Currently Reading: 09 June to 14 July 2018

Currently Reading

- The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (01%)
- The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (01%)
- IT by Stephen King (05%)
- Queen of the Star Pirates by Stephen Landis (06%)
- The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (09%)

- Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (14%)

- To the Letter by Simon Garfield (60%)

- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (27%)

- The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (39%)

* * *

Yeah, as you can see, half of the books from last time are gone, and there are four new ones. I've made another sort of decision involving the bookish update journal blog thingy that I haven't been updating at all recently. I have decided that instead of every single week on Fridays, I will actually post it every other week on Sunday, on my weekend off from work. So that way I'm not as busy as I would normally be. Let's get into what in the world has been happening in my bookish world!

I'm not sure how many people reading this blog know where Wilkes-Barre is, or have heard of it at all, but those that do will remember the recent storm we had in the area that managed to produce an EF2 tornado in the Wilkes-Barre Arena Hub Plaza. Unfortunately for us book nerds in the area, the front of the Barnes & Noble in the Arena Hub Plaza was ripped off. Included were the support beams, so the front of the store collapsed completely. Ironically, the only part of the front to remain standing was the Starbucks kiosk that was in the far corner. The registers, journal, and children's sections were decimated. My heart goes out to all of the employees of that Barnes & Noble that are now without steady income until it is repaired. Barnes & Noble headquarters recently released a statement that they plan to have the location up and running again before Thanksgiving 2018. I am curious to see if they actually do reach that goal. 

What else? Oh, because of the fact that part of Dick's Sporting Goods ended up in Scranton, they found it in a lot in Montage Mountain, we found ourselves hunting for a new "danger store," called as such because they are dangerous to my wallet. A friend of ours, whom I will only refer to as JB, told us about Books-a-Million in the Scranton area. We've been twice and I have spent over $100 both times. The first time I bought a lot of things that were not books. I got tee shirts, magnets, book marks, and something else that I cannot remember what it is offhand, but should I recall, I will include it in the next post. The second round, when the air tried to off my friend KS, I got mostly books. I am participating in the Biannual Bibliothon Summer 2018, and I didn't want the last book I purchased (Prompt #7) to be IT by Stephen King. Could you imagine trying to read that in less than a week? I have the Scribner edition which has 1,153 pages. Two and a half inches thick. That just wouldn't happen.

So we went to Books-a-Million. I got my little trolley. I like the trolleys. Anyway, I got my trolley and my pen and my piece of paper with the list of books I was looking and set about going through the store. I did find three of the seven books that I had on my list. I got Renegades by Marissa Meyer, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, and Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. None of the other books that I had on my list (Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Friend Request by Laura Marshall, Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller, The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson, and Rites of Passage by William Golding) were available. To appease myself, I ended up buying a ton of other books and an adorable owl pen that flaps it's plastic wings when you write with it.

That thing. I remembered what it was. A Little Mermaid reusable glass bottle. I love The Little Mermaid so that's why I got it when I saw it. I knew I'd remember what it was eventually. It was in my mind somewhere, just had to access the information. 

Recently I have gotten into a hard core kick of reading the older books on my Currently Reading list on Goodreads (which is what I copy to the blog post). I finished two or three of them already? Some, like Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, will be harder to get through than others because of their sheer size. I came up with the idea that I should actually read only the hard cover (of either size) and trade paperback books when I am at home. When I'm out and about I will read the manga and mass market paperbacks that I have. I will be able to get through them all easier that way. 

Library Room July 2018

Considering the most recent photograph of my desk looks something like the one to the right (I've since cleaned it off and put my laptop, printer, desk light and notepad there), I might want to consider abandoning Camp NaNo for July and focusing on reading. I have not read a single one of the books in that photograph. Of the literal near thousand books I own, I've read maybe 200-225. It's hard to properly gauge since I can't use GoodReads. A fair portion of the books recorded in my Read folder are library, digital, or borrowed from friends. There it has 243. My doc, which is only about 1/3 done, has 581 listed on it and that's definitely not including all of the new ones I just recently purchased at Books-a-Million and from MS's old collection that I got to filter through. Those will have to be added to the pile which I will have to once again go through. I doubt that many are actually on there. Curse my inability to not buy books!

I think I ought to check in at least once in 2018 with my Reading Goal. So far (as of 14 July) I have read 46/50 books. I am 20 books ahead of schedule. 92% of the way finished with my goal. If I manage to finish four more books before the 31st, I will have completed my goal and everything after it will just be bonus books. I doubt that I will not make it as this month there is, as I have mentioned before, the Biannual Bibliothon. It has the following prompts and my choices for said prompts: 

1) Read the Group Book -The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

2) Read a Book from Someone Else's TBR - The Magicians by Lev Grossman

3) Read the First Chapter of Three Books and Chose One to Finish - The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson/Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia/The Shack by William Paul Young

4) Read a Book That has Been on Your TBR Over a Year - The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

5) Read a Predicted 5-Star Book - And I Darken by Kiersten White

6) Read an Own Voices Book that is Different from You - Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

7) Read the Last Book You Purchased - A List of Cages by Robin Roe

And the book we chose for challenge #3?! The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. When I was reading the first three chapters, this is the one that stuck out the most to me and the one I was most interested in reading. I didn't think I would actually put it down at first, but I managed.

I don't think those are quite a bad list. I can manage a few hours before and after work during the week to get through them, none are horribly long, with the exception of And I Darken, but that's a YA Fantasy I will probably fly through. I doubt I won't be able to finish them, but if I can't, I'll just finish reading them in the month of July! If I manage to complete all of these before the month is up, I'll finish July at 54/50 or 108% of my 2018 goal. I also have a shorter anthology I'm reading and a series of manga. If I finish those as well, I will be at 60/50 or 120%. I wonder if I can do it? I think so!

That is all for this edition of Currently Reading! I will see you lovelies again in two weeks for my next update. 

June 2018 Wrap Up

My goal for June was 11 books. I am proud of myself for managing to finish 8. It put me at 39/50, and 15 books currently ahead of schedule. I can't believe I've read that much already this year. (Granted, this time in 2016, I had already read over 50)...Now then! On with the wrap up.


Book #1: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies make it increasingly difficult to live a normal life, and after a completely humiliating incident ruins her first (and perhaps only) real party, she's ready to disappear "Come and be the most powerful person in the world." Suddenly, Lily finds herself in a different Salem. One overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women--including Lillian, this world's version of Lily. "It will be terrifying. It was for me." What made Lily weak at home, makes her extraordinary here. It also puts her in terrible danger. Faced with new responsibilities she can barely understand and a love she never expected, Lily is left with one question: How can she be the savior of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

I really enjoyed the idea for this book. I believe very strongly in the multiworld theory that states there are an infinite number of parallel "worlds" and who knows, maybe in one of them I'm an evil dictatorial queen, or you are, or there are no rulers at all. There are endless possibilities. One thing, though, that I wish they had covered more in the novel was what each stone was for. There was a brief explanation, but I can't remember what it was beyond smokey quartz being the strongest. Maybe I'll find out more in Firewalker or Witch's Pyre when I get my hands on them. Another thing I'm rather curious about: where is Lily Procter's Rowan, Gideon, Caleb....? If the worlds are are mirrored inasmuch as the people in them are the same 'people', then why do we not know of any Rowans, Gideons, or Calebs running around in the Salem that Lily is from? Moving on! Lily's not so much sick as just unnaturally warm. Her body runs about 4* warmer than the average human with 102* versus our standard 98.6*. Nearly enough to start cooking the brain (which is from 103-105*). How was she not permanently hospitalized? How? Anyone I know would have been taken up and kept there, regardless of insurance. I gave this book 4/5 because I loved the idea behind the willstones and Woven and all of the things that happened in the book. I hope some things are expanded upon in Firewalker and Witch's Pyre, which I hope to acquire as soon as practical. Josephine Angelini has a gift.

Book #2: Saga (v2) by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples

The smash-hit ongoing epic continues! Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and alien monstrosities, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters something truly frightening: her grandparents!

Like Volume One, I found this very funny. It's an excellent read that even people who don't necessarily like comic books could enjoy. It's a Romeo and Juliet meets A Tale of Two Cities with just a dash of War of the Worlds thrown in there for reasons as yet unknown. I love how we are hearing almost all of the story from Hazel herself, as though we are sitting in her tree-rocket-house-thingy and she's just recounting her life for us. Possibly the saddest part was with her grandparents, but I'll leave that spoiler-free for you. Remember this is an MA/NC-17 sort of comic book. For adults only. There is definitely random nudity throughout and very very impressive gore scenes scattered. Read at your own risk and please do not even consider this book if you're under like 16. That said, 5/5 would recommend (to the appropriate audience.)

Book #3: Saga (v3) by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples 

Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Searching for their literary hero, new parents Marko and Alana travel to a cosmic lighthouse on the planet Quietus, while the couple's multiple pursuers finally close in on their targets.

5/5. After reading this, I felt no shame in buying a Pop Vinyl of Lying Cat at Books-a-Million. It was worth it. Maybe next time I'm there I'll pick up the one they have of The Will to go with him...her...uh I don't know. This picks up nearly exactly where two left off. Be warned there is nudity in this and one very graphic death scene that I can think of, if not more. I don't know why (or how) I avoided the Saga series for as long as I have, and I sort of regret that now. Volume Three had many diverse characters in it of orientation and species, including, much to my own delight a strange aquatic gay couple. We got to meet Gwendolyn as well and finally get more of that story arc. I can't wait to get volumes 4-8 and catch myself up!

Book #4: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors--one welcome, the other decidedly less so--the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows. With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this little-known classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

From the blurb on the back, I thought Dashti and Saren had been a pair for quite some time before being shut up in the tower. No, they met and Saren was like "Oh yeah, I won't do this thing that my father wants, so I'm being locked up. If you agree to be my lady's maid, you'll be coming with me. This is happening in the morning. You in?" and Dashti was just okay with it! She doesn't even think about it for more than what would amount to thirty seconds. I really love how random it was and how dedicated Dashti was despite not actually being a lady's maid. She is just a simple folk healer from the steppes of southern psuedo-Mongolia. I have a sneaking suspicion she would have been happier in the horse paddock. Not as a lady's maid trapped in a tower with as unpleasant a Lady as Saren. I think Dashti really kept the book for herself. She may have decided later on to give it to someone, namely Tegus, but it began as a sort of private account to keep her senses during their lock down. Why else would she so shamelessly copy out things he said and did as well as draw him? I wouldn't draw in books meant for eyes other than my own. And no, it's not because I can't draw. I'm actually a decent artist. She was using the book the way anyone would, as a form of catharsis. She can keep the thoughts she would never dream of sharing with anyone else there. She must have trusted Tegus a lot more than we are lead to believe if she let him read a book that Saren wasn't even allowed to touch. 4/5 stars definitely. I liked the way Shannon Hale told the story through Dashti's eyes. It's obvious she did a lot of research on what that sort of society would be like. Though I was surprised by the end. I didn't think it would go the way it did. I'm going to find more books by Shannon Hale for my collection.

Book #5: The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn

Danny Goldstein has always lived in the shadow of his identical, twin brother Sam. But when a hurricane of events forces him into the spotlight, he starts to realize that the only thing he's truly afraid of is himself. With the help of his costume changing friend Cher, a famous gay uncle with a mysterious past of his own, two aging punk rocker parents and Rusty, the boy who will become his something to live for, Danny begins to realize that the music of the heart is truly the soundtrack for living.

My second time reading through this and I managed to like enough of it to bump it from a 2/5 to a 3/5. It still just didn't feel entirely plausible to me. Nothing against Peter of course. I've never seen romance happen that quickly except in a Hallmark movie (now if only Hallmark could do some LGBT+ stuff for their June Weddings series...). There were a few grammar issues that would be easy for the non-critical reader to completely miss. Places where a word used and a word meant were homophones, and both being words, the spellchecker didn't catch that there was a problem. There were also a few sentences that had missing or incorrect punctuation marks. Small things that would have driven me nuts. I don't think it's normal really for someone to be brooding over a certain event and then have it just go away when a pretty boy shows up. That's obsession and it's unhealthy. I really doubt I'm ever going to read this again, but I won't get rid of it because it means something to me. 

Book #6: Pokémon Adventures v1 by Hidenori Kusaka and Mato

 Adventures based on the best-selling video games! All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen into the pages of this action-packed manga! Red doesn't just want to train Pokémon, he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game. But independent Pikachu won't be so easy to win over! And watch out for Team Rocket, Red... They only want to be your enemy! 

Hear me out....I'm not normal. I don't really even read manga all that much any more and yet...So this follows the game so instead of Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak you have "Red" and "Blue" (and I guess eventually Gold, Silver, FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire....) It follows most of Red's journey through the Indigo League, making the necessary time skips because I really don't think anyone wants to see him catching basic Pokémon. It starts with Red as an already well established trainer in the limits of Pallet Town. He even shows children how to catch a Rhyhorn. Then he ends up at Professor Oak's lab where all chaos breaks loose. Let the adventure begin!!! We close the book when he completes the mini-quest we get in Lavender Town to help ease the spirit of a deceased Pokémon (spoiler alert: it's a Gastly) to move on or something. I am so getting the next volume when I come across it.

Book #7: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweler, detective, vegan, and collector of butterflies. When his father is killed in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of a key he discovers in his father's closet. It is a search which leads him into the lives of strangers, through the five boroughs of New York, into history, to the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima, and on an inward journey which brings him ever closer to some kind of peace.

I adored this book. Oskar Schell is funny. I understand his various fears and worries. He lived through something terrible that not many had that close a connection to, and it shook him to the core. He was the last person in his family to hear his father's voice. I liken this book to Ulysses by James Joyce for kids. It reads similarly only through the eyes of a child. Oskar was such a wonderful little boy who really only wanted to connect with his father, or at least the memory of his father. I love how we got random inserts from Oskar's grandparents in letters to their son and grandson. They were wonderful snippets that give insight into why Oskar is the way he is. The end is wonderful and I don't want to spoil it, so I end my review here. 5/5 stars, would read again.

Book #8: Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken

Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods is a work of monumental importance--the first book to introduce the shocking theory that ancient Earth had been visited by aliens. This world-famous bestseller has withstood the test of time, inspiring countless books and films, including the author's own popular sequel, The Eyes of the Sphinx. But here is where it all began--von Däniken's startling theories of our earliest encounters with alien worlds, based upon his lifelong studies of ancient ruins, lost cities, potential spaceports, and a myriad of hard scientific facts that point to extraterrestrial intervention in human history. Most incredible of all, however, is von Däniken's theory that we ourselves are the descendants of these galactic pioneers--and the archaeological discoveries that prove it...

* An alien astronaut preserved in a pyramid

* Thousand-year-old spaceflight navigation charts

* Computer astronomy from Incan and Egyptian ruins

* A map of the land beneath the ice cap of Antarctica

* A giant spaceport discovered in the Andes

Includes remarkable photos that document mankind's first contact with aliens at the dawn of civilization. 

This book was interesting. I didn't know at first what I was supposed to think of it. I liked it well enough, but since it was published back in the what, early sixties, a lot of the information that was in it is outdated. Science has advanced in the last 50+ years to the point where the impressive information they had, is old news to us here in 2018. I will definitely be looking for The Eyes of the Sphinx to read and compare to the this one. Maybe I will like them enough to continue reading books by him. Who knows? 3/5 stars because not as garbage as it could have been.