Carry On Jeeves

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I had read most of Carry on Jeeves by PG Wodehouse on audio before. I was happy to pick up and read the entire book with my eyeballs.

When doddery Bertie Wooster loses his gentleman’s gentleman, he meets his match when he meets his new man, Jeeves. This collection includes some early adventures of the perfectly paired duo.

I had watched Jeeves and Wooster before I listened to the audio book of Carry on Jeeves. Then I read other books in the Jeeves and Wooster series, now I have read this book. So I have a pretty good handle on not only the characters, but these stories in particular. And yet there was still surprises when reading this book. I really liked reading physically although it did take me a few month to get all the way through. Partly, I think that was bc it’s very easy to read most of the Jeeves and Wooster books as a collection of short stories. They are more chapters, but can be read almost apart from each other. One might think that that makes it hard to get back into upon picking it up again, but the sill and easy style of these books and characters, makes it simple to fall back into almost immediately. There are a lot of people to keep track of in each book, but one gets into the flow quickly and easily. Perhaps you don’t remember each person every time, but Bertie often give a background on someone you might have forgotten. I love that many of these books are self referential. Carry On has the tale of Bertie and Jeeves first meeting and then jumps in time to the duo living in NYC to avoid the strict and disapproving eye of Aunt Agatha. I had listened to the audio book so many times but I did not realize that in the print edition there are two additional stories. The last story is told from Jeeves perspective and is unique in all of the J&W series, as far as I can tell. I greatly enjoy these stories and would highly recommend them to any J&W fans, those who like British humor, anyone who likes bumbling and silly characters, and those familiar with the TV show.

This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up.

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The Hunter

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The Hunter is the first of the Parker series written by Richard Stark (the psudonym of Donald Westelake)

Parker is a career criminal who was beyrayed on a job. When he gets out, he can only think of one thing: retribution.

My father gave me this book for xmas, and I was excited to read it, as I had been on a bit of a noir reading kick. It was interesting to read this book so soon after a noir classic, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. This book was written much later, and it has a much more modern feel. The Hunter was a little hard to get into bc it is much more violent and misogynistic with lots of violent acts and thoughts. None of the characters are likable and I found myself hoping that Parker could redeem himself, I did eventually get into the rhythm of this book, and over all I would say that I did enjoy it despite it being a difficult read. I would try another of the Parker books bc this book might suffer from first book syndrome. The idea and the characters are there, but the execution is clunky. Although I didn’t love this book, I would recommend this to those who are reading noir mystery/thrillers, fans of classic crime books, or anyone who admires Donald Westlake’s work.

This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up.

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Freedom from the Known

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My husband had read this spirituality/philosophy book, Freedom from the Known, by Krisnamurti. When I saw it in our read shelf I decided to pick it up.

From Wikipedia:
Jiddu Krishnamurti (11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a philosopher, speaker and writer…born in south India in what is now the modern day Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh…Krishnamurti said he had no allegiance to any nationality, caste, religion, or philosophy, and spent the rest of his life travelling the world, speaking to large and small groups, as well as individuals.

I haven’t read too many easter spirituality books, but those I have read I have really enjoyed. Taoism, Buddhism, hinduism, stoicism, sustainable living, are all idealisms that I am interested in learning about. I had never heard of Krishnamurti before reading this book. I also knew nothing about his philosophy and boy, it’s a doozy! It’s a hard one to wrap your head around. What I took away from this idea goes something like this this: one must be so pure and natural a being’s self, that one has no room for want, desire, hate, love, vanity, or any other human emotion, physical or mental state taht might remove one individual to another and create any kind of conflict. I found some of the ideas to be similar to what I understand about Buddhism in that almost all avenues of the human condition lead to pain and doubt and sorrow in one form or another, so one must transform one’s thinking to be solely in the moment and to ease pain in all forms for all beings. The goal is to be light and love and care for everyone and be kind and fair to all. Sounds easy, right? I am really intrigued by these ideas. If these are concepts and ideas that you might be interested in, I highly suggest reading this book. I would also recommend this book if you like learning about philosophies or religions, enjoy eastern studies, or have read anyone who was associated with Krishnamurti.

Have you read Freedom from the Known? What did you take away?

This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up.

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Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I’m a big fan of the TV series of Red Dwarf. Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers is a companion novel that follows much of the first season written by the creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor who write as Grant Naylor.

When Lister finds himself planets away from Earth, penniless and prospectless, he decides to sign up for the mining ship Red Dwarf. He sees it as a ticket home to Earth. He could not be more wrong.

I was going to order this book used online, but it turns out, I had it in my Basement Box Books the whole time! I was very glad not to spend a ridiculous sum for the used copy, especially seeing as I had it for years. I had no idea what to expect from this novel. I was sort of hoping it would be more it’s own story but it turned out to be more of a novelization of the first season of the show. I hadn’t watched the show for several years, but I remembered a lot of it. I kept hoping that it would diverge and be more story we haven’t seen or learned. I wasn’t thrilled that it never did. It more made me nostalgic for the show then enjoy the book. I felt like a lot of the jokes didn’t work as well written and there was a lot of very dated references. Again, thinking back to the show, it was nice to have a personification of the writing when picturing the characters and ship. But I think the show did far better with representation and personality than the book did. It makes me wonder about the choices made in both cases. I love that the show is a diverse cast but the book seemed to fall flat. Ultimately I liked the book and enjoyed my reading experience more than not and I will be reading the next few books, I think. But I’m actually more excited to watch the show again, bc I think it will be more fun in that format. I would recommend this book to those who want a to look at the show from a different angle, readers who like sci fi comedies, and those who enjoy British humor.

Have you read Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers? Have you watched Red Dwarf?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

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The Murders of Molly Southbourne

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The first book I read as a Booktube recommendation, The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson kinda blew my mind.

Molly grows up with many rules, some of which she doesn’t understand until she’s older. Molly grows up learning to fight and to kill. Molly grows up with many little girls who look like her but none of them can stay.

This is a very short sci fi novel that packs a punch. Molly is raised in almost complete isolation by her family and you quickly find out why. I think it might even say in the blurb on the back of the book, but I feel like when I read the book, I would have preferred not to know before hand. So I will not explain it here. Bc of the conditions of her isolation and the extreme care that her parents took with and instilled in her, she has periods of terrible paranoia. Although this book is short, it is able to convey it’s information in interesting and suspenseful ways. There was a revelation towards the end of the book that basically blew my mind and clues you in to something that has been a bit of a question mark since earlier in the book. You feel quickly for Molly’s paranoia and her desire to see and meet people. Murders certainly had a lot of mysteries, many of which were not in any way satisfied. This is the first in a series but can be read as a stand alone. I’m not sure who could just read this one, though, and am excited to pick up the rest of the books! I would highly recommend this book to those who like mystery horror, but be warned this book has many graphic passages. I would also recommend this book to those who like quick and gripping reads, and those who like clone or duplicate stories.

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

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Emergency Skin

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

A free short story on one of my subscriptions, Emergency Skin is the first book I have read by much beloved contemporary sci-fi author NK Jemison.

Follow a volunteer and the AI guiding them from within their head, as they return to a long dead planet to replenish materials needed on their new home. The leaders of the new world have promised them this is a routine mission and the volunteer will be rewarded upon their return. They are quickly to find out, not all is as it seems on the dead earth.

I really enjoyed this short story! I still stands out in my mind, several months later. It was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2021 so far. I’m sure that has something to do with Jason Issacs being the narrator. One of the reason that I liked it is that it’s written and therefore read in second person. Isaacs, as the AI guiding the volunteer, talks directly to you. This helps you feel close to the character that you are in the books. Also the secretive and misinformed nature of how that character is treated, makes you weary to the AI in a very specific way. Although brief, this book held a lot of emotion. Reading this definitely made me want to read more NK Jemison. I wonder if all her works draws you in as well as this short story. I highly recommend this books for those who already have a**zon (you can listen to this free as part of your membership!), those who like stories told in second person, and sci-fi readers!

Have you read any NK Jemison? What are you thoughts?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

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Woodswoman

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My mom gave me this beautiful old copy of Woodswomen by Anne LaBastille. Weirdly, my BFF had read it only a few month before so I was to discuss in straightaway.

When her marriage, her career, and living situation disintegrate in one fell swoop, Anne LaBastille rails against the ordinary life that might be waiting for her, opting instead to move to the Adirondack mountains, build her own house and live completely alone. This is how she becomes a Woodswomen.

Thinking back to this book several months after reading it, I loved it but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. This books was spoken to me in the same category as The Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing and other books about sustainability and self sufficiency. Although there are definitely elements of these topics, mostly of self sufficiency, Woodswomen is more a true memoir. Although Anne LaBastille does live on her own and her own terms and although she does right about conservation, she does not live a very sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle in any ways. The story of how LaBastille bucks conventional living and makes her own home, with all the trials, fails and accomplishments that entails, is fascinating. And often frustrating. In sharp contrast to how the Nearings go about creating their life, with detailed plans everything thought out, LaBastille plunges ahead with barely a plan let alone detailed “blueprints”. She almost dies, or gets someone else killed, many times,. Her rash actions often cause close to chaos and has to redo many of her initial work. She must make the same mistakes over and over before she gets it right. She is brash and impetuous and head strong. But this impetuousness allows her to live the life she always wanted without getting bogged down by being scared or conjoled into how she should live. Anne’s writing is evocative and compelling and interesting. When she writes about the freezing lake, you shiver. I would highly recommend this book to all those who have dreamed of walking in to the woods and never leaving, adventurers living on their own, people interested in the history of the Adirondacks, those who want to build their own homes and lives.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

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Umbrella Academy 3: Hotel Oblivion

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The third book of The Umbrella Academy, Hotel Oblivion continues to follow the found family created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba.

Once again scattered, the members of the Umbrella Academy must reunite to prevent a prison break from the mysterious Hotel Oblivion. Chaos ensues, something the team is used to creating as well as vanquishing.

I really like the Umbrella Academy books, but I don’t think they are easy to read comics. They are not comics I would recommend to new comics readers. The art is highly stylized, can be choppy and, in comparison to the show, a lot of the characters look similar which can make them hard to distinguish. The plots are dense, twisting, and confusing. making leaps in understanding and time. That all being said, I really enjoy these books; They are fast paced, bizarre, explore themes of found family, tying your identity to your work, family, or those around you. The books deal with ideas of abandonment, responsibility, and control, and the aimlessness of the realization lack of purpose. This third installment came out 10 years after Volume 2 and I haven’t read it in many years. Hotel left me totally confused and adrift when first picking it up. I mostly blame myself for this, but there was also something about it that rubbed me the wrong way towards the book and reading experience. I do wish that there had been a separate recap, or even within the story, more was done to clue the reader in. Perhaps not a full recap, but more hints dropped. Overall, I did get into the story, even though there were bits I had to just accept that I didn’t really understand. I can’t wait to read more about the Umbrella Academy. I’m also highly anticipating the next season of the show. So far, the show has loosely followed the event of the comics, with the first and second season somewhat corresponding to the first and second books respectively. I’m interested to see if the third season follows the third book and how they adapt the events. I would recommend the three graphic novels, but I would suggest reading them in order and quick succession.

Have you read this comic series?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

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The Mistletoe Murder

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

Collected postumously and gathered over time, The Mistletoe Murder contains four short stories by PD James.

Collecting four short stories, The Mistletoe Murders contains stories about writers and crime, a young Adam Dalgliesh and more! Wonderfully encapselating many of James’ signature tropes, this is a great comanion to her novels.

I really loved this book! Each story was it’s own, but reminisced to what I love about PD James’ work. She gives you backstory of her famous detective, pokes fun at writers and mystery murder writers particularly, and she mixes dark murder with her easy-to-read style. Many of James’ books that I have read are dark but I felt that there was something even darker about the stories collected here. I was a little shocked, in fact, by the evil nature contained in one particular story. It is a story that surprised me and I continue to think of it month later. Although some of these stories took place at xmas time and the cover is very festive, there’s no need to read these short stories at the holiday season. I really loved this book and will have to see if PD James’ wrote more short stories because I want to read them! I find that these quick stories are “perfect” to me. They are short but pack a punch and many will stay with me for a long time, I believe. I would highly recommend this book to mystery short stories lovers, James fans, and anyone who wants fast paced, interesting, and short thrillers!

What are your favorite mystery short stories?

This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.

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The Big Sleep

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler might be THE classic Noir novel.

Philip Marlow is a good PI. He does what he needs to to get the job done. When Marlowe is hired by a dying man to investigate a blackmail attempt on his youngest daughter, Marlow must go above and beyond for his client. Again.

I always say that i like noir but I had never read any Chandler. As soon as I started reading I could see why he is iconic! I was shocked that this was a debut novel! I was surprised at how tight and cinematic this novel was for being writing in the 1930s. It’s also surprisingly funny! The humor reminded me so much of Agatha Christie. Both authors mix the serious topic of murder and crime with a lightness of comedic timing and poking fun at the characters and story, itself. Having never read this novel or seen the movie before, I really had no idea what was going to happen and this mystery had a lot of moving parts and great intrigue. I really liked that Marlowe was a “good guy”. Although he may have to do nasty things, he ultimately has a strong moral code and follows it. Especially in comparison to other noir novels, I liked how little misogyny and anti women sentiment there was. Now, there are still very problematic words, thoughts and ideas in this book, mostly due to it’s time and place in history. And I’m not saying there is NO misogyny, but there was less then I expected. I did feel that the first half of this novel was much stronger than the second part. There was a few middle bits that lagged compared to the beginning and there was less of a clear path or clear writing. Despite that uneveness, I really enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to read more Chandler. I would highly recommend this book for wanyone who likes noir novels or movies, people who like clasic crime stories, those who like books set in LA and mystery lovers.

Who is your favorite noir writer?

This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.

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Weekly Video Round Up #9 - 2/1/2021 - 2/7/2021

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living; books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Going forward I think my monthly wraps will be vlog style!! This gives me an opportunity to talk about the books sooner after I have read them. I read 5 books in Jan which is pretty awesome! I’m always happy if I get to read about a book a week.

What did you read in January?

Books in this video:
Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion (2019) Gerald Way and Gabrial Ba
Woodswomen (1975) Anne LeBastille
Emergency Skin (2019) NK Jemison
The Murders of Molly Southbourne (2017) Tade Thomson
Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers (1989) Grant Naylor

Cats in this video: Martin!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I try to post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Each month I create some lofi ASMR with the books I might read that month. What is your favorite ASMR? Have you read any of these books?

Books in this video: Dead Wake (2015) Erik Larson
Isaac's Storm (1999) Erik Larson
Thunderstruck (2006) Erik Larson

Cats in this video: Perhaps a distant meow....

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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The Moving Finger

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The third in the Miss Marple Series, I listened to The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie free on line.

While recovering from injuries, Jerry Burton retires to a small quaint village in the country with his sistery for company. Peace and quiet is what he’s looking for but when a mysterious poison pen letter arrives, that’s the last thing he gets.

I’m always surprised and delighted at how funny Christie writes. Some of the comedy is totally intended, but some, I think, is unintentional. The interplay between brother and sister and the blossoming unexpected love affairs they each fall into is so funny and silly in this book. How people treat the young woman of the village, treating her as an idiot child, is both intended to be funny and not. Another aspect of the Miss Marple series that I’m surprised by is how little Miss Marple is actually in the books. In the first and second book, she is a peripheral character until she swoops in in the end to solve the mystery. But in tThe Moving Finger she literally isn’t even mentioned for 80% of the book. Only when all else fails and it looks like the mystery will never be solved does she show up and of course, saves the day. Thinking back on this book, over a month later, I barely remember the mystery, but the relationships stick with me. I would highly recommend this book for those who like books about siblings, classic mystery books, books with surprising strong female characters, and of course, stories set in small towns.

Have you read this book? If so, where does it sit with other Christie books you’ve read? Should I do a tier rank for all the Miss Marple books?

This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.

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Buried

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I found this short story, Buried by Jeffery Deaver, free from a subscription I have. It was read by JD Jackson.

“Fitz” Fitzgerald is getting older. He can’t get used to new digital media, he doesn’t like it, and he’s almost ready to retire. But when the Grave Digger, the vile kidnapper, returns, Fitz is pulled in for one more story.

Jeffery Deaver is best known for the bone collector books which were adapted to a film with Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington. I didn’t know that when I started this Audio Book. I picked it up only bc it seemed interesting. And it was free. And it was short. Audio books can be hard to keep my attention and this book definitely suffered bc I didn’t just sit and listen to it all in one go. This book basically has two halves, and two lead characters. The first half, where our first main character is exploring his own obsoletion, and where he is inspired to make a difference one last time, and also where he is the detective in the story, was really interesting to me. The second half was like a separate book, flipping everything from the first part of the story. It was an interesting idea, and I think Deaver carried it out well. But the major break really took me out of the flow of the story. It didn’t help that I also somehow unknowingly also took a break from listening right at that point and was completely confused when I returned to the book. In the end the mystery didn’t really go where I was hoping and the breaking apart of the narrative really added to my disappointment. Overall, I would recommend this short story if you like books about writers or journalists, thrillers, or multi perspective mysteries.

Have you read any any of Jeffery Deaver’s books?

This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.

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Magpie Murders

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

After reading his take on Sherlock Holmes I was excited tio read more from Anthony Horowitz, and luckily I already owned Magpie Murders!

Susan Ryland, an editor and publisher of mystery novels, sits down to read the latest book draft from her star writer. She never imagines the twists and turns this new mystery will take her on, both while reading and in real life!

After the first chapter of this book, you start reading another book! The first book you are reading is a mystery. The book within a book that you are reading is a mystery. The book within a book is a knock off off a famous belgian private investigator that we know and love. The more I read, the more obvious and blatant the homage became. And the more I read, the more I was confused as to how this book was going to tie into the original book. The main character, a book editor and publisher, tells you right off that this second book is important and the cataylst to the larger mystery of the first book. So now you have two mysteries, one that you can’t see and one that you haven’t read. Sound frustrating? It is. I found in the end, it was worth it, but I felt it took a long time to get there. I like the idea of a book within a book, I like the characters and side plots, I like the descriptions. My favorite part of this book may have been the fun it poked at the book industry. I don’t work in the book industry but this has become one of my favorite devises this year. I love when writers make fun of writers, editors, and publishers. I’m excited for the next in this series, which I believe comes out in 2021. I wonder what form it will take, could it be another book within a book? I would recommend this book to those who are Agatha Christie fans, or fans of homages to her, fans of straightforward “cozy” style mysteries, and readers who aren’t mad about guessing the ending of a book.

Have you read Magpie Murders?

This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.

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It's Fine By Me

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I’ve read two other Per Petterson books before and really enjoyed them. When I saw It’s Fine by Me used online, I picked it up.

When Arvid moves with his mother away from the country side and away from his family troubles there, he enters school with the persona of the tough guy. He doesn’t expect to make friends, he doesn’t expect to finish school, and he doesn’t expect his troubles to follow him.

A lot of people goals for reading is to read more translated work. I would say that is a goal for me as well, but I always wonder about translated books: how much is what the author wrote and what the translator interpreted? It’s Fine By Me is the third Per Petterson and I think his writing really shows thru translation. All the books I have read seem to be semi autobiographical. The common themes are young men coming of age, coming to grips with manhood (to varying degrees of success) and accepting their own trauma and the trauma they themselves cause. I think Petterson says a lot about the anger inherent in young men, and how that developes overtime, how men can overcome that or feed into it. Although I would call Petterson’s style of writing “quiet” his books are packed with emotions of anger, frustration, doubt, and hope. His writing, characters and setting really set a mood and transport you to his stories. I like while each of the books I’ve read have had differences, they have also brought me back to that place that is very Petterson, and I believe that is his intent. I would recommend this book to readers that like coming of age stories, stories set in Scandinavia, and books that examine how angry boys grow up.

Have you read any Per Petterson? Who writes your favorite coming of age stories?

This book is featured in my Dec Wrap Up.

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Cape May Ghost Stories

One of my goals in 2020 (and 2021!) is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

Perhaps I picked up Cape May Ghost Stories by David J Seibold and Charles J Adams III in Cape May? But I’m not sure.

Mysteries visions, strange noises, cold spells, papers fluttering, objects moving, and other spooky and startling events are only a few stories that are told to two authors when they reach out to find out if historic Cape May is actually haunted.

This book was written in the late eighties but it was fun read about places and land marks that are familiar to me today. Cape May is a Victorian beach town and one of the first beach resort destinations in the history of modern America. It perfectly lends it’s self to ghost stories and according to those in this book there are ghosts and spirits at every turn. Many of these stories are quite flimsy as far as evidence of life beyond the grave, but the spooky and mysterious nature fits in perfectly with the back drop of Cape May. The authors put out a call for people in surrounding areas to come forward with tales of the unknown and it seems there were quite a few to be told. Seibold and Adams tell the stories as it was told to them, sometimes doing additional research. Most of the names and some of the locations have been changed. I really liked how homespun this book is. It feel like friends who are interested in different things and writing books about them, ghost stories being one of those subjects. I would recommend this book to people who like local or small town stories, those interested in supernatural stories, or anyone who has visited and loved Cape May.

What books about local places have you liked?

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Eating Wildly

One of my goals in 2020 (and 2021!) is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I picked up Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal by Ava Chin at a goodwill this year.

During one of her most difficult and challenging years, Ava Chin discovers her love of foraging and it changes her life forever.

When I picked this up my husband said I wasn’t going to like it. He predicted that this was going to be too much of a self help book, too much of a romance, too cloying. And he was right, for the most part it was not a self help book). Chin shares difficult areas of life: her break up, difficult relationship with her month and father, her grandmother’s failing health, insecurity in work and life as she moved through her 30s. She also shares the joys of discovering foraging and her growing confidence in the subject. Unfortunately the way she conveys this information is disorganized, jumps confusingly in time, and is told in a surprisingly over dramatic way. Her writing is flowery, over descriptive and twee. It’s hard to be so critical of a memoir, bc this not only is someone’s life, but how they want to tell you about it. Even though many aspects of this book were not only disappointing but actually offensive to me, I can’t discount that this is Ava Chin’s story in her own words. That being said, if I can sum up how I felt about this book in three words: overly self indulgent. I appreciate Chin’s difficult childhood, her troubles navigating even the most basic of romantic relationships, her crushing insecurities about work and her own abilities, her self pity and denial of privilege, but I can’t appreciate the sappy and sophomoric way in which she relates these things. What I found most offensive was that despite all the phycological, physical and emotional work she does to over come her difficulties, the only thing that really makes her problems feel solved (to herself) is finding a boyfriend. She takes the reader on a journey of healing, but is the lasting lesson is one is not whole with out a man. I was greatly disappointed that one of the only books I read by an Asian American author in 2020 was a terrible book, especially bc it was a memoir of a mostly interesting life. But I know that is more my short coming at not reading enough diverse authors. I bought Eating Wildly with the idea that I would pass it on to a foraging friend after I was done, but I cannot recommend this book to her or anyone else.

Have you ever gotten a book that you hoped to pass on but decided you couldn’t?

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The Infinite Blacktop

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I read the first two Detective Clair DeWitt books a few years ago. I bought this used copy of the third book, The Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran, to catch up on the series.

Clare DeWitt, the worlds greatest detective, wakes up from a car accident, bruised, bloody, and pissed off. She realizes one thing right away - that was no accident. Determined to find out why someone tried to kill her, she sets out on what could possibly be her most important job yet.

DeWitt is a detective in the vain of Dirk Gently, a believer in the interconnectedness of all things and a follower of her own instinct and intuition, someone who goes where life takes her. Clare’s meaner and tougher than most, and Gran’s books have a distinctly noir vibe. There’s lots of blood, guts, violence and graphic language in these books which I had forgotten when I started reading this third installment. I had also forgotten that Clare’s story has as much to do with her past as with her present and that almost all of it involves a mysterious and elusive book that led her to become a detective. In this book her past and present finally catch up with each other and we follow her as she realizes this. I really like that this book was as much about the existential dilemma of whether to try or give up as much as it was about the main mystery. DeWitt struggles with the ever present feeling of “why bother, why not just die” vs the idea that there are people and things worth trying for. Although this book does explain it’s own backstory and could be read as a stand alone, I think it would be better to read it in it’s place in the series. I would recommend the series to anyone who like modern noir, those who like strong and tough female leads, and people who might be interested in mysteries that deal with the weird and existential.

What kind of mysteries do you enjoy?

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The Tale of Beatrix Potter

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I don’t know where I got this little biography, The Tale of Beatrix Potter by Margaret Lane, but I’m glad I picked it up!

Beloved the world over for her sweet and imaginative childrens books, Beatrix Potter’s work is well known. Her life remained shrouded in mystery and speculation until her coded journal was found and deciphered.

I grew up with The Tale of Peter Rabbit and the other Beatrix Potter books. I was acrtually super surprised that my husband did not. I thought ALL kids read these books growing up!! These books, featuring anthropomorphic animals with little waistcoats and independent lives, were a huge impact on my childhood. Until I read this biography of the author, I took that fact a little for granted. I’m glad that I could read about Potter’s life and have my love of these books rekindled. Her story is also extremely fascinating. I had known that Peter Rabbit was originally written as a letter to the child of a friend, but I had no idea the rest of Potter’s story. This book was very interesting; Potter’s life was sheltered and solitary as she was sequestered and contained by her parents. In her early childhood her and her brother were very close but as soon as he was able, he left and started a life without his sister. She wasn’t allowed to do the same until she was well in her forties. The way she escaped and created was to dream, draw and write stories, many of which later became her books. She had many pets growing up and was completely devoted to them. She also kept a shockingly detailed and and very secret journal, creating her own code and writing in teeny script. It was only years after her death, when the journal was discovered and years after that, when it was decoded, that her true thoughts and feelings about her life and her true history were known. I would highly reccommend this book to those who like literary biographies, people who were fans of her books, or anyone interested in one woman’s journey to freedom.

Have you read this book?

This book was mentioned in my November Wrap Up.

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The Body in the Library

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The second in the Miss Marple Series, I listened to The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie for free on the internet.

The Bantrys are totally shocked when they wake up with the body of a dead blond on the library hearth rug. Who but Miss Marple can help discover her idenity and reason for being there?

When I lucked out by reading (listening) to the first book in the Miss Marple series quite by accident a few months ago, I decided that I would continue the series in order! I was lucky to find all of them on a free audio book site. Then I got confused. On that site it says that this is the third book, but on another site it says this is the second. The book in between this and the first book is short stories, so I decided to skip to this one (or this is book two?? IDK). From the start of this book it seemed quite familiar to me… then I realized that I had seen the adaptation on the BBC series. Luckily I couldn’t remember the ending, so it was still a great mystery and surprise to me. This book sees Miss Marple called into the case right away, but she still downplays her role and skills. She and Mrs Bantry travel outside of St Mary Mead to other locales where the lead up to the murder may have taken place. This aspect opens Marple to a wider world in some ways. The series is interesting to me bc it is not MM who is the main character, and the narrator changes with every book. The Body doesn’t have one lead narrator which wasn’t my favorite, only bc it meant that we got away from some of the storylines I liked more than others. There was a lot dealing with coppers in this book and those bits were a bit boring. So far, this series really feels like Agatha Christie is trying out different things and finding what she likes best. Overall, I would recommend this book and I would recommend this book series for those who like classic mysteries, British mysteries, who dun its where the lead detective or person who solves the crime is not a main character, and those interested in Agatha Christie’s writing.

Are you an Agatha Christie Fan? what is your favorite of her series?

This book was mentioned in my November Wrap Up.

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