Sunday, January 31, 2021

The Sunday Post #260

 

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



  

The Sunday Post #260

 

 

 

 

On The Blog Last Week

 

 

 

 

 

On The Blog This Week

 

  • On Tuesday I talk about old books that don’t suck.
  • On Wednesday I list the February releases I’m excited to read.
  • On Thursday I (hopefully) wrap up January.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

I read 4 books last week! Don’t be too proud of me: They were all short.

I finished Surviving The Extremes: What Happens To The Body And Mind At The Limits Of Human Endurance by Kenneth Kamler, M.D. This is my second 5-star book of 2021! If you’re interested in medical nonfiction, it’s completely captivating. And completely horrifying. It kept me awake for several nights because I couldn’t stop reading. The book is exactly what it says on the cover. The author is an “extreme medicine” doctor who works with astronauts, deep ocean divers, and mountain climbers. The book is about what happens to humans in environments that are not human friendly. The stories the author tells are simultaneously terrifying and amazing. That’s why I couldn’t stop reading them. I liked every chapter, but I think my favorite is the one about Everest. I’m never going to climb that mountain. Nope, nope, not worth the potentially horrific side effects.




Then I read Elevation by Stephen King. If you want to get into King but are afraid of gore, I recommend this novella. There’s no blood or guts or bizarre sex scenes. It’s about a man who looks overweight, but the scale says he’s losing weight at an un-survivable rate. He recruits his neighbors to help solve his weight-loss mystery. Nobody knows what will happen when his weight reaches 0. I finished this book in two nights because it’s suspenseful. What happens if someone has no weight?! The end is devastating, as you’d expect from a horror author. My only complaint is that I wanted more. It’s such a tiny book! I would have liked more exploration of the misfit neighbors theme. At its core, the story is about outcasts standing up for each other, so more character development would have been appreciated. Most of the characters are one-dimensional or small-town stereotypes. It’s an entertaining story, though! Its tone feels different from most of King’s other books.



 

Then I read Lily And Dunkin by Donna Gephart. This middlegrade novel is adorable. Also, it made me crave doughnuts so bad! The kids basically live at a doughnut shop. I couldn’t handle the food descriptions. They made me hungry. Anyway, the book is about a transgender girl—Lily—who befriends a boy with bipolar disorder—Dunkin. The author does an amazing job of writing realistic middle school relationships. Dunkin is a popular kid; Lily is not. I loved watching Dunkin try to navigate his complicated social life. It definitely brought back bad middle school memoires of kids being tortured by their “friends” if they were seen talking to the “wrong” person. Lily and Dunkin both make selfish mistakes that are understandable and realistic for their ages. I like the main characters, but they both have giant, complicated life problems, and I think it’s too much for one book. Some of the smaller plotlines are dropped or overlooked. For example, Lily has a friend named Dare who is always pushing her to wear dresses and makeup. Lily doesn’t feel comfortable wearing dresses to school. I was hoping Lily would stand up to Dare and tell her to stop pushing, but nope. Lily just feels bad for not dressing how Dare wants her to dress. I guess that’s realistic for thirteen-year-old girls, but I was impatiently waiting for the moment when Lily would tell Dare to shut her trap and stop telling other people how to dress. That moment never came. There were a lot of moments that never came. I think there was just too much stuff happening to explore it all in depth.




Then I read the graphic novel version of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and RenĂ©e Nault. Of course I loved it! The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favorite novels ever. The graphic novel adaptation is both colorful and profoundly creepy. I raced through it in a few hours. I know that graphic novel adaptations sometimes get hate from readers, but personally, I’m thrilled that artists are making classics accessible to people who can’t or won’t read the originals. I’m a fan of anything that encourages reading. The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopia about a society where most people are infertile. The last fertile women are called Handmaids and are owned by rich men who want children. As you’d expect, the plot is relentlessly bleak, but I love the writing style and the narrative structure. The graphic novel manages to capture those elements from the original. I was pleased! I do wonder if the end of the graphic novel would be confusing to someone who hasn’t read the original. I thought the ending was rushed and disjointed. There isn’t much room for explanation in a graphic novel because it’s mostly pictures. I still highly recommend the graphic adaptation. The illustrations are beautiful.



 

Right now, I’m reading Things In Jars by Jess Kidd. It’s pretty good so far. I’m intrigued. It’s historical fantasy about a psychic detective and her ghost friend who are trying to solve the kidnapping of a (possible) mermaid. It’s frivolous and escapist. I’m having fun.

 


 

 


In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy last week:

 

  1. I’m still loving the Cold Bernie Sanders memes. I may have saved too many of them. You’re going to be seeing Cold Bernie in my Sunday Posts for a long time. I’m not sorry.
  2. It snowed a ton. I had to skip a few runs on my half-marathon training schedule, which means training will take longer, but my body got a chance to heal. I’m happy to be slightly less sore!
  3. There are no more unread books from 2019 on my TBR shelf. All my unread books are from last year or this year.
  4. . . . Of course I ordered a box of new books to celebrate finishing all my 2019 books.
  5. I’m planning what I want to eat for the Super Bowl. I don’t care about football. I just want party snacks. Lots and lots of party snacks. Are you eating anything delicious for the Super Bowl?

 

 

 

 

I Occasionally Have Interesting Thoughts

 


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





37 comments:

  1. I think a new box of books is a suitable reward for clearing all your 2019 titles off your shelf. Congratulations! Four books and a 5-star read. Whoo hoo! Short, by the way, is a relative thing when it comes to book. I read almost all contemporary fiction, therefore, most of my books clock in between 300 - 400, which is short compared to almost all SFF books.

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  2. I was just about to say that I wish I had read 4 books in a week. You made me laugh when I realized that those books had been short ones. But a book is a book, right? Oh yes, Bernie Sanders. He went viral here in Germany with his style and way how he sat at the inauguration *smile* Love it! Happy reading.

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  3. I love all the Bernie-in-mittens memes. It's gentle-spirited poking-of-fun. What a contrast to most mean humor of the last few years.

    Four books in a week is fabulous. No matter how long the books. You know how many books the average person reads a year? Guess....go ahead...I'll wait. The answer? One. One book. And that's averaged in with you and me who read a gazillion each.

    I will look for Lily and Duncan.

    And, wait, Super Bowl? Is the Super Bowl this week, and I missed it? Oh boy....

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  4. I'm loving the Bernie memes so keep them coming, lol. Also, yay for clearing out all of your unread 2019 books. Have to admit I'm a little jealous of that one!

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  5. I'm still loving the Bernie memes... keep them coming! I'd like to read the graphic novel of The Handmaid's Tale.

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  6. Wow!! I am so impressed that you have no unread books from before 2020. That is incredible! I could read for a year straight and still not manage that. LOL!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  7. Surviving the extremes sounds great. I love hearing survival stores.You may like 'Into thin Air'.

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  8. Great reading week and such diversity. Sometimes short books like this super charge me and I end up going on a reading streak.

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  9. That is a MAJOR achievement - quite right too that you are entitled to more books, AJ:)). I enjoyed the Bernie Sanders meme - anything that puts a smile on faces right now is to be celebrated. Sorry about the snow - I hate the stuff... The survival book sounds fascinating - I will put it on my TBR:)). Have a peaceful, healthy week.

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  10. Added Surviving the Extremes to my TBR! Can't wait to be terrified and horrified!

    Love the Bernie Mittens memes.

    Love that you bought a box of books to celebrate completing your 2019 TBR! I think I have three books left in my 2020 stack!

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  11. Things in Jars is on my wishlist, I love the premise!
    I much prefer savoury to sweet snacks, my favourites are simple to prep and cook like Cabanossi Puff Bites. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into thirds and then spread with pizza sauce, roll up cabanossi stick in each third. Slice into bite size pieces, baste pastry with beaten egg and milk mix, bake til puff is golden and serve while still warm.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  12. Ooh, I haven't even thought about Super Bowl snacks! My husband has been on a healthy food kick lately, so I'm sure he would make something like that - blech!

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  13. Glad you loved The Handmaid's Tale. The TV show is pretty good too! I hope to get to book 2 soon!

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  14. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who is buying books a ton during the pandemic! You had a great reading week and reminded me that I want to read more graphic novels this year. I didn't know there was one of the Handmaid's Tale, it sounds so good!

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  15. Well it has snowed in Belgium too but..barely! I think you deserve all the tasty snacks AJ!

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  16. I like to reward myself with boxes of books as often as possible. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Elevation. I have seen mixed reviews for that one and have been putting off trying it myself. I want all the snacks this Super Bowl!

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  17. I had to look up why Bernie was everywhere, it’s so funny and daft!

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  18. I LOVE the Bernie memes. And I have seen Sound of Music 17 times in the theater and I have no idea how many times on VHS / DVD copies. Excellent!

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  19. I'd vote for anyone but Bernie but I'm loving the memes

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  20. I will never tire of the cold Bernie memes...keep them going! I love Super Bowl snacks--I also love football, but I'd be lying if I weren't already planning my food for next Sunday!

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  21. Four books in a week is always impressive - I don't care how short! I'll probably make some buffalo chicken dip next weekend. I do care about FB but do not at all care about the two teams playing. Happy reading!

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  22. I wasn't expecting the Bernie in mittens when I started reading the lyrics, I felt like I got rickrolled lol. I love it too though. I'll pass on the medical book, but that's awesome you found two 5-stars already!

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  23. I still think that the Bernie memes are hilarious. My daughter crocheted two of him sitting with his mittens. Love it. My Sunday Salon post

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  24. 4 books is awesome even if some of them are short! And I need to start thinking about Super Bowl snacks too. We're not huge on the game but snacks... that's something else! :)

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  25. Great reading this week!!! And I love the Bernie memes too!!!! They crack me up.

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  26. Love the Bernie meme!

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  27. Love the Bernie pictures too! I'm envious that you have cleared 2019's books. I'm still working on finishing 2008 titles. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  28. Don't downplay it, four books is still four books, even if they were short. Elevation sounds really interesting.
    I enjoyed reading Things in Jars as an ARC and enjoyed it, not quite as much as her previous book The Hoarder but still great.

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  29. I've never read Stephen King because I don't like horror. I know he writes other things but I'm always afraid I'll pick up a horror novel. Congrats on clearing your 2019 reads.

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  30. I am in awe that you’ve cleared your TBR through 2019. You are my TBR hero. :)
    Super Bowl food... the menu planning begins. Chips and onion dip are a must. Beyond that I am undecided.

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  31. 4 books in a week is still great, even if they were short.
    I love that 1st picture, another great use of it. A friend of mine sent me a picture of herself sitting in her backyard, It took me a few seconds, and then I realized the way she was sitting and her mittens, I kept laughing all day about it. Enjoy your reading, snowy weather is great for that

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  32. 4 books is awesome no matter how long they are.

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  33. I love reading your take on books...so entertaining! You make me want to read books I would have gladly never looked at.:-)

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  34. I agree with Jennifer that 4 books is a good result, no matter how you measure it.

    I don't typically read graphic novels, particularly not an adaptation of such a classic, however I do always admire the amazing artists who contribute to them.

    I haven't read a Stephen King book in years, however this bite-sized short story might be just the place for me to reacquaint myself with his writing, it sounds intriguing.

    Thanks for sharing and enjoy the first week of February! :)

    Yvonne x

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  35. I don't really care for football either - but my family loves it. So yes, need to figure out what snacks I can eat. Oh, and I love all the Bernie memes!!!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  36. Cold Bernie LOL! I never knew that was a thing until now!

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  37. New books to replace an accomplishment sounds like a fun reward to me.

    I haven't read Stephen King in a while. I am definitely overdue.

    Thanks for visiting my blog last week.

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