I’m a little late to this thrilling first novel by Paula Hawkins. I purchased The Girl on the Train last month on the “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” table at my local Barnes & Noble. I had wanted to read it when it was first published in 2015, and everyone was raving about it, but I had too many books on the “need to read” pile. (Don’t tell my husband… I always have too many books I haven’t read.) Oddly, after the book was made into […]
There’s more to that Studio Ghibli film…
My introduction to Nausicaä was the 1984 Studio Ghibli film of the same name. I didn’t see the film until about ten years ago when I began collecting all the films of Hayao Miyazaki. My daughter and I enjoy watching Miyazaki stories, and I have an appreciation for his strong female characters. I had no idea that the movie was only a fraction (about two chapters) fo the story and world of the Valley of the Wind. I purchased this two-volume case-bound collection on a whim – our local […]
Serialized Fiction
I had downloaded this book to my Kindle way back in October of 2016. Likely, as a GoodReads recommendation on my daily deals email. Regarded as a bit sci-fi, a bit horror, with over 1,000 5-star reviews and the low, low cost of free, I added it to my Library. And to the backlog it went. I recently began cleaning off my Kindle and removing the books collecting digital dust. I read a few chapters of “Yesterday’s Gone” and decided to give it a go. I […]
Challenging isn’t always satisfying…
I’ll admit, I mainly sought out and purchased this book because of the praise for The Arrival (which I just saw last night and was fantastic!) and wanted to know what all the fuss was about before seeing the movie. The Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of ten short stories by Ted Chaing. Instead of commenting on each story individually, I’m going to pick a couple of my favorites. Story of Your Life is hard to summarize for me – I found it heartbreaking, yet […]
$5 of What-the-What
I’m unsure of what exactly about Angel Catbird drew my attention when I picked it up from the discount table at the local Barnes & Noble. I guess the cover art was appealing, the concept struck me as unique, and it was only $5 (plus I had a gift card and a coupon). Written by Margaret Atwood – Yes, that Margaret Atwood of The Handmaiden’s Tale among others – this origin story of Angel Catbird and his half-cat friends (and love interest) is a quick paced read. Often silly […]
It could be habit forming
Habits – why we form them and what helps us keep them – is a topic that’s been on my mind much lately. There have been periods of time in my life where good habits were beyond habit – they were my nature. But recently, I have found it difficult to build those good habits back into my life. A quick and engaging read, Charles Duhigg begins with an explanation of how habits work on cues, with a resulting reward – known as the habit loop. […]