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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 #375

Public Service Announcement

For the tenth (!!!) year in a row, I'm going to be joining the Discussion Challenge hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts At Midnight. I'm hoping it'll motivate me to write more discussion posts, but honestly, I'm out of ideas. I've been out of ideas for years. Tell me what to blog about. I'm desperate.

On The Blog Recently

• Books To Read In Winter
• The Challenges Of Book Blogging & How To Conquer Them
• The End Of The Year Book Tag
• I'm Not Dead. I Just Feel Like I Am.
• Best Books Of 2024

In My Reading Life

I actually read books last week! Books that aren't textbooks. I'm back to the textbooks now, but it was nice to get a break from them. Unfortunately, all the books I read during winter break were kind of "Meh." I enjoyed them in the moment. I don't think they'll stick with me.

I read The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron. I need more Neanderthal books, please. I quite like them. This book is dual timeline. In the modern day, a pregnant archaeologist is excavating a Neanderthal skeleton inside a cave in France. In the other timeline, a pregnant Neanderthal is struggling to keep her family alive. I like how the author links the modern woman and the Neanderthal woman. Even though we're separated by thousands of years, we still have the same concerns.

Also, postpartum depression is forever, apparently. Even the Neanderthals had it. Dang.

I enjoyed the Neanderthal timeline. I was much less interested in the modern scientist timeline. I struggled to care about the politics, money troubles, IKEA trips, and in-fighting that happens around a scientific discovery.

I wanted to read about animal attacks and Neanderthal culture. That might be a "Me" problem. I'm sure there are readers who will appreciate both timelines.

Then I read The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister. I got this book on Christmas morning and read the majority of it on Christmas day. It's been a long time since I flew through a book so quickly. It entertained me enough that I didn't want to put it down.

It's historical fiction inspired by the Franklin Expedition. In 1853, a group of women venture to the Arctic in search of Franklin's lost ships. Just like Franklin's journey, the trip goes terribly wrong for the women. When their leader gives up and returns to Boston, she's arrested for murder. What happened out on the ice? What was her real motive for going north?

The mystery is what kept me reading. You know from the beginning of the book that the women's quest failed. All the "Why" questions kept me on the edge of my seat. I needed to know what happened next. Being stuck and starving in the snow would be terrifying.

I love the plot and concept, but the characters let the story down a little. First, the author is too nice to them. I expected the survival parts of the plot to be much grittier. Also, there are too many characters and not enough space to develop them. They all seem interchangeable to me, and I didn't care when they died. That sounds harsh, but it's true.

Reading about frozen death is still a fun way to spend Christmas, though.

Okay, one more. I read The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow. I was nervous about this one because I'm extremely picky about cult books, but the author actually did some research! She didn't just watch a few horror movies and declare herself a cult expert. Most authors don't put in that kind of effort.

Anyway, this middle grade story is clearly inspired by Warren Jeffs and the FLDS. If you know anything about them, then you know exactly what will happen in this book and how it will end. There are zero surprises here. However, I'm not the target audience. A middle grade reader would probably find the plot twists shocking.

The main character, Gentry, is growing up in an isolated polygamous community in New Mexico. When Gentry and her older brother sneak out of the compound to attend a music festival, they inadvertently set off a series of events that destroy their family.

The relationship between the siblings is what makes this book worth reading. They're always looking out for each other, even when life gets hard, and it would be easier to leave everything behind. It's sweet.

I think the target audience would appreciate this book. It has quick pacing and strong, stubborn characters. The plot might be too simplistic and predictable for adult readers, which is fine because it's not for adult readers.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy last week:

1. I hope you had a fun New Year! I did not stay up until midnight. I'm old and tired. The fireworks woke me up at midnight.
2. My 600-LB Life and Squid Game are back on TV. I have so much exciting trash to watch!
3. My final test for EMT school has been scheduled for January 10. If I pass it, I'll be done with school until I figure out what I'm doing next. "Next" is hopefully search and rescue training.
4. I finished cleaning my closet. I actually started cleaning my closet in January 2024, but I got overwhelmed, and it took me an entire year to finish cleaning. I trashed or donated pretty much everything in there, including the majority of my clothes. I don't go anywhere. I don't need clothes.
5. I signed up for a January Steps Challenge. I'm trying to take 300,000 steps in January. Right now, I'm ahead of schedule.

I Don't Know How To Bluesky. Send Help.

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