Sunday, February 28, 2021

The Sunday Post #264

 

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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 #264

 

 

 

 

On The Blog Last Week

 

 

 

 

 

On The Blog This Week

 

  • On Tuesday I talk about the jobs I’d have if I was fictional.
  • On Wednesday I list my most-anticipated March book releases.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

Last week, I finished There There by Tommy Orange. If you’re on the fence about reading this book, get off the fence! It’s excellent. It’s a hard book to summarize because it doesn’t have a plot, but I understand the hype. The writing is stunning and the characters are very real. A few of the characters are a little too real. One of them is a failed writer who doesn’t know what to do with his life and spends way too much time eating junk food and screwing around on the Internet. Yeah . . . that’s how I spent all of 2018.

I guess I’d call the book a composite novel? Or character sketches? Or maybe a loosely connected batch of essays and short stories? I don’t know. It has a similar structure to The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. It focuses on an event called The Big Oakland Powwow. Each chapter stars a different Native American character who is attending the powwow. I promise it’s not as boring as I just made it sound. I was very attached to the characters, which made the ending devastating. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book. I have a feeling it’ll stay with me for the rest of my life. My only complaint is that it has too many characters. I sometimes had a hard time keeping the plotlines straight. That’s a small complaint. Please read this novel! It lives up to the hype.




There There might have given me a book hangover because I couldn’t get interested in An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I read most of it and didn’t care about the plot or characters. It’s a young adult fantasy novel about the son of an evil military commander and a spy girl who is trying to rescue her imprisoned brother. Everything about this book is bland! The characters don’t have much personality and are indistinguishable from one another. The world is a generic YA fantasy world (abusive government + young people fighting against it + unrealistic fight scenes). I’ve given up on the book for now. I might pick it up again when There There leaves my mind.




Right now, I’m reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It’s historical fiction about upper-class Southern women and their maids. This book is working better for me because the characters are compelling. They have strong voices and interesting problems. I’m optimistic so far.




 

 

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy last week:

 

  1. Watching outdoor hockey. Hockey is best when it’s played on a frozen pond in the extreme cold.
  2. My mom got her second COVID shot. I guess she’s immune to the plague now.
  3. I ate pizza and garlic bread.
  4. My half-marathon training program got a lot more difficult last week. I survived it. The training is going to keep getting dramatically harder for the next 5 weeks. I’m not looking forward to how sore my legs will be.
  5. New books! All that running takes me past the Little Free Library four times a week. Of course I have to stop and see what’s in there. I found a few treasures that will be in my next book haul.

 

 

 

 

Watch Me Blather

 

 

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





26 comments:

  1. Wow. I'm glad to see how much you liked There, There. I wonder what the author will write next. Sometimes, after I read a book as powerful as that one, I have trouble believing that the author hasn't anything left in her for another book.

    I've never seen a hockey game. I probably never will. It looks too scary for me. All those big sticks swinging around.

    I feel jubilant now that my dad and his wife have gotten their shots. We were even able to visit with them indoors.

    I've had so many people leave books for my Little Free Library during the pandemic. I think everyone must be cleaning out.

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  2. The outdoor hockey games were fun. Except when they had to delay because of too much sun. LOL Glad your mom got her second shot. I need to go on a Little Free Library jaunt soon.

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  3. I think they should hire you to do a commercial for There There. Your affection for the book just flows from the screen. You know I don't do too much literary fiction, but you made it sound so good, and I love character driven stories. We don't have enough books by Native authors either. The tiny library is the reward for all your hard work. See what the universe did there? Keep up the training. I am rooting for you!

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  4. Based oin this I just added There There to my TBR list.

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  5. Okay, I was on the fence with There, There. But okay, I will now give it some serious consideration.

    The Help is a true Classic, but it is such a great read. It will stick with you for years to come.

    Pizza and Garlic Bread sounds good. We also had Pizza on Friday!

    Have a good week AJ!

    Elza Reads

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  6. I am hoping my mom can get the first dose soon. It is so hard to get in around here.
    The town over has little free libraries but not our town, I wish they did. I would run there every day plus I have a ton of books I would love to drop off.

    Have a great week, AJ! Happy Reading! xx

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  7. You are so right about There, There. I found it much more coherent than you did. My review:

    https://maefood.blogspot.com/2018/12/there-there-by-tommy-orange.html

    best... mae

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  8. Glad you loved There, There. I've read The Help and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Congratulations with still continuing with the running in the grotty weather and I hope the coming week is a good one:)

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  9. Pizza and garlic bread, yummy!! Glad your mom was able to finish getting her shots!

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  10. Watching outdoor hockey sounds really fun! And yay for your mom!! My mom gets her second on Tuesday, I can't wait. :) My dad has completed his. :)

    I have had There There on my list. And I loved The Help!

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  11. First that must be a relief for your mom. Second you impress me so much with your half marathon! Have a great week AJ!

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  12. We actually had a big hockey program when I was in college which was weird because I went to school in Alabama. It was mostly a lot of guys from Canada who couldn't quite get over how hot it was and for how long but apparently they were quite good. I've been to a lot of games but never outside. It's never cold enough here! So glad about your mom and that's amazing about the half marathon training! Good luck and have a great week!

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  13. I remember the first time this California girl went to a Connecticut hockey game. No one thought to tell me I'd need a coat because it would be cold in the arena! Lesson learned.

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  14. It took a lot of calling around but my parents finally got their vaccinations. See what I read at Girl Who Reads

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  15. The Help looks fun. Yay for your mom! I'm still working on mine- she's having vaccine hesitancy issues. Ugh.

    Pizza and garlic bread sounds fantastic :)

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  16. That's great your mom got her second shot. I have a few family members that did too, and my sister got her first one this weekend!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  17. In Minnesota, we had at least 2 neighbors who kept a rink shoveled and had rigged up lights for lake hockey. I lived on Lake Minnetonka about 20 years. I want pizza and garlic bread.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  18. Oh I loved The Help!! The movie was actually really well done as well in my opinion. You should give it a try when you finish the book if you haven't yet!

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  19. Glad you are discovering The Help. Read it eons ago sounds like, and really liked it

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  20. There There is an excellent book. It really was so complicated with the plot circling around like a circle dance. Wow. My Sunday Salon post this week

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  21. I might even be tempted to run if the reward was a free book!

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  22. I love that you stop at a Little Free Library while training for a half-marathon. A true book lover!! :-)

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  23. I've been wanting to read There, There, and your description just moved it higher up on my list! Thanks for the extra push.

    The Help was SO great! Enjoy!

    And, mmmmm - pizza! Always a treat to brighten a week :)

    Enjoy your books this week -

    Sue

    Book By Book

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  24. I never read The Help but I did see the movie. It was very good. I really should read the book, too.

    That's great that your mother got her COVID vaccine.

    I hope you have a great week!

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  25. So glad your mom is immune to the plague now! My dad is scheduled for the 15th for his first shot and I cannot wait! I have a strong craving for garlic bread now...

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  26. Yaay I'm happy your mom got both shots! My MIL just got her first shot yesterday and my FIL is fully vaccinated.

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