Sunday, June 14, 2020

The Sunday Post #228




The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. I’m linking up with The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.

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The Sunday Post #228





On The Blog Last Week







On The Blog This Week


  • On Tuesday I choose my summer reading list.





In My Reading Life


Last week, I finished It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. It’s a classic dystopian novel that was published in 1935 and (supposedly) predicted the current US political climate. I didn’t see a ton of accurate “predictions,” but the plot feels scarily plausible. It’s about a charismatic politician with a fragile ego who lies to the American people to get elected president. Then he immediately creates a private army, arrests anyone who criticizes him, and becomes a dictator.

The writing style is dense and hard to slog through. There are too many names! At first, I kept a list of who was who and who believed what. Then I got lazy and resigned myself to the fact that I won’t remember who most of these people are. If you really love classics or dystopias, then I’d recommend this novel. It’s thought-provoking and (mostly) held my attention. If you don’t love those genres, then you’re probably not missing much by skipping it.




Then I read Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. It’s a horror story about a haunted Ikea. The book is formatted to look like an Ikea catalog.

My brain is divided about this novel. I spent most of my life in writing school, and writing school teaches students why their opinions about literature are wrong. My professors would have hated this book. The writing style is exceedingly average. The metaphors are heavy handed. It’s full of horror clichés. There’s very little character development.

I don’t care about writing professors right now. I adored this horror story. Five stars! The Ikea catalog format is innovative and made me laugh several times. The plot is so fast-paced that I could get lost in it for hours and not think about the real world. It’s disgusting. There are plasma creatures that crawl out of one person’s nose and into a different person’s nose. (Another reason why you should always wear a mask while shopping.) I want to read more of the author’s work. This book is creepy and silly. I enjoyed it immensely.




Right now, I’m reading Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck. I think it’s a historical survival story? Or a mystery? Historical thriller? I’ve only read 13 pages. I have no idea what’s going on.






In The Rest Of My Life


Five things that made me happy last week:

  1. If you want to learn about racism or LGBT+ issues, Goodreads has you covered. Their lists have made my TBR explode. I need some money so I can buy these books right now. Some of them sound really interesting.
  2. Pizza and cookies and brownies. Yes, I cheated on my diet again. No, I don’t regret it. Don’t judge my eternal love for pizza!
  3. I watched a lot of BookTube. A lot. For most of last week, I had eyestrain and blurry vision. Since I couldn’t read, I watched YouTube. I didn’t realize how giant the BookTube community is. There are so many videos! I’m still not a huge fan of watching videos about books, but I’m happy that there’s a massive community of book lovers on that site. If you have suggestions for who to watch, I'm keeping a list for the next time I injure my eyeballs.
  4. Wolf Winter is the last book from 2018 on my TBR shelf. All of my other unread books were bought last year or this year.
  5. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll hit my Goodreads goal this week. I’ve read 49 books so far in 2020. When I set my Goodreads goal, I did not know that coronavirus would cancel all of my plans and give me more reading time.





I love you! (As a friend, of course)
















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








33 comments:

  1. I'm always on the lookout for books that surprise me. I don't care what those who teach writing say. I know what I like, and that's what I read.

    Congrats on reaching your Goodreads goal. I like to set my goal low so that I always reach it. I feel wonderful when I reach a goal.

    I am not a fan of books on video. I don't know why. I'm glad it's a thriving place for books.

    I'm pretty sure I will read It Can't Happen Here. Just not right now.

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  2. I have a very unhealthy relationship with pizza. I could eat it every day. I think I was born eating pizza. I have always wanted to move but I can't leave Jersey Pizza. Especially pizza from the Jersey Shore. Heaven!

    I am the opposite, this pandemic started and while I still had to work, for some reason had not a lot of time to read. I think because everyone is home. Now that it is nice I might start sitting outside to read and get away from the family.

    Have a great week, AJ! Happy Reading! xx

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  3. The format of Horrorstor is so intriguing. I remember seeing that book around, when it first came out, but dismissed it, because I don't read horror. I know the way a story is crafted matters a lot to some, but I read for entertainment, and therefore, appreciate your enthusiasm for the book. Wow! You are already hitting your reading goal. Congratulations! And, way to clear out those 2018 books too. Never apologize for eating delicious food. Life's too short to deprive yourself all the time, right?

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  4. Okay, my laptop is acting up! I sort of got crazy reading about pizza. Missing it so much.

    The book It Can't Happen Here seems eerily prescient.

    Loving my week...and here are my WEEKLY UPDATES

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  5. Congrats on hitting your Goodreads goal by mid-year. Who knew there would be a silver lining to a global pandemic? ;)

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  6. I love Grady Hendrix, and I still haven't read Horrorstor! I need to finally get a copy.

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  7. Okay, that's, like, exactly how I've always pictured Ikea at night--after everyone goes home and the store turns into a house of horror. Congrats on nearly being done with your GR reading challenge, and have a great week!

    My Sunday Post: https://kitnkabookle.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-sunday-post_14.html

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  8. Pizza, hmmm sounds yummy. Congrats on reaching your GR goal. Need to check where I am standing. But I have to admit, horror is nothing for me. Stay safe and well and happy reading!

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  9. I am so far ahead on my Goodreads goal, too! It's kind of ridiculous the number of books I've been reading lately.

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  10. Yay for pizza and more reading. Sometimes I think the real rating for a book should not be the grammar or spelling or other metrics but how it makes one feel, the emotional impact. I know it is a part of my ratings for books.

    Happy reading and stay well!

    Anne - Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post   

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  11. I first saw Horrorstor on Booktube years ago but I've yet to come across a copy in person.
    Have a great week and happy reading!

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  12. The book about a haunted Ikea, formatted like an Ikea catalog? Sign me up. That sounds cool. Stay safe, Elbow hugs.

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  13. I LOVED Horrorstör! I couldn't stop thinking about the book the first few times I went to IKEA after I read it. One of my favorite books ever! Going to check out your summer reading list.

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  14. I still need to read Horrorstor, but I absolutely loved his newest, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Happy reading!

    Natflix&Books

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  15. I've never heard of BakeTube before. What is it? I can never get a handle on my Goodreads TBR pile because I keep adding books to it.As I read books I seem to add two more. Sigh. I am trying to be more picky about what I choose to read, too. There are just too few years left to read all the books I want. Ha! My Sunday Salon post

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  16. Congratulations on reaching your reading goal already!!!!!

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  17. I cannot resist a good cookie! Congrats on making your reading goal! I'm getting towards mine but not there yet. I tried Horrorstor and I really liked the format but never quite got into it. I think it was because it was just too different for my brain. I did think the concept was fun though and who cares what the professors think! Sometimes reading is just entertainment and that's okay. Have a great week!

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  18. Yikes about the plasma creatures. Face coverings definitely seem wise. I'd probably love that book. And Sinclair Lewis- yeah it sounds like a bit of a dense read but we already seem to have dystopia so maybe it's safe t skip lol :)

    Pizza is always a good choice!! :)

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  19. Reading is such a personal experience. I say if you like it then who cares what others think? (in the literary world or not)

    I love pizza too but the thin Naepolitan ones they make in Italy, with fresh topics like ripe tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.

    Enjoy your reading week!

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  20. I love pizza. In fact, we had it tonight :) It's funny but I always make goals in Goodreads and by the end of the year, something happens that changes those goals (either for the better or worse). Who knows what will happen during the year after you make your goals? For me, last year it was moving and this year is the virus.

    Hope you have a great week!

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  21. Ooh I'm really looking forward to reading that Grady Hendrix book now! I have a few by the author on my physical bookshelf and one on my e-reader!

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  22. Wolf Winter looks interesting!

    We watch so much YouTube in this house... I watch book bloggers and gardening and homesteading and all sorts of things. Billy watches DIY, my son watches Elmo and music and god knows what. (well I know too, since I am with him but it is all kid stuff and my brain shuts down..)

    Pizza and brownies are worth cheating for!

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  23. You would think with more time at home my reading would be ahead of schedule, but nope. We decided to do all those projects we've been putting off for years. Congrats on your Goodreads goal! Pizza! Enough said.

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  24. Well done on hitting your Goodreads target - and the horror book set out as an Ikea brochure sounds hilarious. Anything that makes us smile and forget what is going on in the read world is to be regarded with affection, I think! I hope the coming week is a good one - as for your pizza-fest, I've been self-medicating on Salt and Vinegar crisps... We do what we need to!

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  25. Congrats on clearing out the TBR pile. I still have books sitting there that I've had since 2007. If I had a place to donate them, that would be the thing to do with all of them. As it is, they just sit and glare at me. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  26. who can resist pizza and chocolate?

    sherry @ fundinmental

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  27. I've been intrigued with Horrorstör for quite some time... guess it's finally time to find a copy. Congrats on reaching your goodreads goal!!

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  28. Horrorstror sounds so fun and creative. Are there pictures too?

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  29. I'm pretty sure I read "It Can't Happen Here" sometime in my past. The 30s were interesting times with the rise of fascism in Germany (Italy had "covered" to fascism in the 20s). There were a number of such characters in the USA, too. Huey Long in Louisiana, who was running against Roosevelt in the '36 election, but was assassinated beforehand. Another was Father Coughlin in Detroit whose radio broadcast combined Catholicism with anti-capitalism and antisemitism.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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  30. I need to check out those Goodreads lists! I do want to read Horrorstor at some point. It just sounds fantastic, and I love books with interesting layouts and whatnot. Yay for almost reaching your Goodreads goal. I upped mine already because yeah, there isn't much else to do but read these days (for me at least LOL).

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  31. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix sounds really interesting. I recently read his Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires and really enjoyed it. I am not a big horror reader, but sometimes something catches my eye. Horrorstör sounds fun for a variety of reasons. I hope you enjoy Wolf Winter! Have a great week, AJ.

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  32. Congrats on finishing off your 2018 TBR! And Horrorstor sounds awesome!

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  33. Congrats on hitting your reading goal so early! I cheated on my diet this week too and my cheat was also pizza so no judgment from me, haha.

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