;"> is a novel so frightening in its final implications that the title itself has earned a place in the American lexicon.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TTh25q" target="_blank">The Stepford Wives</a></i><span style="background-color: white;"> is more than just a horror story. It’s a creative satire about gender roles and a warning to be careful what you wish for. The male characters are sex-obsessed masters of their domain. The women are beautiful caretakers. Those are the roles that society pushes us into, but are those the roles we actually want? It's a scary story that will leave you with something to think about.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TTh25q" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Home</i> by Toni Morrison</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Historical Fiction</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>162 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqkH3Erue14EiCKKd2lkujYNO9S-CH8VhxD33hrYYthF-WVWH0mTyTxpghE2HfZdFQzbC3uD09HWHi0y2pOFudaiHkZU0fv1_yw5pWxckoFvJb368XazC9Jr_6u7B34Nf2EbL5iFKj6WW02-zGB1zvvdRfyIzo6wq3RT5uq0CpuZMjsDoOvv7YJx-6c0/s475/Home.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="301" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqkH3Erue14EiCKKd2lkujYNO9S-CH8VhxD33hrYYthF-WVWH0mTyTxpghE2HfZdFQzbC3uD09HWHi0y2pOFudaiHkZU0fv1_yw5pWxckoFvJb368XazC9Jr_6u7B34Nf2EbL5iFKj6WW02-zGB1zvvdRfyIzo6wq3RT5uq0CpuZMjsDoOvv7YJx-6c0/w253-h400/Home.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">When Frank Money joined the army to escape his too-small world, he left behind his cherished and fragile little sister, Cee. After the war, his shattered life has no purpose until he hears that Cee is in danger.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Frank is a modern Odysseus returning to a 1950s America mined with lethal pitfalls for an unwary black man. As he journeys to his native Georgia in search of Cee, it becomes clear that their troubles began well before their wartime separation. Together, they return to their rural hometown of Lotus, where buried secrets are unearthed and where Frank learns at last what it means to be a man, what it takes to heal, and—above all—what it means to come home.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white;">If you want to learn how to write, you have to read </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TVufLk" target="_blank">Home</a>.</i><span style="background-color: white;"> The writing style is poetic. The author is able to accomplish so much with so few words. This is a tiny book that feels huge. I feel like I know these characters. I badly wanted them to overcome their problems, and I was scared and frustrated by their ignorance. They're so real that you love them and hate them at the same time.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TVufLk" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Ring Shout</i> by P. Djèlí Clark</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Horror</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>172 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qD-B3a1lJi85I1p_U-dsl-kuMBTEBJugNV5WWEJnB0HJcs4B9lgav0a0z3LxYkj9kZgxGESJDtqktb4h5zE3WsVPm-iPdFRz2T82vhZ6KyOWpexJHlZH0100rsnnPdArLDrjf9YZf8FVVFN6tLuzSVIhXi4zeTr-jUeVj3REMLINVGj-y4a9sJxeRZg/s1760/Ring%20Shout.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qD-B3a1lJi85I1p_U-dsl-kuMBTEBJugNV5WWEJnB0HJcs4B9lgav0a0z3LxYkj9kZgxGESJDtqktb4h5zE3WsVPm-iPdFRz2T82vhZ6KyOWpexJHlZH0100rsnnPdArLDrjf9YZf8FVVFN6tLuzSVIhXi4zeTr-jUeVj3REMLINVGj-y4a9sJxeRZg/w250-h400/Ring%20Shout.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">In 1915, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">The Birth of a Nation</i><span style="background-color: white;"> cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white;">I now understand what all the award committees are raving about. This itty-bitty horror novella is freakin' scary! I may never sleep again. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The imagery will stay with me for a long time. It's vivid and graphic. A woman gets dissected alive! Then there's a butcher demon with tiny mouths all over his body.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Gross. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I like that the author takes real historical events and twists them into something paranormal. I also like that he finds the hopeful moments in tragedy. This is a horror story, but it's not a depressing story.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3NZbBy2" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>We Have Always Lived In The Castle</i> by Shirley Jackson</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Classic Horror</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>173 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmIbGht_xoyorbqsiFJwt6Rua4YHG1ZYwfpgaQ47rIn-YCOtG6HBC2ibgIZqDMfr_lzuyeh4Gcoak93tHFjJdLyalcRPF87a198TK1rss_6YJkfhixRWdkq8xuP84Y5iWIqGmDb7caDspGcZbE0fh0KsrKZV2Qn8GrTectlQGQOsK__6y6o2PzZQ2CSo/s475/We%20Have%20Always.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmIbGht_xoyorbqsiFJwt6Rua4YHG1ZYwfpgaQ47rIn-YCOtG6HBC2ibgIZqDMfr_lzuyeh4Gcoak93tHFjJdLyalcRPF87a198TK1rss_6YJkfhixRWdkq8xuP84Y5iWIqGmDb7caDspGcZbE0fh0KsrKZV2Qn8GrTectlQGQOsK__6y6o2PzZQ2CSo/w268-h400/We%20Have%20Always.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">We Have Always Lived in the Castle</i><span style="background-color: white;"> is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white;">It's a terrifying depiction of mental illness and how it will slowly steal a person's life. The characters are unforgettable. I don't want to ruin the plot because it's best to go in without knowing too much, but it's a suspenseful, slow-burn story about an isolated family that may have committed murder.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48pETOA" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>THE BODY</i> BY STEPHEN KING</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Horror</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>188 Pages</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjXsO7-ZfrTvlboo5mp5neMFl-NBn9CrD1LhHCP5BnpaxhHw6VtN9I-dGoq71aHrbqHhrP5gQwUbBqg0MxskNmU_S8jVk46OuN52-sJm3H3ZBINIxUP2WxyaDTQT_ZVuHXnqCMYKZLttax6YJq-XebAXy5hwCCBJUclXuxJh-jn-c9Hr1g8LrJ62Lvr8/s2132/The%20Body.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjXsO7-ZfrTvlboo5mp5neMFl-NBn9CrD1LhHCP5BnpaxhHw6VtN9I-dGoq71aHrbqHhrP5gQwUbBqg0MxskNmU_S8jVk46OuN52-sJm3H3ZBINIxUP2WxyaDTQT_ZVuHXnqCMYKZLttax6YJq-XebAXy5hwCCBJUclXuxJh-jn-c9Hr1g8LrJ62Lvr8/w263-h400/The%20Body.jpg" width="263" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915;">It’s 1960 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Ray Brower, a boy from a nearby town, has disappeared, and twelve-year-old Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body along the railroad tracks. During the course of their journey, Gordie, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio come to terms with death and the harsh truths of growing up in a small factory town that doesn’t offer much in the way of a future.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> I could have made this entire list Stephen King novellas, but I controlled myself and only picked one. The best one! (Well, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48vDhmt" target="_blank">Apt Pupil</a></i> is pretty good. And <i><a href="https://amzn.to/41Rq7Oh" target="_blank">Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption</a></i>. Read that too.) Anyway, this book was adapted into the movie <i>Stand By Me</i>. On the surface, it's a morbid adventure, but underneath, it's a realistic tale about how growing up is a lonely experience, even when you're surrounded by friends.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/4aRtGIa" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Separate Peace</i> by John Knowles</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Literary Classic</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>204 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSxXyL_f94vrzJ_icAiDSAv0IcqhUQp8Oh3l_XgeHygc4OP6OtTRrR-bVWmrroiSMU0cg51ZX2NY-_Hd9LbkPUKQpksjyo6FlDvd3p6MRKKHR7Lew8pn-StUWlXphwovTc4bXfld8yxEc4Qyn7cS2pgg6UOVtf0nmcP8SmQ3JU0m33Xh2-PIVePYQT8Y/s2132/A%20Separate%20Peace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSxXyL_f94vrzJ_icAiDSAv0IcqhUQp8Oh3l_XgeHygc4OP6OtTRrR-bVWmrroiSMU0cg51ZX2NY-_Hd9LbkPUKQpksjyo6FlDvd3p6MRKKHR7Lew8pn-StUWlXphwovTc4bXfld8yxEc4Qyn7cS2pgg6UOVtf0nmcP8SmQ3JU0m33Xh2-PIVePYQT8Y/w263-h400/A%20Separate%20Peace.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Set at a boys boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">A Separate Peace</i><span style="background-color: white;"> is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white;">The author does an excellent job of capturing the insecurity of people's teenage years. This is the definition of a coming-of-age novel. The story stars a group of teenage frenemies who are growing up in an ultra-competitive environment. Their school has high academic expectations and mandatory sports participation. How do you make friends and trust people in a world where everything is a competition, and everyone is a potential enemy?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3SaJ1fM" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>My Sister, The Serial Killer</i> by Oyinkan Braithwaite</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>228 Pages</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGrkbKIqDs3DOkj1DcRUy0uGD_lEE9_6kNSJlXEylmU3srN7jiPK67li-y6kZqH0TGwitt2ccuKUxPX-3UA7Gjuqmcwr-ytaeB3CGTcoXGL62h_OM7MfykRIWBUrFwyflkV0oagI4sjIa7ZxPXxdZqYVwG6u0xUdwBgCmc3ZEKaSJEybjmjDi_ehdOcs/s475/My%20Sister%20The%20Serial%20Killer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGrkbKIqDs3DOkj1DcRUy0uGD_lEE9_6kNSJlXEylmU3srN7jiPK67li-y6kZqH0TGwitt2ccuKUxPX-3UA7Gjuqmcwr-ytaeB3CGTcoXGL62h_OM7MfykRIWBUrFwyflkV0oagI4sjIa7ZxPXxdZqYVwG6u0xUdwBgCmc3ZEKaSJEybjmjDi_ehdOcs/w249-h400/My%20Sister%20The%20Serial%20Killer.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defense and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I recommend it:</b> For a story about murder, it's weirdly relatable. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It’s about how society is willing to overlook the bad behavior of beautiful women and how parents have different expectations for their older and younger children. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It’s a very engaging book. I couldn’t stop reading because I was completely invested in the sisters’ lives (and crimes).</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TUVs0j" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07ak8vX1sSFrnM-v2ZV42vC846zaWMHJcnUflzSanSsCA6gwbH0liJgwSFYqvPWBR0PxfTyRHZCso8TXEdKvbrf2uH1PvjRMVjMCTPI5V_ZnGOLVB4anN4OkeoPLE5zgnBNh8h2u1nI0sX3cO_UIGVlWF40C_q_moTwukSb47nix-2Ycw1ncRxfEqWhE/s2100/2-13%20Short%206.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07ak8vX1sSFrnM-v2ZV42vC846zaWMHJcnUflzSanSsCA6gwbH0liJgwSFYqvPWBR0PxfTyRHZCso8TXEdKvbrf2uH1PvjRMVjMCTPI5V_ZnGOLVB4anN4OkeoPLE5zgnBNh8h2u1nI0sX3cO_UIGVlWF40C_q_moTwukSb47nix-2Ycw1ncRxfEqWhE/w210-h400/2-13%20Short%206.png" width="210" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>What's your favorite short book?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-11628848920544107482024-02-11T06:00:00.035-07:002024-02-11T06:00:00.413-07:00The Sunday Post #357<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Fwnql64S2WAttGevoYfIBcKYByyEd49I6iofVdNwozmo2yEdczwQvdfyJrsn_leJamJtyWUK4ER0sR4n0N0P3Sfe3LDqNJtkhSSEqy9E4xDpG3kaWqJMNhyrKvApR-t2wMTsqavzLLA5Q9vp_YEZbf7oPwa4xzphqMlKrA7_8B2BPI2FCUjZtHDGv90/s1288/Colorado.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Fwnql64S2WAttGevoYfIBcKYByyEd49I6iofVdNwozmo2yEdczwQvdfyJrsn_leJamJtyWUK4ER0sR4n0N0P3Sfe3LDqNJtkhSSEqy9E4xDpG3kaWqJMNhyrKvApR-t2wMTsqavzLLA5Q9vp_YEZbf7oPwa4xzphqMlKrA7_8B2BPI2FCUjZtHDGv90/w310-h400/Colorado.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #357</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-statistics.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2023 Reading Statistics</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-young-adult-book.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/02/february-2024-book-releases.html" target="_blank">February 2024 Book Releases</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Dxm9gXgTAUComVLniSbhiuYwPchhF7RDXcnDDb9NJsOz61-iGREnM03r-ohx8Z2j2Kh3E63v1tiLpt6UR85eUqWSG0seqDwUBNW4WvR53t-fsLj7p28hd8c4UsZJ51ylecw3myqIuPiUvEUtTU0ZsxQe7J4K2mlBFvPZoRjACi3VxG79blCfv-PPDGc/s500/Navigate%20Chaos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Dxm9gXgTAUComVLniSbhiuYwPchhF7RDXcnDDb9NJsOz61-iGREnM03r-ohx8Z2j2Kh3E63v1tiLpt6UR85eUqWSG0seqDwUBNW4WvR53t-fsLj7p28hd8c4UsZJ51ylecw3myqIuPiUvEUtTU0ZsxQe7J4K2mlBFvPZoRjACi3VxG79blCfv-PPDGc/w265-h400/Navigate%20Chaos.jpg" width="265" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My book club read <a href="https://amzn.to/48dFAK7" target="_blank"><i>Navigate Chaos: A 5-Step Guide To Balance Work, Family, And Other Life Priorities</i> by Steven B. Wiley</a>. Honestly, it wasn't awesome. The book club gave it some serious side-eye.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The author owns a life coaching company called CEEK. It's pronounced "seek." It's not an acronym. It's just "seek" spelled confusingly and in ALL CAPS. Sometimes CEEK is written in ALL CAPS <i>and</i> italics so it's extra noticeable while you're reading. The author never misses an opportunity to remind the reader that he has a company called CEEK. It gives the entire book sleezy salesman vibes.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The five steps to achieving balance are to live according to your values, establish routines, appreciate the moment, think positive, and have integrity. This advice seems pretty obvious to me, but I'm sure someone badly needs to hear it. It's great advice. I acknowledge that I'm not the target audience for this book, so the advice wasn't groundbreaking for me. It's all stuff you learn as you bounce through adulthood. I've been bouncing for a while.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">This book might be relevant to your life if you're young, Christian, middle class or better, and <i>not</i> working a first responder job. However, the advice is so basic that I'm sure you could find it in a book with better writing. The writing style and formatting of this book scream "first time self-published author."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">My life advice is to <i>CEEK . . . a better book</i>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV1FNTgjZ4T0UrlH12zvlYXOGb9Zgx2QEZQqhHwyUmpp69psMTzzxa6TDPTuKIYS8IbhGDN_5RmArkiPfbcPr0JX7NmyCBjoMy9QsosPPP8uGy4ndhnQfwKYzFfXWnQIn9dzylw7IPKDJeMGvLt2UIkng8axlKlLAjycMgERgNXa7-N7zgjgl2Cly3x4/s500/The%20Curious%20Charms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV1FNTgjZ4T0UrlH12zvlYXOGb9Zgx2QEZQqhHwyUmpp69psMTzzxa6TDPTuKIYS8IbhGDN_5RmArkiPfbcPr0JX7NmyCBjoMy9QsosPPP8uGy4ndhnQfwKYzFfXWnQIn9dzylw7IPKDJeMGvLt2UIkng8axlKlLAjycMgERgNXa7-N7zgjgl2Cly3x4/w265-h400/The%20Curious%20Charms.jpg" width="265" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">I followed my own advice and CEEKed (sought? CEEght?) <a href="https://amzn.to/42ClY1a" target="_blank"><i>The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper</i> by Phaedra Patrick</a>. This novel is delightful. It's the kind of book you read on an airplane to take your mind off your leg cramps and flight anxiety.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A year after Arthur Pepper's wife dies, he decides to clean out her closet and finds a charm bracelet that he's never seen before. His questions about the charms take him from England to France to India. He learns that his wife had an exciting past that she didn't tell him about when they met. He wants to know why she hid it.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This story hooked me right away because my charm bracelet is one of my favorite possessions. My mom started it in the 1970s and gave it to me in the early 2000s. I've continued adding charms to it. None of the charms are as interesting as the ones in the book. The stories behind my charms are, "I went camping in Canada that one time" and so forth.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 23.76px;"><a href="https://amzn.to/42ClY1a" target="_blank"><i>The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper</i></a> <span>is full of quirky characters and ridiculous situations. The whole plot is silly and low stakes, but I was having too much fun to care. You don't need brain power to read this book. The writing style is simple. The plot is linear. It's pure escapist fun.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It's not all frivolous, though. Arthur is depressed, and he occasionally questions why his wife gave up her adventures to settle down with him. The bracelet rocks his self-confidence a bit. But, investigating the bracelet breaks him out of his rut. He learns that you're never too old to change your life.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I don't think this book will stick in my head forever, but it was a fun way to spend a day. Read it if you enjoyed <i><a href="https://amzn.to/49aBfIH" target="_blank">A Man Called Ove</a>.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I got new pillows for my bed. They're so fluffy!</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Several weeks ago, I ordered a bunch of classic books to replace my classics that were falling apart. I finally have all the books I ordered! A few of them were on backorder. Someday I'll take pictures of them for you.</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I think my not-COVID is almost gone. I went running twice last week. I only went a mile each time, but I didn't cough very much. It's been three weeks of coughing. I'm tired.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">I've been spending a lot of time on YouTube because not-COVID kept me in the house. I watched a bunch of Jack Edwards BookTube videos. He has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UUknsYiXig_fE21FaXNYolXiR4Uu9Sp" target="_blank">a whole playlist</a> where he reads books recommended by famous people. It's amusing. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">I found this video of a NASA scientist trying to outsmart a search and rescue dog. Also amusing.</span></span></li></ol><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/md75n8cyenA" width="320" youtube-src-id="md75n8cyenA"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">CEEK . . . Me On Social Media</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-76223757322156903072024-02-06T06:00:00.009-07:002024-02-06T06:00:00.190-07:00February 2024 Book Releases<p style="background-color: white;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFkq_VCKiHMfpmqNhw10dobzDC96NbQVDFXZN09pQKMbzPVatyyGA1LVAJN95sBjy0MeZclb-LHj3CrgrmZ6XcKazV8u86Lr_hPO7SRJU-FtLAgMfusGdazWnCnJAzpfe0_dsU7kpj4vxSEb-Inq5rK6y0kB-bupUrl7CoSp6J_d0JJuP7-_zrKjS544/s2100/2-6%20Feb%204.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFkq_VCKiHMfpmqNhw10dobzDC96NbQVDFXZN09pQKMbzPVatyyGA1LVAJN95sBjy0MeZclb-LHj3CrgrmZ6XcKazV8u86Lr_hPO7SRJU-FtLAgMfusGdazWnCnJAzpfe0_dsU7kpj4vxSEb-Inq5rK6y0kB-bupUrl7CoSp6J_d0JJuP7-_zrKjS544/w210-h400/2-6%20Feb%204.png" width="210" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">February is an excellent time for book releases! So many books are coming out this month. It was hard to narrow down my list to a reasonable number. Here are the ones I'm looking forward to reading the most.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Note: Some of the release dates may change or be different in your part of the world. Don't come for me if they're wrong. I'm trying to keep up!</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">💖 <u>February Book Releases</u> 🌹</span></h1><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>THE WOMEN<span> </span></i>BY KRISTIN HANNAH</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Historical Fiction</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">February 6, 2024</span></b></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBOT-RlRqjqZyNpFIU5S7ckqao_FOvnlIJa5vck1ZR1-KNGDnEY8BkQVJAZlZluqEfqJKHNtLvEMZFEDLV5kVJk2ZFfujL4eCo7P_gYYCBaBkZi1QCCF3K-Wuhb9ajerk6_9HyhNDpVZ814kRoISsrKqpHfS-V1cTch31a2Tgier7nWQ45M0rCUuMwAg/s2560/The%20Women.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBOT-RlRqjqZyNpFIU5S7ckqao_FOvnlIJa5vck1ZR1-KNGDnEY8BkQVJAZlZluqEfqJKHNtLvEMZFEDLV5kVJk2ZFfujL4eCo7P_gYYCBaBkZi1QCCF3K-Wuhb9ajerk6_9HyhNDpVZ814kRoISsrKqpHfS-V1cTch31a2Tgier7nWQ45M0rCUuMwAg/w263-h400/The%20Women.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">“Women can be heroes, too.”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it: </b>If <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3R9zfKj" target="_blank">The Great Alone</a></i> had a less melodramatic ending, it would have become one of my favorite books ever. Kristin Hannah is great at writing complicated characters who find themselves in bad situations. I want to read more of her work.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3SQhEZ2" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart: And Other Stories</i> by GennaRose Nethercott</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Short Story Collection</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 6, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihX7E4FiX08vd5z67FeCFSQQUwdSWbIVukheN-dmN2AIbn7kcV66sS8Dy4o2UVd86_YXjyK__0vaHVL_-6uprqlR83OnHVsjcI7gwWZtdH7WqZadXGIHlJDut9TpsASeXm3FAH4GSs9XQAFhmveNVwxYx2fZJscMxu-etD4UUWz4axyhOGmB3SP2Majw8/s400/Fifty%20Beasts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihX7E4FiX08vd5z67FeCFSQQUwdSWbIVukheN-dmN2AIbn7kcV66sS8Dy4o2UVd86_YXjyK__0vaHVL_-6uprqlR83OnHVsjcI7gwWZtdH7WqZadXGIHlJDut9TpsASeXm3FAH4GSs9XQAFhmveNVwxYx2fZJscMxu-etD4UUWz4axyhOGmB3SP2Majw8/s16000/Fifty%20Beasts.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Two young women working at a sinister roadside attraction called the Eternal Staircase explore its secrets—and their own doomed summer love. A group of witchy teens concoct the perfect plan to induce the hated new girl into their ranks. A woman moves into a new house with her acclaimed artist boyfriend and finds her body slowly shifting into something specially constructed to accommodate his needs and whims. And two outcasts, a vampire and a goat woman, find solace in each other, even as the world's lack of understanding might bring about its own end.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Last year, I read and loved a story collection called <a href="https://amzn.to/3ToEtDw" target="_blank"><i>Heartbreaker</i> by Maryse Meijer</a>. The stories are dark, and the characters make ethically dubious decisions when it comes to love. I'm getting similar vibes from <i>Fifty Beasts</i>.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TtzTEd" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>The Book Of Love</i> by Kelly Link</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Fantasy</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 13, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w4Tn4QUnm3jGDai6Tk01lYPXljaejWZtkk_V2bmpvUiccf7w5K2bqCZEhPThIw_YQxWk8CzrTy2a7u_QTz_D2CVSWwiWVCMBYBAbLQjthafgjJffaDOmPKLZ9HCUrPOW3kcGPQA-NFXzbWLXSownwm4IPV3K3Wp_8rxbCgzYtQkw3rGiPQfmq2jbayw/s1503/The%20Book%20Of%20Love.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w4Tn4QUnm3jGDai6Tk01lYPXljaejWZtkk_V2bmpvUiccf7w5K2bqCZEhPThIw_YQxWk8CzrTy2a7u_QTz_D2CVSWwiWVCMBYBAbLQjthafgjJffaDOmPKLZ9HCUrPOW3kcGPQA-NFXzbWLXSownwm4IPV3K3Wp_8rxbCgzYtQkw3rGiPQfmq2jbayw/w266-h400/The%20Book%20Of%20Love.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I recently watched <i>School Spirits</i> on Netflix and now want to read books about ghosts solving mysteries. That's it. That's the whole reason I want to read this book.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3vmukgu" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>My Side Of The River </i>by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Memoir</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 13, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvKtdp8zQZA9Df5YEB4GKaiIjspSr0rWc5ZFTwqN75EdjITX75aBKe1FZVnRDRfIFi05G1YoD2Z4zIsE6DoeMt_2w9Gh2f8u0pu6qzCj_4-juIyIyEeW3ZNmO-9yf44LUBGkx3oDB4R73ROiX66HSTo7CDGXTybQzZipzk5AvwK2_vfYa_AP5a3Baw6c/s400/My%20Side%20Of.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvKtdp8zQZA9Df5YEB4GKaiIjspSr0rWc5ZFTwqN75EdjITX75aBKe1FZVnRDRfIFi05G1YoD2Z4zIsE6DoeMt_2w9Gh2f8u0pu6qzCj_4-juIyIyEeW3ZNmO-9yf44LUBGkx3oDB4R73ROiX66HSTo7CDGXTybQzZipzk5AvwK2_vfYa_AP5a3Baw6c/w259-h400/My%20Side%20Of.jpg" width="259" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips as she entered her freshman year of high school as the number one student. But suddenly, Elizabeth's own country took away the most important right a child has: a right to have a family.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">As her parents’ visas expired, they were forced to return to Mexico, leaving Elizabeth responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being “a statistic,” she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied, homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation due to broken immigration laws.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Immigration is something I want to learn more about. I think we've all seen statistics about it, but we rarely hear the personal stories about the people behind the numbers.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/47k2ChM" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></span></div></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>The Bad Ones</i> by Melissa Albert</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><b>Young Adult Fantasy<br /></b></span></span><b>February 20, 2024</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdwt1YCVrWMXh2Ii7Q1Cn6W0ukWrBupiP-Be1Nks-GajvGihp5c0BEXoTFlikP0Kqzz0b5zM1UwDzfNN6_R_llJhxDBw6lpG38eXgwv0I282-tal6EK3kHVCX3SK8spaAd0fYNnSPRazRaTOmk2rnMTYWtcqmB_CCcsXeLqQQM1D_Gr-XievO9Wv0TM8/s400/The%20Bad%20Ones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdwt1YCVrWMXh2Ii7Q1Cn6W0ukWrBupiP-Be1Nks-GajvGihp5c0BEXoTFlikP0Kqzz0b5zM1UwDzfNN6_R_llJhxDBw6lpG38eXgwv0I282-tal6EK3kHVCX3SK8spaAd0fYNnSPRazRaTOmk2rnMTYWtcqmB_CCcsXeLqQQM1D_Gr-XievO9Wv0TM8/s16000/The%20Bad%20Ones.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">In the course of a single winter’s night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Nora’s estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca’s disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town’s past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games . . .</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Goodreads calls it "</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief." I hope it's just as creepy as the author's other book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3QTkoCx" target="_blank"><i>The Hazel Wood</i></a>. I loved that one.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47uhgUt" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Supercommunicators: How To Unlock The Secret Language Of Connection</i> by Charles Duhigg</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Self-Help Nonfiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 20, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MihHDd87E1Od_gx2J-pAb3zBCNg2lqE7KmTnEgivJHUXn1zNuopYXyfyZgE2oPMjR8vG06p_t_JpWzF5bRb38lR71tiGJrMiy6iOFxSl55UcsbkyLwXsnjFOmdkIu9wDR5tvM9v7dJYqSuIpLrg5GiGW7pXbLJhoDcksyRae40vHb13aEsHHlSSLArU/s2850/Supercommunicators.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1875" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MihHDd87E1Od_gx2J-pAb3zBCNg2lqE7KmTnEgivJHUXn1zNuopYXyfyZgE2oPMjR8vG06p_t_JpWzF5bRb38lR71tiGJrMiy6iOFxSl55UcsbkyLwXsnjFOmdkIu9wDR5tvM9v7dJYqSuIpLrg5GiGW7pXbLJhoDcksyRae40vHb13aEsHHlSSLArU/w263-h400/Supercommunicators.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Come inside a jury room as one juror leads a starkly divided room to consensus. Join a young CIA officer as he recruits a reluctant foreign agent. And sit with an accomplished surgeon as he tries, and fails, to convince yet another cancer patient to opt for the less risky course of treatment. In </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">Supercommunicators</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">, Charles Duhigg blends deep research and his trademark storytelling skills to show how we can all learn to identify and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Communication is a superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we speak, we’re actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">What’s this really about?</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">), emotional (</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">How do we feel?</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">), and social (</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">Who are we?</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">). If you don’t know what </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">kind</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> of conversation you’re having, you’re unlikely to connect.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Supercommunicators know the importance of recognizing—and then matching—each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and deeply held beliefs that color so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives—and how we see ourselves, and others—shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work. In this book, you will learn why some people are able to make themselves heard, and to hear others, so clearly.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">With his storytelling that takes us from the writers’ room of </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">The Big Bang Theory</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> to the couches of leading marriage counselors, Duhigg shows readers how to recognize these three conversations—and teaches us the tips and skills we need to navigate them more successfully.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">In the end, he delivers a simple but powerful lesson: With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I work with the public. Convincing strangers to follow the law and play nicely with others is part of what I do all day. I'm always attempting to get better at it because life is easier for everybody when strangers listen to me. (Some of them are so bad at listening!)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Ryick6" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Wandering Stars</i> by Tommy Orange</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Fiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 27, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImYhH9S0t4oryDoP4Yc6x2C9VzoBzBq7Qmw8N4B4nNiIC6ymsxcJ4DzF_rvWfXzJmcuPi0LSOTBHu1XQrpoxMrff6Ob3WuGB7etYZB9RdPXj7P37MBcXal-Fbv9S9KBd2bs0nZc-6nclTRECLbLosoQbjkz5HZVT7xXi9gQhHNhe8S_-g8cFOtUgQqIA/s346/Wandering%20Stars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImYhH9S0t4oryDoP4Yc6x2C9VzoBzBq7Qmw8N4B4nNiIC6ymsxcJ4DzF_rvWfXzJmcuPi0LSOTBHu1XQrpoxMrff6Ob3WuGB7etYZB9RdPXj7P37MBcXal-Fbv9S9KBd2bs0nZc-6nclTRECLbLosoQbjkz5HZVT7xXi9gQhHNhe8S_-g8cFOtUgQqIA/s16000/Wandering%20Stars.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Oakland, 2018. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is barely holding her family together after the shooting that nearly took the life of her nephew Orvil. From the moment he awakens in his hospital bed, Orvil begins compulsively googling school shootings on YouTube. He also becomes emotionally reliant on the prescription medications meant to ease his physical trauma. His younger brother, Lony, suffering from PTSD, is struggling to make sense of the carnage he witnessed at the shooting by secretly cutting himself and enacting blood rituals that he hopes will connect him to his Cheyenne heritage. Opal is equally adrift, experimenting with Ceremony and peyote, searching for a way to heal her wounded family.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Because I was traumatized by the ending of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/47qCAdA" target="_blank">There, There</a></i> and want more. I'm a weirdo who likes traumatizing books!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47mUdLf" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_EmpEFO3hwdIg3mpDDqUO7ibF4fnjeagZXqiHjuZdaeKJ0sPh4ZtA_Qoxx0FA7ZUobzeXefbHLZL0sixtCZhgqbBgJBoqqMTQpPya8Iu_O_0YDiygiZ9OxxlcdPguVpJmPfRcHMC0QYfkERQzZcXUPdO2Ce8bHevjPfoMz0xqkOUm4L2HSFnL230E8s/s2100/2-6%20Feb%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_EmpEFO3hwdIg3mpDDqUO7ibF4fnjeagZXqiHjuZdaeKJ0sPh4ZtA_Qoxx0FA7ZUobzeXefbHLZL0sixtCZhgqbBgJBoqqMTQpPya8Iu_O_0YDiygiZ9OxxlcdPguVpJmPfRcHMC0QYfkERQzZcXUPdO2Ce8bHevjPfoMz0xqkOUm4L2HSFnL230E8s/w210-h400/2-6%20Feb%203.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Which February books are you looking forward to reading?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-7189635630998832712024-02-04T06:00:00.048-07:002024-02-04T06:00:00.543-07:00The Sunday Post #356<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuq6iK1OKmOralPdGXgbcfd-pXqse9MKqJ4xo0aFK0nSwThOYRkyi5pTkM7QOzfHSWLBsisoXyK5basxHJZDrJrA0yTpMCZCilG0RF6E8ZJ386i1yVpVvLi3OCNHw4g-bda7SMhOU3sN3NqO8pDMB6_PuuIy1-StpJkDIwM50npQpiL2LgfhfA2P9Ors/s1125/Skinny.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1125" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuq6iK1OKmOralPdGXgbcfd-pXqse9MKqJ4xo0aFK0nSwThOYRkyi5pTkM7QOzfHSWLBsisoXyK5basxHJZDrJrA0yTpMCZCilG0RF6E8ZJ386i1yVpVvLi3OCNHw4g-bda7SMhOU3sN3NqO8pDMB6_PuuIy1-StpJkDIwM50npQpiL2LgfhfA2P9Ors/w400-h336/Skinny.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #356</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2023</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-statistics.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2023 Reading Statistics</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-book-releases.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-young-adult-book.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" target="_blank">I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFq20indMzPp2EMb71ORzyxA6JTRKpzXzgLffKeviYIpZOqQJhsFQU6HWGhDOiI77-tYT-670l4GUSy7Mmqo0pjzhjFJs0UKZj9ILkoOc_hLaPwPg73tcjlwxcuacolOjZWqCSxGPWdQ-1tbfRGnYB0aNt3swI2QAohQ8lQPGahMMJPkNjayIBnIqR_0/s400/A%20Sisterhood%20Of.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFq20indMzPp2EMb71ORzyxA6JTRKpzXzgLffKeviYIpZOqQJhsFQU6HWGhDOiI77-tYT-670l4GUSy7Mmqo0pjzhjFJs0UKZj9ILkoOc_hLaPwPg73tcjlwxcuacolOjZWqCSxGPWdQ-1tbfRGnYB0aNt3swI2QAohQ8lQPGahMMJPkNjayIBnIqR_0/w259-h400/A%20Sisterhood%20Of.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Have you ever finished a book and were disappointed, but y0u're not sure if it's the book's fault or your own fault? That's me with <a href="https://amzn.to/4bjt7Hn" target="_blank"><i>A Sisterhood Of Secret Ambitions</i> by Sheena Boekweg</a>. It's not what I expected, but maybe that's on me? I didn't do enough research before buying it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4bjt7Hn" target="_blank">A Sisterhood Of Secret Ambitions</a></i> is alternate history set in the 1920s. It's about a secret society of women who infiltrate American politics by seducing powerful men and influencing their political agendas. At this point in (alternate) history, women don't have any political power. The only way they can make their voices heard is by getting men to speak for them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The secret society identifies an eighteen-year-old man who may become a future presidential candidate. The main character and her friends are sent to insert themselves into his life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I adore this premise. There's so much potential for backstabbing and manipulation and messy emotions. I mean, imagine being that eighteen-year-old future politician. Imagine discovering that your friendships and romance are based on lies. That would be unsettling! It would be even worse to discover that your mother contacted a secret society to direct your entire adult life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">However, that's not what the book is about. That's what I <i>thought </i>it would be about. The actual book is kind of bland. The writing is clunky. The pacing is a disaster. There's no character development whatsoever. The author really beats you over the head with the "women are important" moral.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In reality, the main character doesn't want to be in the secret society. She's not interested in being a wife. She doesn't care about politician boy's feelings. It's a story about a teenage girl ignoring a secret society and becoming a writer. She learns to be the #GirlBoss of her own life. That's great, but I've read this story before. I was hoping for something new.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I understand that the author is subverting tropes. She doesn't want to write about bitchy women squabbling over a powerful man. But, the story didn't have to <i>be</i> that. The secret society is intricate and fascinating. I feel like the author threw away a bunch of cool world-building to give us a stereotypical historical fiction plot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This book isn't what I wanted it to be. That's probably my fault and not the book's. My expectations were very, very wrong.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyg8vgzpXNTLmAkFyhyphenhyphen45ixMOFb1MqSV-716S3ynNR7Z4FQFzQGEvUmNBKWCI2wYCqcSW-NgypLoIdRSwXt35_kkB6TksTdEl5vnKl97gXw_jtjx6vSSoQWZmBWvXzqyjB8GYtqcnEKTWcaSXFp88bYuH9gwDgK06XrWtgxqgRRitzUtKcbyMmr5ZFXg/s475/The%20Pillars%20Of%20The%20Earth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyg8vgzpXNTLmAkFyhyphenhyphen45ixMOFb1MqSV-716S3ynNR7Z4FQFzQGEvUmNBKWCI2wYCqcSW-NgypLoIdRSwXt35_kkB6TksTdEl5vnKl97gXw_jtjx6vSSoQWZmBWvXzqyjB8GYtqcnEKTWcaSXFp88bYuH9gwDgK06XrWtgxqgRRitzUtKcbyMmr5ZFXg/w258-h400/The%20Pillars%20Of%20The%20Earth.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then I read a massive book. It was the 976-page <a href="https://amzn.to/3w5MUu0" target="_blank"><i>The Pillars Of The Earth</i> by Ken Follett</a>. This is one of the biggest books I've ever conquered. Looking at it gave me chest pains because I knew it was a 976-page brick about building a cathedral. Yes, building a cathedral. How tedious can you get? It sounds miserable! I fully expected to read a few hundred pages and then quietly jam the book into the library return slot. (Can it even fit in the slot? Would it cause a minor earthquake when it hit the floor?)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But. Um. I read the whole book. All 976 pages. And I accidentally loved it? Seriously. This beast has consumed my life for the past twenty-one days. I couldn't leave it alone. I finished it yesterday and already miss lugging it around like a morbidly obese house cat. What am I going to do with myself now that it's over? (Well, there are sequels, but one step at a time.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It's a book about building a cathedral in the Middle Ages. I promise it doesn't suck! Actually, it's a lot like <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3HKCemU" target="_blank">A Game of Thrones</a></i> without dragons and zombies. It starts with a mason searching for a job and then keeps sprawling outward until it's about a whole town. It would probably make an excellent Netflix miniseries. There are a ton of characters, but I never got confused because they're developed beautifully. They have distinctive personalities and goals. I was never mad about switching perspectives because I was invested in this town. I wanted to be in everybody's business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For a giant book, the pacing moves quickly, and there's a new plot twist every few chapters. I can tell that the author was originally a thriller writer. Nothing goes right for these characters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Actually, so much goes wrong that I started to wonder why they were making this cathedral at all. The construction project (accidentally) kills tons of people and causes decades of anger and financial trouble. Does the town really need a massive stone cathedral? Would God be mad if they just . . . did church in a different building? My town has a billion churches, and one of them used to be a car dealership. I don't think God is mad about recycling a building because The Holy Church Of Burt Chrysler Automotive hasn't collapsed on anybody yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Even though I was obsessed with this novel for twenty-one days, it does have issues. There's no reason for it to be 976 pages. It gets repetitive at times. Also, the plot is extremely violent, especially toward women. The ugly women are evil, and no one wants them. The beautiful women are good and get raped a lot. The men are like, "Whelp, my wife died of plague three hours ago. I guess I better smash that hot wench I spotted in the bathing pond." Everybody needs to chill, including the author. I don't want any more descriptions of Aliena's luxurious pubic hair. I've had enough. Thank you very much.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Am I going to read the sequel? I don't know. I want to. I just looked it up, and it's 1,237 pages. Goodreads neglected to say how many of those pages are descriptions of pubic hair. Someone needs to take the author's laptop away. He's written too much already.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Five stars!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I don't know what to write here! I spent last week asleep because I have a not-COVID respiratory disease. I mostly flopped around in my bed and felt sorry for myself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Finishing <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3w5MUu0" target="_blank">The Pillars Of The Earth</a>.</i> I'm a slow reader, so getting through that many pages is an accomplishment. I put a lot of hours into it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Speaking of things that take forever, thanks to everybody who looked at my </span><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/i-read-200-best-books-of-2023-lists.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists</a> post.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My mom got me Doritos. I haven't had those in a long time because I'm on a perpetual diet. Doritos are one of my true loves.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I watched the NHL All-Star Game. That's a fun time, even though Team MacKinnon was the first team eliminated from the tournament. I should just not pick favorites. My favorites always lose.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I attempted to go for a walk because I was bored of being stuck in the house. I looked like a plague victim, coughing and stumbling down the street. I'm pretty sure I scared a construction worker. He looked ready to hit me with his shovel.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Be Gone, Plague Demon</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-67838639048291136402024-01-30T06:00:00.023-07:002024-01-30T06:00:00.159-07:00I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists<p style="background-color: white;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF8OoqwqiLxgHTghBcyJpzFEPtv3Ve0YTnjBsoAs_9cq2M9gyBTO9TEz1iKyUB17UeiDf-jYlp7xLolQpzos8mDc_pFFyrfezrtohDYQhZg2PXpOgXcqAY8DprmA2r9O_Y96yX_uk5lwz95m5n-Yg1HAjGRvwDJqs_3RCKYc9y2KAV-bpbqLOLUMnp6c/s2100/1-30%20Best%203.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF8OoqwqiLxgHTghBcyJpzFEPtv3Ve0YTnjBsoAs_9cq2M9gyBTO9TEz1iKyUB17UeiDf-jYlp7xLolQpzos8mDc_pFFyrfezrtohDYQhZg2PXpOgXcqAY8DprmA2r9O_Y96yX_uk5lwz95m5n-Yg1HAjGRvwDJqs_3RCKYc9y2KAV-bpbqLOLUMnp6c/w210-h400/1-30%20Best%203.png" width="210" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It took nearly a month, but I have searched the Internet and read, watched, or listened to over 200 "Best Books Of 2023" lists. Why would I waste my time doing this? Because I'm insufferably nosy and want to know what everybody is reading. I also have a bad case of FOMO. What if there's an awesome book in the world that everybody knows about except me? I can't let that happen!</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">While I was perusing the lists, I jotted down the titles of books I saw multiple times. Then I looked them up on Goodreads and picked 16 that I want to read. That's what I'm going to show you today.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There was one book that I saw more than any other. It was <a href="https://amzn.to/48FfsJf" target="_blank"><i>Fourth Wing</i> by Rebecca Yarros</a>. That's definitely the favorite book of 2023, especially on TikTok. I have no interest in reading it, but I'm happy that so many people enjoyed it.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">🏅 <u>"Best Books Of 2023" That I Want To Read In 2024</u> 🏆</span></h1><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Fever In The Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot To Take Over America, And The Woman Who Stopped Them</i> by Timothy Egan</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult History Nonfiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bSFpNzrQf1y51UiHYDeseKpIJYtZTUOd3BoFwlDD0vb_0wnku3o4ozptWARHqxaNCsqEUOooTbD5Z9gVfIZZ7hMetVqCryYSybFrDhdZ0oe9Dvhw0b-YU4ilNVYRg88Xv0CM00DMQ5PYq3q26g3Fcg62jMz6fT12dt6CswsLqqNLdtYHmtJNW8FnV2M/s400/A%20Fever%20In.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bSFpNzrQf1y51UiHYDeseKpIJYtZTUOd3BoFwlDD0vb_0wnku3o4ozptWARHqxaNCsqEUOooTbD5Z9gVfIZZ7hMetVqCryYSybFrDhdZ0oe9Dvhw0b-YU4ilNVYRg88Xv0CM00DMQ5PYq3q26g3Fcg62jMz6fT12dt6CswsLqqNLdtYHmtJNW8FnV2M/s16000/A%20Fever%20In.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Roaring Twenties—the Jazz Age—has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows—their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman—Madge Oberholtzer—who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> I don't think I know this story! Usually, when I read history nonfiction, I already know a bit about the events the book covers. This one is new to me. Apparently, it's new to a lot of readers. Reviewers were shocked that this story isn't taught in schools.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48Fr6TG" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Study In Drowning</i> by Ava Reid</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Young Adult Fantasy</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikytdKLr2bgtOxO9LiYd6wVSLt7qXWIqsZ_7bjTBKlEl5fT_UDXtKXOtgTNIvlvHHKhMOMhtGqBLtTCXBnXSoRVOWV6qJxFHtuxRMgaxsMhOhm_Hi0DO8jpX1yaql0udnjxc6QRKhmZzTF7PiIMJ-LKff2bAmqFZgPEqvJk9lBiAx7b9_T2y-vcKeLRgo/s500/A%20Study%20In.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikytdKLr2bgtOxO9LiYd6wVSLt7qXWIqsZ_7bjTBKlEl5fT_UDXtKXOtgTNIvlvHHKhMOMhtGqBLtTCXBnXSoRVOWV6qJxFHtuxRMgaxsMhOhm_Hi0DO8jpX1yaql0udnjxc6QRKhmZzTF7PiIMJ-LKff2bAmqFZgPEqvJk9lBiAx7b9_T2y-vcKeLRgo/s16000/A%20Study%20In.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">Angharad</i><span style="background-color: white;">—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> I'm trying to figure out if I like dark academia. According to reviewers, this book is about two rival students who team up to solve a mystery in an author's decaying manor. Readers liked watching the characters learn to trust each other as they uncover secrets.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3NWgcky" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Accountable: The True Story Of A Racist Social Media Account And The Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed</i> by Dashka Slater</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Young Adult True Crime Nonfiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX86tKi4VfmMacw7fcxlC3RGtHeeHSehDk_lNnFrrg4HzbkAHjmm2-xMSQUtQxlKQmiXV0-LfPIYlmPg3FOUrAH9BzQTVDFpd4NJ5WLH-EO2xfvJnP9nCt-Q6gtr7dwGt4mVuCE3aAhsMHsQD2treo5yHEXuW_pkwMUYsu2GeskLAvJhK4EFnn3_1xxHs/s400/Accountable.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX86tKi4VfmMacw7fcxlC3RGtHeeHSehDk_lNnFrrg4HzbkAHjmm2-xMSQUtQxlKQmiXV0-LfPIYlmPg3FOUrAH9BzQTVDFpd4NJ5WLH-EO2xfvJnP9nCt-Q6gtr7dwGt4mVuCE3aAhsMHsQD2treo5yHEXuW_pkwMUYsu2GeskLAvJhK4EFnn3_1xxHs/s16000/Accountable.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as “edgy” humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account, and pretty soon, everyone knew. Ultimately no one in the small town of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the account’s discovery: not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids who followed it. Not the adults―educators and parents―whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse. In the end, no one was laughing, and everyone was left wondering: What does it mean to be held accountable for harm that takes place behind a screen?</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> A few years ago, I read Dashka Slater's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3S9AB8f" target="_blank">The 57 Bus</a></i>. I wish that book had been around when I was a true-crime-obsessed teenager. She writes about real-life ethical dilemmas that are relevant to the lives of teens. Her books give you a lot to think about.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3NUlNYM" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, And The Teachings Of Plants</i> by Robin Wall Kimmerer</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Nature Nonfiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vIRRpCPXth9xVi0EaTyx-I5p18G3KZi9KYlem09O4AW45Xq-EprcE2vf21FMlnJJ3v0pJXTOlEMnjSnPgahNC4P9S3kyZqvCtTySadMAG1k8zWW9VFsUfNII5QJXeoGvVlhNxKu4_0V7e6-6-bot8mYIplxQ0MpS1_16iu-E80r-WVmzYSf6T3PwThk/s500/Braiding%20Sweetgrass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vIRRpCPXth9xVi0EaTyx-I5p18G3KZi9KYlem09O4AW45Xq-EprcE2vf21FMlnJJ3v0pJXTOlEMnjSnPgahNC4P9S3kyZqvCtTySadMAG1k8zWW9VFsUfNII5QJXeoGvVlhNxKu4_0V7e6-6-bot8mYIplxQ0MpS1_16iu-E80r-WVmzYSf6T3PwThk/s16000/Braiding%20Sweetgrass.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">Braiding Sweetgrass</i><span style="background-color: white;">, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> One of my goals is to read more nature nonfiction, so I was thrilled to find a nature book on people's lists. Fun fact: I strongly considered going to college to become a botanist, but they wanted me to take way too many chemistry classes. That was never going to happen. I'll have to learn from books.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3SktRVv" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Bright Young Women</i> by Jessica Knoll</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Mystery / Thriller</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbzbO6ZlAVtXQmnpinXy1Zqj10e7OyYNJmPE8KPMxfH72tvfwi2Y8-jP-pIeUpwTgU18e_waPoa5d85PWAbobSLHr5gK4X5orLkuD0GY1KCPkOOSdF0YaK2xgT518L3B0YJid-XesnMLTiMpzhc7z-YMhWo83GqVlkoP-TS50MZG9sUSJ-R1Pqsa-IHc/s2100/Bright%20Young.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbzbO6ZlAVtXQmnpinXy1Zqj10e7OyYNJmPE8KPMxfH72tvfwi2Y8-jP-pIeUpwTgU18e_waPoa5d85PWAbobSLHr5gK4X5orLkuD0GY1KCPkOOSdF0YaK2xgT518L3B0YJid-XesnMLTiMpzhc7z-YMhWo83GqVlkoP-TS50MZG9sUSJ-R1Pqsa-IHc/w267-h400/Bright%20Young.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> It's based on the true story of Ted Bundy, but it's not about him. I'm always searching for books that are about crime but don't glorify the criminals. According to reviewers, this book centers the victims and how the crime alters their lives.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/47nKDHf" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia Of Faeries</i> by Heather Fawcett</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Fantasy</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3NT2x76vNtCMd5Zka6ZXjNvQjVANx062-VLgb8-SWB-rUswBRsWK8QZ1Cq_EOiKp6QRHWtvIh1UXVJFxqGvnIJIv344ePDeiOdU-hzCrAZw2jfNjUeBIuazkHyOUnG4i0goFTZmyFLCxTbHUk26ZgCBU2LoXEIx3LDW1sDVmQbJ5f6A4j4toRkUdQbM/s400/Emily%20Wild.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3NT2x76vNtCMd5Zka6ZXjNvQjVANx062-VLgb8-SWB-rUswBRsWK8QZ1Cq_EOiKp6QRHWtvIh1UXVJFxqGvnIJIv344ePDeiOdU-hzCrAZw2jfNjUeBIuazkHyOUnG4i0goFTZmyFLCxTbHUk26ZgCBU2LoXEIx3LDW1sDVmQbJ5f6A4j4toRkUdQbM/s16000/Emily%20Wild.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">people</i><span style="background-color: white;">. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> If <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48FfsJf" target="_blank">Fourth Wing</a></i> was 2023's favorite book, then this was the second favorite. The characters sound quirky, and the plot sounds delightful. I can see why it made so many people happy. Also, there's science! Fantasy science, but still science.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TU9yiQ" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>I Have Some Questions For You</i> by Rebecca Makkai</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Thriller</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0PqVh-qJQAmWNrVlRTWmEVw7_fCjFE3ER9JbR6fFNncA54GLOW1xyt3m5VdEpo6A0v80ns8Ad20Vi93GY-f5tNQCUuOSdkVA2wz6cO0a0KgzZfa55OMdo1aMVqsds6aptqXbKex-YsZGXt2u7dlNdG6rHrXqkhlzO07CA-pTZIgQPWvWCV5Jwanrw2s/s2560/I%20Have%20Some%20Questions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1695" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0PqVh-qJQAmWNrVlRTWmEVw7_fCjFE3ER9JbR6fFNncA54GLOW1xyt3m5VdEpo6A0v80ns8Ad20Vi93GY-f5tNQCUuOSdkVA2wz6cO0a0KgzZfa55OMdo1aMVqsds6aptqXbKex-YsZGXt2u7dlNdG6rHrXqkhlzO07CA-pTZIgQPWvWCV5Jwanrw2s/w265-h400/I%20Have%20Some%20Questions.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia's death and the conviction of the school's athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Because it's so polarizing! This book (and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48FfsJf" target="_blank">Fourth Wing</a></i>) are probably the most divisive books of 2023. I saw this one on a bunch of "Best Books" lists and "Worst Books" lists. How does it end up on both lists? What's so great about it? And what's so horrible about it? I need to find out.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/4aPDS48" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Idol, Burning</i> by Rin Usami</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCBqBUaSl5kdnuepNK-1gVHdHXKm1-1Q80WHEAnf3gLSZ2mtauBwAjW8R-bejcsD_z7iWH4L9_qra8Nnktz3nuOjoqlvDo6mwcjwql32q4AnWbtJ4vTgoAJTnFdnG2YtJeOP4TchdcGpfJxqMjyJU86RlwJQM5bUtvas4sQpTmtuaBfF-UM16EKN5Fsw/s2528/Idol,%20Burning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2528" data-original-width="1594" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCBqBUaSl5kdnuepNK-1gVHdHXKm1-1Q80WHEAnf3gLSZ2mtauBwAjW8R-bejcsD_z7iWH4L9_qra8Nnktz3nuOjoqlvDo6mwcjwql32q4AnWbtJ4vTgoAJTnFdnG2YtJeOP4TchdcGpfJxqMjyJU86RlwJQM5bUtvas4sQpTmtuaBfF-UM16EKN5Fsw/w252-h400/Idol,%20Burning.jpg" width="252" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Akari is a high school junior obsessed with "oshi" Masaki Ueno, a member of the popular J-Pop group Maza Maza. She writes a blog devoted to him, and spends hours addictively scrolling for information about him and his life. Desperate to analyze and understand him, Akari hopes to eventually see the world through his eyes. It is a devotion that borders on the religious: Masaki is her savior, her backbone, someone she believes she cannot survive without—even though she's never actually met him.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">When rumors surface that her idol assaulted a female fan, social media explodes. Akari immediately begins sifting through everything she can find about the scandal, and shares every detail to her blog—including Masaki's denials and pleas to his fans—drawing numerous readers eager for her updates.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">But the organized, knowledgeable persona Akari presents online is totally different from the socially awkward, unfocused teenager she is in real life. As Masaki's situation spirals, his troubles threaten to tear apart her life too. Instead of finding a way to break free to save herself, Akari becomes even more fanatical about Masaki, still believing her idol is the only person who understands her.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Fandom culture on the Internet is wild. I want to know more about it, so I was very happy to discover this novel! Reviewers have compared it to <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RQvetl" target="_blank">Convenience Store Woman</a></i>, which was one of my favorite books in 2022. Both books are about Japanese women who feel disconnected from society.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48LwMMc" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>I'm A Fan</i> by Sheena Patel</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWjgu5L4sMNVFjt23ZtpOwEENrsIdR7q9PUiZqPEjWRmS5tFiQfkqDdEy2YSYgrrCVPlOj5KjS80Dbt6iQ6yL9KSu7b4yan1iJjFQpfHlRi_TznCcb5Vr36mM-LgK2zzq-QoCBrCTIhtqmOlHyar9Y1T9wyF2jwSzrQDH1OwYlLj1FNFzlQpQpH4gRvs/s2339/I'm%20A%20Fan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWjgu5L4sMNVFjt23ZtpOwEENrsIdR7q9PUiZqPEjWRmS5tFiQfkqDdEy2YSYgrrCVPlOj5KjS80Dbt6iQ6yL9KSu7b4yan1iJjFQpfHlRi_TznCcb5Vr36mM-LgK2zzq-QoCBrCTIhtqmOlHyar9Y1T9wyF2jwSzrQDH1OwYlLj1FNFzlQpQpH4gRvs/w261-h400/I'm%20A%20Fan.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">I stalk a woman on the internet who is sleeping with the same man as I am.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The unnamed narrator in <i>I’m a Fan</i> is obsessed; obsessed with the married man she is sleeping with and with one of his other lovers who is an influencer.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Through the prism of this unequal, unfaithful relationship, she examines the complexities of desire and privilege. With an unforgiving eye, the narrator relentlessly dissects the behavior of all involved in the entanglement, herself included, and makes startling connections between the power struggles at the heart of human relationships and those of the wider world. <i>I’m a Fan</i> offers an incandescent critique of class, race, social media, patriarchy’s hold on us, and our cultural obsession with status and how that status is conveyed.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Okay, that is the worst synopsis ever. From what I understand, it's about a woman who's having an affair with a famous man. She learns that the man is having another affair and starts stalking the other woman who is sleeping with "her" man. Reviewers like the book's self-awareness. It has a lot of commentary on fame, social media, and manipulative relationships.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3HcTSQ2" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Impossible Escape: A True Story Of Survival And Heroism In Nazi Europe</i> by Steve Sheinkin</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Young Adult History Nonfiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQi_yeIOtA1-viacl5v8GvLAwlsozpD5LWyTQAPZrDPmL0nsUxERhwaqvQ3S1w0GzANaLJb41Ldd8-TbIXZWXTBc3B7pIbYjPcogZa2NcLPjP_5m9WDz2EOUCJrPebP_v5etPiZIlodmc8RQ0HoIHtxDW6iy2r_YS6-wGh1p3wWd2XAJ3wT4gRu30mbI/s400/Impossible%20Escape.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQi_yeIOtA1-viacl5v8GvLAwlsozpD5LWyTQAPZrDPmL0nsUxERhwaqvQ3S1w0GzANaLJb41Ldd8-TbIXZWXTBc3B7pIbYjPcogZa2NcLPjP_5m9WDz2EOUCJrPebP_v5etPiZIlodmc8RQ0HoIHtxDW6iy2r_YS6-wGh1p3wWd2XAJ3wT4gRu30mbI/s16000/Impossible%20Escape.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolph (Rudi) Vrba has made up his mind. After barely surviving nearly two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he knows he </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">must</i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> escape. Even if death is more likely.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Rudi has learned the terrible secret hidden behind the heavily guarded fences of concentration camps across Nazi-occupied Europe: the methodical mass killing of Jewish prisoners. As trains full of people arrive daily, Rudi knows that the murders won’t stop until he reveals the truth to the world—and that each day that passes means more lives are lost.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Lives like Rudi’s schoolmate Gerta Sidonová. Gerta’s family fled from Slovakia to Hungary, where they live under assumed names to hide their Jewish identity. But Hungary is beginning to cave under pressure from German Nazis. Her chances of survival become slimmer by the day.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The clock is ticking. As Gerta inches closer to capture, Rudi and his friend Alfred Wetzler begin their crucial steps towards an impossible escape.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">This is the true story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in the world, and how his death-defying escape helped save over 100,000 lives.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Steve Sheinkin is one of the best nonfiction writers. His books don't read like nonfiction. They're more like thrillers. <i><a href="https://amzn.to/47u4wwD" target="_blank">Most Dangerous</a></i> is my favorite, and I recommend it to everyone who says they don't like nonfiction. I can't wait to read this new book and was happy to see it on so many "Best" lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3tLISWI" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI</i> by David Grann</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult History Nonfiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAwOi27fQeM163hyphenhyphenCJT7kfbPpYFgY_VvUiKq9MVJCofJgyxYTkaiwDdnnq_VBdHoOG-dYxZOsI3VPB6iG0gkWvkoolV4eJph9Kj7xW40fNOa7HRfbrCE1ZKQ3Bv7mfj64aRq48ncS6WMlsRK85RT2hnwgmlP66rc0hvhRHF5ZLdq_0LPEGL29-JKzSGY/s292/Killers%20Of%20The%20Flower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="192" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAwOi27fQeM163hyphenhyphenCJT7kfbPpYFgY_VvUiKq9MVJCofJgyxYTkaiwDdnnq_VBdHoOG-dYxZOsI3VPB6iG0gkWvkoolV4eJph9Kj7xW40fNOa7HRfbrCE1ZKQ3Bv7mfj64aRq48ncS6WMlsRK85RT2hnwgmlP66rc0hvhRHF5ZLdq_0LPEGL29-JKzSGY/w263-h400/Killers%20Of%20The%20Flower.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And this was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> I read the author's other book, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3TRKo4n" target="_blank">The Lost City Of Z</a></i>, and it traumatized me a little. I never want to spend an extended amount of time in the Amazon. Nature there is gross and deadly. I'm looking forward to another well-researched, real-life, historical mystery that will probably traumatize me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3HbAwut" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Legends & Lattes</i> by Travis Baldree</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Fantasy</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmM-179sbjZthEJRVCNN8CXSCKAr80lnxk8tqRkkGQ3hBG8mKv45tD_h9K5kBbk57hvpu82ktX6AIi-JbJ8qVrySNTSDgn9BnkNebRi2m-M1xzd1NBGTUfQDCaY_e3B373OJKna1SbnYUbDEjjgBvxSej1Vy4X8q3HzKDnsKRCq60-gT_MuOrbvykjSQ/s2475/Legends.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmM-179sbjZthEJRVCNN8CXSCKAr80lnxk8tqRkkGQ3hBG8mKv45tD_h9K5kBbk57hvpu82ktX6AIi-JbJ8qVrySNTSDgn9BnkNebRi2m-M1xzd1NBGTUfQDCaY_e3B373OJKna1SbnYUbDEjjgBvxSej1Vy4X8q3HzKDnsKRCq60-gT_MuOrbvykjSQ/w261-h400/Legends.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Because it's everywhere! This book definitely had its moment in 2023. I want to know what the hype is about. The idea of warrior orcs selling coffee is hilarious, so that's promising.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48wc43i" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Our Wives Under The Sea</i> by Julia Armfield</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Horror</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwx5DmDSPw9kg-QxCYfqPOwJ4E5ChbCpOl7V9H0A9fxR9xbK_94IEZ6nMEO0MnWeOu22eih_hnSOBxYbIHdEjpLhmIvkbD5L7FH_6b3MsvFYf36giTpWTA2MPQuJU2uoI3GP45hC0ehJ79D8OkoTy1m8u2gX0ZSo18QO5x-sXzGHG8w5hS363kw27C4gg/s407/Our%20Wives%20Under.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwx5DmDSPw9kg-QxCYfqPOwJ4E5ChbCpOl7V9H0A9fxR9xbK_94IEZ6nMEO0MnWeOu22eih_hnSOBxYbIHdEjpLhmIvkbD5L7FH_6b3MsvFYf36giTpWTA2MPQuJU2uoI3GP45hC0ehJ79D8OkoTy1m8u2gX0ZSo18QO5x-sXzGHG8w5hS363kw27C4gg/s16000/Our%20Wives%20Under.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep-sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has brought part of it back with her, onto dry land and into their home.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Being stuck on the bottom of the ocean in a submarine might be the most terrifying thing ever. It would also be terrifying for your loved one to come back from that experience and not be themselves anymore. Reviewers say this book is very weird. I don't always like weird, but it might be tense enough to keep me reading.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3voC3Lb" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Passing</i> by Nella Larsen</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Classic</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAOpKASQSF9ZlQWSWegWxLhN2ZdOpTkJm0xOaF1ZLqZnvwIGGZtdvWKjyWePfzt-yv1_fX589-rkMKRJut1rAjyMuKsTPTVr4JWGQhIs1ceREFSolqHsj6uxEoBX2RqJnvCo42PnK7OTIl6QNpXC2Ctep0IjJWwNmpYg78H7XbpVx3qOT_BEhEXANJEc/s450/Passing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAOpKASQSF9ZlQWSWegWxLhN2ZdOpTkJm0xOaF1ZLqZnvwIGGZtdvWKjyWePfzt-yv1_fX589-rkMKRJut1rAjyMuKsTPTVr4JWGQhIs1ceREFSolqHsj6uxEoBX2RqJnvCo42PnK7OTIl6QNpXC2Ctep0IjJWwNmpYg78H7XbpVx3qOT_BEhEXANJEc/s16000/Passing.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Irene Redfield is a Black woman living an affluent, comfortable life with her husband and children in the thriving neighborhood of Harlem in the 1920s. When she reconnects with her childhood friend Clare Kendry, who is similarly light-skinned, Irene discovers that Clare has been passing for a white woman after severing ties to her past—even hiding the truth from her racist husband.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Clare finds herself drawn to Irene's sense of ease and security with her Black identity and longs for the community (and, increasingly, the woman) she lost. Irene is both riveted and repulsed by Clare and her dangerous secret, as Clare begins to insert herself—and her deception—into every part of Irene's stable existence. First published in 1929, Larsen's brilliant examination of the various ways in which we all seek to "pass," is as timely as ever.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention: </b>I read a bunch of classics last year and discovered that the majority of classics at my library are written by white men, about white men, and intended for a white male target audience. I was thrilled to discover <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3TSvx9D" target="_blank">Passing</a></i> because I badly need to diversify my classics reading list.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TSvx9D" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Vampires Of El Norte</i> by Isabel Cañas</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Historical Horror</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3tv4LgPUyhXF_GG4_36EzCNTC48ylc8CbT3KAzqKYbiqgEyEqgjRhRi3PWiJ6l_jpq_0VjRLIcYy0DyftKcyhlIYQcaaOOByVUQojbG6q8cnrT9r_bS2HqjQ9ObRHow4kZFfkTHbg6Bqyg2du9qjlwet-HdIVRq4_Zc0YEav8447OeH4U_xKli4Eo8I/s2048/Vampires%20Of%20El.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3tv4LgPUyhXF_GG4_36EzCNTC48ylc8CbT3KAzqKYbiqgEyEqgjRhRi3PWiJ6l_jpq_0VjRLIcYy0DyftKcyhlIYQcaaOOByVUQojbG6q8cnrT9r_bS2HqjQ9ObRHow4kZFfkTHbg6Bqyg2du9qjlwet-HdIVRq4_Zc0YEav8447OeH4U_xKli4Eo8I/w265-h400/Vampires%20Of%20El.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> Historical fiction and horror are two of my favorite genres. Books that mash them together will always catch my eye. I also like the 1840s Mexico setting. I don't think I've read any books set in this time and place.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3ROtsZN" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>When The Moon Turns To Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, And A Story Of Murder, Wild Faith, And End Times</i> by Leah Sottile</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult True Crime Nonfiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVR_PfbOyVGJDFWxvAwj6FDUdL5sKTRXsOK7h653qEq_0DqC5xqlPCpm7bSsOjRZZGZQebmtTdwbs7d0qH4Mw9RBdpIgW6zrqfex59YZ1qL_AbzhWE4-ffdZJWb4baG_fCnCGrsAt7j37cd7EMzFQQu8mssn0BzPDpeQ9k91PSe4Pw9h4h7tVbzqEhxw/s400/When%20The%20Moon%20Turns.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVR_PfbOyVGJDFWxvAwj6FDUdL5sKTRXsOK7h653qEq_0DqC5xqlPCpm7bSsOjRZZGZQebmtTdwbs7d0qH4Mw9RBdpIgW6zrqfex59YZ1qL_AbzhWE4-ffdZJWb4baG_fCnCGrsAt7j37cd7EMzFQQu8mssn0BzPDpeQ9k91PSe4Pw9h4h7tVbzqEhxw/s16000/When%20The%20Moon%20Turns.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"><i>When The Moon Turns To Blood</i> examines the culture of end times paranoia and a trail of mysterious deaths surrounding former beauty queen Lori Vallow and her husband, grave digger turned doomsday novelist, Chad Daybell.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">When police in Rexburg, Idaho perform a wellness check on seven-year-old J.J. Vallow and his sister, sixteen-year-old Tylee Ryan, both children are nowhere to be found. Their mother, Lori Vallow, gives a phony explanation, and when officers return the following day with a search warrant, she, too, is gone. As the police begin to close in, a larger web of mystery, murder, fanaticism and deceit begins to unravel.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Vallow’s case is sinuously complex. As investigators prod further, they find the accused Black Widow has an unusual number of bodies piling up around her.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why it caught my attention:</b> The reviewers who talked about it said it's not a traditional true crime book. There's a lot of focus on the "Why?" The suspects in this case committed the crimes because they believed the world was ending. I'm not interested in the gory details of murder, but I'm extremely interested in the psychology behind crime. I want to know the "Why?"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3vmD6Lw" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-oxRUfLBMBSOhLRbPbgEoTXSJVdY9LQzpu2l_DJtDtxsKg2LLYGjFUeFQ19RVLgzbZs031NCaWunBDZPxxVGT7cTs2hJozjMkPRE2ljLagEy2Z3jZ9sL-mzL5pf7rVStdKAr28YawqVGVkd-kJrzji9QyqlgmcB3yaVVGxvhM5hB4Sm02sZiCeARc0E/s2100/1-30%20Best%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-oxRUfLBMBSOhLRbPbgEoTXSJVdY9LQzpu2l_DJtDtxsKg2LLYGjFUeFQ19RVLgzbZs031NCaWunBDZPxxVGT7cTs2hJozjMkPRE2ljLagEy2Z3jZ9sL-mzL5pf7rVStdKAr28YawqVGVkd-kJrzji9QyqlgmcB3yaVVGxvhM5hB4Sm02sZiCeARc0E/w210-h400/1-30%20Best%204.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Did any of these make your "Best Books" list?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>What was your favorite book of 2023?</b></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-62726816641850340132024-01-28T06:00:00.059-07:002024-01-29T06:11:44.262-07:00The Sunday Post #355<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1udtOpR8sjOCuW1ftK739SCjs9udieltMz7dK_Hf1cchQ1Q-e1SChYksj_3w51-1L_Kprpn31g1sxxeThV2D7wm77yRpJTLbHlfnwPz09thdGRrnNeNQQVWkBCf1H0frOiSdBOe4Nag18M2pakK9ydHYN5JLkfDQMjDOVKX_6Hsa8YUBNoluLUZjBw0/s577/Dogs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="577" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1udtOpR8sjOCuW1ftK739SCjs9udieltMz7dK_Hf1cchQ1Q-e1SChYksj_3w51-1L_Kprpn31g1sxxeThV2D7wm77yRpJTLbHlfnwPz09thdGRrnNeNQQVWkBCf1H0frOiSdBOe4Nag18M2pakK9ydHYN5JLkfDQMjDOVKX_6Hsa8YUBNoluLUZjBw0/w400-h400/Dogs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><u>The Sunday Post #355</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-book-haul.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Christmas Book Haul</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2023</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-statistics.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2023 Reading Statistics</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-book-releases.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Book Releases</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-young-adult-book.html" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I didn't get much reading done last week because Brooklyn gave me one of those not-COVID respiratory diseases. I spent most of last week coughing, throwing up, and sweating excessively. So much sweat. I'm going to be irritated if I didn't lose weight from this experience.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2uMKWw3HSRC-TIYqXTpPli1nfNsBlRKZBWB7vyz3DxKUpiPQUGlowoGJp5ex6txEdp9TvgK-Thk7oupoXMSTFYZqLPSrg21TnhAyFlh5Qx2-Yb2txPz4SyjKAfkV3wkpNB2VXbH_1tYrDsivlYyhSEzvdnyrF3Tie4mWHX9qhe4e4laRXC0jHEk1u7Q/s475/Girl%20Woman%20Other.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2uMKWw3HSRC-TIYqXTpPli1nfNsBlRKZBWB7vyz3DxKUpiPQUGlowoGJp5ex6txEdp9TvgK-Thk7oupoXMSTFYZqLPSrg21TnhAyFlh5Qx2-Yb2txPz4SyjKAfkV3wkpNB2VXbH_1tYrDsivlYyhSEzvdnyrF3Tie4mWHX9qhe4e4laRXC0jHEk1u7Q/w261-h400/Girl%20Woman%20Other.jpg" width="261" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">I finished <a href="https://amzn.to/3Oml3vD" target="_blank"><i>Girl, Woman, Other</i> by Bernardine Evaristo.</a> I think I overhyped the book in my head. It won the Booker Prize and sounded exactly like my type of pretentious entertainment. It's a composite novel that's made up of groups of short stories. Each group has 3 stories. One story focuses on a girl, one story focuses on a woman, and one focuses on someone who's connected to the first two people. The majority of the characters are Black women living in the UK.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">The structure of the book is its biggest strength and its downfall. I love the structure because it allows you to see a character from multiple perspectives. You might hate a character in one story and then completely understand her motives and change your mind after another story. It was a really interesting reading experience. At first.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Then the stories started to feel repetitive. You're introduced to a person. You hear their entire life story with a lot of emphasis on sex and politics. The end. Repeat with the next person. There's no overarching plot or forward momentum. Things happened in the characters' pasts, but nothing is happening in the present. I think that would be fine in a short book, but this beast is 400+ pages, so I needed more to keep me invested. Unfortunately, I got bored and forced myself through the last 100 pages.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">However, you probably shouldn't listen to me. This book has a ridiculously high rating on Goodreads. I feel like I missed something.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Four things that made me happy last week:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>1. </b>This conversation happened:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>My mom:</b> "Do you want bacon?"</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Brooklyn:</b> "No, I want healthy food."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>My mom:</b> "What kind of heathy food."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Brooklyn:</b> "Donuts."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>2.</b> We didn't get donuts, but we did get butter pecan ice cream.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>3.</b> My parents bought me a new space heater because I accidentally killed mine during that week when it was below 0. Poor space heater got worked to death. Now I have a replacement to work to death.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>4.</b> When I <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-sunday-post-354.html" target="_blank">decluttered my bookshelves</a>, I noticed that my older mass market paperbacks had lost the will to live. Their pages were falling out. I decided to replace the broken books with better editions. Now I understand why people like matching editions. My new books look so pretty on the shelves! I'll take pictures when I can walk across a room without feeling like I need an ambulance on speed dial.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I Own Pretty Books Now</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-65896439867130184552024-01-23T06:00:00.062-07:002024-01-23T06:14:25.164-07:00Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases<div style="font-family: georgia;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMOR0rQn0R-ZKO1OMV03J8-Y9sbGLbnqQC_TKwrs_VYmVunBZT0jolkSwFjOMtjrR93v2Bshts1-DWVr96_f8rQpp_WvUGY7XlVX4so6zUIH-tS3rjqWXRDYmpdcKiz65aw2UijfrNCc32V5SlRgM_UVITZqB5QAmPGqnTc6wewxmP4Z0fJyNxgz8_3s/s2100/1-23%20YA%206.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMOR0rQn0R-ZKO1OMV03J8-Y9sbGLbnqQC_TKwrs_VYmVunBZT0jolkSwFjOMtjrR93v2Bshts1-DWVr96_f8rQpp_WvUGY7XlVX4so6zUIH-tS3rjqWXRDYmpdcKiz65aw2UijfrNCc32V5SlRgM_UVITZqB5QAmPGqnTc6wewxmP4Z0fJyNxgz8_3s/w210-h400/1-23%20YA%206.png" width="210" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It's time to build your 2024 reading list. Here are the upcoming young adult book releases that caught my attention.</span></div><div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Note: Publishing is notorious for changing release dates. Don't blame me if these are wrong! I tried.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">❆ <u>Best January - June Young Adult Book Releases</u> 🌞</span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Somewhere In The Deep</i> by Tanvi Berwah</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Fantasy</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>January 9, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJC3qM1OKXXjlNGFEGS1weL2-nQ7qmF7PybFS4pjXAmQHZERdZH7-59wR9GreQie7jrR7H6_74Lk1Yj7xp2_LST8FnfKCluxYJdYN-YNboxd1OGJDYXLfsYJrBAPcGkVd6WNe_N-xMjYpf_pn7CayXiHk3SyUb8FxQDt7YOKyPo4vQJwCMDPs3CILWXXs/s755/Somewhere%20In%20The%20Deep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJC3qM1OKXXjlNGFEGS1weL2-nQ7qmF7PybFS4pjXAmQHZERdZH7-59wR9GreQie7jrR7H6_74Lk1Yj7xp2_LST8FnfKCluxYJdYN-YNboxd1OGJDYXLfsYJrBAPcGkVd6WNe_N-xMjYpf_pn7CayXiHk3SyUb8FxQDt7YOKyPo4vQJwCMDPs3CILWXXs/w265-h400/Somewhere%20In%20The%20Deep.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Seventeen-year-old Krescent Dune is buried under the weight of her dead parents’ debt and the ruinous legacy they left behind. The only way she can earn enough money to escape her unforgiving island is by battling monstrous creatures in an underground fighting pit. After a fight goes terribly wrong, she’s banned from the pits. Now hopeless, she is offered a deal: in exchange for the erasure of her debts, she must join and protect a hunting party for a rescue mission deep within the mining caves beneath the island.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Krescent is determined to keep her head down and fulfill her role as the dutiful bodyguard, even though she is trapped underground with her childhood enemy and a company of people who would gladly kill her if they knew who her parents were. As they come across creatures she believed only existed in legends, it becomes clear they are in far more danger than she could have imagined. But someone doesn’t want her to make it out alive. And she’ll have to figure out who before she’s left alone . . . in the dark.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it: </b>Cave monsters! I love caves and think they're an underutilized setting for books. I was searching for fiction set in caves and discovered this one. Now I'm obsessed with the cover and premise and need to read it immediately.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/46xa8pg" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b><i>The Bad Ones</i> by Melissa Albert</b></span></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>Fantasy<br /></b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">February 20, 2024</span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdwt1YCVrWMXh2Ii7Q1Cn6W0ukWrBupiP-Be1Nks-GajvGihp5c0BEXoTFlikP0Kqzz0b5zM1UwDzfNN6_R_llJhxDBw6lpG38eXgwv0I282-tal6EK3kHVCX3SK8spaAd0fYNnSPRazRaTOmk2rnMTYWtcqmB_CCcsXeLqQQM1D_Gr-XievO9Wv0TM8/s400/The%20Bad%20Ones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdwt1YCVrWMXh2Ii7Q1Cn6W0ukWrBupiP-Be1Nks-GajvGihp5c0BEXoTFlikP0Kqzz0b5zM1UwDzfNN6_R_llJhxDBw6lpG38eXgwv0I282-tal6EK3kHVCX3SK8spaAd0fYNnSPRazRaTOmk2rnMTYWtcqmB_CCcsXeLqQQM1D_Gr-XievO9Wv0TM8/s16000/The%20Bad%20Ones.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">In the course of a single winter’s night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Nora’s estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca’s disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town’s past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games . . .</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Goodreads calls it "</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief." I hope it's just as creepy as the author's other book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3QTkoCx" target="_blank"><i>The Hazel Wood</i></a>. I loved that one.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47uhgUt" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Poisons We Drink</i> by Bethany Baptiste</b></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Urban Fantasy</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 5, 2024</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIKSXc81yVkNFmq6Hu1eNjwxdndHzwUAQNKfUinw2N-CrhFsj54ACoZRUnLkLumeDoqEfPABVurpCDRZnCOuR-kx7Ms6y2d40S1H0BZ-5Z56EDk8enorzcBBjeQilLN8xZAveJCUeKgpLj9oCBAAvi9b1jZ1ANwVnzD82y8Kg8Z_yHyJt3n9KQIV7j44/s2775/The%20Poisons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIKSXc81yVkNFmq6Hu1eNjwxdndHzwUAQNKfUinw2N-CrhFsj54ACoZRUnLkLumeDoqEfPABVurpCDRZnCOuR-kx7Ms6y2d40S1H0BZ-5Z56EDk8enorzcBBjeQilLN8xZAveJCUeKgpLj9oCBAAvi9b1jZ1ANwVnzD82y8Kg8Z_yHyJt3n9KQIV7j44/w265-h400/The%20Poisons.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">When an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust . . . herself included.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> A revenge story? Sign me up. I love morally gray characters. It also sounds like it has the potential for a lot of plot twists.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48sAyuh" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Under This Red Rock</i> by Mindy McGinnis</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Mystery</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvbHG_JsKq0fEVkearwJTGvN9NdkPv61N7As0ACkd3VVAOncaFlnxmWYQOW4o_lQU6kCzoAXBTs_ijWJ6_WCocwXui-D6iKSLzayzJ4hsDIYLparr9QN-qyS9QqHDwV921_7Sxme-KR32nowRB78brbcvRkCyNQqyIaIs9vXArAhf05U_AbXQP_tW2Us/s2048/Under%20This%20Red%20Rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvbHG_JsKq0fEVkearwJTGvN9NdkPv61N7As0ACkd3VVAOncaFlnxmWYQOW4o_lQU6kCzoAXBTs_ijWJ6_WCocwXui-D6iKSLzayzJ4hsDIYLparr9QN-qyS9QqHDwV921_7Sxme-KR32nowRB78brbcvRkCyNQqyIaIs9vXArAhf05U_AbXQP_tW2Us/w265-h400/Under%20This%20Red%20Rock.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Neely’s monsters don’t always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she’s in trouble.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">With a history of mental illness in her family, and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow—the caverns. There she can find peace. There she can pretend to be normal. There . . . she meets Mila.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Mila is everything Neely isn’t—beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open, and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Cave monsters! I love caves. They're a perfect place for monsters and murder. This book sounds like an intriguing mystery. Also, that cover is disturbing.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3sSyNXy" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Future Tense: How We Made Artificial Intelligence—And How It Will Change Everything</i> by Martha Brockenbrough</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Technology Nonfiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoFv1xP0R_VWVa2E37eFS4dqiXh-0Lowz_skufUON064ALb4FFCZM0bxdV7n1MsWNPVlMUCJCjrvAwO1LgJF1cP5XRXfkQffeYngF_pWkjYCTy6a5ZiWAisian6TxdOtZ7ZK_5dJaDqL5sRAHhfHP9XN17eBix7rbXxP_5uJTXRhk1eIcrLdyif35_cA/s400/Future%20Tense.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoFv1xP0R_VWVa2E37eFS4dqiXh-0Lowz_skufUON064ALb4FFCZM0bxdV7n1MsWNPVlMUCJCjrvAwO1LgJF1cP5XRXfkQffeYngF_pWkjYCTy6a5ZiWAisian6TxdOtZ7ZK_5dJaDqL5sRAHhfHP9XN17eBix7rbXxP_5uJTXRhk1eIcrLdyif35_cA/s16000/Future%20Tense.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Human history has always been shaped by technology, but AI is like no technology that has come before it. Unlike the wheel, combustion engines, or electricity, AI does the thing that humans do: think. While AI hasn’t reproduced the marvelously complex human brain, it has been able to accomplish astonishing things. AI has defeated our players at games like chess, Go, and Jeopardy!. It’s learned to recognize objects and speech. It can create art and music. It’s even allowed grieving people to feel as though they were talking with their dead loved ones.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">On the flip side, it’s put innocent people in jail, manipulated the emotions of social media users, and tricked people into believing untrue things.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Like pretty much everybody else, I'm fascinated and terrified by AI. Is it going to take my job? What will it do to art? How will we know what's true? This book explores how "</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">AI has touched every corner of our world, including education, healthcare, work, politics, war, international relations, and even romance." It sounds interesting.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49MtObs" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Icarus</i> by K. Ancrum</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Mythology Retelling<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 26, 2024</b></span></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmcT9VIZvz6ff7cvDkM5SjF8RWrVi92VnVbd88yZzmoNJ5jl_T4w8bzFj_ffIE8TcE1UB6cHGvO9KKhk6T4RJbSthsh3NkH_8Dg0ydGdTn6zIIaH5c6qAxK3oGYvt8nkp8LlatP9kwShGE_Y_k2s_2n4qPkL9Q_VE58HUzjb2hWBbmTRFTs2AVmsdkak/s1536/Icarus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1017" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmcT9VIZvz6ff7cvDkM5SjF8RWrVi92VnVbd88yZzmoNJ5jl_T4w8bzFj_ffIE8TcE1UB6cHGvO9KKhk6T4RJbSthsh3NkH_8Dg0ydGdTn6zIIaH5c6qAxK3oGYvt8nkp8LlatP9kwShGE_Y_k2s_2n4qPkL9Q_VE58HUzjb2hWBbmTRFTs2AVmsdkak/w265-h400/Icarus.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Icarus Gallagher is a thief.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target, revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black, but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the bars of the gilded cage that has trapped both of their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose: the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Normally, the word "retelling" is an automatic <i>No</i> from me, but I trust K. Ancrum. She's awesome at writing morally gray characters. If you like books about young people who do questionable things, check out <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uFr7Z3" target="_blank">The Wicker King</a></i>. It's a quick, memorable read.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3urgA3G" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Otherworldly</i> by F.T. Lukens</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Fantasy</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 2, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhjw42rE7r2pWOTrYxceA3mVPnTR6e5bRbsQaJPRYhIxXFw1aZwLB_aFCmwejG-kPMcaSc91xFMzwp9d5Mu5MMpl_8kADDTKrPX52b8R1B9rByVYX5njdU5wLYynhK0fVYwt-P6BTBWAk6Mt7PTHJwHCTL4tFt5AXvjVY-rqI7D_GP5hG83HJsKIEIGk/s2100/Otherworldly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhjw42rE7r2pWOTrYxceA3mVPnTR6e5bRbsQaJPRYhIxXFw1aZwLB_aFCmwejG-kPMcaSc91xFMzwp9d5Mu5MMpl_8kADDTKrPX52b8R1B9rByVYX5njdU5wLYynhK0fVYwt-P6BTBWAk6Mt7PTHJwHCTL4tFt5AXvjVY-rqI7D_GP5hG83HJsKIEIGk/w267-h400/Otherworldly.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">definitely</i><span style="background-color: white;"> don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> A romance between a skeptic and a magical creature is a hilarious premise. One of my goals is to read happier books. This story sounds fluffier than the chaos and gore I usually read. I'm looking forward to reading something different.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49UogM8" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Reappearance Of Rachel Price</i> by Holly Jackson</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Mystery / Thriller</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 2, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoojIzfSLirBmma_mPHQS1cUa1cwm5bWvZqMzRbjQoYN8XOzpycArvVNr95pCDxUvL9dPY5sm8ypCO7O6iFSFlFsb1au4_zVBafZXgPfS5ZAeXegMG2ZuWvyS4xJYfmdOpl5tMYd_O0juRktxGHXfcTveKuEh2BPTMK7MWPNepBQeW5Yh3R-wUZYbnXAg/s2550/The%20Reappearance%20Of.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoojIzfSLirBmma_mPHQS1cUa1cwm5bWvZqMzRbjQoYN8XOzpycArvVNr95pCDxUvL9dPY5sm8ypCO7O6iFSFlFsb1au4_zVBafZXgPfS5ZAeXegMG2ZuWvyS4xJYfmdOpl5tMYd_O0juRktxGHXfcTveKuEh2BPTMK7MWPNepBQeW5Yh3R-wUZYbnXAg/w265-h400/The%20Reappearance%20Of.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Lights. Camera. Lies.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But the case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And–could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . .</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I don't usually read thrillers, but this one is about a true crime show. I have a love/hate relationship with true crime. I love it because human behavior and forensic science are fascinating. I hate it because it turns murderers into celebrities. I hope this book shows how morally complicated true crime can be.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3NIiS5w" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uCefztRTPungtwbn6n6shL4lP9oGa1yEQFE3RQSZEVo2LhyphenhyphennrCTVQ7riA5OMzHceM2e-RUfKvdqeJn-MAVvNDFcW5tUW7Cp8nTW-fgxxYgkygQuwaUq9t2gFXRQaCGIHW9Kbw6gFGsjgP5djIk8cvHxqkwCE75IpgMheDTxAr1_Q6QvBRt4FrVjUPKU/s2100/1-23%20YA%205.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uCefztRTPungtwbn6n6shL4lP9oGa1yEQFE3RQSZEVo2LhyphenhyphennrCTVQ7riA5OMzHceM2e-RUfKvdqeJn-MAVvNDFcW5tUW7Cp8nTW-fgxxYgkygQuwaUq9t2gFXRQaCGIHW9Kbw6gFGsjgP5djIk8cvHxqkwCE75IpgMheDTxAr1_Q6QvBRt4FrVjUPKU/w210-h400/1-23%20YA%205.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Which 2024 books are you looking forward to reading?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-29320725128905371422024-01-21T06:00:00.044-07:002024-01-21T06:00:00.156-07:00The Sunday Post #354<p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrn7kZZHq-c10uMrsRCrJ5XZonb9sqSHxctrPrvtWlbCIKFZ59b1miO75zs5TS3CLhnkfVua_zRFyRpeSebiV5WMRSVmERg6WZkUJumAqi4SJvLTJb-cJsQi0C4S38NgjXvx7DKVBpYzkSDzEWd5L80r_oMOqWs04eebBDbYoa8dRbgq-FOqA9fDyaZco/s963/pizza%20dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="963" data-original-width="946" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrn7kZZHq-c10uMrsRCrJ5XZonb9sqSHxctrPrvtWlbCIKFZ59b1miO75zs5TS3CLhnkfVua_zRFyRpeSebiV5WMRSVmERg6WZkUJumAqi4SJvLTJb-cJsQi0C4S38NgjXvx7DKVBpYzkSDzEWd5L80r_oMOqWs04eebBDbYoa8dRbgq-FOqA9fDyaZco/w393-h400/pizza%20dog.jpg" width="393" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #354</u></span></span></h1><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-books.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">All I Want For Christmas Is Books</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-book-haul.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Christmas Book Haul</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2023</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-statistics.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2023 Reading Statistics</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-january-june-2024-book-releases.html" target="_blank">Best January - June 2024 Book Releases</a></li></span></ul><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHT2d9Ov6Kg-VV_OCnfR8sdzMdxy5Q9662_S-j41UXv2T3QRh1bHmYnA49oh4oppSnDgzFh264U0iY5boixAvlDho0Pse3Alo0u_44Kv5QxPGPx7a6nPpzpvGAx1gRF-j1oB9XlIecn4_RBc4rmuRVFkJRVAN2_cFL0KGCQ6vtAbudE6M6ia_fdkhUV8/s500/Crime%20And%20Punishment.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHT2d9Ov6Kg-VV_OCnfR8sdzMdxy5Q9662_S-j41UXv2T3QRh1bHmYnA49oh4oppSnDgzFh264U0iY5boixAvlDho0Pse3Alo0u_44Kv5QxPGPx7a6nPpzpvGAx1gRF-j1oB9XlIecn4_RBc4rmuRVFkJRVAN2_cFL0KGCQ6vtAbudE6M6ia_fdkhUV8/s16000/Crime%20And%20Punishment.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">It took several weeks, but I finished <a href="https://amzn.to/3S0Bcbc" target="_blank"><i>Crime & Punishment</i> by Fyodor Dostoevsky</a>! I've been procrastinating this book for decades because it's a chunky beast. I'm glad I finally forced myself to read it. I got through it much faster than I thought I would because it's more readable than I expected.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">It's about a college student called </span>Raskolnikov. He's a narcissistic murderer who spends about 1/3 of the book unconscious, but he still manages to have a more active social life than me.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Raskolnikov is an unpleasant dude. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He describes himself as a "Superman" or "Napoleon" who doesn't need to follow laws. He's going to accomplish great things and, to do them, he needs to be free from the morals that govern other humans. However, Raskolnikov has a big problem. He's broke and can no longer afford college or his apartment. To solve his money issues, he murders two elderly pawn brokers.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To Raskolnikov's dismay, he discovers that he's human. He starts to feel (somewhat) bad about the murders and is paranoid about getting caught. As the novel progresses, he becomes more and more mentally unhinged until he's too consumed with guilt and fear to function.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Raskolnikov is a psychologically complicated guy. He's clearly mentally ill from the start. He's delusional, prone to extreme mood swings, and can't see beyond his own interests. I guess he's a proto-Nazi? This book is older than Nazis, but Raskolnikov divides the world into elite humans and parasites. He doesn't see a problem with killing parasites.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But, sometimes he's nice? He has a massive group of friends and family members who adore him. That's one of my complaints about the book. There are too many characters and subplots! And everybody talks way too much! And everyone is excessively dramatic about everything! It's confusing and makes the plot drag. Between the long conversations and Raskolnikov's tedious inner monologue, I struggled a bit. I did enjoy how complicated Raskolnikov is, though. He feels like an authentic (horrible) person. I kept slogging because I wanted to know what would happen to him.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Stop reading now if you don't want spoilers:</b> I thought the epilogue was disappointing. The author suggests that becoming Christian and getting a girlfriend can fix crime and mental illness. I know this book is from the 1860s, and we've learned a lot since then, but I just spent 650+ pages reading about a violent Nazi with severe emotional problems. The problems are solved by sex-worker Sonya and her Bible. I feel sorry for Sonya. She's taking on a lot of baggage. If Raskolnikov ever gets out of prison, she needs to run far, far away from him. Don't trust him, Sonya! You deserve better.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia9tpmewML7CV2yeDqsqs5DJSlbOemKXN3jIPUrKzenaGQSLllUvJIdCdeer1Mq6TpOgA7u9R_1boGNMxcT9H2mERFs06nRZL0oZxIQEUxSLqcmyZH_PFvy5jgLXkaS6KNM1OjFWNvKhRK1HaI3kZjxqN-VJdrQ1NLMYYQmdP7S5ulJidYxUK85y91cQ/s2400/The%20Alchemist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1585" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia9tpmewML7CV2yeDqsqs5DJSlbOemKXN3jIPUrKzenaGQSLllUvJIdCdeer1Mq6TpOgA7u9R_1boGNMxcT9H2mERFs06nRZL0oZxIQEUxSLqcmyZH_PFvy5jgLXkaS6KNM1OjFWNvKhRK1HaI3kZjxqN-VJdrQ1NLMYYQmdP7S5ulJidYxUK85y91cQ/w264-h400/The%20Alchemist.jpg" width="264" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then I read a tiny classic. It was <a href="https://amzn.to/3HsKt7c" target="_blank"><i>The Alchemist</i> by Paulo Coelho</a>. I guess this is a philosophy book? If you're new to classics and don't want to tackle <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3HrdIHl" target="_blank">Crime & Punishment</a></i>, then this is a good place to start. It's only 190 pages, and the plot is straightforward.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The main character is a shepherd boy from Andalusia who badly wants to travel. His wanderlust leads him to fortune tellers, thieves, warriors, alchemists, and treasure chests. The book is about listening to your deepest desires and paying close attention to your environment so you don't miss opportunities to make your dreams come true. Sometimes life doesn't go as planned, but you still end up exactly where you want to be.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The plot is too simplistic and mystical woo-woo for my tastes, but it's a hopeful little book. Each page will give you something to think about. The main character has an awesome attitude about life. He knows what he wants, believes in himself, and sees every plot twist as a learning opportunity.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I think this book oversimplifies life because there are many reasons why a person <i>can't</i> follow their dreams, and the book doesn't acknowledge those reasons, but it's accessible philosophy. I thought it was . . . fine.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Story time!</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">You know how most of the US was in a deep freeze last week? Well, in Colorado, it was below 0, snowing, and windy for <i>days</i>. Brooklyn's school was closed. The gym was closed. The <i>roads</i> were closed because cars kept sliding on ice and wrecking.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">I got bored, so I decided to take every book off my shelves and dust each one. This is a massive task because I have 6 bookcases, and they're stuffed to the point of collapse. It's a stupid number of books.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Getting the books off the shelves and dusting took a whole day. Then it was time to put books back on the shelves, and . . . no. My arms and back hurt. I'm not sure if the pain was from the books or shoveling snow, but it sucked. The floors of two rooms and the hallway were completely covered in books. I had made an overwhelming mess.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Luckily, I have an awesome used bookstore in my town that can help with my problem. Since I'm too lazy to put the books on the shelves, I decided to trade a bunch of them at the store. I made a stack of books I'll never reread. Then I made a stack of books I know are at the library. If I want to reread them, I can get them from the library. Then I made a stack of mass market paperbacks because I hate them.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Then Brooklyn came in the room and asked why I was piling books in front of the closet. I told her, "To stop the evil clown from getting out." That's probably why I shouldn't have children.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Anyway, I ended up with 350-something books in my clown barrier. I still have more books that I want to trade in. I haven't gone through all of them yet.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ef7LW2cAtoWhsbfOLCfWaxFl5LSYU5fCh84TG0vY1i7iTKD2xr8MLA9JIORQP1ZUxq-ARTMrzjFZU7QIxkcZpwGOGkdNGmAT_3lYgc2HXavFiITohJGAVQqXofmvlvr4SC5huGq6ue5cSAn_uhNCNPipbwDj13cQ4C5KM0Cc82e83oXlUkkDf9ibVG0/s4032/stack.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ef7LW2cAtoWhsbfOLCfWaxFl5LSYU5fCh84TG0vY1i7iTKD2xr8MLA9JIORQP1ZUxq-ARTMrzjFZU7QIxkcZpwGOGkdNGmAT_3lYgc2HXavFiITohJGAVQqXofmvlvr4SC5huGq6ue5cSAn_uhNCNPipbwDj13cQ4C5KM0Cc82e83oXlUkkDf9ibVG0/w640-h480/stack.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clown barrier is double stacked. There are more books behind these books. Also, yes, I've read every brick in the barrier. (During the deep freeze, I saw a guy on TikTok saying that people who make bookish content don't actually read. They just buy books. I'll have you know, I do both!)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">When the roads reopened, I called the used bookstore and asked if I could bring them 350 books. They were like, "LOL, no. There's a daily limit." I learned I'm going to be spending <i>a lot</i> of time at the bookstore. Also, I'm <i>not</i> putting these things back on the shelves. The clown barrier stays until all of it is traded.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">So, that's how I spent the deep freeze. I wanted to dust and ended up making a bunch of work for myself.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5HMada3YjV4-MY3aZoyMxTI4Dl2EdGHjCJlftok74IyX6oJJGdwqTXkWYEdbgwvuJqomvNuuuw33VhwBndWk-ke6Nnc3yfGyvFPOMvgWxH246ObOVk_2je-sz66JPc6Ys8eT21WX9S_4WIJFxFcRnY2KRZC4QANo89CBzYQlEonB9CuQOWe3P8FxjeI/s4032/beginning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5HMada3YjV4-MY3aZoyMxTI4Dl2EdGHjCJlftok74IyX6oJJGdwqTXkWYEdbgwvuJqomvNuuuw33VhwBndWk-ke6Nnc3yfGyvFPOMvgWxH246ObOVk_2je-sz66JPc6Ys8eT21WX9S_4WIJFxFcRnY2KRZC4QANo89CBzYQlEonB9CuQOWe3P8FxjeI/w640-h480/beginning.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">These are the books from <i>one</i> shelf. Imagine this six times. Also, ignore the bunched-up rug. To fix it, I have to move the desk, and I'm too tired to be **aesthetic.**</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Oh, I have a question! What do you do with ARCs? I usually dump them in the Free Library, but I have some that people might actually want. I have <i>Sadie</i>, <i>The Bear And The Nightingale</i>, and a few others. How do I get them out of my house so I never have to dust them again?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">For More Bad Decisions:</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-6912751002961516882024-01-16T06:00:00.198-07:002024-01-16T06:00:00.143-07:00Best January - June 2024 Book Releases<div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l1eyoozjoM0rcOduMx4182Y2lTZEhecKH8CIU7w0x0v715wq9jQ9V4WMouruSXddIG6ANlm9gMP40gH3Mufp4iJns5TajBVG7FJxOiVOvyzp7HJaOgDLkso-2kU6GT2racrUx7pnWbbv46Y9ae2gCZfucVLlryXCUOhhOUrsNXro_J3sVlpM1T6gjH0/s2100/1-16%20Adult%202.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l1eyoozjoM0rcOduMx4182Y2lTZEhecKH8CIU7w0x0v715wq9jQ9V4WMouruSXddIG6ANlm9gMP40gH3Mufp4iJns5TajBVG7FJxOiVOvyzp7HJaOgDLkso-2kU6GT2racrUx7pnWbbv46Y9ae2gCZfucVLlryXCUOhhOUrsNXro_J3sVlpM1T6gjH0/w210-h400/1-16%20Adult%202.png" width="210" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Welcome to 2024, bookworms! Here are all the weird and wonderful upcoming book releases that caught my attention.</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Note: Publishing is notorious for changing release dates. Don't blame me if these are wrong! I tried.</span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">❅ <u>Best January - June 2024 Book Releases</u> 💮</span></h1><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years</i> by Shubnum Khan</b></span></h2><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Fantasy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>January 9, 2024</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwXEhXJqrsRYCHmkflHXQPW4V3HFA9eXtR2IzDN7vB-ovpdczjtqIBSc6fg0zvQAQpAWn-XwcwUw32K0u5lNclvk13DU8Ak-GPKB1dpHCec3HNM-bPwddtoKpnN3p6rzIy04YiTKiTvlHH6E18OlWSmXhhpvFC560-PjkvQeCvVTBNDDOnTgY60SERxA/s500/The%20Djinn%20Waits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwXEhXJqrsRYCHmkflHXQPW4V3HFA9eXtR2IzDN7vB-ovpdczjtqIBSc6fg0zvQAQpAWn-XwcwUw32K0u5lNclvk13DU8Ak-GPKB1dpHCec3HNM-bPwddtoKpnN3p6rzIy04YiTKiTvlHH6E18OlWSmXhhpvFC560-PjkvQeCvVTBNDDOnTgY60SERxA/s16000/The%20Djinn%20Waits.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Akbar Manzil was once a grand estate off the coast of South Africa. Now, nearly a century since it was built, it stands in ruins: an isolated boardinghouse for misfits, seeking to forget their pasts and disappear into the mansion's dark corridors.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Until Sana. She and her father are the latest of Akbar Manzil’s long list of tenants, seeking a new home after suffering painful loss. Unlike the others, who choose not to look too closely at the mansion’s unsettling qualities—the strange assortment of bones in the overgrown garden, the mysterious figure seen to move sometimes at night—she is curious and questioning and finds herself irresistibly drawn to the history of the mansion. To the eerie and forgotten East Wing, home to a clutter of broken and abandoned objects—and to the locked door at its end, unopened for decades.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Behind the door is a bedroom frozen in time, with faded photographs of a couple in love and a worn diary that whispers of a dark past: the long-forgotten story of a young woman named Meena, the original owner’s second wife, who died there tragically a hundred years ago. Watching Sana from the room’s shadows is a grieving djinn, an invisible spirit who once loved Meena and has haunted the mansion since her mysterious death. Obsessed with Meena’s story, and unaware of the creature that follows her, Sana digs into the past like fingers into a wound, awakening the memories of the house itself—and dredging up old and terrible secrets that will change the lives of everyone living and dead at Akbar Manzil.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Creepy haunted house story! I've read a lot of those, but never one set in South Africa.</span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/49MJvPW" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>This Wretched Valley</i> by Jenny Kiefer</b></span></h2><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Mystery / Thriller / Horror</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>January 16, 2024</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5JxkOzU5UZgjlYsghA6qQ2ihqJhm-aKBcDkgOXzliYW_Se1vUkuNXhFQ_nHivNNJDCtfPxzpWMgZsZbkjcNxvi4bM6ddXiwkU0KoK995a1IzkbTBHeOX5KKSJEbg0kCLdAoe77tIJCCZMalrJ0y8E_wVr8NA7TugiknF8uimUO2t2IMN4fw7YnHOgAM/s2400/This%20Wretched%20Valley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1575" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5JxkOzU5UZgjlYsghA6qQ2ihqJhm-aKBcDkgOXzliYW_Se1vUkuNXhFQ_nHivNNJDCtfPxzpWMgZsZbkjcNxvi4bM6ddXiwkU0KoK995a1IzkbTBHeOX5KKSJEbg0kCLdAoe77tIJCCZMalrJ0y8E_wVr8NA7TugiknF8uimUO2t2IMN4fw7YnHOgAM/w263-h400/This%20Wretched%20Valley.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">This is going to be Dylan's big break. Her friend Clay, a geology student, has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan's boyfriend Luke, she is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one body a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But Dylan is still missing. Followers of her Instagram account report seeing disturbing livestreams, and some even claim to have caught glimpses of her vanishing into the thick woods, but no trace of her—dead or alive—has been discovered. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Were the climbers murdered? Did they succumb to cannibalism? Or are their impossible bodies the work of an even more sinister force? Is Dylan still alive, and does she hold the answers?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Goodreads says, "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">This nail-biting, bone-chilling survival horror novel is inspired by the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident and is perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and Showtime's Yellowjackets." Alma Katsu is one of my favorite horror writers. The Dyatlov Pass incident is a fascinating real-life mystery. This book sounds promising!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TEXcuM" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>THE WOMEN </i>BY KRISTIN HANNAH</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Historical Fiction</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">February 6, 2024</span></b></div></b></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBOT-RlRqjqZyNpFIU5S7ckqao_FOvnlIJa5vck1ZR1-KNGDnEY8BkQVJAZlZluqEfqJKHNtLvEMZFEDLV5kVJk2ZFfujL4eCo7P_gYYCBaBkZi1QCCF3K-Wuhb9ajerk6_9HyhNDpVZ814kRoISsrKqpHfS-V1cTch31a2Tgier7nWQ45M0rCUuMwAg/s2560/The%20Women.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBOT-RlRqjqZyNpFIU5S7ckqao_FOvnlIJa5vck1ZR1-KNGDnEY8BkQVJAZlZluqEfqJKHNtLvEMZFEDLV5kVJk2ZFfujL4eCo7P_gYYCBaBkZi1QCCF3K-Wuhb9ajerk6_9HyhNDpVZ814kRoISsrKqpHfS-V1cTch31a2Tgier7nWQ45M0rCUuMwAg/w263-h400/The%20Women.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">“Women can be heroes, too.”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it: </b>If <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3R9zfKj" target="_blank">The Great Alone</a></i> had a less melodramatic ending, it would have become one of my favorite books ever. Kristin Hannah is great at writing complicated characters who find themselves in bad situations. I want to read more of her work.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3SQhEZ2" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart: And Other Stories</i> by GennaRose Nethercott</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Short Story Collection</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 6, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihX7E4FiX08vd5z67FeCFSQQUwdSWbIVukheN-dmN2AIbn7kcV66sS8Dy4o2UVd86_YXjyK__0vaHVL_-6uprqlR83OnHVsjcI7gwWZtdH7WqZadXGIHlJDut9TpsASeXm3FAH4GSs9XQAFhmveNVwxYx2fZJscMxu-etD4UUWz4axyhOGmB3SP2Majw8/s400/Fifty%20Beasts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihX7E4FiX08vd5z67FeCFSQQUwdSWbIVukheN-dmN2AIbn7kcV66sS8Dy4o2UVd86_YXjyK__0vaHVL_-6uprqlR83OnHVsjcI7gwWZtdH7WqZadXGIHlJDut9TpsASeXm3FAH4GSs9XQAFhmveNVwxYx2fZJscMxu-etD4UUWz4axyhOGmB3SP2Majw8/s16000/Fifty%20Beasts.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Two young women working at a sinister roadside attraction called the Eternal Staircase explore its secrets—and their own doomed summer love. A group of witchy teens concoct the perfect plan to induce the hated new girl into their ranks. A woman moves into a new house with her acclaimed artist boyfriend and finds her body slowly shifting into something specially constructed to accommodate his needs and whims. And two outcasts, a vampire and a goat woman, find solace in each other, even as the world's lack of understanding might bring about its own end.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Last year, I read and loved a story collection called <a href="https://amzn.to/3ToEtDw" target="_blank"><i>Heartbreaker</i> by Maryse Meijer</a>. The stories are dark, and the characters make ethically dubious decisions when it comes to love. I'm getting similar vibes from <i>Fifty Beasts</i>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TtzTEd" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Book Of Love</i> by Kelly Link</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Fantasy</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 13, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w4Tn4QUnm3jGDai6Tk01lYPXljaejWZtkk_V2bmpvUiccf7w5K2bqCZEhPThIw_YQxWk8CzrTy2a7u_QTz_D2CVSWwiWVCMBYBAbLQjthafgjJffaDOmPKLZ9HCUrPOW3kcGPQA-NFXzbWLXSownwm4IPV3K3Wp_8rxbCgzYtQkw3rGiPQfmq2jbayw/s1503/The%20Book%20Of%20Love.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w4Tn4QUnm3jGDai6Tk01lYPXljaejWZtkk_V2bmpvUiccf7w5K2bqCZEhPThIw_YQxWk8CzrTy2a7u_QTz_D2CVSWwiWVCMBYBAbLQjthafgjJffaDOmPKLZ9HCUrPOW3kcGPQA-NFXzbWLXSownwm4IPV3K3Wp_8rxbCgzYtQkw3rGiPQfmq2jbayw/w266-h400/The%20Book%20Of%20Love.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I recently watched <i>School Spirits</i> on Netflix and now want to read books about ghosts solving mysteries. That's it. That's the whole reason I want to read this book.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3vmukgu" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>My Side Of The River </i>by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Memoir</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 13, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvKtdp8zQZA9Df5YEB4GKaiIjspSr0rWc5ZFTwqN75EdjITX75aBKe1FZVnRDRfIFi05G1YoD2Z4zIsE6DoeMt_2w9Gh2f8u0pu6qzCj_4-juIyIyEeW3ZNmO-9yf44LUBGkx3oDB4R73ROiX66HSTo7CDGXTybQzZipzk5AvwK2_vfYa_AP5a3Baw6c/s400/My%20Side%20Of.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvKtdp8zQZA9Df5YEB4GKaiIjspSr0rWc5ZFTwqN75EdjITX75aBKe1FZVnRDRfIFi05G1YoD2Z4zIsE6DoeMt_2w9Gh2f8u0pu6qzCj_4-juIyIyEeW3ZNmO-9yf44LUBGkx3oDB4R73ROiX66HSTo7CDGXTybQzZipzk5AvwK2_vfYa_AP5a3Baw6c/w259-h400/My%20Side%20Of.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips as she entered her freshman year of high school as the number one student. But suddenly, Elizabeth's own country took away the most important right a child has: a right to have a family.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">As her parents’ visas expired, they were forced to return to Mexico, leaving Elizabeth responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being “a statistic,” she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied, homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation due to broken immigration laws.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Immigration is something I want to learn more about. I think we've all seen statistics about it, but we rarely hear the personal stories about the people behind the numbers.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/47k2ChM" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Supercommunicators: How To Unlock The Secret Language Of Connection</i> by Charles Duhigg</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Self-Help Nonfiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 20, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MihHDd87E1Od_gx2J-pAb3zBCNg2lqE7KmTnEgivJHUXn1zNuopYXyfyZgE2oPMjR8vG06p_t_JpWzF5bRb38lR71tiGJrMiy6iOFxSl55UcsbkyLwXsnjFOmdkIu9wDR5tvM9v7dJYqSuIpLrg5GiGW7pXbLJhoDcksyRae40vHb13aEsHHlSSLArU/s2850/Supercommunicators.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="1875" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MihHDd87E1Od_gx2J-pAb3zBCNg2lqE7KmTnEgivJHUXn1zNuopYXyfyZgE2oPMjR8vG06p_t_JpWzF5bRb38lR71tiGJrMiy6iOFxSl55UcsbkyLwXsnjFOmdkIu9wDR5tvM9v7dJYqSuIpLrg5GiGW7pXbLJhoDcksyRae40vHb13aEsHHlSSLArU/w263-h400/Supercommunicators.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Come inside a jury room as one juror leads a starkly divided room to consensus. Join a young CIA officer as he recruits a reluctant foreign agent. And sit with an accomplished surgeon as he tries, and fails, to convince yet another cancer patient to opt for the less risky course of treatment. In </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">Supercommunicators</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">, Charles Duhigg blends deep research and his trademark storytelling skills to show how we can all learn to identify and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Communication is a superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we speak, we’re actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">What’s this really about?</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">), emotional (</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">How do we feel?</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">), and social (</span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">Who are we?</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">). If you don’t know what </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">kind</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> of conversation you’re having, you’re unlikely to connect.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Supercommunicators know the importance of recognizing—and then matching—each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and deeply held beliefs that color so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives—and how we see ourselves, and others—shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work. In this book, you will learn why some people are able to make themselves heard, and to hear others, so clearly.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">With his storytelling that takes us from the writers’ room of </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915;">The Big Bang Theory</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> to the couches of leading marriage counselors, Duhigg shows readers how to recognize these three conversations—and teaches us the tips and skills we need to navigate them more successfully.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">In the end, he delivers a simple but powerful lesson: With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I work with the public. Convincing strangers to follow the law and play nicely with others is part of what I do all day. I'm always attempting to get better at it because life is easier for everybody when strangers listen to me. (Some of them are so bad at listening!)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Ryick6" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Wandering Stars</i> by Tommy Orange</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Literary Fiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>February 27, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImYhH9S0t4oryDoP4Yc6x2C9VzoBzBq7Qmw8N4B4nNiIC6ymsxcJ4DzF_rvWfXzJmcuPi0LSOTBHu1XQrpoxMrff6Ob3WuGB7etYZB9RdPXj7P37MBcXal-Fbv9S9KBd2bs0nZc-6nclTRECLbLosoQbjkz5HZVT7xXi9gQhHNhe8S_-g8cFOtUgQqIA/s346/Wandering%20Stars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImYhH9S0t4oryDoP4Yc6x2C9VzoBzBq7Qmw8N4B4nNiIC6ymsxcJ4DzF_rvWfXzJmcuPi0LSOTBHu1XQrpoxMrff6Ob3WuGB7etYZB9RdPXj7P37MBcXal-Fbv9S9KBd2bs0nZc-6nclTRECLbLosoQbjkz5HZVT7xXi9gQhHNhe8S_-g8cFOtUgQqIA/s16000/Wandering%20Stars.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Oakland, 2018. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is barely holding her family together after the shooting that nearly took the life of her nephew Orvil. From the moment he awakens in his hospital bed, Orvil begins compulsively googling school shootings on YouTube. He also becomes emotionally reliant on the prescription medications meant to ease his physical trauma. His younger brother, Lony, suffering from PTSD, is struggling to make sense of the carnage he witnessed at the shooting by secretly cutting himself and enacting blood rituals that he hopes will connect him to his Cheyenne heritage. Opal is equally adrift, experimenting with Ceremony and peyote, searching for a way to heal her wounded family.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Because I was traumatized by the ending of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/47qCAdA" target="_blank">There, There</a></i> and want more. I'm a weirdo who likes traumatizing books!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47mUdLf" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Rainbow Black</i> by Maggie Thrash</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Historical Fiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ukmanes1cX-Mk5FpC3gKKOfxTXoqjWnIxECnSr2JuS3tbmrzvwVJb7q-2BkcfSIE4_2-KD1rHY4Tb2VLQwb5efckc7LPwyZYyuZvKYNXhvAxE15pi16AjnsDMd-_9EtV3Bk54F5R4rVLf8OuypvleHGmM-n87tJUGDojEBDu5Fv2F7vk3E2AKcm6hXA/s2800/Maggie%20Thrash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="1860" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ukmanes1cX-Mk5FpC3gKKOfxTXoqjWnIxECnSr2JuS3tbmrzvwVJb7q-2BkcfSIE4_2-KD1rHY4Tb2VLQwb5efckc7LPwyZYyuZvKYNXhvAxE15pi16AjnsDMd-_9EtV3Bk54F5R4rVLf8OuypvleHGmM-n87tJUGDojEBDu5Fv2F7vk3E2AKcm6hXA/w266-h400/Maggie%20Thrash.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Lacey Bond is a thirteen-year-old girl in New Hampshire growing up in the tranquility of her hippie parents’ rural daycare center. Then the Satanic Panic hits. It’s the summer of 1990 when Lacey’s parents are handcuffed, flung into the county jail, and faced with a torrent of jaw-dropping accusations as part of a mass hysteria sweeping the nation. When a horrific murder brings Lacey to the breaking point, she makes a ruthless choice that will haunt her for decades.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Maggie Thrash is amazing at writing teenagers. Her memoir, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4a0tXIC" target="_blank">Honor Girl</a></i>, is one of my favorite graphic novels because the dialogue between the teenagers is hilarious. It brought back memories of the misadventures I had at Girl Scout camp. I'm interested to see what the author can do with fiction.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/46sURFM" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Botanical Daughter</i> by Noah Medlock</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Historical Horror</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 19, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc0Q7qYlYhTd28RAMgtYCzyRabfMqH7lV9PEwoiZZIwk1I0K9X6NepTeYxUAKDghX32Cl7Xp8w5FBvCbe8XokP71v15t_4c4Xjjf2RSTxOpba95_1N_GRvI1VgRi-B98crkF8gX4yFK9hY00zG1qpqtaoa8YRjuRqij0pWH6qkV7flxr1E4iKsfa_4ZE/s3118/A%20Botanical%20Daughter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3118" data-original-width="2054" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglc0Q7qYlYhTd28RAMgtYCzyRabfMqH7lV9PEwoiZZIwk1I0K9X6NepTeYxUAKDghX32Cl7Xp8w5FBvCbe8XokP71v15t_4c4Xjjf2RSTxOpba95_1N_GRvI1VgRi-B98crkF8gX4yFK9hY00zG1qpqtaoa8YRjuRqij0pWH6qkV7flxr1E4iKsfa_4ZE/w264-h400/A%20Botanical%20Daughter.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">It is an unusual thing, to live in a botanical garden. But Simon and Gregor are an unusual pair of gentlemen. Hidden away in their glass sanctuary from the disapproving tattle of Victorian London, they are free to follow their own interests without interference. For Simon, this means long hours in the dark basement workshop, working his taxidermical art. Gregor's business is exotic plants—lucrative, but harmless enough. Until his latest acquisition, a strange fungus which shows signs of intellect beyond any plant he's seen, inspires him to attempt a masterwork: true intelligent life from plant matter.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Driven by the glory he'll earn from the Royal Horticultural Society for such an achievement, Gregor ignores the flaws in his plan: that intelligence cannot be controlled; that plants cannot be reasoned with; and that the only way his plant-beast will flourish is if he uses a recently deceased corpse for the substrate.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The experiment—or Chloe, as she is named—outstrips even Gregor's expectations, entangling their strange household. But as Gregor's experiment flourishes, he wilts under the cost of keeping it hidden from jealous eyes. The mycelium grows apace in this sultry greenhouse. But who is cultivating whom?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> It's a tale of family and fungus! What's not to like? Early reviewers are comparing it to <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3SVvnxY" target="_blank">Mexican Gothic</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/40RFmWU" target="_blank">The Picture Of Dorian Gray</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3SUDudX" target="_blank">Frankenstein</a></i>.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47HdCq1" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Sleeping Giants</i> by Rene Denfeld</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Mystery</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>March 26, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJglM1hhgRa0elE6miofC2ZNJZ1EoM9U_C4gcgjuf8yA7lLix2k7yNzvhLBg4VoGwSFKM20F4ThcKaWRDZxsBD20XXK-y-uzN5tuQ-R582n0pjfNP1-BDs7lHbNv0ruPHoO_Ca0TMWxlroHx079yMYA6tvhDWCGMYpFzsvRlwwtqwi-sxN0lXcohGU1g4/s2400/Sleeping%20Giants.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1590" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJglM1hhgRa0elE6miofC2ZNJZ1EoM9U_C4gcgjuf8yA7lLix2k7yNzvhLBg4VoGwSFKM20F4ThcKaWRDZxsBD20XXK-y-uzN5tuQ-R582n0pjfNP1-BDs7lHbNv0ruPHoO_Ca0TMWxlroHx079yMYA6tvhDWCGMYpFzsvRlwwtqwi-sxN0lXcohGU1g4/w265-h400/Sleeping%20Giants.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Twenty years ago, a nine-year-old boy was swept away by powerful waves on a remote Oregon beach, his body lost to the sea. Only a stone memorial remains to mark his tragic death.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For most of her life, Amanda Dufresne had no idea she had an older brother named Dennis Owens, or that he had died. Adopted as a baby, she learned about him while looking into her late birth mother, and is curious to know more about this lost sibling. A solitary young woman, Amanda has always felt distanced from the world around her. Her brain works differently from others, leaving her feeling set apart. Her one true companion is the orphaned polar bear she cares for working at the zoo. By getting to know her birth family, she hopes to understand more about herself.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Retired police officer Larry Palmer is a widower with nothing but time and in need of a purpose. He offers to help Amanda find answers. The search leads to shocking and heartbreaking discoveries. Dennis Owen had been a forgotten foster child abandoned to a home for disturbed boys off the coast. As Amanda and Larry dig deeper into the past, the two stumble upon decades of cruelty and hidden crimes—including a barbaric treatment still used today.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> If I made a list of the most disturbing books I've ever read, <a href="https://amzn.to/3QK7O8w" target="_blank"><i>The Enchanted</i> by Rene Denfeld</a> would be on it. It's about a death row inmate who has gone very, very insane and imagines his prison cell as a terrifyingly magical place. The author's new books sounds extremely different, but I'm hoping it has the same disturbing imagery.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47IyywX" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Table For Two: Fictions</i> by Amor Towles</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Short Stories</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 2, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTTzlaNDBXgYrvFInRBTUQ7Zd1X_Ohyekb3ElyuUh801XN-HfRliqRG819VvoS0aUsv7u7KTouKk66JdbOzO8KZ8p4J9qbCVsVu0bpDSM791UJDBiOCtOl0S2mFN_7bW7tb-LCcArQBfZJDypUf-NvK5knFVmrfaOWctxb6UVaUQX-e50zoXe8lqqFn4/s2560/Table%20For%20Two.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTTzlaNDBXgYrvFInRBTUQ7Zd1X_Ohyekb3ElyuUh801XN-HfRliqRG819VvoS0aUsv7u7KTouKk66JdbOzO8KZ8p4J9qbCVsVu0bpDSM791UJDBiOCtOl0S2mFN_7bW7tb-LCcArQBfZJDypUf-NvK5knFVmrfaOWctxb6UVaUQX-e50zoXe8lqqFn4/w265-h400/Table%20For%20Two.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The millions of readers of Amor Towles are in for a treat as he shares six stories set in New York City and a novella in Los Angeles. The New York stories, most of which are set around the turn of the millennium, take up everything from the death-defying acrobatics of the male ego, to the fateful consequences of brief encounters, and the delicate mechanics of compromise which operate at the heart of modern marriages.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> The author's other book, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/41EIPbN" target="_blank">The Lincoln Highway</a></i>, is one of my favorites. I love the quirky characters and the strong sense of place. I'm excited to see what he can do with stories that are less than a zillion pages long. His novels are massive!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/48jBBg0" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>A Witch's Guide To Magical Innkeeping</i> by Sangu Mandanna</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Fantasy Romance</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 2, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Mevgmma96O2y0sIpvuMYrm-fK8H47R5s4tdylp1O2qXGXWiOYh8bn2B3djcyMj0RKVAea50kSXZhNWDPF2Ju6x4_Z_sWs4nA1M1tqYxfs4nGT9yLTwUCMgzJdPLIMB0l1GL3tEsxsa_-Gi6LeLyppUO8p8oXxEO37AreiBQFyw7uwD9UUNOgj-upP0/s863/A%20Witchs%20Guide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="863" data-original-width="556" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Mevgmma96O2y0sIpvuMYrm-fK8H47R5s4tdylp1O2qXGXWiOYh8bn2B3djcyMj0RKVAea50kSXZhNWDPF2Ju6x4_Z_sWs4nA1M1tqYxfs4nGT9yLTwUCMgzJdPLIMB0l1GL3tEsxsa_-Gi6LeLyppUO8p8oXxEO37AreiBQFyw7uwD9UUNOgj-upP0/w258-h400/A%20Witchs%20Guide.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her magical Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and a bit grumpily) helps Aunt Jasmine run an inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guest’s shenanigans, tries to keep the talking fox in check, and longs for the magical future she lost.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">When she learns about an old spell book that could hold the secret to restoring her power, she finds herself turning to Luke Larsen, a gorgeous and icy historian who might be the only person who can help her unlock the book’s mysteries. The fact that he also happens to be her one-night stand from years ago is totally irrelevant.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and trying not to fall in love is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone . . . and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> One of my New Year's resolutions is to read happier books. It's no secret that my reading trends toward the dark and disturbing. I have a feeling I'd enjoy cozy fantasy. I haven't read enough of it to know. This story sounds freakin' adorable. It's so sweet I might throw up in my mouth.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3MRKC6Y" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Sociopath: A Memoir</i> by Patric Gagne</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Memoir</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 2, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgb8etDUxzLXNlRZM_-wkCXyNq3ov78O-7eh4mwr-OX63QAqhlga7qs9ZlaLZRJWKKLhaba_9Kq1tQaVxAX3gHRDb0tBU_CvAVB_PuG5Xef9nzVQJjwGj8cGb6zPVrJ3PTjp0nw7R4Vp2A1AKJhN1AA9fE916QxTB8_wz1aTAAJp4xkdlc4i95dkA3VE/s500/Sociopath.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgb8etDUxzLXNlRZM_-wkCXyNq3ov78O-7eh4mwr-OX63QAqhlga7qs9ZlaLZRJWKKLhaba_9Kq1tQaVxAX3gHRDb0tBU_CvAVB_PuG5Xef9nzVQJjwGj8cGb6zPVrJ3PTjp0nw7R4Vp2A1AKJhN1AA9fE916QxTB8_wz1aTAAJp4xkdlc4i95dkA3VE/w260-h400/Sociopath.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Patric Gagne realized she made others uncomfortable before she started kindergarten. Something about her caused people to react in a way she didn’t understand. She suspected it was because she didn’t feel things the way other kids did. Emotions like fear, guilt, and empathy eluded her. For the most part, she felt nothing. And she didn’t like the way that “nothing” felt.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">She did her best to pretend she was like everyone else, but the constant pressure to conform to a society she knew rejected anyone like her was unbearable. So Patric stole. She lied. She was occasionally violent. She became an expert lock-picker and home-invader. All with the goal of replacing the nothingness with . . . something.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">In college, Patric finally confirmed what she’d long suspected. She was a sociopath. But even though it was the very first personality disorder identified—well over 200 years ago—sociopathy had been neglected by mental health professionals for decades. She was told there was no treatment, no hope for a normal life. She found herself haunted by sociopaths in pop culture, madmen and evil villains who are considered monsters. Her future looked grim.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But when Patric reconnects with an old flame, she gets a glimpse of a future beyond her diagnosis. If she’s capable of love, it must mean that she isn’t a monster. With the help of her sweetheart (and some curious characters she meets along the way) she embarks on a mission to prove that the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren’t all monsters either.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b>Why I want to read it: </b>I've occasionally wondered if I'm a sociopath because the only emotions I feel on a regular basis are anxiety and crippling anxiety, but maybe wondering if you're a sociopath is just a side-effect of anxiety? I don't know. I've never met anyone who admitted to being a sociopath. It's something I'd like to know more about.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3RGUiTL" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>Indian Burial Ground</i> by Nick Medina</b></span></h2><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Horror</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 16, 2024</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5g2r28hHzItfqZEUgA5SvAlj1awe1jQvTVBgs56af1nz3IaGI91vb78nfigP7aY128-tgQKnI3TOitgr5jIdexpQRcKY0g_fvmDgpUTtBIZTk74SOTufyWhyphenhyphenvV89ydMtTjRNr7zP6iA6hvzOvu8J0p9EZhuuBOBbJmi-jrhe9X62M20QZylFwBnsBrB0/s466/Indian%20Burial%20Ground.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5g2r28hHzItfqZEUgA5SvAlj1awe1jQvTVBgs56af1nz3IaGI91vb78nfigP7aY128-tgQKnI3TOitgr5jIdexpQRcKY0g_fvmDgpUTtBIZTk74SOTufyWhyphenhyphenvV89ydMtTjRNr7zP6iA6hvzOvu8J0p9EZhuuBOBbJmi-jrhe9X62M20QZylFwBnsBrB0/s16000/Indian%20Burial%20Ground.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">All Noemi Broussard wanted was a fresh start. With a new boyfriend who actually treats her right and a plan to move from the reservation she grew up on—just like her beloved Uncle Louie before her—things are finally looking up for Noemi. Until the news of her boyfriend’s apparent suicide brings her world crumbling down.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But the facts about Roddy’s death just don’t add up, and Noemi isn’t the only one who suspects that something menacing might be lurking within their tribal lands.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">After over a decade away, Uncle Louie has returned to the reservation, bringing with him a past full of secrets, horror, and what might be the key to determining Roddy’s true cause of death. Together, Noemi and Louie set out to find answers . . . but as they get closer to the truth, Noemi begins to question whether it might be best for some secrets to remain buried.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Because of this description. "</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">A man lunges in front of a car. An elderly woman silently drowns herself. A corpse sits up in its coffin and speaks. On this reservation, not all is what it seems." Something is messing with the reservation, and I want to know about it!</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3MWz7vb" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></span></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Demon Of Unrest: A Saga Of Hubris, Heartbreak, And Heroism At The Dawn Of The Civil War</i> by Erik Larson</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>History Nonfiction</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>April 30, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSrlnqLCevJjDfLbkRWeSo5-8tbcrzfOUe71y7xOfgOX60A1TtVTTHB2_LwiJ0vjonBZ-yZWXp5VxJedVahVoX3vbAxXlKP_BEqcC-D1MDAvaiPEmuZZbWhAMUsPFCtz7Bx15-3Jnv8Nxexy4acum_vgivO7cr__Y9QO9m3AjVVbZJwCrP8kx8OxE8qc/s2560/The%20Demon%20Of%20Unrest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSrlnqLCevJjDfLbkRWeSo5-8tbcrzfOUe71y7xOfgOX60A1TtVTTHB2_LwiJ0vjonBZ-yZWXp5VxJedVahVoX3vbAxXlKP_BEqcC-D1MDAvaiPEmuZZbWhAMUsPFCtz7Bx15-3Jnv8Nxexy4acum_vgivO7cr__Y9QO9m3AjVVbZJwCrP8kx8OxE8qc/w265-h400/The%20Demon%20Of%20Unrest.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Fort Sumter.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> Last year, I read Erik Larson's <i><a href="https://amzn.to/49IUQ3H" target="_blank">The Devil In The White City</a></i> and learned a lot from it. I was impressed by the amount of research the author did and how he drew connections between an architect and a serial killer. I'm tempted to read every book he's written.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3SPA7oE" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i>You Like It Darker </i>by Stephen King</b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Horror Short Stories</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>May 21, 2024</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIBibJwgvHC-BQ-RkZr500FH8ZbbxCpv0E5Hr0NdzimUHFqmHDCZl9Hjh-0NysD38Wipt5B-42D5mALXmiY1fna9rQzTZEZ4NguWGGKWC8dtNmCNtXDsoSuJhwYcV2Fn8E8FepHFbIYfHHZzxjSW9kTpAdGIuRYGMRfOJ3OYO-aXs9QuPWknqKrgE2cU/s2835/You%20Like%20It.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2835" data-original-width="1843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIBibJwgvHC-BQ-RkZr500FH8ZbbxCpv0E5Hr0NdzimUHFqmHDCZl9Hjh-0NysD38Wipt5B-42D5mALXmiY1fna9rQzTZEZ4NguWGGKWC8dtNmCNtXDsoSuJhwYcV2Fn8E8FepHFbIYfHHZzxjSW9kTpAdGIuRYGMRfOJ3OYO-aXs9QuPWknqKrgE2cU/w260-h400/You%20Like%20It.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">'Two Talented Bastids' explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In 'Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream', a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny's most catastrophically. In 'Rattlesnakes', a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In 'The Dreamers', a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. 'The Answer Man' asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I'm trying to read every book Stephen King has ever published. I also want to read more short story collections, so reading this book will accomplish two goals at once!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://amzn.to/47KYcB8" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7CgK-R1tUsa3DMMpc3nIazdr67ukr-LHci6qpgNoPYprsU4prWUVDIwvKy3Yc2dnD8m39VyHPNjkfdFvnEdvuP14jusOhEA63xBAPmfrfeGYo731_n98KxMce66rPJQ7xgNwQr-DkzzgFHop1_rMf_7lRGh44GgEGa7bc761Zt4jlgJymtmRBatN-Ow/s2100/1-16%20Adult%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7CgK-R1tUsa3DMMpc3nIazdr67ukr-LHci6qpgNoPYprsU4prWUVDIwvKy3Yc2dnD8m39VyHPNjkfdFvnEdvuP14jusOhEA63xBAPmfrfeGYo731_n98KxMce66rPJQ7xgNwQr-DkzzgFHop1_rMf_7lRGh44GgEGa7bc761Zt4jlgJymtmRBatN-Ow/w210-h400/1-16%20Adult%203.png" width="210" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Which 2024 releases are you looking forward to reading?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-32324950075670863402024-01-14T06:00:00.017-07:002024-01-14T06:00:00.144-07:00The Sunday Post #353<p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCJQRxuxhsJT3BuEeMhYzzeST-reF0JUKx074XMFgFABtL-1x5OGuFb0vZvvTaLrXZyJB825K2-o5zmGPU07Te0-s8qnUAKPmtwNczIBUfKIRf6CZ9KXEXx07JsOF9K3EmqjouW-mU-LegWeIH4DNqzvz9ZhfXEKNz0mEEEBVkixcC-mgNgF49KnOrlY/s960/Poison.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="856" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCJQRxuxhsJT3BuEeMhYzzeST-reF0JUKx074XMFgFABtL-1x5OGuFb0vZvvTaLrXZyJB825K2-o5zmGPU07Te0-s8qnUAKPmtwNczIBUfKIRf6CZ9KXEXx07JsOF9K3EmqjouW-mU-LegWeIH4DNqzvz9ZhfXEKNz0mEEEBVkixcC-mgNgF49KnOrlY/w571-h640/Poison.jpg" width="571" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #353</u></span></span></h1><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Public Service Announcement</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVoxL_j1kVUu1IPoml0Qzct9pXJdZjhPbtdlOSuWUpUSgI7t-lTJnpd8y0sE5jwXMhzWFumwbd9XoSY0VrbsgoNJ4NQsF2QVmeA0ffs1gN_rNH_f48Xuqxe51wr7m72ishSexc1EOft10HHIARhZH_UjhbgeRBjRGwFHQlMQnJ_CKQqnhGTuXi3DWmRM/s1080/Happy%20Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVoxL_j1kVUu1IPoml0Qzct9pXJdZjhPbtdlOSuWUpUSgI7t-lTJnpd8y0sE5jwXMhzWFumwbd9XoSY0VrbsgoNJ4NQsF2QVmeA0ffs1gN_rNH_f48Xuqxe51wr7m72ishSexc1EOft10HHIARhZH_UjhbgeRBjRGwFHQlMQnJ_CKQqnhGTuXi3DWmRM/w640-h640/Happy%20Books.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Thank you to everybody in the comments and on social media who talked to me about books that made you happy. Here are the 12 that I want to read this year. No offense if I didn't pick your recommendation. My library kind of sucks. They didn't have most of the books that were recommended. Also, <i>everything</i> has a waitlist! It'll be months before I get to read most of these.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/books-to-read-in-winter.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Books To Read In Winter</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-books.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">All I Want For Christmas Is Books</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-book-haul.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Christmas Book Haul</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2023</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-statistics.html" target="_blank">2023 Reading Statistics</a></li></span></ul><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">First books of 2024! How exciting.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwT9GXoQtQjB_1iw3Amt2m_ygXro-ciNf4gZfflgp5ETwrQu4SqFgUs-byTLovnvJr1JT3awGqAda6BCX4DZiO59VXCozxcXFwkJLkOfPSgTaYyP10n0fxd32m6zAD1xDJbqUrlPzJYpUM6EOoom3UwpfDHG03YP9NpHA_UMjnPrYqk7cTOdfN0ieado/s500/Connected.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="348" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwT9GXoQtQjB_1iw3Amt2m_ygXro-ciNf4gZfflgp5ETwrQu4SqFgUs-byTLovnvJr1JT3awGqAda6BCX4DZiO59VXCozxcXFwkJLkOfPSgTaYyP10n0fxd32m6zAD1xDJbqUrlPzJYpUM6EOoom3UwpfDHG03YP9NpHA_UMjnPrYqk7cTOdfN0ieado/w279-h400/Connected.jpg" width="279" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">I started the year with a nonfiction book called <a href="https://amzn.to/3RWwjjl" target="_blank"><i>Connected: The Surprising Power Of Our Social Networks And How They Shape Our Lives</i> by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler</a>. I thought the book would have more info about online social networks, but nope, it was mostly about the in-person kind. Even though I don't have friends, it was still super interesting! Lots of scientific studies.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The book is about how our lives are heavily influenced by people who don't know we exist. That sounds scary, but <i>you</i> are also influencing the lives of people you don't know. That's just how social networks work. Emotions and information ripples through the network like waves. The waves are strongest at the person who starts them and disperse as they get farther from the starting point. The authors map real-life social networks and analyze how happiness, obesity, romance, suicide, voting behavior, and more move through the networks.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Mostly, this book made me super conscious of my own behavior. We think of ourselves as individuals, but we're really not. Our ideas and emotions come from <i>somewhere</i>, and they can be contagious. A computer screen is not protection from contagion! Online social networks function the same way as in-person ones. What you post online will influence your friends and followers. What ripples do you want to send through the network?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">My biggest issue with the book is that it's frustratingly dated. It's very obvious that it was published in 2008. I want to know how modern technology has changed our networks.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">This is a thought-provoking book, but we badly need a new version.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEIXMWdX93x7OvYCdCzfj1waqOCmb9g5vQx1WFD6K889z3iCK9-E8yz-i-x0YRrJe4qcPIzlf8DaCYO7ba7AH-xEIAMO7KxQXQB4_9uaSc-__-DVqLmJgDotxfi8Bgb9XYff_keMDhWsr0p3HhE28WQNaxpOtZWS_fxY3fJcJkCQmdXikxPxaqFBHNhw/s475/Valley%20Of%20The%20Moon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEIXMWdX93x7OvYCdCzfj1waqOCmb9g5vQx1WFD6K889z3iCK9-E8yz-i-x0YRrJe4qcPIzlf8DaCYO7ba7AH-xEIAMO7KxQXQB4_9uaSc-__-DVqLmJgDotxfi8Bgb9XYff_keMDhWsr0p3HhE28WQNaxpOtZWS_fxY3fJcJkCQmdXikxPxaqFBHNhw/w265-h400/Valley%20Of%20The%20Moon.jpg" width="265" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Then I read a science fiction time travel novel. It was <a href="https://amzn.to/3RZVxxp" target="_blank"><i>Valley Of The Moon </i>by Melanie Gideon</a>. This is a fun book that you're probably not supposed to think about too deeply. If you think too much, you'll start finding holes.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Single mother, Lux, is living in 1970s San Fransisco. If you think of a stereotypical 1970s San Fransisco woman, then that's Lux. One day, she goes on a camping trip in the Valley Of The Moon and gets lost in fog. She finds herself in a farming commune in the year 1906. The commune is a utopia to Lux. She finds a love interest there and enjoys a break from the modern world. But, since she has a kid, she can't stay forever. She spends the rest of the book trying to live her life in two different time periods.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The romance is sweet. Lux's relationship with her children is sweet. I enjoyed the plot twists and watching Lux reconcile with her parents after she rebelled against them as a teenager. It's a story that will ultimately leave you feeling sad and happy at the same time because there's plenty of tragedy.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">I struggled with the main characters and the early 1900s setting. To me, it feels like both settings are 1970s San Fransisco. The story is told from two POVs: Lux from 1970, and Joseph from 1906. The characters' voices sound so similar that I sometimes had to flip back to the chapter heading to see whose POV I was in. That shouldn't be the case. They feel like the same person.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The commune is a little too utopian for my tastes. I know it's a commune, so they're open to alternative lifestyles, but they all accept Lux immediately. They also don't seem too bothered about the deadly fog that surrounds their commune. There's very little diversity of thought or personality in the commune. I wanted disagreements! I wanted stress! How are 200+ people getting along so flawlessly while surrounded by death fog?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Lux is a hard character to like because her problems are mostly caused by her own stupid decisions. She disrespects the death fog and suffers the consequences. She doesn't use birth control and suffers the consequences. She brings her biracial child to 1909 rural America—which completely freaked me out—but there were no consequences because the commune is uniformly awesome.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">If you want a sweet love story with lots of twists, then this book is an excellent choice. If you read a lot of nonfiction about history and communes, then this book might be frustrating.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">It was my sister's birthday. I think Baby Brooklyn was more excited about it than my sister. Chocolate cupcakes happened.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">New season of <i>The Traitors</i>! That's my current favorite reality TV show. It's on Peacock. It's like the game Clue, but with real people.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The only time I watch BookTube is in January because I want to see people's favorite books from the previous year. I've noticed that there are tons of videos that start with someone saying, "This video is going to be chaotic." Then the person sits on the couch for 30 minutes and calmly discusses books. I'm waiting for a sinkhole to swallow the person's house or something because I was promised chaos! I don't understand BookTube's definition of chaos, and it amuses me.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">I got my 2024 planner and planned my blog posts until the end of March. I feel so organized. Now I need to research and write the things.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">I posted my <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-statistics.html" target="_blank">2023 Reading Stats</a>. My ego needs you to look at that post because it takes freakin' forever to make.</span></span></li></ol><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Follow Me For "Chaos"</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-68663476815604927342024-01-09T06:00:00.047-07:002024-01-09T06:00:00.295-07:002023 Reading Statistics<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaKviF2dc2ZCC1mRaC8Y5TlJ_EgGgEvrvWMQSPtJRovIwZVcKRAr4pjXjj6_rHZ6W4BkTZMdWc7zZPFD9iHYczVt7xsM5X1hDEuyF2LsRxFRDC-PGBqwJvIB3KjrJ4WG5rUIccQngnD_WpbpK6OIOCUmtnV5a5_kOelbKxzyY33xOzHJ1p-eQSmkfOmg/s2100/1-9%20Graphs%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaKviF2dc2ZCC1mRaC8Y5TlJ_EgGgEvrvWMQSPtJRovIwZVcKRAr4pjXjj6_rHZ6W4BkTZMdWc7zZPFD9iHYczVt7xsM5X1hDEuyF2LsRxFRDC-PGBqwJvIB3KjrJ4WG5rUIccQngnD_WpbpK6OIOCUmtnV5a5_kOelbKxzyY33xOzHJ1p-eQSmkfOmg/w210-h400/1-9%20Graphs%201.png" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Welcome to my 2023 reading stats post! It was a pretty good reading year. Much better than <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/01/2022-reading-statistics.html" target="_blank">2022</a>. I finished 78 books and enjoyed the majority of them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I tracked fewer stats last year than I normally do. I didn't bother with blog stats because nearly all of my traffic comes from Pinterest. My blog traffic graph would look like this:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFmb375jiSzbA62_h0Qd4SeDMN4stSiYChjrJjyGlhpASzSNOPTKKIhFCfHnRgDE-Qw71xD01yRIdrnTPhcrMTNJMcSupcoTMWe45XQnFSAmf_jBezfiPFVDFb6jexLWjY-gro0OQYnIvkLZQKE4ma4eyWEYezORAaOk02u7oYomKTzsBlE1S1v54MCM/s1080/Pinterest.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFmb375jiSzbA62_h0Qd4SeDMN4stSiYChjrJjyGlhpASzSNOPTKKIhFCfHnRgDE-Qw71xD01yRIdrnTPhcrMTNJMcSupcoTMWe45XQnFSAmf_jBezfiPFVDFb6jexLWjY-gro0OQYnIvkLZQKE4ma4eyWEYezORAaOk02u7oYomKTzsBlE1S1v54MCM/w400-h400/Pinterest.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I didn't bother with money graphs because I only bought 4 books in 2023. I spent around $70 on them. I don't need a graph for that.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Okay. Let's make graphs! I mostly make these graphs because I like to see how my reading changes from year to year. I don’t know how interesting the graphs will be to people who <i>aren't</i> me, but I decorated them for you! I even used a cottagecore color palette because that feels very 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If you’re the kind of nerd who wants to know <i>more</i> about my reading year, check out <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" target="_blank">my favorite books of 2023</a>.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">📉 <u>2023 Reading Statistics</u> 📈</span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>2023 Quick Stats</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Total number of books finished: <b>78</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Total number of rereads: <b>2</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Total pages read: <b>24,826</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Average pages read per day: <b>68</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Number of books given up on (DNF): <b>3</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Number of pageviews the blog got in 2023: <b>358,019</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Average number of pageviews per day: <b>980</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Stats From Goodreads</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPRzlJrS0jzTF-CWmOGg-VIhBhgrmIonyRFkqpb-T1QeG1vaz1t5TQkcQX4kQhX5K6EJYXOlW8X57LnW0BT3dPBfcqmReqPG5z18PjoSMAKrDEq-xbXSLcQ9fRk330SsrcJsCXtMKIMk9-rm2ruEYsx7iW6j_E28PzfWm-jJBNhmlSYe9ENY8fWzKzp4/s821/GR%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="821" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPRzlJrS0jzTF-CWmOGg-VIhBhgrmIonyRFkqpb-T1QeG1vaz1t5TQkcQX4kQhX5K6EJYXOlW8X57LnW0BT3dPBfcqmReqPG5z18PjoSMAKrDEq-xbXSLcQ9fRk330SsrcJsCXtMKIMk9-rm2ruEYsx7iW6j_E28PzfWm-jJBNhmlSYe9ENY8fWzKzp4/w640-h432/GR%201.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4Lg6lk7gY-Kl3IEZ2BkGVQQiWJ4lvKoJoCaMGusC-LUwFexGiQSrLiAy8TF1gIHTd3H6zNtoGwCaoNc56sBFgzGfM6-eMhPyqR9Ct3WDSGRbO9T9Qd4Ytyr6WwLBH9gAiX__7x5VbPPkpJF-8VCGOKB-BnAQP6puU61XDAMpXdMeo-Dg0ZQemKbsOxU/s807/GR%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="807" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4Lg6lk7gY-Kl3IEZ2BkGVQQiWJ4lvKoJoCaMGusC-LUwFexGiQSrLiAy8TF1gIHTd3H6zNtoGwCaoNc56sBFgzGfM6-eMhPyqR9Ct3WDSGRbO9T9Qd4Ytyr6WwLBH9gAiX__7x5VbPPkpJF-8VCGOKB-BnAQP6puU61XDAMpXdMeo-Dg0ZQemKbsOxU/w640-h500/GR%202.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9S4zbscXP4pau2VTAscvZPC0lbEFzhwplqm5_80hfxa1mNdEIdsiPDBsP2I8vBy-ig4j8Uk002D0QNaX2hhwq8K_90b56UFrBNBhg0BwP_2AE9SbkB7qJjon2ZkJqBE09T3aqB8twhvBlOA8nHUO7jpy8sd397F1orFi43Z4h6MvbJXDXm4trov_6Xc/s800/GR%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="800" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9S4zbscXP4pau2VTAscvZPC0lbEFzhwplqm5_80hfxa1mNdEIdsiPDBsP2I8vBy-ig4j8Uk002D0QNaX2hhwq8K_90b56UFrBNBhg0BwP_2AE9SbkB7qJjon2ZkJqBE09T3aqB8twhvBlOA8nHUO7jpy8sd397F1orFi43Z4h6MvbJXDXm4trov_6Xc/w640-h520/GR%203.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV8iL9rBhjg78aXJy0j29PKH6Ijw6DC1bf1t-7tfaDGVo8n71HG5CyXICb-8K9qroqnvjW7sw4bU5yTz2LcO_ZVTTtCmZ5Mxq3j6C96cZcvSXMFr7w2ZV7KN94DcnNo2M-H3nCnPGqECNeD2NhgLpubyln1_3igoby0i7YloT5Y51e5pJ-drvTTriQEg/s779/GR%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="779" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV8iL9rBhjg78aXJy0j29PKH6Ijw6DC1bf1t-7tfaDGVo8n71HG5CyXICb-8K9qroqnvjW7sw4bU5yTz2LcO_ZVTTtCmZ5Mxq3j6C96cZcvSXMFr7w2ZV7KN94DcnNo2M-H3nCnPGqECNeD2NhgLpubyln1_3igoby0i7YloT5Y51e5pJ-drvTTriQEg/w640-h372/GR%204.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWLMhpvUqyr7cHh_bZ2p9gaI1LAitkzIYV_zuXNk_M-lN8B6tUFLw6pxo-1rlCwgUQ2qFAK-7z5Fy25mWn2SY2Yeb2absau4SfPSgwr6PrajsKvdSP-Tpw3H28aLA8j9yU_o-8XKo54TsQC2jLDCQDJF3AGmRsSHBo08ms16WnOGetzn4_v-SE9crrCM/s1014/GR%205.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="1014" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWLMhpvUqyr7cHh_bZ2p9gaI1LAitkzIYV_zuXNk_M-lN8B6tUFLw6pxo-1rlCwgUQ2qFAK-7z5Fy25mWn2SY2Yeb2absau4SfPSgwr6PrajsKvdSP-Tpw3H28aLA8j9yU_o-8XKo54TsQC2jLDCQDJF3AGmRsSHBo08ms16WnOGetzn4_v-SE9crrCM/w640-h228/GR%205.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Pie Charts From My Ridiculous Spreadsheets</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2hOBa2IuCnE6pyUYmr1hoT8OzmUzoiyLfHAhWRHd18MzTj6eLqXRzXnO_oHJLQD7uv_7m-9QH4ysHlrIuUtkWllL1CMCgcQj_4NIt6WjLWmdcub-zCWZwRq8eoT-O958nkAAMQxqRRayvoruhXXsd7lMb46glgUtS9WwKBjcAzas_bhPy45S4_3FBFS4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2hOBa2IuCnE6pyUYmr1hoT8OzmUzoiyLfHAhWRHd18MzTj6eLqXRzXnO_oHJLQD7uv_7m-9QH4ysHlrIuUtkWllL1CMCgcQj_4NIt6WjLWmdcub-zCWZwRq8eoT-O958nkAAMQxqRRayvoruhXXsd7lMb46glgUtS9WwKBjcAzas_bhPy45S4_3FBFS4" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Star Rating</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuA0S4TfDtETfMFzJg0byuPl0OWKfRwGuHXMFDwUg5M6sVkrVR2j2pIAq2ISOYC9zv4guZciouphtolQnOLXbYYtEIsDojO9ulZ8hPPOsk2EYu_jRuXHxrppmjyfHTIRgYS2j2uGn-B9Wa2Zxro7iJLmx0cny3DV8R8YhyeZ53laOW9UJ8Qb4rkRE9gQ/s1080/Star%20Rating.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuA0S4TfDtETfMFzJg0byuPl0OWKfRwGuHXMFDwUg5M6sVkrVR2j2pIAq2ISOYC9zv4guZciouphtolQnOLXbYYtEIsDojO9ulZ8hPPOsk2EYu_jRuXHxrppmjyfHTIRgYS2j2uGn-B9Wa2Zxro7iJLmx0cny3DV8R8YhyeZ53laOW9UJ8Qb4rkRE9gQ/w640-h640/Star%20Rating.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">4 stars = above average</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">3 stars = average</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">2 stars = below average</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">DNF = did not finish. Quit to save my own sanity.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b> I read a bunch of classics last year, and I hated quite a few of them, but I didn't want to DNF because I enjoy being pretentious. Saying, "I read <i>Moby-Dick</i>" sounds fancier than saying, "I read 300 pages of <i>Moby-Dick</i> and got bored." A lot of my 1-star and 2-star books are classics that I suffered through for the sake of pretentiousness. I guess I'm committed to being that horrible person who starts every sentence with, "Well, <i>actually</i> . . ."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre</b></div></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2JeJjriDMsK90oo2ucxOe-P_FMaizrbVIeim05eJP1DqGlxaIN7EasYfQdUnLrqJvwxsngRSWPkR3zCZov7jNnZc7VjVINtA2po7YzIGspdIr8LJBzmhsLQXO6lwLUYMVOh7xpe19K6cyScNvRKo6Z1t2UMWEQIVv3g9HQzFVOt5NXHxmVDDrjA28n0/s1080/Genre.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2JeJjriDMsK90oo2ucxOe-P_FMaizrbVIeim05eJP1DqGlxaIN7EasYfQdUnLrqJvwxsngRSWPkR3zCZov7jNnZc7VjVINtA2po7YzIGspdIr8LJBzmhsLQXO6lwLUYMVOh7xpe19K6cyScNvRKo6Z1t2UMWEQIVv3g9HQzFVOt5NXHxmVDDrjA28n0/w640-h640/Genre.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> I really like novels. Fiction is my thing. There's not much to say about this graph except I'd like to read more things that are <i>not</i> novels. There are tons of nonfiction books that I'm stoked about. Now I need to read them.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publication Date</b></div></b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza4MIT09w7sxKZOtTwNygYGc73hxA4zd6vsURHYcfsUdsrGwgSnC7lhW9YIn45KRSm64JmBC9Lovu_1xxoQvycotXjX2L-ya-iGJHnVSXv8F4wKjkODxGknOg2lSPs5Vz2cDeA1M3hVKov28Zwz5fculkuwphJDiS0JtzdAMYy-kNU3elbs8KDmw94c4/s1080/Publication%20Date.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhza4MIT09w7sxKZOtTwNygYGc73hxA4zd6vsURHYcfsUdsrGwgSnC7lhW9YIn45KRSm64JmBC9Lovu_1xxoQvycotXjX2L-ya-iGJHnVSXv8F4wKjkODxGknOg2lSPs5Vz2cDeA1M3hVKov28Zwz5fculkuwphJDiS0JtzdAMYy-kNU3elbs8KDmw94c4/w640-h640/Publication%20Date.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b> I put myself on a <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/08/my-book-buying-ban-one-year-later.html" target="_blank">book buying ban in August 2022</a>. I wanted to read the books on my shelf instead of buying new ones. <span style="background-color: white;">Most of the books I read last year were published in the 2010s because I've had them forever. I'm finally reading the books that everybody was raving about in 2017!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">I read a lot more classics than I have in previous years. I read 0 books that were published in 2023 because I'm trying not to buy new books.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Target Audience</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4x2_T7O6Z2HoOGB94TTvDqaD3q-7k2f_Ub-hgS501jeBZkiT019lz0dU9p2omHX3LQ4dDQfJIclxG31ZokJH0ZfAReITYVBAOgrSG0XIkxDFTi6477JNeOcrHGDKduzhRRS-56_Q7Utz2-_nhQ2Dp6rqy6yC84OHiz7u976Xpb0YW5X1SKEqnSiqGAI/w640-h640/Audience.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">"Children" includes young adult books</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4x2_T7O6Z2HoOGB94TTvDqaD3q-7k2f_Ub-hgS501jeBZkiT019lz0dU9p2omHX3LQ4dDQfJIclxG31ZokJH0ZfAReITYVBAOgrSG0XIkxDFTi6477JNeOcrHGDKduzhRRS-56_Q7Utz2-_nhQ2Dp6rqy6yC84OHiz7u976Xpb0YW5X1SKEqnSiqGAI/s1080/Audience.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> I didn't log the infinity picture books I read to Baby Brooklyn last year. This graph would look </span><i>a lot</i><span style="background-color: white;"> different if I counted picture books. As you can tell by the decorations on the graph, I'm a very serious grownup, so it's not surprising that I mostly pick up adult books for myself.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Publisher</b></div></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0s2fFS6jSj2c2u-Do6SSdARICatons9645fCHfb0kA9rCT8MvUdvt7rc38YH1iA_e5y9UrdjpO2nDEVnQc6_XhJsHzGG-gEw4e2X-wCtDY4adT_hM9bwUtxP-b_3P_WZ776UACD4mCDrezHOPahfkDvXYp6NvsUAc5_HU-zCTJ8kDQlwt5bGPYyfRi0/s1080/Publisher.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0s2fFS6jSj2c2u-Do6SSdARICatons9645fCHfb0kA9rCT8MvUdvt7rc38YH1iA_e5y9UrdjpO2nDEVnQc6_XhJsHzGG-gEw4e2X-wCtDY4adT_hM9bwUtxP-b_3P_WZ776UACD4mCDrezHOPahfkDvXYp6NvsUAc5_HU-zCTJ8kDQlwt5bGPYyfRi0/w640-h640/Publisher.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> Penguin Random House has always been my favorite publisher. I have no idea why. Am I drawn to their books? Do they just publish a ton of stuff? Are they better at promoting their products than other publishers? Are their books easier to find? It’s a mystery. I don't know why I like them.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I read more books from small publishers than usual in 2023 because I read more classics and nonfiction. Most of those books came from university presses.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Book Source</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0no6LVskCQDCKpJBII5C4GEapk5fnUUQzOXIpjVPkEZ-DMh_t67WovnoVNdhEt83KeRh6UtmO72GaTWSVjjR7wcnBsP5v3VEi_EPMz0jQPK1JuPLw9t8luij4kSHXxZ-x_39w_skcqsa8kV_DRMny6qBsnuWRSLIzPSh04eMM_xSdMEbg4Vivw-G1X_U/s1080/Book%20Source.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0no6LVskCQDCKpJBII5C4GEapk5fnUUQzOXIpjVPkEZ-DMh_t67WovnoVNdhEt83KeRh6UtmO72GaTWSVjjR7wcnBsP5v3VEi_EPMz0jQPK1JuPLw9t8luij4kSHXxZ-x_39w_skcqsa8kV_DRMny6qBsnuWRSLIzPSh04eMM_xSdMEbg4Vivw-G1X_U/w640-h640/Book%20Source.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b> Where did all these books come from? I really think they breed on the shelves when I'm not looking. It was my goal in 2023 to read the books I own instead of acquiring new ones. That went great for the first few months of the year, but then the books on my shelf started to look unappealing. I didn't want to read any of them! So, I went to the library and worked on my other goal of reading classics. I think I did okay with both goals. I read a lot of classics. I started 2023 with 78 unread books on my shelf. I finished with 26 unread books. I got more books as gifts than I thought I would last year.</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Do I Read Diversely?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5m6hWsdkcu3uqFmB743kktfZnUEvEzFsi6P_1vfzACcfILnEN4ZoV4zOaYYttWT6xtI7cConI65qXWscJeUYlRRHIhnMaj0XRP9OF4AxteShXYSQ0wRLalGC53CvO7FuN7T5soAZm7dQ7HMW67RatrU4o4C5e-TsG374kFc1xFQrkvGcAdMKbepZfcTI/s1080/Diversity.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5m6hWsdkcu3uqFmB743kktfZnUEvEzFsi6P_1vfzACcfILnEN4ZoV4zOaYYttWT6xtI7cConI65qXWscJeUYlRRHIhnMaj0XRP9OF4AxteShXYSQ0wRLalGC53CvO7FuN7T5soAZm7dQ7HMW67RatrU4o4C5e-TsG374kFc1xFQrkvGcAdMKbepZfcTI/w640-h640/Diversity.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b> This graph looks vastly different than it has in previous years. I usually seek out books that meet my definition of diversity, so the "Yes" category is always bigger. In 2023, I read a ton of American classics. Those books seem to be written by white men, about white men, and for a white male target audience. Since the cast of classics isn't very diverse, they killed my graph!</span></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My graph only tracks the presence of a diverse cast of characters. It doesn't track the accuracy of the representation. Here's how a book ends up in the "Yes" category:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">It’s #OwnVoices</span></b><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And/Or<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">It’s a work in translation</span></b><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And/Or<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">It features a <u>point-of-view character</u> who is a member of a minority community</span></b><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And/Or<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It discusses issues that disproportionately impact minority communities</span></b></p></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Author Birth Continent</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDGp8qPl24ZVxqErhY3FOg9lTtOspprarLqJ361Xp0H5ajcSKw8Ayf2jVhyAB0a3F4cafJYO1Hvyvy3JlL_byyYkDWBntrn6EK2g7w_Tz35t9EwHtOICBcfsVLK_laMANxt_xAY02aFSuJCl3Nhca5yVZP3Mc3N1vEGHrV8kuXgDCQ5GwfsgpjzfOl28/w640-h640/Birth%20Country.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple = Two or more authors from different countries</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDGp8qPl24ZVxqErhY3FOg9lTtOspprarLqJ361Xp0H5ajcSKw8Ayf2jVhyAB0a3F4cafJYO1Hvyvy3JlL_byyYkDWBntrn6EK2g7w_Tz35t9EwHtOICBcfsVLK_laMANxt_xAY02aFSuJCl3Nhca5yVZP3Mc3N1vEGHrV8kuXgDCQ5GwfsgpjzfOl28/s1080/Birth%20Country.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b><span style="background-color: white;"> Every year I say I'm going to fix this, and every year I don't. Why is it so hard for me to read books by people who aren't from North America? I need to try harder to find translated books. I think that's the problem. I'm too lazy to do the research.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Author Gender</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz0fEln4nVnqduU0tuS_rtBLdGWwP00QZXmqo6NrBYibVf5e5BWB1eMwExZdA9JfTVoQ-Mc6R1Q_RtrvAjOlZWp5m-NT6UVZk_ATD4CNzUN906DuFhDX4jDJT4c0Yx9R0PBq-zZhbftGHmOQPPgrbKDiYuXXobL3e0SSafNYy_ECe5qU00-3uYti6dd4/w640-h640/Author%20Gender.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple = Two or more authors who are different genders</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz0fEln4nVnqduU0tuS_rtBLdGWwP00QZXmqo6NrBYibVf5e5BWB1eMwExZdA9JfTVoQ-Mc6R1Q_RtrvAjOlZWp5m-NT6UVZk_ATD4CNzUN906DuFhDX4jDJT4c0Yx9R0PBq-zZhbftGHmOQPPgrbKDiYuXXobL3e0SSafNYy_ECe5qU00-3uYti6dd4/s1080/Author%20Gender.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Analysis:</b> This graph looks so different from 2022. I mostly read female authors in 2022. In 2023, I mostly read male authors because of all the classics. I guess I need to find more classics written by women. Where are all the pretentious book girlies?</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>The 2023 Posts You Clicked The Most</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/01/best-new-young-adult-book-releases-2023.html" target="_blank">Best New Young Adult Book Releases 2023</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/01/best-books-of-2022.html" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2022</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/07/best-books-of-2023-so-far.html" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2023 (So Far)</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/03/reading-highest-rated-books-on-my-shelf.html" target="_blank">Reading The Highest Rated Books On My Shelf</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/01/best-middle-grade-book-releases-2023.html" target="_blank">Best Middle Grade Book Releases 2023</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/05/books-i-recommended-and-people-actually.html" target="_blank">Books I Recommended (And People Actually Bought)</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/04/what-i-do-when-im-not-reading-books.html" target="_blank">What I Do When I'm Not Reading Books</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/01/2022-reading-statistics.html" target="_blank">2022 Reading Statistics</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/02/did-i-love-these-popular-books.html" target="_blank">Did I Love These Popular Books?</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/02/best-modern-classic-heroines.html" target="_blank">Best Modern Classic Heroines</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pJINOQ3o_aX0EEXHwQ8488EwWgawIAQh7YHVhlyUOyJMz9AZy0Ju9DOmG92VLVfTHe-qk__OEFNjiSYuwCsigvSxjyLFvNr656zFz2hhFh1B3lgagljbycEJ43mYPD5pqFgCS8iUVV1t5_2VaIaS02M_BG0_YpIm-TpPdX1MrTrqvooJyPDBig_57FI/s2100/1-9%20Graphs%203.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pJINOQ3o_aX0EEXHwQ8488EwWgawIAQh7YHVhlyUOyJMz9AZy0Ju9DOmG92VLVfTHe-qk__OEFNjiSYuwCsigvSxjyLFvNr656zFz2hhFh1B3lgagljbycEJ43mYPD5pqFgCS8iUVV1t5_2VaIaS02M_BG0_YpIm-TpPdX1MrTrqvooJyPDBig_57FI/w210-h400/1-9%20Graphs%203.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Here's a post about <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/11/how-to-make-fun-graphs-with-canva.html" target="_blank">how I make my graphs.</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Do you keep spreadsheets for the books you read?</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-26686712527652896342024-01-07T06:00:00.028-07:002024-01-07T06:00:00.141-07:00The Sunday Post #352<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNWouavIAT0RdMSQG7ei3fLLYod0Pd8HuWHDuY_pAJ1sDJ4DFXCDUX0Im0Ru14FLhgCAcZpiF2KG_KOghvanbhn6mYSrmvtKktFaXdjaw2_1_PMWUDmGDIKSc9kAXxCcjuZYOG6B21X8RghxsLxq6LLwUdqxsiYo6z_iQf6MnHkHZKnWrMqpoIf9yHaE/s1506/Beauty.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNWouavIAT0RdMSQG7ei3fLLYod0Pd8HuWHDuY_pAJ1sDJ4DFXCDUX0Im0Ru14FLhgCAcZpiF2KG_KOghvanbhn6mYSrmvtKktFaXdjaw2_1_PMWUDmGDIKSc9kAXxCcjuZYOG6B21X8RghxsLxq6LLwUdqxsiYo6z_iQf6MnHkHZKnWrMqpoIf9yHaE/w360-h400/Beauty.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #352</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">Public Service Announcement</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW95qrppJ87xgO0q0YxU71ju5q7gza042b97Tv-OnKa6_mUYW7ff9salG9nKFQMsItBlpA40fUuT-Xg1tJDYC1D4FRYsZXH-ZNhZZjDV2pM6xV2rXRi-60JphNcQ6Ipw65S4uYW1Y2Sv3g-GOU9sBVR-isprEYKaKCOAO1q76enDMAw3NFa6Up51YAdKw/s1080/12%20Books.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW95qrppJ87xgO0q0YxU71ju5q7gza042b97Tv-OnKa6_mUYW7ff9salG9nKFQMsItBlpA40fUuT-Xg1tJDYC1D4FRYsZXH-ZNhZZjDV2pM6xV2rXRi-60JphNcQ6Ipw65S4uYW1Y2Sv3g-GOU9sBVR-isprEYKaKCOAO1q76enDMAw3NFa6Up51YAdKw/w640-h640/12%20Books.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Sorry if you've seen this on Instagram already! It's my New Year's resolution to be a less bleak b*tch, so I need happy book recommendations. Talk to me about books that made you happy. I think I'm open to every genre except contemporary romance and religious books. My cold, dead heart can't handle real love. What recommendations do you have for me?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/when-books-talk-to-each-other.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">When Books "Talk" To Each Other</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/books-to-read-in-winter.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Books To Read In Winter</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-books.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">All I Want For Christmas Is Books</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-book-haul.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Christmas Book Haul</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Best Books Of 2023</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">I hit my reading goal for 2023! I finished 78 books, and it took me until 10PM on December 31st. I was cutting it close. Here are the final two books I read last year.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVa5tHjzy7Duy25-AIRgZcGFhcY3kfmGtWAHHR7nSf2oKqrq3DHKYg8zKW3qNdh2TyEdwK9LId9NsseQcKwWIj-ytE1bgrS498RvzZNiBp5bvjI4_yrSEcEE10Pr43SIum9nUICw9keOFd0hQkY077DXKBAmZAV_vfL6HWuz1uArN0jnO6-7S2UaflEtE/s475/Dune.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVa5tHjzy7Duy25-AIRgZcGFhcY3kfmGtWAHHR7nSf2oKqrq3DHKYg8zKW3qNdh2TyEdwK9LId9NsseQcKwWIj-ytE1bgrS498RvzZNiBp5bvjI4_yrSEcEE10Pr43SIum9nUICw9keOFd0hQkY077DXKBAmZAV_vfL6HWuz1uArN0jnO6-7S2UaflEtE/w266-h400/Dune.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">I should have DNFed <a href="https://amzn.to/4aOxIkz" target="_blank"><i>Dune</i> by Frank Herbert</a>. One of my lessons from 2023 is that classic sci-fi is <i>really</i> not my jam. This book took me months to slog through. I should have quit, but I didn't because I was so close to my reading goal! It was quicker to finish this book than to start a new one.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><i>Dune</i> is about a guy named Paul who lives in a universe run by a feudal empire. The empire gives Paul's parents a desert planet to run. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The planet produces "spice," which causes humans to hallucinate and also fuels</span><span style="background-color: white;"> space travel. Since spice is so valuable, a war ensues, and Paul and his mother are forced to run for their lives. They end up joining a community of Fremen (the planet's native people). Paul becomes the Fremen's Messiah/chosen one/special snowflake. Then there's more war.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I actually love the world building in this book. The human characters are a product of their environment, which is realistic. The planet is home to terrifying sand worms that can swallow a person whole. Water is so scarce that humans wear suits that recycle their breath and sweat. The living people even have to drink the dead people! The lack of water plays into the culture, the economy, the politics, the class system, everything. It's one of the most realistic fictional worlds I've come across.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Unfortunately, I got bored with everything else. The writing is bland. Most of the characters are bland. The dialogue is melodramatic. Everybody talks too much! There are hundreds of pages of people sitting in rooms, talking. If a book is going to be 700 pages, I need a lot more action and character development to keep me going.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRsCLobEbQ6jDFY6rJMSQ11-PJNMXmQN6nBq8PUP1CaXFyOq0jJld0v4kT8SYhHvWKWJ6UaQpawWHGoO0FpE4BAOrQ_UxQA-E5Bw4qL97mze-pEzTKcYOfFon57A5TSFMqXTo2sj_bW3uAEhEiVGCqT35HJ9fR3dkfajUuP1REXzEiFc8jo-thTd9Ry0/s473/Miracles%20On%20Maple%20Hill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRsCLobEbQ6jDFY6rJMSQ11-PJNMXmQN6nBq8PUP1CaXFyOq0jJld0v4kT8SYhHvWKWJ6UaQpawWHGoO0FpE4BAOrQ_UxQA-E5Bw4qL97mze-pEzTKcYOfFon57A5TSFMqXTo2sj_bW3uAEhEiVGCqT35HJ9fR3dkfajUuP1REXzEiFc8jo-thTd9Ry0/w269-h400/Miracles%20On%20Maple%20Hill.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Next, I read <a href="https://amzn.to/3tJw3w6" target="_blank"><i>Miracles On Maple Hill</i> by Virginia Sorensen</a>. I'm slowly attempting to read every Newbery winner, and this was the winner from 1957. It <i>feels</i> like a children's book from 1957. The plot is slow and sweet, and you know that every problem will be solved within a few pages. Nothing too awful is going to happen.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The book is about a family that moves from Pittsburgh to a maple syrup farm in rural Pennsylvania. The plot takes place over the course of a year. It follows the family's youngest child, Marly, as she meets the neighbors, explores the wilderness, learns to tolerate her brother, and makes syrup. Every time the seasons change, Marly declares it a "miracle," and her tiny mind is blown. She's a nature girlie for sure.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I have a feeling I would have loved this book as a kid. I went through a very long phase where I was obsessed with syrup and begged my parents for maple trees so I could make my own. They said no. Those jerks. This book would have been an instant favorite because it's basically my childhood fantasy life. I wanted a forest of giant, delicious trees! Is that too much to ask? (It was too much, if we're being honest.)</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Parts of this book are definitely sappy. Which—now that I think of it—might be perfect for a book about literal tree sap. However, I didn't hate it. It's a peaceful little book. Very 1950s pastoral.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Thank you to everybody on Instagram who recommended happy books to me. I still need more recommendations!</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I posted <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2024/01/best-books-of-2023.html" target="_blank">my favorite books of 2023</a>. I'm still working on my stats post with all the graphs of books I read last year. It'll hopefully be up on Tuesday.</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I hit my Goodreads goal last year. I really didn't think I would. I set my goal to 30 books this year because I want to read giant classics. Last year, I read <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RQxUaw" target="_blank">Moby-Dick</a> </i>and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tE6TPx" target="_blank">Dune</a></i>, and they both took an eternity to finish.</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This one didn't make me happy, but it kept me occupied. Since my TV insists on recommending true crime to me, I watched both seasons of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3vlyV2F" target="_blank">The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace</a></i>. Has anybody watched that? It's wild. I don't even know how to describe it or what to think of it. There are no murders in the documentary, so if you want true crime without death, this is a good series.</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I found my New Year's resolutions from last year and laughed. I pretty much failed at all of them. I even failed at not using the yellow pen.</span></span></li></ol><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBP-HqHWgdhNKe3viOQtsjD6q9Uks7gZ7PeRtcU3jeRnmAbtGCGATVe-Cb8n41zup6JEtOkpQO4YrI0RmsvLU3gU-YXAgK2JQrDP51PfjMUEODnhMPdSyEPqOzkWcg7rbVmSuI5mRCpqyXWgLhvOqA0CK-LrwbKcUsVFCLWFKqtBB29IVw7PD1kryDDc/s4032/Goals.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBP-HqHWgdhNKe3viOQtsjD6q9Uks7gZ7PeRtcU3jeRnmAbtGCGATVe-Cb8n41zup6JEtOkpQO4YrI0RmsvLU3gU-YXAgK2JQrDP51PfjMUEODnhMPdSyEPqOzkWcg7rbVmSuI5mRCpqyXWgLhvOqA0CK-LrwbKcUsVFCLWFKqtBB29IVw7PD1kryDDc/w400-h300/Goals.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">If you can't read my handwriting, it says:<br />1. Be less of a weenie<br />2. Control my eating<br />3. #0by24 — read 78 books <br />4. Use Instagram and Facebook<br />5. Don't use the yellow pen</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Follow For More Failures</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-9844640134828375662024-01-02T06:00:00.027-07:002024-01-02T06:00:00.245-07:00Best Books Of 2023<p><span style="background-color: white;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWePXEnjEzcxdqrmhuKrYHG7r0lvfLYLUFvKz5r1VSzJD8PpRpbCzMkBpNTT_e2VdGWODPOnIdhfw2xXlCzcGhlEH8y0KJh-gpjpAOyPsw_gePeMl30pkbRVU0WfH1N98kZAJIiYl2bSMn41WHH5K38uh2keKJ2lLLy-0hVwKIpVIANG_n-s8LrXkNZc/s2100/1-2%20Best%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWePXEnjEzcxdqrmhuKrYHG7r0lvfLYLUFvKz5r1VSzJD8PpRpbCzMkBpNTT_e2VdGWODPOnIdhfw2xXlCzcGhlEH8y0KJh-gpjpAOyPsw_gePeMl30pkbRVU0WfH1N98kZAJIiYl2bSMn41WHH5K38uh2keKJ2lLLy-0hVwKIpVIANG_n-s8LrXkNZc/w210-h400/1-2%20Best%202.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Welcome to my favorite blog post of the year! These are the best <strike>ten</strike> eleven books I read in 2023. There were supposed to be ten on the list, but apparently, I can't count. Whatever. There's eleven. For extra drama, I organized them countdown style.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Drumroll please . . . .</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">💙 <u>Best Books Of 2023</u> 🏆</span></h1><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>11. <i>Leave The World Behind</i> by Rumaan Alam</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Fiction</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMo2MI_JtzyRDGQd_bgnhCblakyofKCIBBvbt0o4f5dOrt_pmV8q2FkyFv99O2VxtgfwmsrrsQk7HoUCPJ5V1gadnmBxTxvvTp8Oua1KD06Lg7RdInU3OJm2EMOjtO5r5iY28pkHIMf8pd3pYOfNEjT0c_bd1dqr9zKVbPPZBNaFKOJNJhRNy2TWN0mY0/s2560/Leave%20The%20World%20Behind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMo2MI_JtzyRDGQd_bgnhCblakyofKCIBBvbt0o4f5dOrt_pmV8q2FkyFv99O2VxtgfwmsrrsQk7HoUCPJ5V1gadnmBxTxvvTp8Oua1KD06Lg7RdInU3OJm2EMOjtO5r5iY28pkHIMf8pd3pYOfNEjT0c_bd1dqr9zKVbPPZBNaFKOJNJhRNy2TWN0mY0/w255-h400/Leave%20The%20World%20Behind.jpg" width="255" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and—with nowhere else to turn—they have come to the country in search of shelter.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>Why I love it:</b> T</span>his novel has no plot or character development; just vibes. I know that sounds like a bad thing, but I couldn't stop reading. I like the vibes! They're intense.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Since the characters are isolated in the wilderness, they have no way of knowing if they're being paranoid or if something bad actually did happen to the world. Every tiny problem may be a sign of impending doom. I suspect this is the most realistic apocalypse story I've read. If all of humanity's communication systems go down, we won't know why strange things are happening. We'll just have guesses and paranoia. This book will make you tense, but it won't give you any answers.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3tHuf6D" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">10. <i>THIS SWEET SICKNESS</i> BY PATRICIA HIGHSMITH</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Classic Suspense</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIy1wmamPvWliNDqO2u3pQAdSM8sv0e3CxDmulZ84AVknrKIGWIFq24z4LtpQtX0WE5ZSn47Y4dTw7KPA_9P5vP2uqyzQMklUBycR2AO7_V-Qxfezqi5sfVxvx3sFOjhEcmj3iTEnNWJM5ka9bJ8qtPEAWc6FUqV7ZfRb8Tj1uPTF8CxG6xIXxfZnUGE/s475/This%20Sweet%20Sickness.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIy1wmamPvWliNDqO2u3pQAdSM8sv0e3CxDmulZ84AVknrKIGWIFq24z4LtpQtX0WE5ZSn47Y4dTw7KPA_9P5vP2uqyzQMklUBycR2AO7_V-Qxfezqi5sfVxvx3sFOjhEcmj3iTEnNWJM5ka9bJ8qtPEAWc6FUqV7ZfRb8Tj1uPTF8CxG6xIXxfZnUGE/s16000/This%20Sweet%20Sickness.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">David Kelsey, a young scientist, has an unyielding conviction that life will turn out all right for him; he just has to fix the Situation: he is in love with a married woman. Obsessed with Annabelle and the life he has imagined for them—including the fully furnished cabin he maintains for her—David prepares to win her over, whatever it takes.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> The book is terrifying because of its realism. David is obsessed with Annabelle, even though she shows 0 signs of being romantically interested in him. Annabelle attempts to be friendly with David, but her attention is never enough for him. Eventually, his obsession spirals into murderous rage because she won't give him what he wants. It's every woman's nightmare. I can see why this book is becoming a modern classic. Read it if you enjoyed <a href="https://amzn.to/3E3Pm4R" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">YOU</i> by Caroline Kepnes.</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3KG8tp5" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">9. <i>RANGER CONFIDENTIAL: LIVING, WORKING, AND DYING IN THE NATIONAL PARKS</i> BY ANDREA LANKFORD</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Memoir / Nature</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e_2XUMXS2PLm2SbA0UvPgU7LOAA2C-HOYvDgPFUEq8NWIfo8QO-Eqv8ffslT-4AoKWTXDgT5KTgsJf6PezoOX9wTSQbB9cxYomrzD-38QG_dgJKkj3-lcNwyqJE4mFiMUuQXn4FijDkXkRis-NT89TcjvKs6MPHOEXVs5d54yktNxg_HxS_ME7QF8xc/s475/Ranger%20Confidential.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e_2XUMXS2PLm2SbA0UvPgU7LOAA2C-HOYvDgPFUEq8NWIfo8QO-Eqv8ffslT-4AoKWTXDgT5KTgsJf6PezoOX9wTSQbB9cxYomrzD-38QG_dgJKkj3-lcNwyqJE4mFiMUuQXn4FijDkXkRis-NT89TcjvKs6MPHOEXVs5d54yktNxg_HxS_ME7QF8xc/s16000/Ranger%20Confidential.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes.<br /><br />Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it.<br /><br />In this graphic and yet surprisingly funny account of her and others’ extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed while holding that thin green line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other. <i>Ranger Confidential</i> is the story behind the scenery of the nation’s crown jewels—Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smokies, Denali. In these iconic landscapes, where nature and humanity constantly collide, scenery can be as cruel as it is redemptive.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it: </b>Since I've been working in a state park since 2019, I thought reading this book would be stressful. It was! I picked it up and put it down so many times. It's a book full of worst-case scenarios. I mean, this quote is in the introduction:</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><blockquote style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"In the United States, a park ranger is more likely to be assaulted in the line of duty than is any other federal officer."</span></blockquote><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Fun times. Let's quickly move on.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Andrea Lankford spent twelve years as a ranger in various national parks. This book includes all the behind-the-scenes stuff that park visitors don't see. The author writes about the accidents and deaths, the brutal work schedule, and the crappy living conditions for the staff. Her writing style is surprisingly funny. She has the gallows humor that seems to be common among park employees.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If you want to work in parks, I highly recommend this book. It'll give you a realistic view of all the bad things that happen. But, the job isn't all bad. You get to see bizarre and beautiful things that (often) make the pain worth it.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3H3nzmo" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">8.<i> DEAD MOUNTAIN: THE UNTOLD TRUE STORY OF THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT </i>BY DONNIE EICHAR</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult History Nonfiction</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmIEoDPjwp_FpAM9J4cwSUeLpfY3aX32p2SsGApGfsO5z78Q04qPA6Y3zmpqHM1lj6su9nJxFHqNPrCKzvJ9i3E6wPQTMT_HWkP9F2QpGmA8W-I7y-HHcyQLckEoOerDmVgI1kXHM0HSo2aTmryVLnHa3AmFiqpxDE8vCIJTkiFfGWCw44Ce3k1oW/s475/Dead%20Mountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmIEoDPjwp_FpAM9J4cwSUeLpfY3aX32p2SsGApGfsO5z78Q04qPA6Y3zmpqHM1lj6su9nJxFHqNPrCKzvJ9i3E6wPQTMT_HWkP9F2QpGmA8W-I7y-HHcyQLckEoOerDmVgI1kXHM0HSo2aTmryVLnHa3AmFiqpxDE8vCIJTkiFfGWCw44Ce3k1oW/s16000/Dead%20Mountain.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the incident—unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes—have led to decades of speculation over what really happened. This gripping work of literary nonfiction delves into the mystery through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and the author's retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> A few years ago, I became obsessed with the Dyatlov Pass incident and read everything I could find on the internet about it. This is the first book I read on the subject. It's a freakin' terrifying mystery!</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This book is the author's attempt to solve the mystery. He mixes the hikers' photos and journal entries with police reports and interviews. It's a short book, and it feels very personal. You really start to care about the young hikers. Even though I already knew all the theories about what happened to them, I couldn't put the book down. If you like unsolved mysteries or wilderness disaster stories, you need to read this one. I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to spoil the mystery for you.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3S29uvK" target="_blank">Buy it on Amazon</a></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">7. <i>THE BLACK PROJECT</i> BY GARETH BROOKES</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Horror Graphic Novel</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvB2ETphID4WOdZCUBbZZqcQnyn14ubUH3I9__aMcnvp6_tdz3NxasMxjK0dRyZnI_wTT_zj0VF9gH2L7LD8zuGKBxpcr09Xb777Qgz4KmbKIAm2CNIc56bewm6RQNBHdsQvpVR5RIDEQ/s427/The+Black+Project.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvB2ETphID4WOdZCUBbZZqcQnyn14ubUH3I9__aMcnvp6_tdz3NxasMxjK0dRyZnI_wTT_zj0VF9gH2L7LD8zuGKBxpcr09Xb777Qgz4KmbKIAm2CNIc56bewm6RQNBHdsQvpVR5RIDEQ/s16000/The+Black+Project.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Getting yourself a girlfriend is easy, according to Richard. All you need is papier mache, string, soft material, a balloon, some old fashioned bellows, and a good pair of scissors. The difficult bit is keeping her secret. Set in an English suburb in the early 1990s, this is the story of Richard's all-consuming passion for creating 'girls' from household objects. But as his hobby begins to flourish, his real life friendships and family relationships deteriorate.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> I was frustrated with this book at first because it's mostly focused on the construction of girlfriends. I wanted more info about the boy who's doing the building. Then I started to understand. The narrator's parents and classmates are trying to make him into their definition of a man. A stereotypical man wouldn't share his feelings in a journal, but he might write detailed instructions about how to build an object. The character development is very subtle.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">This book is disturbing because the narrator's girlfriends look . . . corpse-like. It doesn't help that he hides them in the woods. His weird girlfriends are paired with his sweet, innocent voice. You're never sure if he's a budding serial killer or just a socially awkward kid who's struggling hard with puberty. That's why I keep thinking about this book. Sometimes you don't know if your kid's behavior is a problem or just weird. It's unsettling.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">The art style is pretty cool. It's done in embroidery. I can't imagine how long it took the author to make the images. They work nicely with the story because they look imperfectly homemade (just like the narrator's girlfriends) and add to the creepy vibes.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I could write an essay about this graphic novel, but no one would want to read that, so I'm just going to tell you to read the book. It'll stick with you.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3TINFTn" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">6.<i> OUT OF THE EASY</i> BY RUTA SEPETYS</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Young Adult Historical Fiction</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheMHieurFBkwnL1ioA8IMxzA6cLUaZoiqCEeFL5kUsscsV44qsqfIpMpF1qdr5-C8NYENCusnl92kuUpQXz3lo8W8_rYqKCdURg4sTlNKt6s3sNzvRLhnqB8w9I-1Xndu5TkiIUUNCRpMjDxdY4wkNIyxH1CiL-0l8o6P52hq2CBhzDL4yesqFWCmm98/s475/Out%20Of%20The%20Easy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheMHieurFBkwnL1ioA8IMxzA6cLUaZoiqCEeFL5kUsscsV44qsqfIpMpF1qdr5-C8NYENCusnl92kuUpQXz3lo8W8_rYqKCdURg4sTlNKt6s3sNzvRLhnqB8w9I-1Xndu5TkiIUUNCRpMjDxdY4wkNIyxH1CiL-0l8o6P52hq2CBhzDL4yesqFWCmm98/s16000/Out%20Of%20The%20Easy.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It's 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> <span>Ruta Sepetys is a queen of historical fiction. How does she consistently find such interesting subjects to write about? She's amazing at immersing the reader in historical settings. I'm impressed.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I'm in love with the characters. When you're examining the underbelly of a city, you're going to uncover some dark things. The author shows the good and the bad side of her characters, especially the prostitutes. The women at the brothel become a family to Josie. They're just as dysfunctional as any family. The women don't love being prostitutes, but they're strong and funny and are doing whatever it takes to survive. I was completely invested in their lives.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If you like character-driven historical fiction, then I think you should pick up this book and meet Josie.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/3HHk9WB" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></b></a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>5. <i>A Separate Peace</i> by John Knowles</b></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Adult Literary Fiction / Classic</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_Cylx9kYv7ynjX3AmxZS7DHaTEXrOEAKajSZHrUzGcD72F2n2leDRN0gqFHTN48ujAqEmywh8oD6apHuxxW6DAiuZbAnkj7qr_Q4lte6SHG0sZy6UJso6U4E3XXDUEXGeRg7nTGKfzlm95skmiTa-tqntOFWn9MswPI-rwgKCFZy5g4ntbWvqSFy9_M/s2132/A%20Separate%20Peace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_Cylx9kYv7ynjX3AmxZS7DHaTEXrOEAKajSZHrUzGcD72F2n2leDRN0gqFHTN48ujAqEmywh8oD6apHuxxW6DAiuZbAnkj7qr_Q4lte6SHG0sZy6UJso6U4E3XXDUEXGeRg7nTGKfzlm95skmiTa-tqntOFWn9MswPI-rwgKCFZy5g4ntbWvqSFy9_M/w263-h400/A%20Separate%20Peace.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Separate Peace</i> is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> The book doesn't have much action, but the characters are awesome. The author does an excellent job of capturing the insecurity of people's teenage years. This is the definition of a coming-of-age novel. The story stars a group of teenage frenemies who are growing up in an ultra-competitive environment. The school has high academic expectations and mandatory sports participation. How do you make friends and trust people in a world where everything is a competition, and everyone is a potential enemy?</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">WWII hangs over the plot like a storm cloud. The boys know they're being educated and trained to be soldiers, even if that's not what they want for themselves. Joining the military after high school is an unwritten rule.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Even though this book was first published in the 1950s, it's still relatable because it's about the difficulties of coping with disappointment. What if you never get the future you dream about? What if you can't live up to your own expectations? What if you make a mistake that can't be undone?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I understand why this novel is a modern classic. WWII may be over, but teenagers will always be full of doubt and insecurity.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3RFdUHG" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">4. <i>CLOUD CUCKOO LAND</i> BY ANTHONY DOERR</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Literary Fiction</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyJW3QLSQYSERkhmiPuzzfaQgFp0TokHrc9rQBnz9Jj-D8JFiNRUdZ0OBNqlHJE00_J2bopfTlH8sByuhETUjuWknKhuPLWiBiHU9gmcZU9076F1EzU-1wSlKq5h2yuJFP2t1d3zptQNJba4FQdaSUvlODxVwvRqKx-IVG_W8uTLlPCiilJ6bpJ5aS8c/s475/Cloud%20Cuckoo%20Land.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyJW3QLSQYSERkhmiPuzzfaQgFp0TokHrc9rQBnz9Jj-D8JFiNRUdZ0OBNqlHJE00_J2bopfTlH8sByuhETUjuWknKhuPLWiBiHU9gmcZU9076F1EzU-1wSlKq5h2yuJFP2t1d3zptQNJba4FQdaSUvlODxVwvRqKx-IVG_W8uTLlPCiilJ6bpJ5aS8c/s16000/Cloud%20Cuckoo%20Land.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Constantinople, 1453:</span></i></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>An orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy with a love for animals risk everything on opposite sides of a city wall to protect the people they love.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Idaho, 2020:</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>An impoverished, idealistic kid seeks revenge on a world that’s crumbling around him. Can he go through with it when a gentle old man stands between him and his plans?</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unknown, Sometime in the Future:</i></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>With her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. To find a way forward, she must look to the oldest stories of all for guidance.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience and a celebration of storytelling itself.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>Why I love it:</b> </span>This is a bizarre book, and I'm not sure how to talk about it. It's the kind of story I just want to shove into everybody's hands.</span></p><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3kxWU9f" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Cloud Cuckoo Land</a></i> is a story about stories. It's a love letter to books and libraries. It shows how stories are passed down through generations and give us the courage to keep moving.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At the center of the novel is an ancient myth called "Cloud Cuckoo Land." Other stories branch off from that myth like spokes. In 1453 Constantinople, a farmer and a seamstress are trapped on opposite sides of the city wall during a war. In 2020 Idaho, an elderly librarian is directing a play when a teenager with a bomb walks into his library. Sometime in the future, a young girl is alone on a spaceship and searching for a new home for humanity.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I know that sounds confusing, but the stories actually work together beautifully because the author is great at juggling multiple points-of-view. I was equally invested in each story. It's amazing how real the characters feel. Their kindness and willingness to take risks kept me hooked.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3riHidq" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">3. <i>PROJECT HAIL MARY</i> BY ANDY WEIR</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Science Fiction</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4TKm8ScamMkmoeUwooILA_9OvSbFI3GeivEsIorAs_tk4PkhO-uGXpAGNAwA8awl-QQN6jw0h7h0Z7xC3xWYUQYU3h_de_rFoqz4NzxEYdmIhtIdyrUScoUslEirJyKT2WiMEVuiXSN5r418gYPXapgkbvkaCP5dlFMk8-pxebzbY1dFi6qx2S_ObKE/s400/Project%20Hail%20Mary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4TKm8ScamMkmoeUwooILA_9OvSbFI3GeivEsIorAs_tk4PkhO-uGXpAGNAwA8awl-QQN6jw0h7h0Z7xC3xWYUQYU3h_de_rFoqz4NzxEYdmIhtIdyrUScoUslEirJyKT2WiMEVuiXSN5r418gYPXapgkbvkaCP5dlFMk8-pxebzbY1dFi6qx2S_ObKE/s16000/Project%20Hail%20Mary.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Or does he?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>Why I love it:</b> </span>Read this book if you like plot twists because there are a lot of them. It's actually an impossible book to review because there are so many twists. Everything I want to say is a spoiler! The characters handle each twist with humor and optimism. It's kind of inspirational. These people are very, very determined to live. Every time they start to feel hopeless, they refocus and try a different way of solving their problems. Nothing is easy in space!</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Nx0jA0" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">2. <i>CARRY ON</i> BY RAINBOW ROWELL</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Young Adult Fantasy</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWy6HnLrnR_d98BT54bhLwmKm30St-um3n02s1CRYLqTxvV7LwsbYnDklNQflrQtmAMYAmbV86yY1ex4Nxq4qH-EIx-LsebblfqcsxD39eDCgV9-EK0Lu9W48M8tUTMs_uRdXGv1hlCWWi_MuFTjmNnN6hjo_k4oCjNAetMpXgmB5C1RNAN-FN8cIaHI/s2327/Carry%20On.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2327" data-original-width="1535" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWy6HnLrnR_d98BT54bhLwmKm30St-um3n02s1CRYLqTxvV7LwsbYnDklNQflrQtmAMYAmbV86yY1ex4Nxq4qH-EIx-LsebblfqcsxD39eDCgV9-EK0Lu9W48M8tUTMs_uRdXGv1hlCWWi_MuFTjmNnN6hjo_k4oCjNAetMpXgmB5C1RNAN-FN8cIaHI/w264-h400/Carry%20On.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="264" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">complete git</i><span>, but he's probably right.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> The entire Simon Snow series belongs on this list, but that would be annoying and spoilery, so I'm just going to blather about the first book.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3K8dZkr" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Carry On</a></i><span> is ridiculous, but it’s ridiculous in the most epic way possible. Seriously, this book is over 500 pages, and I blew through it in two days because I loved it so much.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rainbow Rowell does amazing things with fantasy tropes. She really lets you see how ridiculous and overused some of them are by flipping the tropes on their heads. Simon is an incompetent Chosen One. Baz is a loveable villain. The magic system is silly. The witches and wizards drive cars, own laptops, accidently forget their wands at home, rely on Google to solve their problems, and talk like modern teenagers. This book is full of literal laugh-out-loud moments.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This series is brilliant because of how average the characters are. They're normal kids who just happen to be wizards. It's a refreshing take on the genre. These characters aren't heroes. They're kids with magic. And dragon wings.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3K8dZkr" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">1. <i>THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS</i> BY REBECCA SKLOOT</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Science Nonfiction</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIacJo0a8atXx7NJA_R-SupiyLDK2cEciG23YIYh7iCO_y2TxSY7IDxjLyI9WkzDxyGdBbOmFjLYy8TQat09jYCCfHsrZw0FvtAMQTanj3i7ONm1ULaZiTBzChgtdoBkXoucQ2AncG-X8nJR60Ks2jJcQ3IlNFA-6hyaKtzmp18MVuraI-KXHgOLWDOk/s400/The%20Immortal%20Life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIacJo0a8atXx7NJA_R-SupiyLDK2cEciG23YIYh7iCO_y2TxSY7IDxjLyI9WkzDxyGdBbOmFjLYy8TQat09jYCCfHsrZw0FvtAMQTanj3i7ONm1ULaZiTBzChgtdoBkXoucQ2AncG-X8nJR60Ks2jJcQ3IlNFA-6hyaKtzmp18MVuraI-KXHgOLWDOk/s16000/The%20Immortal%20Life.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her enslaved ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I love it:</b> Everybody should read this book. It's fascinating, and it brings up topics that society really needs to discuss.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Who was Henrietta Lacks? That's what the book is about. Henrietta's cells were taken after her death and used without her permission. Her children and grandchildren are living in poverty and have not gotten any money from the use of her body. Henrietta's grave doesn't even have a headstone. This all feels very wrong.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For me, the most interesting part of the book is the ethical questions it brings up. Who should profit from biological specimens? If you give a doctor permission to cut out your tumor, do you forfeit your rights to that tumor?</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I couldn't stop reading this book. I loved learning about Henrietta and the people whose biological samples have made life better for all of us.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3pAumiy" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTgX_XWYHK_G8J4fIWiuB0Ri6mbSGr1EE7eWsh2eeMLHVL5zaGT3jEoTdaaDi-lluMkDjv0iSnaEgPq-2p_G8gsRhWdk2PV6oD1kwT-aX8-iD4EthMKUi0gb937u1_6ll26fjCUCi3seAMS8KH55DCNJAY4s8DtLQa4GE38r9j9erMWKxgBHmGiMjzjk/s2100/1-2%20Best%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTgX_XWYHK_G8J4fIWiuB0Ri6mbSGr1EE7eWsh2eeMLHVL5zaGT3jEoTdaaDi-lluMkDjv0iSnaEgPq-2p_G8gsRhWdk2PV6oD1kwT-aX8-iD4EthMKUi0gb937u1_6ll26fjCUCi3seAMS8KH55DCNJAY4s8DtLQa4GE38r9j9erMWKxgBHmGiMjzjk/w210-h400/1-2%20Best%203.png" width="210" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>What's the best book you read in 2023?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></p></div></div></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-19121000047966861122023-12-31T06:00:00.005-07:002023-12-31T06:00:00.164-07:00The Sunday Post #351<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6dgjDkclaMoQGvYfYS-Qiu_wV4TMfjm-BIqRL-owRfWUo71m24vstEAX9p8vLIbcYpM0A-zHSnzl8TbRqVaI9xyynRQEKHMZRRVTNRnq9z-sv2lOZ0BjbIFGGfSBNN_8SeLrr5FIe7umw5tO7gIewdILRBp7VN_BRMnPcQNHthzgtORdv2b0sN7jPYg/s1080/Valentines%20Day.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6dgjDkclaMoQGvYfYS-Qiu_wV4TMfjm-BIqRL-owRfWUo71m24vstEAX9p8vLIbcYpM0A-zHSnzl8TbRqVaI9xyynRQEKHMZRRVTNRnq9z-sv2lOZ0BjbIFGGfSBNN_8SeLrr5FIe7umw5tO7gIewdILRBp7VN_BRMnPcQNHthzgtORdv2b0sN7jPYg/w400-h400/Valentines%20Day.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #351</u></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">Public Service Announcement</span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></h2><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23.76px;">For the millionth year in a row, I'm signing up for the Discussion Challenge hosted by <a href="https://feedyourfictionaddiction.com/2023/12/2024-book-blog-discussion-challenge-sign-up.html" target="_blank">Feed Your Fiction Addiction</a> and <a href="https://itstartsatmidnight.com/2023/12/2024-discussion-challenge-sign-up/" target="_blank">It Starts At Midnight</a>. Come join us and talk about books!</span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMTIRjukYlxX-mX4YtgGThmvghU-WuvAmq8jurJ5QVWG8oErThCcfwyDv5QUhCxYaCIjAzNbSKAyMnHIQaBRALbV7lTmYeZI-q5wLmobvFrPb8_6pQPstGIkdEPF72BZFyWXV0M74OyD6u8UpqqHn3ny7e0pA2JjI0a2R1utydLlUM-aT-u-w9DychD8/s500/Discussion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMTIRjukYlxX-mX4YtgGThmvghU-WuvAmq8jurJ5QVWG8oErThCcfwyDv5QUhCxYaCIjAzNbSKAyMnHIQaBRALbV7lTmYeZI-q5wLmobvFrPb8_6pQPstGIkdEPF72BZFyWXV0M74OyD6u8UpqqHn3ny7e0pA2JjI0a2R1utydLlUM-aT-u-w9DychD8/s320/Discussion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/11/best-books-set-in-mansions.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Books Set In Mansions</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/when-books-talk-to-each-other.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">When Books "Talk" To Each Other</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/books-to-read-in-winter.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Books To Read In Winter</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-books.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">All I Want For Christmas Is Books</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-book-haul.html" target="_blank">Christmas Book Haul</a></li></span></ul><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">I read two extremely philosophical books last week. My brain accidentally got a workout.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBq5t5zEdZ34M8s2LepkULiiMT8D7VHcJS6uHV8xTq-eHZ9SEkY3R6AVLIZIiMNr_QNAoHA6RXj5KnSQIQmjEda6_gE3MujUV6cWbrCn6OoXOZ4cSj-VT4T3h4-JkUGIFK0WbKBjy0_IHzlP_jNsl23da7bEeLsbSv343Ilkl7cUKvcHOqTVnKqZrgBw/s400/Pew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBq5t5zEdZ34M8s2LepkULiiMT8D7VHcJS6uHV8xTq-eHZ9SEkY3R6AVLIZIiMNr_QNAoHA6RXj5KnSQIQmjEda6_gE3MujUV6cWbrCn6OoXOZ4cSj-VT4T3h4-JkUGIFK0WbKBjy0_IHzlP_jNsl23da7bEeLsbSv343Ilkl7cUKvcHOqTVnKqZrgBw/w268-h400/Pew.jpg" width="268" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">First was <a href="https://amzn.to/3NJMzDa" target="_blank"><i>Pew</i> by Catherine Lacey</a>. This is a weird little book. It starts with a family in the American south going to church and finding a stranger asleep on their family's pew. No one at the church knows this person, and the family can't agree on the person's age, race, or gender. They decide that the stranger needs help and should come home with them. It quickly becomes apparent that the stranger has amnesia and an unwillingness to communicate, so the family nicknames them "Pew" and teams up with other townspeople to help.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">Everything goes okay at first, but Pew doesn't "get better" in the way that the town wants. Pew won't cooperate with doctors or spill their secrets to the townspeople. Pew just exists. Eventually, the townspeople's compassion turns to anger and suspicion. They don't want Pew around anymore.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">This novel gives the reader a lot to think about. How do we decide who needs help? Pew never asks for help. They enter the church because they need a place to sleep, and they plan to leave town in the morning. The townspeople assume that Pew needs help because Pew doesn't fit in with society. The people try to force Pew to talk about the past, and they take Pew to doctors to "get answers" about Pew's race, age, and gender. The townspeople never pause and think that Pew might not need this type of help. Maybe Pew just needs friendship and understanding.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">The book gave me a lot to ponder, but I struggled to stay interested in the plot. It's extremely repetitive. Pew gets passed from family to family. At each household, someone tells Pew their life story. Pew says nothing. Repeat for 200+ pages. I wanted something else to happen.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">The author tried to add suspense with the Forgiveness Festival. The townspeople are planning a festival where they confess their sins in public. There are hints that the festival could go horribly wrong if people get pissed at each other. It gives vibes of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," but it wasn't enough suspense for me.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><i>Pew</i> is an interesting thought experiment, but it doesn't really come together as a novel.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sN31_2g3B11O6QnOHhuWL_KTkjiGaDqJaYMDuVtqdYkuOtpuJmWSfcL7gyvPH2oq58r0pGdpefqrw83Zq3uGpunSASW55mrjGyfUsmbs7eQUg8kvKKn9mqm_3IuScqm53sSBwULBJA9rqYO9AOnvUmwpMHrYhvN9A6mbXRHMohnSx2-JtpzSjC4WHQ4/s396/Sabrina.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sN31_2g3B11O6QnOHhuWL_KTkjiGaDqJaYMDuVtqdYkuOtpuJmWSfcL7gyvPH2oq58r0pGdpefqrw83Zq3uGpunSASW55mrjGyfUsmbs7eQUg8kvKKn9mqm_3IuScqm53sSBwULBJA9rqYO9AOnvUmwpMHrYhvN9A6mbXRHMohnSx2-JtpzSjC4WHQ4/w321-h400/Sabrina.jpg" width="321" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">Then I read <a href="https://amzn.to/3RG6PXl" target="_blank"><i>Sabrina</i> by Nick Drnaso</a>. It's the first (and maybe only?) graphic novel that has been a finalist for the Booker Prize. I had to see what the hype is about.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">The title character, Sabrina, goes to a party and never comes home. Her unexplained disappearance leaves her boyfriend severely depressed. He can't stand to stay home and wait for answers that might never come, so he goes to visit a friend who works at an Air Force base. Then Sabrina's disappearance blows up on social media and on conspiracy theory radio shows. Conspiracy theorists see the boyfriend's trip to the Air Force base as proof that the government is behind whatever happened to Sabrina. The conspiracy theorists want answers and will stop at nothing to get them.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">You might think this book is a mystery, but it's not! It's so much bigger than one missing woman. It's about an aspect of US society that's hard to explain. I guess I'd call it nonstop mass grieving? Every day there's a new missing woman, a new shooting, a new unexplained violent act. We can't get away from it because we're constantly being force-fed news. How are we supposed to cope? Some people are going to turn to conspiracy theories because they want a big bad wolf that they can blame for every problem.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">The book is also about how the Internet can isolate us. The conspiracy theorists don't believe that Sabrina's friends are real people. The conspiracy theorists think the friends are actors and have no problem relentlessly harassing them. It can be easy to dehumanize others when you mostly see the world through a computer screen.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">I like the plot. I love the themes. I understand the art style, but I also really hate it. The art is undetailed and ugly. All the characters and settings look the same. There are lot of drawings of people standing in empty rooms. It captures the numb, lonely, monotony of grief, but I hate it.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">I know why the Booker Prize judges chose this book. It's about how giant tragedies keep invading our lives and how we become numb to them in order to keep living. It's a timely novel that will resonate with a lot of readers.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><b>1.</b> I hope you're having an excellent Christmas / New Year / holiday time. Brooklyn is living her best life.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkVVz4uGrIqq4nR6T3NyEk3tFKyrZTW-bGD0avDm4fwBco0t3cPngyHLY84LuE0b7y62P_0K8jg6bw2xLq-Nd-RyyoY1FvEJlSlFhmBb4HNdTrbgVnH9Ij3SfBcwdxdfggUHOgOPTabnE7zUIt3-j6vpe27H70NXwwr6VSJhkSPB3I-X8LZiqVqRCGVE/s4032/Brooklyn%20Christmas%202023%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkVVz4uGrIqq4nR6T3NyEk3tFKyrZTW-bGD0avDm4fwBco0t3cPngyHLY84LuE0b7y62P_0K8jg6bw2xLq-Nd-RyyoY1FvEJlSlFhmBb4HNdTrbgVnH9Ij3SfBcwdxdfggUHOgOPTabnE7zUIt3-j6vpe27H70NXwwr6VSJhkSPB3I-X8LZiqVqRCGVE/w300-h400/Brooklyn%20Christmas%202023%201.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>2.</b> In <a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-sunday-post-350.html" target="_blank">my previous Sunday Post</a>, I talked about how I was searching for a sweet Christmas show, but Netflix kept serving me true crime. Well, I finally succeeded in finding something cute. I watched <i>Dash & Lily</i>. It was adorable.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>3. </b>One of my Pinterest pins suddenly started getting a lot of clicks on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I tried to investigate why. This is the explanation that Pinterest gave me:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkqTUoTqshIt7mtt6-NCILmo8ryOHl48yjctgs21BUa_jmurQkbvZLXDasN7dB40pjOjeOmnRXZaJC55bzhpkkOxNdLLRwykY8atheaq5YewTCqMC9Vyh6Hlb5ivf3WbulfHT4h5cLs2DWxHJkIwhoBq_3Ul9sgS6GlCgFBJbEPKypM4SJcZSLLSQ440/s813/Trends.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="813" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkqTUoTqshIt7mtt6-NCILmo8ryOHl48yjctgs21BUa_jmurQkbvZLXDasN7dB40pjOjeOmnRXZaJC55bzhpkkOxNdLLRwykY8atheaq5YewTCqMC9Vyh6Hlb5ivf3WbulfHT4h5cLs2DWxHJkIwhoBq_3Ul9sgS6GlCgFBJbEPKypM4SJcZSLLSQ440/w640-h122/Trends.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br />Um . . . I have two observations. Observation #1: My pin has <i>nothing</i> to do with any of these trends. Observation #2: It sounds like Pinterest users had a very merry Christmas.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>4.</b> I got Lush bath bombs for Christmas. I love bath bombs, but I've never had ones from Lush before. I now understand why Lush is the superior bath bomb maker. The bombs smell amazing, and the smell doesn't fade immediately. Now I'm spoiled and don't want any other bath bombs. Only Lush.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>5.</b> It's "Best Books" time! I love seeing all the "Best Books Of 2023" lists. My list will (hopefully) be up on Tuesday.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>FOR MORE UN-SMÜTTY BOOKS</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">TikTok</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088400731943" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> || <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ajsterkel" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Donate</a> || <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Wish List</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div></div></div></div></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-71770322274168094382023-12-26T06:00:00.003-07:002023-12-26T06:00:00.133-07:00Christmas Book Haul<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvv4SAkCII2HvIo3BBMM_5W9DZAIrtZgx87h87YNsaoRwoc2MvM7g8LXCjs5o__c6XSVUR1d1RckS7AxMKtMuRBBb6H28nEhpy79Jc43PSya3B25tEsF9veuWISW37j9lfuJht8PvjVMQdsgrzO0UlG3LjNV8gCKqpTifuMlOiY3bG-k2Wpn7XsquVQgI/s2100/Haul%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvv4SAkCII2HvIo3BBMM_5W9DZAIrtZgx87h87YNsaoRwoc2MvM7g8LXCjs5o__c6XSVUR1d1RckS7AxMKtMuRBBb6H28nEhpy79Jc43PSya3B25tEsF9veuWISW37j9lfuJht8PvjVMQdsgrzO0UlG3LjNV8gCKqpTifuMlOiY3bG-k2Wpn7XsquVQgI/w210-h400/Haul%204.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Did you get any books during the holidays? I did! Here's my haul. Thanks to my Secret Santa</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">for gifting me these books from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H8BD5HIVBZ6P/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1" target="_blank">my wish list</a>. I can't wait to read them.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white;">🎅 <u>Christmas Book Haul</u> 🎄</span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER</i> BY V.E. SCHWAB</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Adult Fantasy</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY3qGO9dO4rwwh4LRxSMCVzD_HF7SYrAbpI8T3fdnacre4Uo3HCnMmD-xSFV4ocSLh18VzIlwHzWfl0B9dvNLE9RWXhgbJrRdtsFFofzwKWVkbKtTYtGF3KzoLw0f-qVnxFfIJro1gWyY4Fj3KGlOXDjWBCQtM6vCq2ZzwHrq0EY5mtKNKZjcduuC/s2560/The%20Fragile%20Threads%20Of.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY3qGO9dO4rwwh4LRxSMCVzD_HF7SYrAbpI8T3fdnacre4Uo3HCnMmD-xSFV4ocSLh18VzIlwHzWfl0B9dvNLE9RWXhgbJrRdtsFFofzwKWVkbKtTYtGF3KzoLw0f-qVnxFfIJro1gWyY4Fj3KGlOXDjWBCQtM6vCq2ZzwHrq0EY5mtKNKZjcduuC/w263-h400/The%20Fragile%20Threads%20Of.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="263" /></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk of White London.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years—and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own—but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif">Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together—or unravel it all.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> YES! I love this series! I feel like I've been waiting for years to read this book. It's the first in a companion series to the <a href="https://amzn.to/40mGhN7" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Shades Of Magic</a>, which you need to read if you like parallel universe stories. It has magical smugglers, and plot twists, and fabulous coats.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Has anybody read <i>The Fragile Threads Of Power</i>? Should I reread Shades of Magic before I start this one? How many details do I need to remember about the original series because I've probably forgotten everything.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3URjJCY" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></p><h2 style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.5em 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>SO THIS IS EVER AFTER</i> BY F.T. LUKENS</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Young Adult Fantasy</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAZKALG8ZFLUyHrjfiGorAawgS0poHuTd1NXFaBouxTIYb_8NPUYbCs_deiDzB3ESe3OV3Qmzfeb1-RIQIiBvEnWTfR6g8G9USJQ37xt-KwcLdAvwlxYGAzHVCJyVlMTBdo2jo68LV_Ko6kT6o_1rR7kdEuTGeSd_mrMIz0fKEgcdhsuVnb7DmoNvD-U/s475/So%20This%20Is.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAZKALG8ZFLUyHrjfiGorAawgS0poHuTd1NXFaBouxTIYb_8NPUYbCs_deiDzB3ESe3OV3Qmzfeb1-RIQIiBvEnWTfR6g8G9USJQ37xt-KwcLdAvwlxYGAzHVCJyVlMTBdo2jo68LV_Ko6kT6o_1rR7kdEuTGeSd_mrMIz0fKEgcdhsuVnb7DmoNvD-U/s16000/So%20This%20Is.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></span></span></a></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong . . . until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b> It's my New Year's resolution to read happier books. I want to be a less bleak b*tch in 2024. One of the few happy series I've read and enjoyed is the <a href="https://amzn.to/44WgrCc" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell</a>, so I searched for cozy fantasy books with similar vibes. I found this one and plopped it on my wish list. I hope it's just as clever and escapist as Simon Snow.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3q9TooM" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Buy it on Amazon</span></a></b></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br /></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, And The Imposter Behind The World's Most Notorious Diaries</i> by Rick Emerson</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">History Nonfiction</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4_gLUHY8mCYCF0suoh5vMochr8a7MDTDilOQof8tXNGBuezWYkSyuDa4ArTe-0LB23HvDpC_GxOI4U3UHYO1iq4lvJmeeebd5Tjzm5QosNTQ8IM8GZZ5lkzitTWMVIRgW9fM8efgaQnt53ApmDALfBRgBs8gdDvbrrEMUFglR_L0pUhyphenhyphenNez6aPW5Y5U/s597/Unmask%20Alice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4_gLUHY8mCYCF0suoh5vMochr8a7MDTDilOQof8tXNGBuezWYkSyuDa4ArTe-0LB23HvDpC_GxOI4U3UHYO1iq4lvJmeeebd5Tjzm5QosNTQ8IM8GZZ5lkzitTWMVIRgW9fM8efgaQnt53ApmDALfBRgBs8gdDvbrrEMUFglR_L0pUhyphenhyphenNez6aPW5Y5U/w268-h400/Unmask%20Alice.jpg" width="268" /></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>In 1971, </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Go Ask Alice</i><span> reinvented the young adult genre with a blistering portrayal of sex, psychosis, and teenage self-destruction. The supposed diary of a middle-class addict, </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Go Ask Alice</i><span> terrified adults and cemented LSD's fearsome reputation, fueling support for the War on Drugs. Five million copies later, </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Go Ask Alice</i><span> remains a divisive bestseller, outraging censors and earning new fans, all of them drawn by the book's mythic premise: </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Real Diary, by Anonymous.</i><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>But Alice was only the beginning.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>In 1979, another diary rattled the culture, setting the stage for a national meltdown. The posthumous memoir of an alleged teenage Satanist, <i>Jay's Journal</i> merged with a frightening new crisis—adolescent suicide—to create a literal witch hunt, shattering countless lives and poisoning whole communities.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span>In reality, </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Go Ask Alice</i><span> and <i>Jay's Journal</i> came from the same dark place: Beatrice Sparks, a serial con artist who betrayed a grieving family, stole a dead boy's memory, and lied her way to the National Book Awards.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries</i><span> is a true story of contagious deception. It stretches from Hollywood to Quantico, and passes through a tiny patch of Utah nicknamed "the fraud capital of America." It's the story of a doomed romance and a vengeful celebrity. Of a lazy press and a public mob. Of two suicidal teenagers, and their exploitation by a literary vampire.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unmask Alice</i><span> . . . where truth is stranger than nonfiction.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>Why I want to read it:</b> I read <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3vlg3kb" target="_blank">Go Ask Alice</a></i> and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3vgRdSQ" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i> when I was in graduate school. I totally understand how they'd be terrifying to the average 13-year-old, but for a 20-something grad student who spent all her time studying cults, it was immediately obvious that <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3vgRdSQ" target="_blank">Jay's Journal</a></i> is <i>not</i> real life.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>I guess I have to give Beatrice Sparks some credit. I couldn't get my book published after spending 10+ years interviewing religious abuse survivors and reading tedious sociological studies. I'm pretty sure Beatrice watched one Ronald Reagan campaign speech, busted out her typewriter, and made millions selling fear to the already fearful. Kudos to her. I hope she lived her best life with her money. (And I hope the publishing industry learned important lessons about not destroying people's families.)</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://amzn.to/41xWwcz" target="_blank"><b>Buy it on Amazon</b></a></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6zKHMh8V_v1f0WorIQzi1GKl1bm2MRHIHOM_R0_WSDmXDarx_WZ25uj7RvH5Fkc8jnByG0FXmjzTMDyHEuNsDBqYDH2VeE5xM1vbrQ-gmSHQPFgVkBgL2kEWueQD-X8cP6OurlCZ8qWGxoZlTluSfQ-QnfEuQGh2HTUbLr2risRiMXMY53rvGfGpRvc/s2100/Haul%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6zKHMh8V_v1f0WorIQzi1GKl1bm2MRHIHOM_R0_WSDmXDarx_WZ25uj7RvH5Fkc8jnByG0FXmjzTMDyHEuNsDBqYDH2VeE5xM1vbrQ-gmSHQPFgVkBgL2kEWueQD-X8cP6OurlCZ8qWGxoZlTluSfQ-QnfEuQGh2HTUbLr2risRiMXMY53rvGfGpRvc/w210-h400/Haul%203.png" width="210" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b>Did you get (or give) any books as holiday gifts?</b></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span><b><br /></b></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8193309628838073849.post-71851394812925008452023-12-24T06:00:00.053-07:002023-12-24T06:00:00.186-07:00The Sunday Post #350<p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsQhMydqSfsPAkv3B1iarFqV-3to9jTA2gh7qQm61BH71jyMwZHUqh3_4WepK4cSWVWNxVdGVx1-H_kJNYnGJn80xv2NXqDcbLNDMGM-hwq9z84UUdLVMUm_d58OraVcVwWGZh1uhCAJDohMJm7n8utu4387wp9-79YcR0aGBPxLkZ2YFLdtiSokYnXY/s1118/Christmas%20Dog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="828" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsQhMydqSfsPAkv3B1iarFqV-3to9jTA2gh7qQm61BH71jyMwZHUqh3_4WepK4cSWVWNxVdGVx1-H_kJNYnGJn80xv2NXqDcbLNDMGM-hwq9z84UUdLVMUm_d58OraVcVwWGZh1uhCAJDohMJm7n8utu4387wp9-79YcR0aGBPxLkZ2YFLdtiSokYnXY/w296-h400/Christmas%20Dog.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">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 </span><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</span></a><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">, <a href="https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Readerbuzz</a>, and </span><a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Book Date</span></a><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><u>The Sunday Post #350</u></span></span></h1><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">On The Blog Recently</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/11/its-my-10th-blogiversary.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">It's My 10th Blogiversary</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/11/best-books-set-in-mansions.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Best Books Set In Mansions</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/when-books-talk-to-each-other.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">When Books "Talk" To Each Other</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/books-to-read-in-winter.html" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Books To Read In Winter</a></li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-books.html" target="_blank">All I Want For Christmas Is Books</a></li></span></ul><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">In My Reading Life</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimfaohOYxsL9hkAHrwkf0cgeVCgg2OOq0M7ZA1N-EsXEOHA8d4tQa5svcfrKE_hP4QQdJXmYNxz3PJMLoAtKoyKA-HaPxOQEG5OhjlDzvjQUlFfDFed8PYo8Gofa6GuJf8lwp9r3o4xDiBODHkufwzJ_V9Gcy5jkvHDCejysE02zxtKHAQBCnW0xT9WQ/s400/Beloved.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimfaohOYxsL9hkAHrwkf0cgeVCgg2OOq0M7ZA1N-EsXEOHA8d4tQa5svcfrKE_hP4QQdJXmYNxz3PJMLoAtKoyKA-HaPxOQEG5OhjlDzvjQUlFfDFed8PYo8Gofa6GuJf8lwp9r3o4xDiBODHkufwzJ_V9Gcy5jkvHDCejysE02zxtKHAQBCnW0xT9WQ/s16000/Beloved.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Last year, I read and loved <a href="https://amzn.to/3GRJUTY" target="_blank"><i>Home</i> by Toni Morrison</a>. That book lives in my brain. It's about a brother who leaves a mental hospital to stop his sister from taking a job that might kill her. The writing and the depiction of mental illness are things I'll never forget.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">After I posted my review of <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3GRJUTY" target="_blank">Home</a></i>, strangers on Pinterest were like, "<i><a href="https://amzn.to/3GRJUTY" target="_blank">Home</a></i> sucks. It's Toni Morrison's worst book. You need to read <i><a href="https://amzn.to/488A2RQ" target="_blank">Beloved</a></i>." So . . . I read <i><a href="https://amzn.to/488A2RQ" target="_blank">Beloved</a></i>.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Friends, I hated it. I was bored and confused.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/488A2RQ" target="_blank">Beloved</a></i> is historical fiction about Sethe, who escapes from slavery with her young children. Shortly after she escapes, she's tracked down by her former enslaver, and her baby is killed during the encounter. Years later, a teenage girl named Beloved shows up at Sethe's house. Sethe is convinced that the teenager is the ghost of her dead baby.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The premise of the book is great. It quickly becomes apparent that Beloved is the ghost of slavery. Sethe is attempting to move on with her life as a free woman, but the traumatic memories of her past influence every decision she makes. This novel is Sethe learning to live while being haunted by her own mind.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">The writing style is what made me struggle. It's told stream-of-consciousness style from multiple points of view. I'm not smart enough for that! I couldn't keep up with who was who and when things were happening in the timeline. I think I read this book twice because I kept backing up and rereading. Eventually, I got too frustrated to care about the story. I just wanted it to be over.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Sorry, Pinterest strangers! I tried! I don't think <i><a href="https://amzn.to/488A2RQ" target="_blank">Beloved</a></i> is Toni Morrison's best book. Read <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3GRJUTY" target="_blank">Home</a></i> instead.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskdw5zRgikbOy1np8U1nUkcPsYjL6Ps7fEM-Kwk6MAKvOG06nj2LW-s4zGFwjXUbMP8nHPafJDGZxLQ1qSOifwYTdNCwiyKOhWScpFKOZ7vSDq97coiY3_poGdsermNcQN8py_v1xb_nwNtiGUHw5YsxWqN8WIO0mUwiViAX40h3fqekbMtDwc-Ha7ME/s475/The%20Warlow%20Experiment.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskdw5zRgikbOy1np8U1nUkcPsYjL6Ps7fEM-Kwk6MAKvOG06nj2LW-s4zGFwjXUbMP8nHPafJDGZxLQ1qSOifwYTdNCwiyKOhWScpFKOZ7vSDq97coiY3_poGdsermNcQN8py_v1xb_nwNtiGUHw5YsxWqN8WIO0mUwiViAX40h3fqekbMtDwc-Ha7ME/s16000/The%20Warlow%20Experiment.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Next, I read <a href="https://amzn.to/48sJ2Rp" target="_blank"><i>The Warlow Experiment</i> by Alix Nathan</a>. It's a historical fiction book that's inspired by real events. In 1790s Wales, a wealthy man called Powyss decides he wants to be famous for doing science. He's curious about what happens if a person is kept in complete isolation. He designs an experiment where a man lives in a windowless underground apartment for seven years. If the test subject successfully completes the seven years without human contact, Powyss will pay him fifty pounds a year for life.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Only one man applies for the test subject job: Warlow. He's a violent, mentally ill, barely literate, farm laborer with a large family to support.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">As you'd expect, the experiment goes wrong. Powyss' servants think the experiment is abusive and do everything they can to set Warlow free. But, Warlow doesn't want to be free. He wants his money!</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I couldn't put this book down because I was fascinated by the disconnect between the characters. It was especially interesting to see the disconnect between what Warlow needs and what Powyss <i>thinks</i> he needs. Powyss fills the underground apartment with books, musical instruments, and nice clothes. These are things that Powyss loves. However, Warlow can barely read, has no interest in music, and doesn't bathe or change his clothes. Powyss designed the perfect environment for <i>himself</i>, not for the person who will actually be living there.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The disconnect continues when Powyss is writing observations about his experiment. He hears Warlow laughing and tries to guess which book Warlow is reading. Warlow is not reading. Warlow is slowly going insane while surrounded by books. (Honestly, that part is relatable.)</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I enjoyed this book because of the characters' failure to see the world outside of their own interests, but I understand why the book has an abysmal average rating on Goodreads. (I think it has a 3.3 average right now?) The plot is slow. The characters are selfish, juvenile, and insufferable. There's a lot of violence against women.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I like the book because I'm a weirdo, but I'm not sure who to recommend it to. Other weirdos? People who like slow horror? I suspect quite a few readers will hate this one.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">In The Rest Of My Life</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Five things that made me happy last week:</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">If you're celebrating, I hope you're having a great Christmas Eve!</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Secret Santa. My person got her gifts, and I got mine. I haven't opened mine yet. I hope she likes hers.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">I was searching my TV for happy Christmas movies, and I accidentally discovered that Christmas true crime is a thing. I didn't watch any of it, but I started laughing really hard because of course real-life Christmas murder TV shows exist. We live in odd times. Do you think there are <i>more</i> murders during Christmas because families are forced to spend time together? I can totally see my family becoming a Christmas true crime documentary.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Speaking of scary stuff, I watched <i>Leave The World Behind</i> on Netflix. The movie is <a href="https://amzn.to/3v8iSFs" target="_blank">just as unsettling as the book</a>! I loved it.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;">Wandering around at night. I took this photo of a random cylinder-on-stilts that appeared in a cow field. I suspect it's for water? Or it's aliens? The bright lights in the distance are a football stadium. Or maybe more aliens.</span></span></li></ol><p></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiik6ff1xPfAo6T8vSZOD_3g9iVWtcxLVlvsuzMtvrZFBlFCs_EFAkHMVPJ37pNcxjyNoQHF8Z1_fYYRCLkmaWega56xVBzuqfYlI-o5dZPxOy7sU73ASpAeWx2k4Wb56Om8Rgx3RcpU1SRsAfdQw6w4Go09AsVfuDvTN5PWn3Np9zqeeaDKWiBk-v8j7I/s4032/random%20thing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiik6ff1xPfAo6T8vSZOD_3g9iVWtcxLVlvsuzMtvrZFBlFCs_EFAkHMVPJ37pNcxjyNoQHF8Z1_fYYRCLkmaWega56xVBzuqfYlI-o5dZPxOy7sU73ASpAeWx2k4Wb56Om8Rgx3RcpU1SRsAfdQw6w4Go09AsVfuDvTN5PWn3Np9zqeeaDKWiBk-v8j7I/w480-h640/random%20thing.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b>FOLLOW ME BEFORE I GET FAMOUS ON CHRISTMAS TRUE CRIME</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/readallthethings/_saved/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> || <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/read-all-things-13628135" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a> || <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5790437-aj-sterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> || <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajsterkel/" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ajsterkel" style="color: #2631bb; 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font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="2400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzW3CaWapRCBs49NP4FyrLlsMY0OhMNKRlrMn3muO0gfqIxnUCUfjSNf3TH714FAHRek9ua7fW-ZAEQ1cEeOOlo0d8rDxJPZ2pVznksHz_zEpz9IIhyN025jhRWAXeLoIllHSxhSxBU/s320/heavy-gear-flourish.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 23.76px;"><br /></span></span></div>Aj @ Read All The Things!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02860483414620371093noreply@blogger.com26