Sunday, January 2, 2022

The Sunday Post #288

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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 #288





On The Blog Recently






On The Blog This Week


  • On Tuesday, I list my most-anticipated adult book releases for 2022.





In My Reading Life


My library hold for book #6 of the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series finally came through. Of course, I dropped everything and read it immediately. This is the final book in the series, and I'm slightly devastated that it's over. I need to find more joyful books in 2022. I read too much serious stuff.

The Incorrigible finale is pretty good. Like the other books, this one is sweet, funny, and fast-paced. The mysteries are finally solved! There are too many coincidences for my tastes, and some of the mysteries could have been solved sooner if the characters had asked questions and communicated better. I'm not the target audience for these books, though. I would have loved them and overlooked their flaws when I was a kid. If you have children in your life, or if you want to read a joyful historical fantasy romp, please pick up this series. Book #1 is The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood.




My next book was at the opposite end of the joyful spectrum. Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón is a bit depressing. I think the book is supposed to be a metaphor for AIDS? I don't know. Everything in this novel is kind of abstract, so the meaning whooshed right over my head. I'm not great with abstract literature. That is why I did terrible in poetry classes. Moonstone is an Icelandic novella that has been translated into English. It stars a teenage boy prostitute who lives in Iceland in 1918. He's going through some stuff and uses movies as a way to escape from his problems. Then, the Spanish flu arrives in Iceland, kills tons of people, and sets his life on a new course.

This is a 140-page novella that I read in a few hours. I'm not sure how I feel about it because it's such a weird little book! It's surreal and dreamlike. I never knew where it was going next. I enjoyed the reading experience and the historical aspects, but I don't think I totally got the meaning behind the strangeness. If you love poetry, you'll probably like this novella.

(Also, this book is NOT safe for work. The main character is a prostitute, so prostitute activities occur and are described in great detail. Use caution if you're reading in the workplace, my friends.)




Then I read Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett. I can see why award committees and college professors adore this book: It's pretentious literary fiction! It's about a white, middle class, New England family. The father and oldest son develop serious mental health issues. The story examines how those issues ripple through the family and impact them and the community around them. The descriptions of mental illness are spot-on (based on my experience). The author really understands depression, anxiety, and obsessive thinking. It's a raw, honest book that will give you a lot to ponder.

This book reinforced the fact that I'm a cold-hearted witch. I found the characters to be exhausting and irritating. They have a lot of personal issues, but they're loving and forgiving toward each other. I felt like the author wanted the reader to be loving and forgiving, too, but . . . I wasn't. If these were my family members, I would have been a lot tougher with them.

The oldest son, Michael, develops an obsession with slavery, which leads him into stalkerish relationships with African American women. I felt bad that Michael was sick, but I couldn't stand the dude. He was too intense with women. Sometimes I felt like the author was trying to manipulate me into liking Michael. I could see the author attempting to pull my emotional strings behind the curtain. It didn't work. Joke's on the author because I don't have emotions.

Even though I didn't love this book, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It's an exhausting novel to read because the characters are intensely realistic. I truly feel like I know these people. The author does an amazing job of capturing what it's like to live with (and around) mental illness. I can see why this novel ended up on so many award lists.




Right now, I'm reading Little Heaven by Nick Cutter. It's a horror novel about three bounty hunters who are hired to rescue a family from a cult compound. Unfortunately, the compound is guarded by dangerous supernatural critters. I'm struggling with this one because the pacing is so slow! And it's 500 pages! I considered DNFing it, but I'm going to push through because the action scenes are excellent. There's just a lot of filler in between them.






In The Rest Of My Life


Five things that made me happy recently:

  1. Happy 2022! I hope it's better than the last two years.
  2. I was bored and overcaffeinated, so I downloaded TikTok. I guess I'm on TikTok now? I'm having fun with it. I don't know if my elderly phone is up to the task of posting videos, but if you want to follow me, I'm @ajsterkel.
  3. I got 8 new books for Christmas.
  4. Baby Brooklyn doesn't need surgery! Okay: story time. On Christmas, Brooklyn was jumping on the couch (which she knows is not allowed). She fell off and broke her arm. We spent Christmas at the hospital. The doctors thought she might need surgery to fix her arm, but so far, it's healing fine with just a cast.
  5. Other than the broken arm, Brooklyn had a good Christmas. She got tons of gifts, which she opened with one hand and her feet.





Follow Me To 2022!






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





31 comments:

  1. I'm really hoping this year will be much better than previous years. Only time will tell. Either way, I plan to make the most of it. I feel that life is what you make it, so I'm going to try to have a positive look on things so that I don't feel so overwhelmed like previous years.

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  2. Brooklyn had a vvv memorable Christmas I see.

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  3. That meme made me cackle. OMG! Joyful books are my goto, and it warms my heart to hear you say you want more. Awww, poor Brooklyn. Glad she doesn't need surgery. That had to be terrifying when she broke her arm.

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  4. I am also hoping for a BETTER year. I'm done with years like 2020 and 2021. I found a Bitmoji image that I love showing ME as 2022 crushing 2021.

    Thanks for visiting my blog, and I think I would probably hate the characters in Imagine Me Gone, but the pull is almost irresistible. So I will probably add it to my list!

    Brooklyn is adorable, as always.

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  5. What a way to spend Christmas! Glad Brooklyn won't need surgery. Yay for new books for Christmas!

    Happy New Year!

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  6. Poor Brooklyn -- it must have been so scary. I'm glad to hear she doesn't need the surgery.

    Happy New Year!
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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  7. Loved your review of Imagine Me Gone and now I must read it.

    which she opened with one hand and her feet!!!!! Oh my goodness, Baby Brooklyn! What a brave, tough, resourceful little girl. I guess now she knows WHY she shouldn't be jumping on the couch. LOL

    Happy New Year!

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  8. Oh, my goodness, poor Brooklyn! I hope she continues to heal well. Happy new year, Aj!

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  9. So glad Brooklyn doesn't need surgery. I was constantly amazed at how well kids recover from tough things. One time my son tried to hang on the rim of a basketball net (!) and he fell and landed on his head. My other son thought he was dead or at least paralyzed. Instead he bounced right up.

    Wow. Eight books for Christmas!

    I really do want to find and read the Incorrigible Children this year.

    Happy new year, AJ!

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  10. Hi there AJ! Happy New Year!! Aah not fun to spend Christmas at the hospital, but glad to hear you took it in good spirits!

    Yes, you need to start reading a few lighter reads this year! I am still trying to get my hands on The Incorrigible Children series, you have me intrigued. I will let you know!

    Have a good week and happy reading!!

    Elza Reads

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  11. Yay for 8 books and that's lucky Brooklyn didn't need surgery!

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  12. Happy New Year, Aj! 🎆 Take care and happy reading in 2022, and I pray Baby Brooklyn's arm mends well. 🙂

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  13. It's always scary when your kid hurts herself; I am glad she is healing without surgery!

    Your reading so far sounds really good and with 8 new books, you are set for January.

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  14. I tend to expect horror novels to be fast-paced and so when they aren't I get impatient. I hope you do enjoy Little Heaven in the End. I am so glad Brooklyn won't need surgery. I am glad she had a nice Christmas despite the broken arm and hospital visit. What a way to end out the year, huh? I hope you have a Happy New Year and read many good books this year.

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  15. Happy New Year!

    Oh no but glad to hear she's doing okay! Yay! And congrats on the book haul. :)

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  16. Awww...Brooklyn...so glad she doesn't need surgery. I think I'm the only one in the world who hasn't tried TikTok :)

    Hope you have a great week and Happy New Year!

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  17. Happy New Year! 8 book is fabulous for Christmas haul. Glad Brooklyn doesn't need surgery, sorry you all had to spend your Christmas that way. https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/01/stacking-shelves-4sunday-post-1.html

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  18. I'm so glad she's ok. Happy New Year!

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  19. Happy New Year! I'm glad Brooklyn doesn't need surgery. Yay for books for Christmas. I'm on TikTok too - laurenashleybecker

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  20. Happy New Year!!! Love the photo of Brooklyn, she's so adorable.

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  21. Oh poor Brooklyn! Glad she doesn't need surgery and hopefully she heals quickly. Children are so resiliant when it comes to illness and injuries so I bet she ends up being seriously frustrated by not being able to do what she wants because of the cast very soon. Have a great week!

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  22. Oh dear, poor Brooklyn. I hope it heals quickly.

    I would laugh at your meme, except it seems entirely plausible right now.

    Wishing you a great reading week, and a happy, healthy new year!

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  23. I remember struggling through Little Heaven. Happy new year!

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  24. I'm so glad that Brooklynn won't need surgery. I'm sure that was quite a scare! Wishing you everything good (or goot, which is what I wrote at first and almost didn't notice) in 2022!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  25. Happy New Year! Glad to hear that Brooklyn won't need surgery. You read an interesting assortment of books. I'll have to finally begin the Incorrigible series. I know book 1 is on my Kindle. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  26. Happy New Year! SO glad to hear that Brooklyn won't need surgery.

    I'm also on TikTok but will never post anything there. I'm just a spectator--as spectator who is weirdly obsessed with cleaning videos. Heh. Maybe it will rub off and I'll actually try to clean something one of these days. - Melinda @ A Web of Stories

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  27. Poor Brooklyn! Glad she's healing well and hopefully surgery can be avoided. I hope Little Heaven picks up for you. A slow pace can be the death knell for me.

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  28. Happy New Year. I am on TikTok but have not posted anything there. Not sure I will. Glad to know Brooklyn's arm is healing well and there is no need for surgery.

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  29. Sorry about B's broken arm on Christmas. Ouch. Glad things are calmer now. I like literary fiction but I stopped the audiobook of the Haslett novel ... I was exhausted midway ... and didn't think it was going anywhere ... hmm.

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  30. Poor Brooklyn! Funny that my FB memories today included me being at the hospital 6 years ago because my youngest daughter was getting the rods out of her arm after a bad break. Those kids are fearless!

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  31. Oh no! I'm glad she doesn't need surgery and managed to adapt and enjoy her Christmas gifts lol

    I wish that clown meme wasn't so accurate ha!

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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