Sunday, November 7, 2021

The Sunday Post #282

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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 #282





On The Blog Last Week






On The Blog This Week


  • On Tuesday I share quotes from the Incorrigible Children series because I'm obsessed.





In My Reading Life


On Halloween, I read Memento by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It's a novella set in The Illuminae Files universe. It doesn't feature any of the human characters from The Illuminae Files, but AIDAN is there. If you haven't read the series, AIDAN is a robot with a tendency to commit mass murder. The novella is about AIDAN's creators and first victims.

Is it weird that I enjoyed the novella more than a few of the books in the series? Maybe I just love novella-length books. They cut out all the fluff. This one is short and snappy. Like the rest of the series, it has twists, and unique formatting, and morally gray characters. If you enjoyed the rest of the series, it's definitely worth reading.




Nonfiction November started! I read The 57 Bus: A True Story Of Two Teenagers And The Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater. It's true crime (obviously). I have mixed feelings about this one. The crime and the questions it raises are fascinating. It's about a teenager who sets another teenager on fire in the back of a bus. The teen who got burned is genderqueer, so of course the media reported the crime as "man in a skirt gets set on fire." The teen who set the fire told the cops he did it because he's homophobic, but he also seemed confused about what "homophobic" means. It raises questions about what society should do with children who commit crimes. Should they be locked up forever, or should we give them leniency because they're kids whose brains aren't fully developed? Can teens be rehabilitated?

My mixed feelings come from the pacing. I don't think the author had enough material to fill an entire book. It's a short book, but it still feels really drawn out. I appreciate learning about the teens involved in the crime, but do we really need to hear from all their friends and family members? It gets repetitive. The book also left me with questions. The teen who set the fire had two friends with him when it happened. We don't learn much about them. Maybe the author couldn't get interviews with them? I don't know, but their perspectives seem important. They were direct witnesses to the crime. I also wanted to know about the skirt that became a fireball. I thought it was illegal to sell clothes that burn quickly? (Or is it only illegal to sell baby clothes that burn quickly? I feel like all of Baby Brooklyn's clothes have tags on them that brag about their ability to NOT become fireballs?)

Despite my unanswered questions, I liked the book. It's great for teens or adults who are interested in true crime but don't want to read anything gory or disrespectful to the victims. The victim doesn't die in this one. I especially recommend the book to anyone who is interested in the criminal justice system in the US.




Right now, I'm reading a book that is gory. It's The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest To Transform The Grisly World Of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris. Don't read this one if you're squeamish.






In The Rest Of My Life



Instead of listing 5 happy things, let's just talk about Halloween:

I promised I'd show you Brooklyn's costume. Here it is! Behold my spooky baby! She was the Wicked Witch of the West. I should probably be concerned that she finds the Witch to be the most relatable character in The Wizard of Oz, but whatever. That's a problem for her future therapist.

She had fun on Halloween. We went trick-or-treating twice. We walked around the neighborhood at night, and we visited a Sweet Street during the day. Sweet Streets weren't a thing when I was a kid. I had never been to one before. It's trick-or-treating, but commercial. Instead of going to houses, you go to businesses. The employees are all in costumes. The stores are decorated with spooky stuff. The kids get candy. The adults get coupons for eyebrow waxing. It's cute. The dentist gave out crayons instead of candy, which is very on-brand for a dentist. One of the employees at the brewery had the coolest Krampus costume I've ever seen. It looked expensive. And very heavy. I don't know how he was serving beer in that thing without passing out. I wanted to take a picture of Krampus and Brooklyn, but it turns out that toddlers aren't fans of ultra-realistic-goat-head-wearing-beer-dispensing Christmas demons. Who would've guessed?


The cutest Wicked Witch.


That's a wild bunny in the background. The wildlife around here has no respect for humans.



Not Halloween-related, but this happened last week. The neighbors moved, and their house is empty, so no one was around to pick the apples off their trees. Now there's a giant apple mess on the ground. Fun. When I was a kid, adults would pay neighborhood children to clean up the apple messes. Brooklyn is . . . deeply uninterested in cleaning. Don't hire her.






MY FRIENDS GET EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO Brooklyn's MY HALLOWEEN CANDY




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




26 comments:

  1. I love the little witch costume! My witch hat is pretty similar to that, only it's blue pattern on a black background. Also, I'm not cute.

    best.. mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. I read The 57 Bus this week as well. I found it very disturbing and believe he should be tried as a juvenile.
    Yes, I agree the story was stretched out as well.

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  3. I need to read Momento, and that's coming from someone who actually loved ALL the books. Such a great series. Love the pictures. I cannot believe your niece is this little human. Seems like just yesterday she was a wee baby. That second witch picture is great. Very dramatic. The mall near me does trick or treating. Kind of nice for when it's too cold to be outside.

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  4. OMG, Brooklyn looks so cute in her costume!

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  5. She's adorable. I wanted to buy a cider press and make fresh apple cider with our neighbor's apples they said we could take as many as we wanted. But I never got one as they are expensive. I bid on a few on ebay. The shipping is what really runs up the cost as I remember. I have a few non fiction reads picked out and hope I get to read them. I seem to be very slow on my reading right now.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  6. Oh, those Halloween photos are just adorable! Glad to read your thoughts on The 57 Bus. I downloaded it after the last Nonfiction November, but still haven't gotten around to it and doubt I will this month either. (Especially after reading your week 1 post with all those great suggestions!)

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  7. Such a cute little witch! Sounds like ya'll had a blast!

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  8. Awww I'm glad you had a good Halloween! That looks like fun!

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  9. I had no idea about Memento!

    Aww Halloween. :) "That's a problem for her future therapist." lol We had a ton of kids this year and it was super fun. We even had big kids come by (they looked rather old for trick or treating but ah well who cares?)

    That's... a lot of apples.

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  10. She is ADORABLE.

    I didn't know about sweet streets either! We have trick or treating at malls or churches but never a coordinated event with businesses!

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  11. Brooklyn is so adorable, and her costume is amazing!

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  12. Witches are the best. A chance to be super scary AND magical. Brooklyn looks super fabulous.

    Goodness. That's a lot of apples. Our ground was covered last year like that with pecans. This year...nada.

    Sorry your first nonfiction read for November was a disappointment.

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  13. Brooklyn's costume is adorable as her expressions! What a cutie! I love the idea of a Sweet Street. I don't think we have that here but that sounds amazing. Have a great week!

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  14. Brooklyn makes an adorable wicked witch, though my guess is that she isn't wicked at all. Our business district does Ghost Village Road (the street is called Coast Village Road) and it is a great, safe way to trick or treat.

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  15. My book club read THE 57 BUS last year. I agree with some of your reservations about it, but it did make for a good book club discussion!

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  16. Brooklyn looks adorable!
    My daughter is currently reading the Illuminae Files. I’d like to read The 57 Bus

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  17. Wow she makes a very convincing little witch. What a costume! So glad she had a fun night trick-or-treating. And I can relate to that monkey at the top .... having serious withdrawals after a series is over .... good gawd there must be more?!

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  18. That photo is exactly my face when I discover a series ended. Brooklyn is so cute. Maybe there is a misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West story out there.

    Memento and The 57 Bus sound great. I will pass on the gory one.

    Hope you have a great week.

    https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2021/11/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-and_0336510059.html

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  19. What a cute witch! She is growing up fast!

    Enjoy your week and your books, and here are my WEEKLY UPDATES

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  20. Great Halloween costume. I'm glad you and Brooklyn had fun. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  21. I had actually forgotten all about Memento so thanks for the reminder. AIDAN was my favorite part of the series so that's pretty much a must-read for me if the robot is the focus. Oh my goodness, Brooklyn is the just cutest little Wicked Witch. That costume is precious!

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  22. AW! Brooklyn is adorable in her costume! <3

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  23. Oh my gosh Brooklyn is absolutely adorable! She is the cutest witch ever ♥! It sounds like you guys had the most wonderful Halloween, and trick or treating twice, what a win!
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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  24. I feel seen by that meme lol

    Brooklyn's Halloween costume is SO cute! When I lived in FL they had the business trick or treat everywhere, including all the grocery stores.

    Out here, in WA, I live in a small town and they do a main street trick or treat. All the business's set up tables and tents outside for candy. It's cute. For Christmas, they do a Santa set up.

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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  25. Brooklyn knows that the villain is always more fun ;)

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