On the cover of the copy of this book I read the quote says “Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.” Normally this would give me pause. While I’ve not read Ender’s Game, I know it and to a possibly lesser extent, The Hunger Games are tall measuring sticks. I have relegated lesser reviewed books to the proverbial dustbin for attempting these heights and not succeeding. How would this character stack up? And do I want him to? Does it really matter? I had also broken my […]
In which I deploy 2 gifs to encapsulate my mood.
I was due a fall. I have been on an unprecedented run of late. Of the 156 books I’ve read since 2013 I have not rated a single book 1 star (at least on Goodreads). Of those 156, only 13 were 2 star books. Which means 83% of the books I’ve read I’ve rated 3 stars or above. That’s insane! I’ve been on a roll of good, enjoyable books – even when they are emotionally draining. But that all ended with A Girl is a […]
I am perhaps simply not fabulous enough
I wanted to like this book more than I did, and if I’m being honest with myself and you I would have DNF’ed this one about half way through if it wasn’t the book I had chosen for Read Harder Task 24: a Self-Improvement book. This is one of the tasks that actually felt like a challenge. I have read, perhaps, zero books in the past which classify as self-help. Sure, I’ve read lots of memoirs, lots of non-fiction, but really no self-help. That’s not […]
Seriously, why aren’t we worshipping duct tape?
I have a crush on Mark Watney. I feel like I need to get that out of the way. Also, why aren’t we worshipping duct tape? Okay, moving on. If asked, I would not consider myself a big fantasy or sci-fi reader, but that is obviously changing if you take a look at my last several books. I have figured out why I have shied away from these works in the past – more often than not they are about plot, plot, plot and not […]
For Gina, and Meika, and Keri – thanks for picking me up.
Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt, Isabelle Arsenault (Illustrator), Christelle Morelli (Translator), Susan Ouriou (Translator)
My choice to read Jane, the Fox, and Me was influenced by my participation in the Read Harder Challenge. Tasks 19 and 20 are to read a work originally published in another language and a graphic novel, graphic memoir, or collection of comics of any kind. I had some other books picked out for these tasks, and I have every intention of reading them, but when bonnie and the Chancellor’s reviews of this book back in January I knew that this was something I wanted […]
Cannonball!
In conversation with some friends a couple months ago it occurred to me that I don’t know anyone who is transgender. Or, I might, but I don’t know. I also realized that I have a rather cursory understanding about the issues facing the Transgender community outside of the coverage of said issues in the media over the past few years. It was fortuitous then that as part of the Read Harder Challenge task number five is reading a book either about or by someone who identifies […]