Artemis by Andy Weir

Title: Artemis

Author: Andy Weir

Publisher: Broadway Books 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Another Planet; I Love Libraries

Jasmine Bashara never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich.

Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity’s first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she’s owed for a long time.

So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can’t say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions—not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can’t handle, and she figures she’s got the ‘swagger’ part down.

The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz’s problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Instead of a survival story, we get a space adventure combined with a heist and corporate intrigue. I immediately fell for Jazz and her general lifestyle. Very fun to read about! She is definitely one of those anti-heroes. Perfect for this kind of book. From there, Weir fills Artemis with other interesting characters to be accomplices or foils for Jazz. The author toned down the science talk from The Martian, but it’s still there. I learned a lot about how you could create and sustain a colony on the moon. I sped through this book over my weekend away and it was definitely an entertaining read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Title: Their Eyes were Watching God

Author: Zora Neale Hurston

Publisher: 1937

Genre: Classics

Pages: 219

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Popsugar - Different Ethnicity; MMD - Different Ethnicity

One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature.

A very powerful story featuring a fascinating female protagonist. I really fell into reading about Janie's struggles and triumphs. At times I had to put the book down because it was so intense. But that intensity is what made the book so amazing. Hurston's book was ahead of its time. I could see this book being published today. It feels so current and modern. This book is not a light fun read, but was definitely enjoyable.

Next up on the TBR pile:

College Girls by Lynn Peril

Title: College Girls

Author: Lynn Peril

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company 2006

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - Nonfiction Adventure; Popsugar - Microhistory

A geek who wears glasses? Or a sex kitten in a teddy? This is the dual vision of the college girl, the unique American archetype born when the age-old conflict over educating women was finally laid to rest. College was a place where women found self-esteem, and yet images in popular culture reflected a lingering distrust of the educated woman. Thus such lofty cultural expressions as Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) and a raft of naughty pictorials in men’s magazines.

As in Pink Think, Lynn Peril combines women’s history and popular culture—peppered with delightful examples of femoribilia from the turn of the twentieth century through the 1970s—in an intelligent and witty study of the college girl, the first woman to take that socially controversial step toward educational equity.

Another one of those books sitting on my shelves for much too long. Overall, I was invested in the history of women in college but I will admit that I knew a decent amount of the information presented. Peril does a great job at laying out different areas of the college experience throughout history. I was especially interested in the chapter about sex education. The book was packed full of information an primary sources.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

Title: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls

Author: Lauren Graham

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2016

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 224

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - Goodreads Choice Award Winner

In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).

I really really wanted to like this memoir. I enjoyed watching Lauren Graham on both Gilmore Girls and Parenthood. I was looking forward to hearing her fun stories about life in Hollywood. And yet, I just didn't really enjoy this one. I felt that the stories were very meandering. I just kept getting pulled back out of the narrative. Her references and silly asides seemed very dated already. I would hope that care would be taken when adding very time specific references and the ones chosen just weren't that great two years on. Pretty disappointed in this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

Title: Out of Africa

Author: Isak Dinesen

Publisher: 1937

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 399

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (Rory Gilmore); Popsugar - Male pseudonym; Share-a-Tea

With classic simplicity and a painter's feeling for atmosphere and detail, Isak Dinesen tells of the years she spent from 1914 to 1931 managing a coffee plantation in Kenya.

This one has been on my list for years, especially after I read Circling the Sun. I was a little thrown off by the nonlinear nature to this book, but quickly got over the format. The volume is part memoir, part travelogue. I really fell into the atmosphere of Kenya and Karen's life there. Passages of this book were incredibly beautiful. It took me a bit of time to get through this one only because I had to reread some of the descriptive passages.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

Title: Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 190

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Twins; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Fantasy Series

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.

All through the first book in this series, I wondered about the history of Jack and Jill. Thankfully McGuire wrote an entire book just about their story and it was truly horrifying. I loved the world of The Moors and the cast of characters that live there. The Master and Dr. Bleak are great villains in a world of villains. I loved reading through the twins's story and ultimate expulsion back to our world. Such a great slim novel.

Wayward Children

#1 Every Heart a Doorway
#2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones
#3 Beneath the Sugar Sky
#4 In an Absent Dream
#5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Title: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tor 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 173

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - LGBTQ+ Protagonist; What's in a Name - Shape; Seasonal Series - LGBTQ+ Characters

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.

No matter the cost.

This slim book is just so incredibly beautiful. I know it's cliche to say that a book is beautifully written, but in this case it's true. I loved devouring every single word of this story. I loved how McGuire dumps the reader into the story without much introduction and world building. Instead we are left to figure out the situation along with Nancy. I was fully immersed from page one. I loved it and can't wait to pick up another book in this series.

Wayward Children

#1 Every Heart a Doorway
#2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones
#3 Beneath the Sugar Sky
#4 In an Absent Dream
#5 Come Tumbling Down

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan

Title: The Last Castle

Author: Denise Kiernan

Publisher: Touchstone 2017

Genre: U.S. History

Pages: 388

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - Nonfiction Adventure; Popsugar - 2017 Prompt (Recommended by a Librarian); Modern Mrs. Darcy - Biography

A New York Times bestseller with an "engaging narrative and array of detail” (The Wall Street Journal), the “intimate and sweeping” (Raleigh News & Observer) untold, true story behind the Biltmore Estate—the largest, grandest private residence in North America, which has seen more than 120 years of history pass by its front door.

This was our book club selection for June and I was super excited to read it. I love social history and the subject matter was something I knew little about. I must say that after reading this book, I know a lot more about the Vanderbilts, various other contemporary figures, random concurrent historical events, and Biltmore itself. The story lends itself to a fascinating look at the rise and (somewhat) fall of one of America's great families. What I found even more interesting was the surrounding non-Vanderbilt characters. The residents and employees of Biltmore contributed in many ways to the construction and building of the great house. I Overall a very interesting book. At times the writing became a bit too detailed and slowed down my reading, but I made it through to the end and learned a lot in the process.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Elite by Kiera Cass

Title: The Elite (The Selection #2)

Author: Kiera Cass

Publisher: HarperTeen 2013

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 337

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Halloween; I Love Libraries

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection, and to win Prince Maxon’s heart. Now six girls remain, and the competition is fiercer than ever—but America Singer is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—that she wants? Or is it still Aspen, her first love?

I couldn't help myself and blew right through this volume in one day. I enjoyed it very much, although America's behavior occasionally grates on me. I just want her to make a choice! (Although I imagine that the choice is coming in the third book.) I did enjoy getting to know Maxon more and the various side characters. You know I'll be picking up the next volume soon, but first, I am going to read the next short story.

The Selection:

#0.5 The Prince
#1 The Selection
#2 The Elite
#2.5 The Guard
#3 The One
#3.5 The Queen
#4 The Heir
#4.5 The Favorite
#5 The Crown
#5.5 Happily Ever After

Next up on the TBR pile:

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

Title: Anne of Avolnea (Anne Shirley #2)

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Publisher: 1909

Genre: Classics

Pages: 276

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Reading Assignment; Popsugar - Childhood Classic I've Never Read; Seasonal Series - Green on Cover

Following Anne of Green Gables (1908), the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley. This book follows Anne from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea school. It includes many of the characters from Anne of Green Gables, as well as new ones like Mr Harrison, Miss Lavendar Lewis, Paul Irving, and the twins Dora and Davy.

I liked this volume more than the first in the series. Anne at 16 is a much more interesting character than Anne at 11. And I loved the introduction of some new characters and residents of Avonlea. Overall it was a very fun read for the day.

Anne Shirley:

#1 Anne of Green Gables
#2 Anne of Avonlea
#3 Anne of the Island
#4 Anne of Windy Poplars
#5 Anne's House of Dreams
#6 Anne of Ingleside
#7 Rainbow Valley
#8 Rilla of Ingleside

Next up on the TBR pile:

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Title: Anne of Green Gables (Anne Shirley #1)

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Publisher: 1908

Genre: Classics

Pages: 198

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsguar - Mentioned in Another Book; Seasonal Series - Set in Spring

When a scrawny, freckled girl with bright red hair arrives on Prince Edward Island, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are taken by surprise; they'd asked for a quiet boy to help with the farm work at Green Gables. But how can you return a friendless child to a grim orphanage when she tells you her life so far has been a 'perfect graveyard of buried hopes'? And so, the beguiling chatterbox stays. Full of dreams, warmth and spirit, it is not long before Anne Shirley wins their hearts.

Somehow I have lived for 36 years having never read this book. As a child I was a huge fan of The Secret Garden and Little Women, but never picked this one up. Strange. Having read it, I understand the appeal to young children. Anne is a precocious and entertaining character. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but I chalk that up to being a grown woman.

Anne Shirley:

#1 Anne of Green Gables
#2 Anne of Avonlea
#3 Anne of the Island
#4 Anne of Windy Poplars
#5 Anne's House of Dreams
#6 Anne of Ingleside
#7 Rainbow Valley
#8 Rilla of Ingleside

Next up on the TBR pile:

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

Title: Birthmarked

Author: Caragh O'Brien

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press 2010

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 361

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Popsugar - Ugly Cover; Seasonal Series - On My Shelf For Years

Sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three infants every month. But when Gaia's mother is brutally taken away by the very people she serves, Gaia must question whether the Enclave deserves such loyalty. A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

Overall a real disappointment for me. I usually like post-apocalyptic fantasies, but this one was just way too familiar. A world ravaged by climate change? Check. Society divided for the "good fo the people"? Check. Clothes colored for position in society and fertility issues a la The Handmaid's Tale? Check. The future of the society hinging on one young girl? Check. The result was fairly boring. I just didn't connect to any of the characters. I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next. I just didn't really care. I'm sure there are people out there that loved this one. I just found it very boring and won't be continuing the series. At least, I got one more book off my unread shelves.

Birthmarked

#1 Birthmarked
#1.5 Tortured
#2 Prized
#2.5 Ruled
#3 Promised

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Title: Sourdough

Author: Robin Sloan

Publisher: MCD 2017

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Involving a Heist; I Love Libraries

Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers close up shop, and fast. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her—feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it.

Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves daily to the General Dexterity cafeteria. The company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market, and a whole new world opens up.

When Lois comes before the jury that decides who sells what at Bay Area markets, she encounters a close-knit club with no appetite for new members. But then, an alternative emerges: a secret market that aims to fuse food and technology. But who are these people, exactly?

Overall, I really enjoyed our book club selection this month. I loved Lois's adventure with the sourdough starter. I loved all the descriptions of the starter and the bread it created. I loved the relationships Lois cultivated at General Dexterity and the Marrow Fair. I even enjoyed hearing about the other residents of the Marrow Fair, especially Horace. What I didn't love was the weird pseudo-corporate espionage that happened in the last 30 pages or so. I didn't like the characters involved and I certainly didn't like the outcome. Plus the way it was written made the ending seem very forced and abrupt. I would have liked a bit more to draw the conflict out. Oh well. At least most of the book was very entertaining.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mad Hatters and March Hares

Title: Mad Hatters and March Hares

Edited by: Ellen Datlow

Publisher: Tor 2017

Genre: Fantasy Short Stories

Pages: 332

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Animal in Title; Share-a-Tea; I Love Libraries

From master anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been read, enjoyed, and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked eighteen of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

As with every short story collection, the results are a bit mixed. But this collection really redeemed itself with a few key stories. My favorites:

"Mercury" -- Love the twist on the Mad Hatter idea. The twist at the end was definitely the best part.
"Alis" -- Hands down the creepiest story I have read in a very very very long time. I seriously had a nightmare about it the night after I read it. And I have avoided mirrors for awhile. Horrifying...
"All the King's Men" -- This was such a weird little story. I might just have nightmares about little Humpty Dumpties.
"In Memory of a Summer's Day" -- Love the idea of Wonderland turned into a tourist attraction. And yet, Wonderland is still a very dangerous place.
"Sentence Like a Saturday" -- What if a creature from Wonderland got stuck in our world? And grew up, but never really became a part of our world? Oh... I am here for this story.
"Eating the Alice Cake" -- Hmmm.. I wasn't expecting this story, but loved the twists and turns.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman

Title: The Dress Lodger

Author: Sheri Holan

Publisher: Grove 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 322

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Popsguar - Given as a gift; Seasonal Series - Flower as bookmark

In Sunderland, England, a city quarantined by the cholera epidemic of 1831, Gustine, a defiant fifteen-year-old beauty in an elegant blue dress rented from her pimp-landlord, sells her body to feed her only love: a fragile baby boy. When she meets surgeon Henry Chiver, who has recently been implicated in the Burke and Hare killings, in which beggars were murdered so the corpses could be sold for medical research, Gustine begins working for him by securing cadavers for his ill-equipped anatomy school. It is a gruesome job that will soon threaten the very things she’s working so hard to protect.

One of those books that has been on my shelf for years it feels like. I finally dove in and it's middle of the road. It's not a bad book, but I found myself fairly bored by it. I wasn't super connected to any of the characters. The setting and background story is interesting, but not enough to carry me through the entire book. I was not a fan of the weird third person narration and jumps between stories and characters. The book felt unconnected. Overall a very meh historical fiction novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Title: NOS4A2

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow 2013

Genre: Horror

Pages: 720

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsguar - Meant to get to in 2017; Seasonal Series - Read while listening to the rain

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

Holy hell was that a creepy book... Definitely a winner. I finally picked this one up and started to read it after the book sitting on my Kindle app for at least a year. Don't know why I waited so long. Hill has taken a ton of pointers from his father (Stephen King), but has made the horror genre his own. I was sucked into this very creepy story right from the beginning. I eagerly ripped through the pages (actually clicked through as I read it on my iPad) desperate to find out what happened to Vic and Wayne, horribly anticipating the appearance of Christmasland, and hoping for some kind of explanation for all the weird events. I loved the cast of characters (especially Maggie) and the various settings of the book. The descriptions were just enough for my mind to create a vivid landscape.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

Title: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2)

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Plume 1989

Genre: Horror

Pages: 406

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - About Mental Health; Seasonal Series - Read a book while sitting outside

Beginning just less than seven hours after The Gunslinger ends, in the second installment to the thrilling Dark Tower Series, Roland encounters three mysterious doorways on a deserted beach along the Western Sea. Each one enters into a different person’s life in New York—here, he joins forces with the defiant young Eddie Dean, and with the beautiful, brilliant, and brave Odetta Holmes, to save the Dark Tower.

Picked up the second volume in The Dark Tower series. And seriously, this is one weird book. We travel with Roland into three different time periods in our own world meeting three travelers along the way. I was totally on board with Eddie. Very straight forward story. But then later we meet Odetta and things get even weirder. This is only a story of Stephen King fans. Thankfully I like his weird storytelling. Very interested in where this crazy adventure is going...

The Dark Tower:

#0.5 The Little Sisters of Eluria
#1 The Gunslinger
#2 The Drawing of the Three
#3 The Waste Lands
#4 Wizard and Glass
#4.5 The Wind Through the Keyhole
#5 Wolves of the Calla
#6 Song of Susannah
#7 The Dark Tower

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon

Title: The Great Halifax Explosion

Author: John U. Bacon

Publisher: William Morrow 2017

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - Nonfiction Adventure; Popsugar - Set at Sea; I Love Libraries

After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble.

This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands.

After hearing about this disaster on an episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, I heard about a book detailing the event. Randomly the library had it on the new releases shelf last week and I knew that I had to read it. The book is very well researched in detailing the events leading up to the explosion and the aftermath. I was horrified to read about the tragedy that befell the citizens of Halifax. And yet, it was a fascinating read. I was thoroughly engrossed in the book for the entirety. Definitely a great read for fans of history.

Next up on the TBR pile:

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Title: 84, Charing Cross Road

Author: Helene Hanff

Publisher: Grossman Publishers 1970 (Penguin Books 1990)

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 97

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Bookstore; I Love Libraries

This charming classic love story, first published in 1970, brings together twenty years of correspondence between Helene Hanff, at the time, a freelance writer living in New York City, and a used-book dealer in London at 84, Charing Cross Road. Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a winsome, sentimental friendship based on their common love for books. Their relationship, captured so acutely in these letters, is one that has touched the hearts of thousands of readers around the world.

This book has been mentioned on Anne Bogel's podcast What Should I Read Next so many times, I had to add it to my library holds list. And I'm glad I did. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, but was pleasantly surprised by the cute letters between Helene and the various people at the bookstore at 84 Charing Cross Road. Over the course of a few years, a relationship develops that I wasn't expecting but was delighted by. Such a slim little volume, but a great read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller

Title: The Philosopher's Flight

Author: Tom Miller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 422

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - Published in 2018; Share-A-Tea

Eighteen-year-old Robert Weekes is a practitioner of empirical philosophy—an arcane, female-dominated branch of science used to summon the wind, shape clouds of smoke, heal the injured, and even fly. Though he dreams of fighting in the Great War as the first male in the elite US Sigilry Corps Rescue and Evacuation Service—a team of flying medics—Robert is resigned to mixing batches of philosophical chemicals and keeping the books for the family business in rural Montana, where his mother, a former soldier and vigilante, aids the locals.

When a deadly accident puts his philosophical abilities to the test, Robert rises to the occasion and wins a scholarship to study at Radcliffe College, an all-women’s school. At Radcliffe, Robert hones his skills and strives to win the respect of his classmates, a host of formidable, unruly women.

This was my Book of the Month selection for February, but I wasn't quite sure what I picked. Turns out, this is exactly the type of book that I enjoy reading. We're drawn into an alternate history where women (and a few men) have discovered and begun practicing a version of science/magic. This, of course, has impacted the course of history in very interesting ways. The book itself is set decades after the discovery of these powers and we connected to an unusual man who has the ability to do empirical philosophy. Obviously there is a fantastical element to the book. But really the book connects us to interesting characters that go on a journey of self-discovery. Slow-moving in certain parts, but overall a really entertaining read.

Next up on the TBR pile: