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

The Sunday Post #278

On The Blog Recently

• I showed off the books I've gotten.
• I talked about books I'm desperate to read right now.
• Brand new September book releases!

In My Reading Life

I haven't written a Sunday Post in a while, so I have a lot of books to tell you about. I'll try to make it quick.

I listened to Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. It's book #2 in The Illuminae Files series. I love listening to this series because it's like a radio play. There's a full cast of narrators, plus sound effects. It's easy to get lost in the futuristic spaceship setting. It's very atmospheric. It's also very funny. There's a character named Ella who's one of my favorite fictional people ever. She’s a fifteen-year-old computer genius who relies on a wheelchair and oxygen tanks to survive. Just like a real teenager, she’s quirky in a slightly annoying way. She tells jokes during deadly situations and doesn’t take anything seriously. Even though I've read this series before, I still laughed at her jokes. If you like science fiction, I highly recommend this series. It's fast-paced and fun in both audiobook and traditional book format.

Then I read Fatal Throne: The Wives Of Henry VIII Tell All. It's a novella (or novelette?) collection, so it's written by a bunch of authors. I have mixed feelings about this one. I love the concept. Each chapter is narrated by a different wife and written by a different author. The chapters are interspersed with short sections from Henry VIII's perspective. The book is like a historical "Tell All." The stories are written in first person, and the wives share everything about their marriages, even the scandalous parts. Since each chapter is written by a different author, I expected more variety in the stories. They're all disappointingly similar in tone, structure, and subject. I didn't like that because the stories blurred together in my head. I also don't think Henry's chapters added much to the narrative. I got a good sense of his personality from the wives' chapters, so his sections feel repetitive. This isn't a bad book, but I think there are probably better books about Henry and the wives he murdered.

Up next was The Ones We're Meant To Find by Joan He. Look at me, reading a recent release. Usually, I just hoard new releases and wait 3 years to read them. This is a science fiction book that's super confusing at first, but then comes together in surprising ways. If you enjoy plot twists, you need to read this novel. It's packed with them. It's about two sisters who are trying to find each other. One is trapped on a deserted island. The other is living in a futuristic eco-city while natural disasters destroy the planet. I love that the sisters are so different. Kay is an introverted, socially awkward, science geek. Cee is the opposite. She's confident and spontaneous with a lot of friends. You need a high tolerance for confusion to read this book. Even though I enjoyed it overall, I struggled with the beginning. The author takes a really long time to answer the reader's questions. I found it incredibly frustrating. If you don't mind being confused, please read this book! It has excellent characters and twists.

Then, I discovered an all-time-favorite short story collection. It's Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman. People, this is how you write fantasy short stories! They're dark and weird and bloody and magical. The author is amazing at weaving the mundane with the fantastical. The stories start out ultra-realistic, but then there's suddenly a demon or troll or something. It catches you off-guard, but it still feels entirely plausible in the story's setting. Of course there's a troll under a bridge or a demon attacking stray cats. I could not put this book down. As soon as I finished one story, I started another because I wanted to know what horrifying thing Neil Gaiman would think of next. He has a twisted imagination. I don't think I fully "got" all the stories, but I didn't hate any of them. This is a 5-star collection. It would be perfect for Halloween. Warning: This book is NOT safe for work. A few of the stories have gross, graphic, horror sex. You wouldn't want your boss walking in while you're listening to that awkward weirdness. No one needs a detailed description of a troll's floppy dick in the workplace!

Okay, last book. (It's very different from the previous book.) I read Zealot: The Life And Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth by Reza Aslan. If you're looking for a book that will put religion in historical context, check this one out. It's exactly what I wanted! I wanted to learn more about what was happening in history when the world's major religions started. In this book, the author reconstructs first century Israel/Palestine/Judea. He discusses a few of the groups who lived in the area and the massive conflicts they had with each other. He also talks about which bits of the Bible he thinks are historically accurate and which aren't. He then uses his knowledge of history to uncover the "historical Jesus."  The author mostly just shrugs at the miracles and resurrection stuff. He's more interested in the events that would have shaped Jesus's life. I don't know enough about history or religion to judge the accuracy of the author's claims, but I found the book fascinating. The writing style is very readable. This isn't a dry college textbook. I got through it in two days, which is much faster than I usually read nonfiction.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy recently:

1. My dog is still alive! She had a bunch of seizures, and I was pretty sure she was dying because she's old, but nope. Still alive (and currently barking).
2. I found this YouTube video about 500 years of historical hairstyles. It's a really long video (because of the 500 years), but it made me want to try old hairstyles. I wish there wasn't a pandemic so I could make myself historical fancy and strut around in public.
3. My work hours got changed. Now I get slightly more sleep on weekdays! It's very nice not to hear my alarm at 3:45 in the morning.
4. My dad fixed my shower! The temperature control thingy was broken. For several weeks, I had to live with whatever temperature water came out of the wall. I'm too spoiled for that.
5. This sign at my job. It was used to promote an educational event. For two hilarious days, random strangers would walk up to me and say, "Aren't herps sex things?" So . . . cookies for you if you know what "herps" are. (Hint: They're NOT sex things.) (Edit: They're PROBABLY NOT sex things. I won't shame you for your . . . um . . . interests.)

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