November 2019 Wrap Up

Hello there. I know I have been terrible at this. In November I read 6 books. Let's go right into the reviews. 

#1: Nocturnal Witchcraft by Konstantinos

Nocturnal Energies differ from those of Daylight and Witches have long known how to take advantage of Lunar Powers and the spiritual entities that prefer the darkness for particular magical operations. This innovative book explores special techniques for working with the Night Powers and the subtle effects of dark symbols to: Cast a Nocturnal Magick Circle Invoke the Dark Gods and Goddesses Skry the Night Open the Gates to the Underworld Cast Spells through the Dark Ether Explore the symbolic realm of shadow, illusion, and the mysteries of the Unknown You will learn to find your Inner Quiet, Read Minds through the Ether, Dream for Change, Create and Use Thought Forms, Alter Reality through simple Spells and Rites, and use the powers of Magnetism and Suggestion. And you will Explore the Mysteries of Death and to Speak with the Dead. The Dark balances the Light. Do not fear it but equally embrace it.

It was...okay. I gave it 4/5 stars because while it was definitely an interesting read and gave me a lot to think about, it went against a lot of things that other books had taught me. I am not likely to use most of the information that was presented in the book, but I will put what I can into practice. I don't think it is really a good idea to do godform assumption for most of these rituals and spells, that sort of thing should be saved for extremely special or important things. Not just whenever you want to do something and really really want it. We will try other books by Konstantinos to see if we like them any better than this one.


#2: Assassination Classroom #11 by Yusei Matsui

Class 3-E student Isogai breaks the school rules by working part-time to help support his family. When Gakushu and the Big Four students find out, they use his secret as leverage to force 3-E to participate in a bizarre sports day competition. Soon it’s time for the school’s midterm competition as well, but when some 3-E students accidentally injure the elderly owner of a day care, Koro Sensei forbids them from studying and orders them to replace him until he recovers! Assassination is one thing, but babysitting little kids…?!

I liked this one pretty well. Like normal, I didn't care much for Gakuho or Gakushu, but I think that may sort of be the point. We aren't meant to like them. They are sort of the "bad guys" of the series so far. I didn't like how underhanded they were in the games. It was decent for the eleventh volume in a series. I am looking forward to reading the next one and finding out what will happen next.


#3: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but I have the black cover with Aziraphale on it. Moving on to the proper review. I loved this book. I did watch the television show first, so I had a general idea of what was going to happen (though I must say I liked some of the bits from the show better), but this was still an amazing read. I loved how the entire book was about an angel and a demon working together to basically...thwart the apocalypse. And they manage it, by not doing a thing. They mess up dramatically and it still works out exactly the way they want it to. I may give this one a re-read in the future. Definitely a 5/5.


#4: She's My Dad by Jonathan S. Williams 

Jonathan S. Williams was three months into pastoring a new, evangelical church plant when his father confessed a secret: he was transgender. His father, Paul, a prominent evangelical pastor, soon became Paula, and Jonathan's life and ministry went into a tailspin. Feeling betrayed by his mentor and confidante and scared that his church would lose funding and support if Paula's secret was exposed, Jonathan sunk into depression and alcoholism. She's My Dad explores Jonathan's long and winding journey toward reconciliation, forgiveness, and acceptance of his father as well as his church's journey to become one of the few fully LGBTQ-inclusive, evangelical churches in America. Jonathan and Paula offer insight and encouragement for those with transgender family members, empathizing with the feelings of loss and trauma and understanding that even being LGBTQ-affirming doesn't mean the transition of a family member will be easy. Jonathan writes of his family's continuing evolution, the meaning of remaining loyal to one's father even when she is no longer a man, the ongoing theological evolution surrounding transgender rights and advocacy in the church, and the unflinching self-scrutiny of a pastor who lost his God only to find God again in his father's transition.

I ended up DNF'ing this. I just couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. It shouldn't be a struggle to read a book. Especially one about a topic that interests me. I have a MtF friend, so you would think that I would be rather intrigued by a book that talks about a MtF person. The story that I was reading had only a few pieces that were remotely related to the actual transgender person. I read a quarter of the book, and of that quarter, only about 10%  even mentioned the transition or the person by their female name. The other 90% was about Jonathan growing up, going to school, getting married. It was more a history of his life rather than of his father's. I didn't particularly care for it. Maybe I'll have better luck with the other books that I got from NetGalley in the future. I received this book in return for an honest review, and honestly? I didn't like it.


#5: Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Mansicalco

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly. But then, privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea. It's up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer's horrifying finale?

I have to say I didn't see the ending coming, and I pay attention to her books after I was thrown in the first one. I enjoyed the story line, with the exception of Mephistopheles constantly trying to just split them apart. It was obvious that Audrey Rose had a courtship going with Thomas and he was messing with it almost exclusively to mess with it. I really liked how they didn't catch an obvious clue that was startlingly right in front of them, even one that Thomas skipped over. I won't reveal it personally, but I'll say if you were paying close attention early on in the novel, by the time they start to speculate near the three-quarter mark, you (should) almost already know who it is and the motive behind it. I gave this one 5/5 and I cannot wait to get to the final novel in the series.


#6: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

A novel about a young woman determined to make her way in the wilds of North Carolina, and the two men that will break her isolation open. For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world--until the unthinkable happens.

It was a very interesting read. I was recommended this by a resident where I work and one of the activities aids, who both are also huge bookworms (you would be surprised at how many of the senior citizens are actually big readers, go and talk to a few in your local assisted living or nursing home facilities, I bet they'd love the company and discussion!), and while I did like the beginning and the end...the middle sort of dragged a bit for me. I struggled through that part. Once I cleared the talk of her teen years that weren't very interesting to me at all and moved into the actual plot of the book and what happened in 1969...well, let's say that I was just as much fooled as everyone else. I didn't see the ending coming, thinking it was someone else entirely for very good reason. The person I thought had killed Chase turned out not to have at all, but the reasoning for the murderer were near identical. I still can't believe the ending and I'm not surprised at all that this has ended up on Reese's Book Club list (not that I have any idea who Reese is...). This one earned a 4/5 and I may look into more Delia Owens books in the future.