Sunday, January 22, 2023

The Sunday Post #322

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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 #322





On The Blog Recently











In My Reading Life





Last week, I finished Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. This is a bizarre book. I loved it, but I'm not sure how to talk about it. It's the kind of story I just want to shove into everybody's hands.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a story about stories. It's a love letter to books and libraries. It shows how stories are passed down through generations and give us the courage to keep moving.

At the center of the novel is an ancient myth called "Cloud Cuckoo Land." Other stories branch off from that myth like spokes. In 1453 Constantinople, a farmer and a seamstress are trapped on opposite sides of the city wall during a war. In 2020 Idaho, an elderly librarian is directing a play when a teenager on a deadly mission walks into his library. Sometime in the future, a young girl is alone on a spaceship and searching for a new home for humanity.

I know that sounds confusing, but the stories actually work together beautifully because the author is great at juggling multiple points-of-view. I was equally invested in each story. It's amazing how real the characters feel. Their kindness and willingness to take risks really shines through.

This book is confusing at first because there are a lot of characters, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Once I got invested in the characters, I couldn't put the book down. I love the way the stories converge at the end. It took a lot of skill to write this novel. I suspect it'll be one of my favorites of the year.






Then I read a memoir called Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet's Journey by Stephen Kuusisto. In the 1990s, the author lost his job as a poetry professor at a university and decided that he needed to get a guide dog and expand his world. He'd been blind since birth, but his parents saw his disability as shameful, so he learned to navigate without a dog or a white cane. It was extremely dangerous and left him confined to the towns he'd memorized.

The author completely transforms his life over the course of this memoir. For him, it was empowering to admit that he needed help and to educate himself about his disability. It takes an astounding amount of energy to pretend you're not blind. I love seeing how much joy and freedom he got from his dog. Even though this memoir touches on difficult topics (such as growing up blind with alcoholic parents), it's never depressing. It left me smiling.

I like the subject of this book, but the writing style is not my thing. I read the first 10 pages and said, "I'm pretty sure this dude graduated from Iowa Writers Workshop." Then he confirmed that he did! It's very easy for me to recognize their brand of insufferably pretentious weirdness. Sometimes the writing style is weird for the sake of weird. Also, the author quotes from a ton of other sources, so half the book is written by other people. It got on my nerves.

Even though I didn't like the writing, I want to find more stories like this one. I want nonfiction books about animals that are not textbooks and not sappy. I think Stephen Kuusisto found the balance between informational and readable. I appreciate that.





Then I read Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell. It's the second book in the Simon Snow series. I highly recommend this series because it's hilarious.

Simon Snow is a parody of the fantasy genre that follows a group of friends who have recently graduated (or dropped out) of wizard school. In this book, they decide to go on a road trip across the US because they need a vacation from constantly saving the wizarding world. Of course nothing on the trip goes as planned.

This series is brilliant because of how average the characters are. They're normal people in their early 20s who just happen to be wizards. They mess up their relationships and make impulsive decisions. They're insecure. They're not very good at saving each other from danger. It's a refreshing take on the genre. These characters aren't heroes. They're just kids with magic. And dragon wings.









In The Rest Of My Life



Five things that made me happy last week:

  1. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction announced a book deal. What?!?!?! (That excessive punctuation is totally necessary.) How cool is a book deal? I'm excited to read the book.
  2. My TBR shelf overflowed last summer, and I started piling unread books on my bedroom floor, where I promptly tripped over them. I decided to put myself on a book buying ban. As of last week, all the unread books are on the shelf. No more TBR floor. Victory!
  3. I read two 5-star books last week. Cloud Cuckoo Land and Wayward Son gave me hours of happiness.
  4. I got a new TV because my old one broke. It's way too big for the room, but I can see it on days when my vision is blurry from eyestrain, which is an improvement over the previous TV.
  5. I ate potstickers. I love those things and need to eat them more often.






Give Me Attention, Please











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








29 comments:

  1. Reading your thoughts about Have Dog, Will Travel had stuff stirring in my heart. I cannot fathom parents who would not make the appropriate accommodations for their child with disabilities. That's just wrong. I love potstickers too. I already told the kid we have to go for Dim Sum or to some dumpling house when I visit her in April. Enjoy the new TV and non-TBR floor.

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  2. OO a five star reading week! That is awesome! I hope this week is just as good.

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  3. Nice to have a couple of five star books in one week. I love when that happens. You had some interesting books on your list. I hope you have a great week!

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  4. I tried to read Cloud Cuckoo Land but it didn't keep my attention. I need more time to read it.

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  5. Mm mm mm, potstickers! Now you have me craving them!

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  6. I loved Cloud Cuckoo Land so much that I gave my brother my copy right after I finished it. He made a handy-dandy chart to keep track of the characters and the plot for me, and I left it in the book when I passed it on again for the next reader.

    All Creatures Great and Small is a gentle little read with lots of animals. Definitely not sappy...the 1940s were not a time for sappy animals.

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  7. Man, you have to push yourself so hard to workout that early. When I work my overnight job, sometimes I'll throw on the earpods and dance for 10-15 min but certainly not easy. Glad that you are making potstickers. I've been watching Disney japanese movies and it's got me craving potstickers.

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  8. I love potstickers too! Good for you to get to your floor TBR list! Two 5 star reads in one week - amazing! Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  9. Yay for 5 star reads!! I hadn't heard that about Nicole so I am glad you shared! I will have to check out her post!

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  10. I am so excited for Nicole too!! I still can't believe it!

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  11. I read Planet of the Blind by Kuusisto and agree totally. I finished the book but didn't really enjoy it or his writing style. I keep going back and forth about Cuckoo Land depending on which review I've just read. I guess that means I'll have to try it for myself. Words like weird and lots of characters make me assume I won't like it. BUT - so many people loved it, I feel like it deserves a try.
    Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
    https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-34

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  12. Love the meme, LOL! I totally get it. Sounds like a very productive week, getting the books off the floor. Two 5-star reads in one week is awesome! Have a great week!

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  13. Ooh, yay for a big tv! I wanted a new one and my parents bought me one for Christmas two years ago, it's just not as big as I'd hoped. Those books sound so interesting! I do need to read the Simon Snow series too. Nicole's news was so exciting! I had a hunch that might be what it was, but was so glad to get the actual story she'd been hinting at. Hope you have a good week!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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  14. I'm glad you had some amazing reads this week! I think we've only turned on our tv 4 times in the last 8 years. We tend to stream everything and mostly on my daughter's Kindle when we watch cooking shows during dinner prep.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  15. It sounds like Doerr is trying to channel Kurt Vonnegut in his multilayed novels. Have dog, will travel, sounds interesting and that the author overcame much to achieve his current situation in life.

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  16. I love chinese but not sure I've ever had a potsticker. I need to remedy that.

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  17. That's great to have two 5-star books in one week. They sound great!

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  18. I'm trying to get ready for a move back home to L.A. so I know I need to be on a book buying ban, but dang I keep buying books anyway! Somebody stop me!

    Oh great...I have all my meals planned out for the week but now I'm wanting pot stickers and cream cheese won tons. lol

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  19. I like the look of Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet's Journey by Stephen Kuusisto. I love books about animals too. I love potstickers too.

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  20. I haven't read Rainbow Rowell for a while. This one sounds good. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. Wayward Son is on my Kindle and I have the audiobook too. I read Carry On in 2016 and would have to read it again before Wayward Son. Did you know there's a third book in that series? Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  22. Wayward Son looks interesting. I hope you enjoy reading this week.

    My It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post.

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  23. I was excited to hear Nicole's news as well. That's awesome!

    Your comments on the pretentiousness of Iowa Writing Workshop writers' work made me laugh. I hadn't noticed before, probably because I mostly read genre fiction (which the IWW isn't big on), but I'll be on the lookout for it from now on.

    Congratulations on clearing the TBR piles off your floor, and have another great reading week!

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  24. Good reading this past week! And a new TV? Awesome. I am impressed that you've gotten your TBR books onto the shelves and off the floor. I am waiting for bookshelves to be built (soon, they promise) so it will feel great to get my books off the floor.

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  25. Congrats on finishing Cloud Cuckoo Land! So far, I have found it too big too launch into

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  26. Hooray for two 5-star reads! I have never had potstickers. I live a sheltered life.

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  27. I'm so curious about Cloud Cuckoo Land. And fantastic for 2 5 star reads! It's so nice to get electronics or appliances that work correctly and added bonus for eye strain relief! I can so relate to the meme at the top. That's me pretty much everyday!

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  28. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your nonfiction read though it sounds like a fascinating story

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  29. Cloud Cuckoo Land was an interesting read. Still much preferred All the Light We Cannot See.

    Thanks for sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge!

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