kaylaraeintheway reads in 2015

DiscussãoClub Read 2015

Entre no LibraryThing para poder publicar.

kaylaraeintheway reads in 2015

Este tópico está presentemente marcado como "inativo" —a última mensagem tem mais de 90 dias. Reative o tópico publicando uma resposta.

1kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Dez 31, 2015, 4:20 pm

Looking forward to a year full of good reads!

Currently Reading:

2kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Mar 24, 2015, 2:19 pm

3kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jun 23, 2015, 5:28 pm

5kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jan 2, 2016, 4:54 am

6kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Abr 8, 2015, 2:56 pm

Books Acquired (Because Sometimes I have No Self-Control)

Jan 2, 2015: Snagged these for a total of $6 at my local library sale! (The Leftovers, Thirteen Moons, & Frontier Spirit)

7baswood
Jan 2, 2015, 5:33 pm

Nice book covers

8kaylaraeintheway
Jan 2, 2015, 7:36 pm

>7 baswood:: I have to admit that when I buy books, I make sure to get the coolest looking covers.

9kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jan 8, 2015, 7:54 pm



William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher
4.5 out of 5 stars

Finished my first book of 2015! I thoroughly enjoyed the second installment of Doescher's Shakespearean Star Wars saga (yay for alliterations). I liked Doescher's little additions and touches, such as Yoda speaking in haikus, the AT-ATs speaking throughout the battle on Hoth, and the sad soliloquies he gave to the Wampa and the giant space slug ("Was e'er a creature's case so pitiful?/Was e'er an exogorth as sad as I?/Was e'er a tragedy as deep as mine?")

Some of the lines are a little klunky, but Doescher does a great job of turning the original dialogue into Shakespearean speech 98% of the time, and it's just so fun to read! I would love to see this (and the other two) performed live.

10Poquette
Jan 3, 2015, 4:45 pm

Congratulations on your first book! Ian Doescher is new to me, but lately I don't often make forays into contemporary authors. Something to keep in mind for future reference. These books sound like great fun!

11kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jan 3, 2015, 8:41 pm

>10 Poquette:: Great fun for Star Wars fans and Shakespeare aficionados alike :)

12mabith
Jan 5, 2015, 10:43 am

There are audiobooks (really more like radio performances) of William Shakespeare's Star Wars series, that are done really well. I bought the books mostly as they came out, but hadn't found time to sit down and read them. The audiobooks have saved me, though I've only listened to the first so far. The cast does a very good job mimicking the movie cast too.

13kaylaraeintheway
Jan 5, 2015, 8:19 pm

>12 mabith:: Awesome! Thanks, I'll definitely give them a listen

14kaylaraeintheway
Jan 7, 2015, 9:33 pm



Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
3.5 out of 5 stars

In the third installment of Gail Carriger's Finishing School steampunk series, Sophronia Temminick, her Finishing School friends Dimity and Sidheag, along with lower-class sootie Soap and dandy Lord Felix Mersey (who are both after Sophronia's affections) embark on a train-stealing adventure to foil an evil plot to destroy all mechanicals in the realm. Of course, things aren't always as they appear to be, whether it be evil plots or supposed friends.

This is another fun book in the series; I was wary at first because all of the action takes place away from Mademoiselle Geraldine's School (and thus we don't get to see much of the interesting teachers), but Carriger writes the 5 main characters really well and with lots of wit, so I was happy with the change in the end. I rolled my eyes a bit at the love-triangle aspect (which most YA seems unable to avoid), but despite this, Sophronia keeps her head and her wits and never loses sight of her real mission/tasks. It turns out that she ends up making a smart decision regarding affection and potential suitors, so, again, I was happy in the end. And as always, it is a treat the way Carriger mixes proper Victorian English society with the necessarily messy and not-always polite life of a secret spy/assassin in training. I say, it's all very topping!

The book ends on a slightly sad note, with many separations, so I eagerly await the next book, which is supposed to come out this year (although I expect not until October/November).

15kaylaraeintheway
Jan 8, 2015, 7:47 pm



Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
4 out of 5 stars

Barbara Demick, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times who spent years interviewing defectors from North Korea (and who managed to make trips into the country itself), tells the stories of 6 defectors, while at the same time giving the reader a detailed and harrowing picture of what it is like to live in a totalitarian state. While it is obvious that the six main people make it to South Korea (otherwise, how would Demick have gotten their stories?), the grueling experiences most of them went through during the famine of the 90's and the general goings-on of the dictatorship was enough to keep me horrified and engaged in the book. It was really interesting to read each of their stories; how they came to realize the lies their government has been telling them, and the choice they made to defect.

I of course know that North Korea is ruled by an oppressive dictator (and has been for decades), but I had no idea what everyday life was like for these people, and how many of them accepted their situations and even viewed North Korea as the greatest country on Earth. I can't imagine how it must have been for people when they realized how stuck in the past their country actually was, and how horrible their way of life is compared to other countries. It amazes me that one regime can tell so many lies and keep their people in the dark. It really made me realize how much I take for granted as a white American. Demick provided many resources that she used when writing this book, and I am anxious to get my hands on a few books and articles that she cited.

This book was published in 2009. I would love it if Demick revisited this book, providing updates on the people she interviewed, as well as the state of North Korea since Kim Jong-un took over. Reading this book awakened a great interest in North Korea and its people. I highly recommend this book to all.

16valkyrdeath
Jan 8, 2015, 8:35 pm

Very interesting to read your review of Nothing to Envy, since I just bought that last week! It sounds like it's well worth reading, though I'm going to have to be in the right frame of mind for it.

17kaylaraeintheway
Jan 8, 2015, 8:42 pm

>16 valkyrdeath:: Yeah, it's definitely a book I had to read in small spurts. I made sure to have a pleasant book on hand to balance my reading. I hope you find it as interesting and eye-opening as I did.

18dchaikin
Jan 8, 2015, 9:51 pm

>15 kaylaraeintheway: This is a great prompt to read Nothing to Envy. Nice review.

19kaylaraeintheway
Jan 9, 2015, 12:08 am

>18 dchaikin:: Thank you! I was inspired to read this based on another LTer's review (unfortunately I can't remember who it was), so I'm glad if I can encourage others to read it too.

20rebeccanyc
Jan 9, 2015, 1:14 pm

I'm a big fan of Nothing to Envy too. If you want to continue your reading about North Korea, Escape from Camp 14 is harrowing but powerful.

21kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jan 10, 2015, 4:01 am

>20 rebeccanyc:: Thanks for the recommendation. I also have Without You, There Is No Us on my list (which focuses on the children of high-ranking Party members), which will hopefully offer another interesting perspective on life in North Korea.

22chlorine
Jan 10, 2015, 10:36 am

Thanks for the very good reviews of three very different but equally interesting books! :)
Looking forwards to your reviews of the two you are currently reading, and for the rest in 2015! :)

23rebeccanyc
Jan 10, 2015, 10:40 am

24kaylaraeintheway
Jan 10, 2015, 4:12 pm

>22 chlorine:: Thank you! I hope my reading continues to be interesting :)

>23 rebeccanyc:: So have I, mainly that it's not as good as Nothing to Envy, but still worth a read.

25NanaCC
Jan 10, 2015, 5:59 pm

>15 kaylaraeintheway: Nothing to Envy sounds very interesting. Nice review.

26kaylaraeintheway
Jan 18, 2015, 8:33 pm



Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
3.5 out of 5

Amanda Foreman, using surviving correspondence from Georgiana and various other people in her life, provides a very detailed account of Georgiana's life, from her upbringing by her over-involved mother to her contributions to the Whig party and to politics in general in England. I did not really know anything about Georgiana before I started this book (I watched the movie with Keira Knightley when it first came out, and all I can remember from it is the "drunk scene"), so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was an incredible and dynamic woman (though she did have her faults; namely gambling, her habit of not paying people back, and her dependence on Bess Foster, a scheming friend who was always jealous of Georgiana's life). While I admit that most of the political parts of the book bored me (I found it hard to keep track of who was who), I found it fascinating that she, as a woman in the 18th century, was able to get so involved in politics, and a lot of big players (the Prince of Wales, Fox, etc.) came to her for advice and to rally voters.

I was also (not entirely) surprised to discover that practically everyone had several affairs and illegitimate children as a result (including Georgiana and her husband the Duke - with the aforementioned Bess). That was also kind of hard to keep track of - all of the affairs!

I appreciate how Foreman did not shy away from Georgiana's faults and mistakes, especially when concerning Bess and her propensity to overly trust people. And speaking of Bess, I actually shook the book in frustration when it was revealed that Bess married the Duke after Georgiana's death. But it was some consolation when Foreman wrote about how Bess was never as popular as Georgiana, and she was never really accepted by Georgiana's friends and children.

Foreman's description of Georgiana in the Epilogue pretty much sums up the Duchess:

"Throughout her adult life Georgiana struggled to reconcile the contradictions that enveloped her. She was an acknowledged beauty yet unappreciated by her husband, a popular leader of the ton who saw through its hypocrisy, and a woman whom people loved who was yet so insecure in her ability to command love that she became dependent upon the suspect devotion of Lady Elizabeth Foster. She was a generous contributor to charitable causes who nevertheless stole from her friends, a writer who never published under her own name, a devoted mother who sacrificed one child to save the other three, a celebrity and patron of the arts in an era when married women had no legal status, a politician without a vote, and a skilled tactician a generation before the development of professional party politics."

Overall, a very interesting look into the life of the Duchess, and the lives of 18th-century aristocracy in general. The Duchess film is available for streaming on Netflix, so I will watch that soon to see how it compares.

27dchaikin
Jan 18, 2015, 8:45 pm

This represents an interesting hole in my very limited to absent knowledge of 18th century English politics. I learned something from your review.

28kaylaraeintheway
Jan 18, 2015, 8:56 pm

<27: I'm glad I could help! I am tempted to find more books on this time period myself. In fact, there is a book about Georgiana's sister Harriet called Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana which could be an interesting read, if somewhat overlapped with Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire.

29japaul22
Jan 19, 2015, 6:54 am

>26 kaylaraeintheway: I read this a couple of years ago. I found the politics and social customs of the time interesting, but I was kind of annoyed by all the "rich people behaving badlly".

30kaylaraeintheway
Jan 19, 2015, 3:30 pm

>29 japaul22:: Yeah, seems to be a common theme among the upper class...

31kaylaraeintheway
Jan 20, 2015, 1:20 am



Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
4 out of 5 stars

This short novel, a "companion" to The Giver tells the story of Kira, a young girl living in an unspecified future who has a deformed leg, and dead parents, and is therefore considered useless and unfit to live in the village, a cruel and savage place. She is saved from death in the Field by the Council of Guardians, who proclaim her to be the next Robe-threader; the person who weaves the large and extremely detailed robe that depicts the entire history of the world. Each year, the Singer wears this robe and sings the hours-long history to the village.

But of course, things are not always what they seem, and Kira, with her friends Thomas (the Carver who carves the Singer's staff) and Matt, a little ruffian boy from the run-down Fen, begins to uncover the truth.

This story is quiet, and I mean that in a good way. There is no fast-paced action, and it is very introspective. Lowry does not spoon-feed her readers the answers; they have to fill in the blanks for themselves, which I really enjoy. While there is a dramatic reveal at the end, it does not lead to a "dramatic" conclusion. Instead, Kira, and the readers, are left with hope - a little scrap of blue.

I have the Reader's Circle edition, which includes a brief interview with Lowry. I liked her response to the question "In what way is Gathering Blue a companion to The Giver?

Gathering Blue postulates a world of the future, as The Giver does. I simply created a different kind of world, one that had regressed instead of leaping forward technologically as the world of The Giver has. It was fascinating to explore the savagery of such a world. I began to feel that maybe it coexisted with Jonas's world...and that therefore Jonas could be a part of it in a tangential way. So there is a reference to a boy with light eyes at the end of Gathering Blue. He can be Jonas or not, as you wish.

I like to think that it was Jonas.

32chlorine
Jan 20, 2015, 9:37 am

Gathering Blue sounds great!
I loved The Giver but was hesitant to read the other books because I had read mixed reviews. I think that your review says enough about the type of book it is so that at least I won't be disappointed because I would have expected something else. I'll add it to my wishlist then (which doesn't mean I'll come to it anytime soon. ;)

Have you read the other books in The giver series/universe?

33AnnieMod
Jan 20, 2015, 1:15 pm

>31 kaylaraeintheway: Wonderful review. I don't think I've ever heard of that series at all... and it sounds like something that I will like.

34kaylaraeintheway
Jan 20, 2015, 5:40 pm

>32 chlorine:: I try not to pay too much attention to reviews (unless all of them are "AVOID THIS BOOK FOREVER") because people have such different tastes when it comes to books and reading. So far I have only read The Giver and Gathering Blue. I need to read Messenger and Son, which is the final book.

>33 AnnieMod:: Thank you. Is it definitely a great series so far. I got through each book in an afternoon!

35chlorine
Jan 21, 2015, 2:50 am

>34 kaylaraeintheway:
Interesting what you say about reviews. In my case, I feel like reading _why_ different people liked or did not like a book helps me know if I will like it. My overall reading enjoyment has certainly increased since I choose books mainly based on reviews.
Anyway for The Giver my fear was of being very disappointed since I'd loved the first book so much. Enough time has passed now so that if there is disappointment, it should not be too bitter.

36kaylaraeintheway
Jan 21, 2015, 3:14 am

>35 chlorine:: I actually have found new books based on LT reviews that I have enjoyed, so I guess I shouldn't say I never pay attention to them.

37RidgewayGirl
Jan 21, 2015, 3:16 am

I don't pay too much attention to reviews, except there are several people here whose reading taste is close to mine and those reviews can determine decisively whether or not I'll read a book. I have bad luck just picking up a book while knowing nothing about it, so I need some help!

38kaylaraeintheway
Jan 21, 2015, 1:19 pm

>37 RidgewayGirl:: I like to look at the end of the year best lists. That usually makes me a year behind, but I don't mind. I can usually find at least 5-10 books from each list that catches my eye and I look out for them throughout the next year. I've tried going into a bookstore or library "blind", and I more often than not come home empty handed.

39RidgewayGirl
Jan 21, 2015, 1:50 pm

Yes, the year end lists are fun. And award shortlists.

40kaylaraeintheway
Jan 23, 2015, 10:46 pm



Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
4 out of 5 stars

This was a really entertaining read. Flagg jumps between the story of Idgie Threadgoode, her partner Ruth, and all of their family and friends in Whistle Stop, Alabama in the 20s - 50s and Evelyn Couch, a middle-aged overweight woman who is having her midlife crisis, and her growing relationship with Ninny Threadgode, Idgie's sister-in-law. Evelyn and Ninny meet in the late 80s at a nursing home in Birmingham, and Ninny tells Evelyn the story of Whistle Stop and its inhabitants, while at the same time empowering Evelyn to find her voice, and her happiness. While the nonlinear storytelling takes some getting used to, I ended up really enjoying it, because a lot of the time I would hear about an event in passing, then get the whole story a little later.

My favorite sections were the ones in Whistle Stop. Each character has their own fun personality, and Flagg does not shy away form depicting the horrible racism that was prevalent during that time (while also drawing interesting parallels during the "present" sections). What I didn't really understand, though, was why everyone in this little Southern town seemed to not care that Idgie and Ruth were in a lesbian relationship. I suppose that, because it was such a small town, and Idgie and Ruth were so well known and loved, that people didn't care. Anyway, I am glad that wasn't a problem, because everyone else seemed to have enough to deal with. Flagg herself grew up in a small town in Alabama, so a lot of this book is taken from her own experiences.

I loved that Flagg included Sipsey's recipes in the back of the book. Southern cooking is so delicious! Now I have a desire to eat fried green tomatoes...

41dchaikin
Jan 24, 2015, 12:19 am

I loved the movie enough to pick up a copy of Fried Green Tomatoes..., but it didn't survive a culling a few years ago and left the house unread. Can't read everything I guess, but had a tint of regret when reading your review.

42kaylaraeintheway
Jan 24, 2015, 12:23 am

>41 dchaikin:: I actually like the book more than the movie. The book has so much more to it that can't be conveyed in a film.

43mabith
Jan 24, 2015, 12:29 pm

The movie and then the book Fried Green Tomatoes were one of those quietly important media events of my pre-teen life. I should really re-read it. I think in regards to the lesbian relationship as viewed by small-towners... you can never underestimate how much people will make their own reality and override even obvious things, and women living together wasn't uncommon. Plus, for whatever reason, gay female relationships have always been somewhat more overlooked in the past than gay male relationships.

44kaylaraeintheway
Jan 24, 2015, 1:23 pm

>43 mabith:: That's a good point.

45kaylaraeintheway
Fev 16, 2015, 9:05 pm

It's been a busy month so far, what with class readings, directing my school's production of The Vagina Monologues, job search, and of course...going to the great Doctor Who convention Gallifrey One!! I had an amazing time again this year, got to see the guest of honor John Barrowman, as well as Classic Who companions Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Wendy Padbury (Zoe), as well as many Doctor Who writers, effects wizards, directors, and other people involved in the world of Who. I had so much fun, and can't wait to go next year.

Anyway, just me checking in, slowly making my way through some books. Hopefully I'll finish at least one of the ones I'm reading before the end of the month.

46kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Fev 18, 2015, 11:31 pm



The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
3 out of 5 stars

This was a fun, strange little story about a boy who gets lured into the basement of a library and is told by an old man that he must memorize a book before he can leave. While there, he meets a sheep man (a man dressed in the skin of a sheep) and a strange, beautiful girl. The boy plans to escape once he realizes why the old man wants him to memorize books...

The short story itself it not all that memorable, but I loved the presentation of it. There are flaps on the cover that you have to move in order to open the book, and there are surrealistic pictures on every other page that depict the things the boy experiences and sees. An enjoyable super quick read.

47bragan
Fev 20, 2015, 1:48 pm

>45 kaylaraeintheway: Ah, I'm jealous about the Gallifrey con! I've only been once, myself, but it was great time. And that sounds like a terrific guest list.

48AlisonY
Fev 20, 2015, 6:44 pm

Stopping to (belatedly) say hi and drop my star here - enjoying your selection of books, many of which I haven't come across before. Nothing to Envy sounds fascinating - another Wish List addition. In answer to your previous comment, it looks like there is a 2014 updated edition with a new epilogue.

49kaylaraeintheway
Fev 21, 2015, 3:17 pm

>47 bragan:: It's such a fantastic con, I hope I'm able to get tickets for next year!

>48 AlisonY:: Hello and welcome! Thanks for the info about Nothing to Envy, I'll definitely have to check out the updated edition!

50kaylaraeintheway
Mar 5, 2015, 12:37 am



As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
3.5 out of 5 stars

This memoir about the making of The Princess Bride (one of my favorite movies) made me really happy. Seriously, I think I had a loopy grin on my face the whole time, mainly because Cary Elwes (Westley in the movie) writes about his experiences and the movie with so much love and admiration for those involved. Did I know many of the stories he recounted already? Yes. Were things a little repetitive at times? Yes. But man, did this book make me feel great (especially all of the touching stories about Andre the Giant - what a remarkably kind soul). I devoured this book in less than a day (it's a pretty easy read), and this happy book is just what I needed after a difficult and draining couple of weeks, and a reading slump. If you're looking for a book about juicy Hollywood secrets and stories of terrible actor behavior, this isn't for you. However, if you want a story about a sweet little movie that captured the hearts of millions and the genuinely kind people who made it, then this is the golden ticket.

I'm re-watching the movie as I'm typing this, and the happy, loopy grin is still there.

51kaylaraeintheway
Mar 14, 2015, 12:44 am



The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher: Stories by Hilary Mantel
3 out of 5 stars

This is my first full read of a Hilary Mantel work; I attempted Wolf Hall, but I must confess I could not get past the first 20 pages. I'm glad I gave her short story collection a try, though. Most of them were thought-provoking and a little strange, which I like. The titular story was probably the strongest, and I really enjoyed "The Long QT", "Winter Break", and "The Heart Fails Without Warning" as well. A solid collection overall, although I wasn't particularly blown away.

52rebeccanyc
Mar 14, 2015, 1:49 pm

I've read a lot of Mantel and I feel her strength is in her novels, not her short stories (although I haven't read this collection yet). But if you couldn't get into Wolf Hall, maybe Mantel is not for you.

53kaylaraeintheway
Mar 24, 2015, 2:43 pm



The Best American Essays 2013 edited by Cheryl Strayed
4 out of 5 stars

This is my first foray into "best of" collections, and I must say it was a pretty great one. I heard about this series via the Book Riot podcast (which is very great, I encourage everyone to give it a listen), and I was intrigued because it was edited by Cheryl Strayed (of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail fame), and I figured she would pick really good essays.

Luckily I really enjoyed 90% of the essays that made it into this collection; the ones I did not enjoy so much were still nicely written, but they just didn't hold my attention as well as the others. These essays talk about everything form birth to murder to cancer to family, love, religion, art...basically anything and everything human. I love that these essays were pulled from all kinds of publications (very well-known to indie zines), and that there was a nicely diverse group of writers represented.

Below are the essays in the collection (I've starred my absolute favorites):

Free Rent at the Totalitarian Hotel by Poe Ballantine
Night bu Alice Munro
Sometimes a Romantic Notion by Richard Schmitt *
Highway of Lost Girls by Vanessa Veselka *
Keeper of the Flame by Matthew Vollmer
Breeds of America by William Melvin Kelley
My Father's Women by Mako Yoshikawa
Confessions of an Ex-Mormon by Walter Kirn *
"I'm Jumping Off the Bridge" by Kevin Sampsell
Pigeons by Eileen Pollack
Triage by Jon Kerstetter *
The Art of Being Born by Marcia Aldrich
What Happens in Hell by Charles Baxter
The Exhibit Will Be So Marked by Ander Monson *
The Girls in My Town by Angela Morales *
Some Notes on Attunement by Zadie Smith
His Last Game by Brian Doyle
When They Let Them Bleed by Tod Goldberg
Field Notes on Hair by Vicki Weiqi Yang
Letter from Majorca by J.D. Daniels *
Ghost Estates by John Jeremiah Sullivan
Channel B by Megan Stielstra *
A Little Bit of Fun Before He Died by Dagoberto Gilb *
Epilogue: Deadkidistan by Michelle Mirsky
El Camino Doloroso by David Searcy
The Book of Knowledge by Steven Harvey *

As Cheryl Strayed said in her intro, these essays all ended as if the author had written "and nothing was ever the same again"; meaning that you feel the ground shift after finishing each one. While that may not have been true for me for every essay in this collection, I still felt like I had read some great, ground-shifting pieces. I'm going to check out last year's best essays (and short stories, and travel writing, and non-fiction writing, and...)

54rebeccanyc
Mar 24, 2015, 3:36 pm

Interestingly, the last time I read one of the "Best of" Essays, Cheryl Strayed had an essay in it that was extremely moving and talked about her grief and behavior after her mother died, leading up to what she wrote about in much greater length in Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail. The essay was so good I didn't want to read the book.

55Poquette
Mar 25, 2015, 2:11 pm

>53 kaylaraeintheway: I have read quite a few of the Best American Essays series, and I have the one you reviewed but have not dipped into it yet. Something to look forward to.

>54 rebeccanyc: I too read the collection with Cheryl Strayed's essay about her mother's death. That was quite memorable.

56kaylaraeintheway
Mar 30, 2015, 11:03 pm

I got back from a trip up to Ashland, Oregon for their Shakespeare Festival late last night, and I wanted to briefly mention the 2 amazing (and 1 not so much) plays I saw.

Fingersmith
Based on the novel by Sarah Waters, this play tells the story of Sue Trinder, a young woman brought up to be a thief, and Maude Lilly, a fragile heiress. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that this was AMAZING. The set design, the narrative format, and of course the acting were all incredible. The audience was perfect too: laughing, gasping, and cheering in all the right places. I have never seen a more enthusiastic standing ovation at the end of a play. I am so happy I loved this play, because I could not get past the first few chapters of the book; however, I am now determined to revisit it at some point.

Much Ado About Nothing
This is one of my very favorite Shakespeare plays, and this performance reaffirmed my love for Beatrice and Benedick! The modern staging was very well done, and the use of lighting and music enhanced the whole experience. I laughed so hard during Beatrice and Benedick's eavesdropping scenes, and the final act was both heartbreaking and uplifting. Again, the acting was phenomenal (although the man who played Claudio was a little weak, in my opinion).

Long Day's Journey Into Night
Ugh. This play. I am not a fan of "Great American Family Drama" plays, because more often than not, I find myself utterly bored throughout. This play, unfortunately, was no exception. The actors did a really great job, but at almost 4 hours, this play felt waaaay too long, and nothing really happened anyway. I understand that this is supposed to be real, slice-of-life stuff, but I guess that's just not my thing. The set design was really great, though, and seeing it performed in-the-round was quite an experience (I felt like I was sitting at the table with the family).

These plays are playing until November, so if you can get to Ashland before then, please do!

57kaylaraeintheway
Abr 4, 2015, 3:17 am

Today, I made an impromptu trip to San Francisco for the Friends of the San Francisco Library Spring Book Sale, an epic and amazing multi-day event that takes place in a giant warehouse in Fort Mason and has over 250,000 books and media items.



Needless to say, I was in Book Heaven.




I had to really limit myself...some people were walking around with shopping carts full of books to take home! They hold this sale twice a year, and I hope I'll be around for the next one in September.

Here's my haul:



Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
The Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
In Sunlight and In Shadow by Mark Helprin
A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvior
Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Consequences by Penelope Lively
Just An Ordinary Day: The Uncollected Stories of Shirley Jackson

Hardcover books were $3 and paperbacks were $2, so I got all of these for a grand total of $38, which I definitely call a win. Now to find space for all of these new books...

58baswood
Abr 4, 2015, 5:28 am

Great pictures of all those books. Yes book heaven.

59japaul22
Abr 4, 2015, 7:38 am

That's a fantastic book haul! I love library sales.

60AlisonY
Abr 4, 2015, 7:57 am

>57 kaylaraeintheway:: wow - that looks brilliant! I'm sure you easily lost a good few hours at that sale. I'm most envious!!!

61NanaCC
Abr 4, 2015, 8:40 am

>57 kaylaraeintheway:. Wow! All I can say is that I am very jealous. :)

62rebeccanyc
Abr 4, 2015, 11:54 am

What fun!

63Poquette
Abr 4, 2015, 1:55 pm

One of the things I miss about living in San Francisco is the Friends of the Library book sales. You had fun! ;-)

64kaylaraeintheway
Abr 5, 2015, 12:45 am

Thanks everyone! It was quite a fun day. I think I ended up spending almost 4 hours browsing through all the books. And it was the ultimate test of my self-control!

65kaylaraeintheway
Abr 7, 2015, 4:08 pm

I've given up on Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition for now; I realized I've been missing fiction, so I'm going to switch to that for a while, and hopefully get some good reading in this month!

66RidgewayGirl
Abr 8, 2015, 6:47 am

I approve of your book haul and applaud your admirable restraint.

67kaylaraeintheway
Abr 8, 2015, 2:52 pm

>66 RidgewayGirl:: Thanks! :D

68kaylaraeintheway
Abr 8, 2015, 3:04 pm



The Fever by Megan Abbott
4.5 out of 5 stars

Megan Abbott once again shows how good she is at delving deep into the minds of high school girls. I love that the girls in her books are not one-dimensional; sure, they obsess over boys and what others think of them, but Abbott goes beyond that and explores why these girls get so caught up in their own little worlds.

This book tells the story of Deenie and the strange affliction that begins attacking the girls of her high school, starting with her two best friends. I found myself reading late into the night to finish this book and find out what in the heck was going on. We get perspectives not only from Deenie, but from her father Tom, a teacher at the school, and her brother Eli, a hockey star. It was so interesting to view these events from the male perspective, as girls were turning into even more of a mystery and "tainted" things. Abbott writes realistically and candidly about high school girls discovering and exploring their sexuality, the impact of close, almost obsessive, friendships, and society's desire to try to control every aspect of a girl's life, even her own body.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, and I also recommend her novel Dare Me, which is again about high school girls, particularly cheerleaders (it's amazing, trust me). I will definitely be working my way through the rest of her novels.

69RidgewayGirl
Abr 8, 2015, 3:17 pm

I bought my copy of The Fever as soon as it was released, but have been holding onto it until Abbott announces a new book. I'm glad to hear it's as good as Dare Me.

70dchaikin
Abr 8, 2015, 4:45 pm

Ok, what's happening in that cover? Some weird kind if faceplant?

Very interesting pair of books up in >51 kaylaraeintheway: and >53 kaylaraeintheway:. Makes me want to read those essays. I find best of collections frustrating hit and miss (the genre of them, not this particular series). So nice to know this is a good one.

Fun book haul.

71kaylaraeintheway
Abr 8, 2015, 4:50 pm

>69 RidgewayGirl:: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>70 dchaikin:: The picture actually goes really well with the story; the first girl who gets sick falls out of her chair at school.

I chose to read that Best Of collection specifically because Cheryl Strayed was the editor, and I knew she would pick really excellent essays. That's why I picked up the Best Of collection in the same series that was edited by Stephen King. I figure it's a good way to go about navigating all the Best Of collections that are out there!

72kaylaraeintheway
Abr 14, 2015, 7:52 pm



Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum
4 out of 5 stars

This is a beautiful book. It's not always an easy read, and the characters are not always likable (which I actually like, since not everyone in life is going to be a beacon of morality and goodness), but I could not put it down.

The story follows a few months in the life of Anna, an American expatriate living in Switzerland with her Swiss husband Bruno and their half-Swiss children. Anna is bored and extremely lonely, so she begins a string of affairs that fill her empty spaces (at least for a time). Essbaum beautifully narrates the inner workings of Anna's mind, and I felt really connected to her as she wandered through the city, from her German class to the apartments and hotels where she conducted her affairs, to her friends' parties.

The last 50 pages were a crashing roller coaster of emotion, and I was completely engrossed in what was happening. Anna's last stroll through the city, her quest to find help from someone, was so beautifully written, and the ending was abrupt in the best way; it really was the only way it could end for Anna.

The narrative jumps were (mostly) well done; Essbaum went from Anna's present, to thematically relevant German-language lessons and psychoanalysis conversations, to her moments with Steven, her first lover. Although the reader only spends 300 pages and a few chronological months with Anna, Essbaum gives us a complete portrait of Anna as a lonely, unhappy, mostly good wife, mother, lover, and friend.

73RidgewayGirl
Abr 15, 2015, 8:02 am

Oh, hey. First I heard bad things about Hausfrau (it's the next 50 Shades!), and then the NYT Book Review podcast thought it worth mentioning favorably, but this is the first real review I've read and it sounds like something I'd find interesting.

74AlisonY
Abr 15, 2015, 10:32 am

>73 RidgewayGirl: I've heard pretty good reviews about Hausfrau too. I saw an interesting review of it in The Times over here which made me add it to my wish list a while back.

Kayla - I'm glad to see your thoughts on it were good too. I value the Club Read opinions more than those of the papers!

75kaylaraeintheway
Abr 15, 2015, 10:29 pm

>73 RidgewayGirl:: Ugh, it's not even close to 50 Shades! Yes, there is some explicit sex, but it's not done for kicks and giggles, and within the context of the book, it's not always that sexy. It's hard to explain, but I feel like it served an actual purpose in the book.

>74 AlisonY:: I first heard about this book on Book Riot, and I trust their opinions very much, they never disappoint!

76kaylaraeintheway
Abr 20, 2015, 12:20 am



A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
2.5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly, I never read this when I was younger, even though I first got this book when I was 8 or 9 (yeah, it's been on my shelf for a loooong time). I absolutely love the 1995 movie version (directed by Alfonso Cuaron), so I was eager to start reading this.

Um. It was OK. I know I would have appreciated it a lot more if I read it when I was younger (although I'm pretty sure I would have thought a lavish wardrobe for a doll is silly). I liked some of the more beautiful and lyrical sentences Hodgson Burnett wrote, but the whole thing seemed overly saccharine to me, specifically the way Lottie, Ermengarde, and Becky basically worshiped the ground Sara walked on. I was also surprised at the differences between the original story and the 1995 movie version; I did not like how weak the father seemed in the book and OMG HE ACTUALLY DIED?! In the movie he is a soldier and gets hit with mustard gas, is presumed dead, and temporarily loses his memory and sight. Did not see that coming. Also, the casual racism and some of the older men's fascination with little girls does not hold up well. But I like the overall message of the book: if you remain kind and hold on to your dreams/imagination, you will be OK.

I'm going to go watch the movie now haha

77NanaCC
Abr 20, 2015, 7:53 am

>76 kaylaraeintheway:. I read A Little Princess last year, and was also struck by how different the ending was to both movie adaptations I've seen (the one you mention, and the one with Shirley Temple).

78kaylaraeintheway
Abr 29, 2015, 11:52 pm



Station Eleven bu Emily St. John Mandel
5 out of 5 stars

20 years after a flu epidemic eliminates most of Earth's population, a group of musicians and Shakespearean actors called The Traveling Symphony walk their circuit in what used to be Michigan, stopping in the little settlements the survivors create for themselves, performing plays by candlelight. There is no electricity, no fuel, no way to travel except on foot.

Before the event, we meet Arthur Leander, a famous actor, a former paparazzo/entertainment journalist, Arthur's life-long friend Clark, and Kirsten, a child actor who is present when Arthur dies on stage during a performance of King Lear, the night the epidemic reaches North America.

We travel back and forth in time, to 15, 20 years after the collapse of civilization, to 20 years before, to the night of. It is a very effective and harrowing technique, which Mandel pulls off beautifully. You slowly start to connect the dotes between each of the main players in the novel.

I have never read a more realistic depiction of what humanity is like, both when things are normal and after a great epidemic where 99% of the population dies. Just beautifully, beautifully done. This book will definitely stay with me for a long time.

79mabith
Abr 30, 2015, 8:47 am

Drat, I think your review has pushed me over the edge on wanting to read Station Eleven. The author did one of those obnoxious "I don't write science fiction, I write literary fiction" things, which I really dislike, so I've been almost sad that everyone here has loved the book.

80kaylaraeintheway
Abr 30, 2015, 11:49 am

>79 mabith:: I didn't know she said that, but then again I don't really pay attention to author interviews (unless they have done/said something truly heinous that goes "viral" then I will generally avoid their work). I don't want to potentially miss out on great books! And this was a really great book.

81mabith
Abr 30, 2015, 12:28 pm

Ha, I'm with you on that (especially since I'm a library/used book person and not often financially supporting the authors anyway), I rarely think about an author, just about the book. A friend told me about that quote, and there's just so much of that attitude around. It really kind of baffles me. It would be nice if we could take all the snobism out of the book world.

82RidgewayGirl
Maio 1, 2015, 9:01 am

Emily St. John Mandel is very much a Brooklyn Writer, which is something that tends to put me off. And I thought her first novel was weak and MFA-y, if that makes sense, but Station Eleven is a novel that overcame all of that for me. It's just really good.

83kaylaraeintheway
Maio 1, 2015, 7:50 pm

>81 mabith:: I totally agree about the snobism. Why can't people just enjoy the books they enjoy and not get judged for it? Oh well.

>82 RidgewayGirl:: Ah yes, I definitely know what you mean. I'm glad that Station Eleven did not come off like that at all.

84kaylaraeintheway
Maio 1, 2015, 7:59 pm



How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky by Lidia Netzer
3.5 out of 5 stars

Why do some people fall in love with each other, and others don't? What is love? It's so, so, so stupid right up until it's real. And then it's the most important thing in the world, whether you believe in it or not.

This is a story about two astronomers who were born to be together. Literally. Their mothers planned everything so that they would be perfect for each other. But things happened, plans changed, and Irene grows up with an alcoholic mother, not believing in love, and George grows up seeing visions of gods.

Eventually, whether through science or fate, they meet and fall in love. Or is it love?

This was an interesting book. I love stories about science and the stars and true love, so it rang all of my bells. However, I did get kind of confused at some points, especially when Netzer wrote her tangents on the nature and all-consuming power of "true love" and fate; I just thought that those parts ran on too long. But there were a lot of funny and beautifully written moments. I also liked how some of the events were left unexplained...was it science, or fate after all?

85chlorine
Maio 7, 2015, 4:44 pm

Sounds intriguing. The idea seems quite original.

86kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Maio 16, 2015, 6:02 pm



The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith
2.5 out of 5 stars

This was a re-read (although I first read it so long ago, I didn't remember much), mainly because I'm on a Vampire Diaries (the TV show) kick lately. Sometimes I just want some juicy, supernatural teen vampire romance (that is NOT Twilight) to pass the time. The show is very different from the book (only a few character's names are the same, and the personalities were changed), which actually makes it interesting, since I don't know everything that is going to happen. My little sister has the rest of the books in the series, so I'll probably borrow them from her the next time I see her.

In terms of the book itself, it was written in the very early 90s, but Smith wrote in such a way that everything could still potentially fit in the world of today's teenagers (except maybe substitute the diary for a blog), which is kind of neat. Not the best writing ever, but the characters are pretty interesting (if sort of one-dimensional). Like I said, sometimes I just want some YA fluff to devour. I am not ashamed! :)

87kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Maio 20, 2015, 11:03 pm



Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman
4 out of 5 stars

There are things that upset us. That's not quite what we're talking about here, though. I'm thinking rather about those images or words or ideas that drop like trapdoors beneath us, throwing us out of our safe, sane world into a place much more dark and less welcoming. Our hearts skip a ratatat drumbeat in our chests, and we fight for breath. Blood retreats from our faces and out fingers, leaving us pale and gasping and shocked.

We each have our little triggers.


This is the 3rd short story collection from Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors. While this collection offered up some very good stories, full of imaginative, dark, and (of course) disturbing images, I still like his first short story collection the best.

My favorites from this collection are:

The Thing About Cassandra
Down to a Sunless Sea
Orange
A Calendar of Tales
Click-Clack the Rattlebag
An Invocation of Incuriosity
"And Weep, Like Alexander"
Feminine Endings
The Sleeper and the Spindle
Black Dog

88valkyrdeath
Maio 21, 2015, 2:58 am

>87 kaylaraeintheway: I'm looking forward to getting to this one. Smoke and Mirrors is still one of my favourite short story collections.

89kaylaraeintheway
Maio 22, 2015, 12:57 am

>88 valkyrdeath:: I agree. I hope you enjoy this collection too, once you get to it :)

90kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Maio 22, 2015, 1:06 am



The Star Wars Trilogy by George Lucas, Donald F. Glut, and James Kahn
3 out of 5 stars

Technically, there are 3 different books in this collection, but since they are so short, I'm counting them all as one big book. These are the novelizations of the original Star Wars movies, based on the screenplays (although I think they are based on the original screenplays, since there are some added things that didn't make it to the films). I know Star Wars backwards and forwards, so I knew everything that was going to happen, and I could recite the dialogue from memory as I was reading it on the page. It was cool, though, to read the extra bits of what each character was thinking, which didn't always transfer to the movies. The writing left a lot to be desired, though, especially the scenes between Han and Leia (I guess the authors copied George Lucas's atrocious "romantic" dialogue style...). I'm giving this book a higher rating than I would normally, simply because I love Star Wars. Still, a fun read, and the book cover and front/back inside cover paintings are really cool.

Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. - Yoda

91kaylaraeintheway
Maio 29, 2015, 2:25 pm



Essential Muir: A Selection of John Muir's Best Writings edited by Fred D. White
4 out of 5 stars

After taking an impromptu and glorious trip to Yosemite on Tuesday with my friend and her mom, I was inspired to pick up this small collection of John Muir's writings. This book has been sitting on my shelf since 2008, when part of the freshman class at my university received a free copy before going on a service learning trip to Yosemite (another amazing trip). I can't believe it took me this long to actually read this book! Muir's writing is very lovely, full of great descriptions and utter enthusiasm for his surroundings. Also included in this collection were excerpts from his autobiography, The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, which was a fascinating look at his strict religious upbringing and his desire to explore and invent new things. As White says in his introduction, when most people think of John Muir, they think of an old barefoot hippie who lives in the mountains and climbs trees in windstorms. While he indeed do these things, he did so much more as a writer, adventurer, and conservationist.

I am now on the hunt for copies of his other works, and trying to plan my next (hopefully longer) trip to Yosemite this summer! Below are a few pictures I took from my trip a few days ago.


Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point


Panoramic view from Glacier Point


Beautiful view of Yosemite Valley, including Bridalveil Fall (right), El Capitan (left), and Half Dome (in the distance) from Tunnel View


Lower Yosemite Falls


And finally, me standing on a rock outcropping 7,000 feet above sea level!

92rebeccanyc
Maio 29, 2015, 6:38 pm

Lovely photos -- and especially of you!

93ursula
Maio 30, 2015, 1:54 am

Beautiful photos of Yosemite. It's been a long time since I've been there. I did visit the John Muir house in Martinez about 6 months ago, though.

94kaylaraeintheway
Maio 30, 2015, 3:32 am

>92 rebeccanyc:: Thank you!

>93 ursula:: Since I am temporarily moving back in with my parents this summer, I want to make the trip to see the Muir house as well (they live in Contra Costa County, so it'll be close by).

95RidgewayGirl
Maio 30, 2015, 7:56 am

Ok, Kayla, please take two large steps forward and away from the cliff's edge. Thank you.

96AlisonY
Maio 30, 2015, 8:19 am

I was about to say the same thing - you were so close to that cliff edge it makes me nervous!!

97dchaikin
Maio 30, 2015, 5:59 pm

ah, Yosemite. Enjoyed the pictures, and guessing you didn't fall of the cliff. Cool that you read Muir ... and then made him sound very appealing.

98kaylaraeintheway
Maio 30, 2015, 8:18 pm

>95 RidgewayGirl:: >96 AlisonY:: My friend's mom , who is afraid of heights, shouted down to me that she was having two heart attacks, one for her and another on my mom's behalf! I'm usually not a daredevil, but something about rocks and mountains makes me what to climb them! As you can see, I did not fall :)

>97 dchaikin:: Thanks! It was fun doing some of my own research on him after the trip, as I didn't know much about him beforehand.

99kaylaraeintheway
Jun 1, 2015, 10:04 pm



The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell
4 out of 5 stars

I was in elementary school and middle school in the late 90s/early 2000s, and until I read this book, I had no idea that the pictures of the planets in my textbooks, specifically Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus, were taken by the Voyager satellites only years before. I took it for granted that scientists somehow had pictures (or at least a general idea of what those planets looked like), and that was how we knew, too. It was really exciting and interesting to read about how the Voyager scientists planned and implemented the mission (two Voyager satellites were sent out into space to photograph and study the 4 planets and their moons, using gravity from each as a slingshot to get to the next planet; the first was sent off into space after Jupiter, and the second continued on to the last two planets before it, too, continued its interstellar journey). It's amazing that some of the scientists working on this mission have been doing so for 40 years! Talk about your life's work...

Bell writes about the science involved with the Voyagers in a mostly understandable way. There were only a few points where I had to re-read or just skim altogether because I had no idea what was going on. I also enjoyed how he framed his Voyager history by going into his own personal history with science and space (although this may annoy some readers, I found his humor and absolute awe with JPL, NASA, and space exploration a delight). Bell conducted interviews with scientists who were/are involved with the mission, so it was neat to get first person insight into the successes and troubles of the mission.

Since the satellites completed their "prime directive" of studying the planets some years ago, they have spent the time since travelling ever onward into interstellar space, with the goal of one day passing the heliopause (the boundary between the solar and interstellar winds, aka, Way Way Far Out). What’s amazing is that the satellites have the capacity to last for decades more out in space, which means we can still get readings on the space that they are travelling through (and I mean travel: the satellites are going about 1o miles per second!). Now this is what really blows my mind: even travelling at that speed, the Voyagers will still take about 30,000 years to reach the edge of the Oort Cloud (the huge shell of asteroids and comets that extends to the edge of the sun’s gravitational influence). Space! It’s HUGE! Clearly, I geeked out hardcore over this book. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Voyagers, and I especially enjoyed Bell's ruminations on extraterrestrial beings (or future Earth space travelers in the distant future who will be able to catch up to them) finding the satellites and the Golden Record on which we recorded what we and our planet are like.

100kaylaraeintheway
Jun 2, 2015, 12:55 am



Writers Between the Covers: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon
2.5 out of 5 stars

Scandalous, indeed! Based on this book, it seems like most every writer in history had several affairs, unsavory sexual appetites, or some kind of mental instability (sometimes all of the above). Each foray into an author's romantic life is no longer than 6 or 7 pages, which is just enough to examine the debauchery they got up to. After a while, I began to wish for a happy ending. Luckily the authors heard my plea and relegated their last section of the book to the happier stories (even though most of them still involved divorce or some other scandal).

While I learned some new info about each of the writers, I found the writing to be mediocre and kind of repetitive; the addition of random quizzes like "Identify the Mistress!" left me rolling my eyes. Still, for what it was, I had some fun reading it. I will be passing this book along to be donated.

101avidmom
Jun 2, 2015, 1:44 am

>50 kaylaraeintheway: I loved your review/reaction to As You Wish! I saw it on the store shelves last week and, although I didn't buy it, was so happy to know it was out there. I need to go watch the movie now!

Those are great pictures of Yosemite!

Had a lot of fun catching up with your varied reviews. Station Eleven is definitely on the list!!!

102rebeccanyc
Jun 2, 2015, 7:17 am

The Interstellar Age sounds inspiring; thanks for your review.

103kaylaraeintheway
Jun 2, 2015, 12:24 pm

>101 avidmom:: Thank you! :)

>102 rebeccanyc:: It definitely was!

104dchaikin
Jun 2, 2015, 11:45 pm

>99 kaylaraeintheway: your enthusiasm is catching. Noting The Interstellar Age.

105baswood
Jun 3, 2015, 5:30 pm

Enjoyed reading about The interstellar age

106mabith
Jun 3, 2015, 5:40 pm

The Interstellar Age sounds ground. I'll definitely be looking for that one.

107kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jun 3, 2015, 6:26 pm

>104 dchaikin: I'm glad my enthusiasm isn't annoying or overbearing (as my sisters often point out to me, in a loving way of course!)

>105 baswood: Thanks! I had a good time reading it :)

>106 mabith: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

108kaylaraeintheway
Jun 7, 2015, 12:57 am



Life Is Meals: A Food Lover's Book of Days by James and Kay Salter
4 out of 5 stars

I first heard about this book on the Book Riot podcast, and it sounded like something I would definitely enjoy: a book written by food lovers about food? Sign me up! I got a used hardcover edition with a nice little ribbon attached for a bookmark (I love books that have that), and the illustrations are beautiful (I wish there were more of them; the painted food looks better than real life).

The Salters arranged this book so that there is one subject for each of the 365 days in the year (366 actually, since they included February 29), and you can read it day by day or, like me, devour it (har har) in a couple of sittings. They talk about famous historical figures in food, the origins of certain food items, events in history surrounding food, great places to eat, and of course, their own experiences with hosting dinner parties and other personal life events surrounding food. They also provide several delicious recipes. I learned a lot from this book, and a couple times got very hungry as a result of reading it. The only qualm I have is that they often suggest foods, wines, and restaurants that are very expensive or require a passport to get to, which makes my student-loan-paying self very sad. But it is nice to have all of these places in one book, so if I do find myself traveling in France or Italy later in life, I'll know where to go.

I got a new copy of this book (along with the accompanying journal to document your own cooking and restaurant experiences) for one of my good friends who recently got married; she and her (now) husband are big foodies, and I knew this would be a great and unconventional gift for them.

109rebeccanyc
Jun 7, 2015, 7:48 am

I am a big fan of James Salter's novels. This book sounds intriguing.

110reva8
Jun 7, 2015, 8:28 am

>91 kaylaraeintheway: I'm enjoying your reviews, and what lovely photographs!

111baswood
Jun 7, 2015, 1:26 pm

Life is Meals what a wonderful title. There are plenty of foodies on theses threads that should gobble this up.

112kaylaraeintheway
Jun 7, 2015, 11:17 pm

>109 rebeccanyc: I've heard great things about A Sport and a Pastime, so I think I'll check that one out soon.

>110 reva8: Thank you! :)

>111 baswood: I have been telling all my foodie friends and family members to read this book! I'll definitely be giving out a few copies this Christmas.

113rebeccanyc
Jun 8, 2015, 8:47 am

>112 kaylaraeintheway: I haven't read A Sport and a Pastime, although I own it. I highly recommend Light Years and The Hunters.

114kaylaraeintheway
Jun 9, 2015, 3:01 pm



The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith
2.5 out of 5 stars

The second volume in The Vampire Diaries series, wherein we follow the continued trials and tribulations of a group of teens and a pair of vampire brothers in a small Virginia town. Again, this is not Great Literature by any means, but I enjoy a good supernatural teen drama/romance every now and then. Actually, a few scenes were genuinely frightening, so well done Smith for freaking me out. I'll probably wait a while to start on the next volumes of the series.

115kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Jun 12, 2015, 3:06 pm



Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love edited by Anne Fadiman
3 out of 5 stars

Anne Fadiman, of Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader fame, put together this anthology from past The American Scholar pieces on rereading. Out of the books discussed, I've only heard of 5 and actually read 1 (the last piece, on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band lyrics, was the only non-book of the bunch, and a very interesting read. Still not a fan of The Beatles, though). I enjoyed this little book, although I do not think it compares to Ex Libris.

While I did not know of the majority of the books being written about, I still really enjoyed reading about them, as the authors discussed their experiences with that particular work (or works) beautifully and with reverence, even if, on their re-reading, they did not enjoy the book as much. My favorite pieces were Diana Kappel Smith talking about a guide to wildflowers and Barbara Sjoholm talking about reading "The Snow Queen" in an ice hotel in Lapland. I also thoroughly enjoyed Fadiman's introductory discussion about re-reading The Horse and His Boy to her son and realizing the racist and sexist elements of the story and her struggle with that.

I'm always on the lookout for books about books and reading, so this was a nice little treat.

116rebeccanyc
Jun 12, 2015, 5:54 pm

I am a total Anne Fadiman fan! I own this book but strangely haven't read it yet.

117kaylaraeintheway
Jun 15, 2015, 7:04 pm



Diving Belles by Lucy Wood
4.5 out of 5 stars

What a lovely collection of short stories! Wood takes old myths and legends from Cornwall and places them in more modern settings. The way she describes the landscape of Cornwall - the sea, the moors, the fields, the towns - transports the reader right to these places. And the stories themselves are fantastic; in the title story, wandering husbands get lured into the sea by mermaids, and the abandoned wives can pay a fee to go down in diving bells to get them back. In another story, two children play in a graveyard of ancient giant's bones. In another, a woman who can feel herself begin to turn into stone goes with her ex-boyfriend to look at a house in a snowstorm. In perhaps my favorite story in this collection, house spirits keep track of the comings and goings of its inhabitants throughout the years, making sure the lights are turned off and the carpets look nice.

A lot of these stories are presented without any real explanation or conclusion, and that makes them all the more powerful. It's as if these events actually happened in this mysterious land of Cornwall, and Wood is writing them down as history.

118chlorine
Jun 16, 2015, 2:44 pm

Thanks for the great review!

119kaylaraeintheway
Jun 23, 2015, 5:39 pm



California by Edan Lepucki
3 out of 5 stars

This book started off very well: a married couple (Frida and Cal) have been living in the woods somewhere in California for a few years after finally leaving the devastated city that was L.A. At some point in the near future, the economy started to collapse, resources became scare and/or nonexistent, the government failed, and the rich began creating their own safe Communities that could only be entered by those with enough money or gold to pay their way in.

Lepucki takes a refreshing approach to post-apocalyptic fiction (that term in itself problematic, since if anything is "post-apocalyptic", then nothing and no one would be around to experience the world...), in that the decline of the U.S. (since it's never discussed or known how the rest of the world is doing) is something that happened over several years, perhaps decades, and the people have had to adapt to "old world" living if they could not afford to get into the Communities. Of course, there are the expected Pirates (those who wander the land killing and stealing), political activist groups, and the cult-like communities that pop up every so often. But what Lepucki does so well is the exploration of what this new existence would be like for two people, a couple, living on their own for years with barely any other human contact. She lets you into the heads of Frida and Cal as they think about their past, their present, and each other.

The reason why I didn't give this book a higher rating, and why I did not end up enjoying it as much as I thought I would, is because of the eventual direction Lepucki sends the couple; to sum up without spoiling, they find a group of people and they must prove they are worthy of staying with them. It's not that it was necessarily badly written, I just did not find the situation or the new characters interesting; not as interesting as Cal and Frida on their own.

Still, I enjoyed the new approach to the end-of-the-world genre, and the events depicted all seemed pretty true to how people would actually react to country-wide devastation.

120reva8
Jun 25, 2015, 4:35 am

>119 kaylaraeintheway: Thanks for this review. Lepucki's been getting a lot of press: it seems an interesting premise, but one that is difficult to sustain.

121dchaikin
Jun 25, 2015, 5:14 pm

I don't think Lepucki is for me, but your review of Diving Belles caught my imagination. Noting Lucy Wood.

122kaylaraeintheway
Jun 25, 2015, 7:00 pm

>120 reva8: Agreed; I wish she really went for it and just stuck with the two main characters the whole time, but I can see how some may not like that idea.

>121 dchaikin: I'm so glad! I hope you get a chance to read some of her stuff soon.

123kaylaraeintheway
Jul 7, 2015, 2:31 pm



The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
2.5 out of 5 stars

In Christie's 1929 novel, a group of young people are gathered at Chimeys, a manor house that is being rented out by the Marquess of Caterham to Sir Coote. Upon the murder of Gerry Wade, the group finds themselves caught up in a mystery surrounding the group The Seven Dials. But of course, not everything is what it seems!
This novel, what Christie herself called the "light-hearted thriller type", is more loosely-planned than her more complicated and famous works. There is definitely more wit and sarcasm from the characters, which was enjoyable. There were also several instances of characters comparing their adventures to those of detective novels that they have read, which was delightfully meta. However, I thought that the book went on longer than it should have, and I wanted the characters to get on with finally solving the mystery (which I still did not guess correctly, even though this is "lighter" detective fair). In all, an entertaining, if somewhat overlong, mystery, perfect for the beach. This was my first Christie novel (the selection at my local library is very slim), which is only slightly disappointing, as I have heard nothing but great things about her books. Perhaps I will try one of her more famous novels next.

124kaylaraeintheway
Jul 9, 2015, 5:10 pm

I'm starting my annual summer re-read of the Harry Potter series! I don't know why, but summer has always been my favorite time to read them. I already finished the 1st book (it took me less than a day to read), and I'm now almost done with Chamber of Secrets. I won't be writing reviews of these books, just noting them in my log when I finish them.

125japaul22
Jul 9, 2015, 5:36 pm

I'm reading the first Harry Potter with my son and I'm thinking of continuing on for a reread of all of them myself. He's too young for any but the first book right now, but I'm not sure I'll be able to stop. I've only read them once. Have fun!

126NanaCC
Jul 9, 2015, 5:39 pm

My daughter did a mini book club last year with her son who is twelve now. They read each book and then discussed the book before watching the corresponding movie. I thought that was a great way to do it.

127kaylaraeintheway
Jul 10, 2015, 12:42 am

>125 japaul22: I can't wait to read these to/with my future children. I think they're perfect for reading aloud.

>126 NanaCC: That's such a fun idea! I was planning on watching all of the movies (I have the super duper special editions with hours of bonus features) after I finish the books.

128chlorine
Jul 14, 2015, 4:25 pm

I see you're currently reading Red Mars. I hope you'll like it as much as I did!

129kaylaraeintheway
Jul 18, 2015, 9:55 pm

>128 chlorine: I am certainly enjoying it so far!

130kaylaraeintheway
Ago 27, 2015, 10:21 am

I have not had much time for reading lately; I moved from California to Arkansas a little over two weeks ago to start a new job, and I have been super busy ever since. Now that things have calmed down, I'm hoping to get back into reading! I was only able to fit about half of my books into my truck (yes, I drove from CA to AR), so my mom is going to ship the rest of them to me over the next couple of weeks. I miss my piles of books!

131AlisonY
Ago 27, 2015, 1:56 pm

Hope your new move works out well! Sure, if you miss your books in the meantime it's always a good excuse to go out and buy some more :)

132dchaikin
Ago 27, 2015, 9:56 pm

Wish you well settling in.

133wandering_star
Ago 28, 2015, 1:07 am

Yes, good luck settling in and getting to know your new neighbourhood.

134RidgewayGirl
Ago 28, 2015, 1:39 am

Congratulations on the new job! And I wish you a happy time in Arkansas. Have fun setting up your house and remember there's nothing wrong with taking your time.

135kaylaraeintheway
Ago 28, 2015, 10:23 pm

>131 AlisonY: >132 dchaikin: >133 wandering_star: >134 RidgewayGirl: Thanks everyone! I'm having a great time so far :)

136mabith
Set 2, 2015, 4:42 pm

Moving is so rough (and unpacking a perfect time for just having the TV on), though I love setting up and decorating a new space. Hope your books arrive soon!

137kaylaraeintheway
Set 20, 2015, 2:42 pm



Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race by Stephanie Nolen
3.5 out of 5 stars

I was lucky to come across this book among the many tottering piles at my favorite used bookstore, since space/astronauts and feminist history are two of my favorite topics! I did learn quite a lot about women's role (or lack of) in the 50s/60s during the Space Race, and I experienced quite a few instances of rage at NASA and even some of the women depicted in the book because holy gender discrimination, Batman! It is interesting to read about the struggles these women went through just to get a chance to fly in space (they flew thousands of hours and passed the astronaut tests, in some cases better than the men) and compare that to how Sally Ride came to be the first American woman in space (her excellent biography by Lynn Sherr (Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space) depicted a NASA finally open to gender inclusivity, yet still woefully and hilariously ignorant to how women operate - some engineers asked Ride if 100 tampons were enough for 5 days in space).

I enjoyed how detailed Nolen was in describing the women's histories and individual journeys toward being the first "lady astronaut", and the chapter devoted to the hearings on whether or not to allow women to continue taking the astronaut tests and be able to fly in space. This book was published in 2002, and I would love an updated edition that talks more about the female astronauts, scientists, and pilots now working for NASA. All in all, an interesting (if somewhat meandering) history of the first women who had aspirations to fly in space.

138wandering_star
Set 20, 2015, 6:06 pm

Interesting!

139dchaikin
Set 22, 2015, 11:00 am

NASA had women in the space program train to be astronauts but didn't use them?! i had no idea.

141AlisonY
Set 23, 2015, 7:38 am

Having your period in space... oh wow, it doesn't bear thinking about how horrifically awkward that must have been.

142kaylaraeintheway
Set 24, 2015, 4:22 pm

>139 dchaikin: NASA never officially admitted women into the space program, but the women were told that they were training to be astronauts. It was all a big hooplah

143FlorenceArt
Set 24, 2015, 4:28 pm

>142 kaylaraeintheway: I am speechless.

144mabith
Set 24, 2015, 6:06 pm

>142 kaylaraeintheway: What jerks NASA were! I got so sad the other day when I asked my mom if there was anything specific she wanted to do or study or work at as a kid. And the answer was a great big NOPE, because secretary, mother, and teacher was what little girls were shown. Extra annoying to me because her mom and her aunts all went to college, all studied science, math, or business but didn't pass that down to her. Just expected her to make up her mind when she was 17 or 18 and not think about it before that.

145kaylaraeintheway
Set 28, 2015, 7:45 pm

>143 FlorenceArt: Yeah, some parts of the book made me want to throw it across the room at the injustice of it all

>144 mabith: Such an unfortunate mindset to be in. But luckily some things have changed. Still got some ways to go, though

146kaylaraeintheway
Out 12, 2015, 4:47 pm



The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan
4 out of 5 stars

This collection of short stories and essays was written by Marina, a Yale student who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 21 just days after graduation. It was this horrible event that drew me to pick up this book, but I stayed for her honest and raw fiction and essays.

According to Anne Fadiman (author and Marina's mentor) in her introduction to this collection, Marina was "brilliant, kind, and idealistic; I hope I never forget she was also fierce, edgy, and provocative. A little wild. More than a little contrarian. If you wanted a smooth ride, Marina wasn't your vehicle."

You definitely get that sense when reading her stuff. Is it perfect? No. But I loved almost every piece. Maybe it's because she was close to my age when she wrote them, and she wasn't trying to sound older or more "refined" than she was; I could relate. "Cold Pastoral" and "Challenger Deep", the first and last of her short stories in the collection, were my favorite. The first because the way she wrote about a relationship coming to an end hit home, and the last because it was so haunting and disturbing. I absolutely loved her essays as well. "Why We Care About Whales" was achingly sad, "I Kill for Money" draws an honest and heartbreaking portrait of an exterminator, and "Putting the 'Fun' Back in Eschatology" and "Song for the Special" are short, sharp, and hopeful.

While it is tragic that Marina's life was cut short, I think this collection showed the world what she had to offer; insightful, honest (sometimes messy) musings on love, relationships, family, millennials, whales, and the end of the world.

So what I'm trying to say is you should text me back.
Because there's a precedent. Because there's an urgency.
Because there's a bedtime.
Because when the world ends I might not have my phone
charged and
If you don't respond soon,
I won't know if you'd wanna leave your shadow next to mine.


-from the poem "Nuclear Spring"

147kaylaraeintheway
Out 15, 2015, 11:52 am

I've decided to participate in the Dewey 24 Hour Readathon on Saturday, October 17th! That's right, 24 hours of (not quite) non-stop reading: my idea of a good time :)

I'll be documenting my progress on my new bookish blog. You can also follow #readathon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, tumblr, etc. to see what people around the world are reading for the event!

148dchaikin
Out 16, 2015, 2:57 pm

That's cool that you will do this readathon. Curious how it works out.

149kaylaraeintheway
Editado: Out 18, 2015, 10:23 pm



The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson
4 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I watched the Longmire TV show before I started the book series. The show is really, really good (all episodes now on Netflix).

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the TV show Longmire is different from the book (at least this first book in the series), because I did not know everything that was going to happen. The main mystery of this book serves as the storyline for the first episode of the show (which is wrapped up in a later episode), and the conclusion is vastly different, so again, I'm glad it was like reading a whole new mystery.

Anyway, while the characters in the book differ in some ways from the show, they are still engaging (especially Sheriff Walt Longmire, he of the dry wit and literary references; and his bestie Henry Standing Bear, moral compass and ladies' man) and Johnson paints a glorious picture of folks in small-town Wyoming. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

150kaylaraeintheway
Out 18, 2015, 10:35 pm



No one belongs here more than you: Stories by Miranda July
2.5 stars out of 5

Maybe it was because I read all of these stories at once, but I did not particularly like this collection. I thought there was too much unnecessary (to me) sexual stuff and too many damaged hipster people (makes sense that July is from Berkeley). However, I thought the stories "Something That Needs Nothing" and "How to Tell Stories to Children" were both really interesting. July is a talented writer, I just wish that she wasn't trying so hard to be edgy.

151kaylaraeintheway
Out 18, 2015, 10:46 pm



You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
3 out of 5 stars

I thought this memoir, by the "Queen of the Nerds" Felicia Day, was entertaining enough, but I felt like she was trying a little too hard to write a witty memoir. I felt like she was being true to herself and her voice, but I don't know...to me, she truly shone as a writer during the last 2 chapters of the book, when she was talking about the crippling depression and anxiety she experienced, and the #GamerGate fiasco that happened last year; she was not afraid to be open and honest about her experiences and shortcomings, which I loved. Something else that rubbed me the wrong way was, despite her being an advocate for female gamers and nerds, she made a few jabs at people, activities, and things that are stereotypically "feminine", like crafting or wearing heels. I got a "I'm not like the other girls vibe a few times, which left a weird taste in my mouth.

In all, I enjoyed reading about Felicia Day in her own words and with her own embarrassing pictures, mainly because I did not know a whole lot about her.

152kaylaraeintheway
Out 18, 2015, 10:58 pm



Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
4.5 stars out of 5

This book scared the crap out of me.

Granted, this may be because I was reading it in a creaky apartment, alone, at midnight, BUT STILL!

I thought this would be a more comedic horror story, but NOPE. I was terrified. And I couldn't stop reading.

Hendrix cleverly sets this book up as an IKEA catalog (or rather, Orsk, the store in the book), with coupons in the back and furniture descriptions at the beginning of each chapter. He also manages to draw comparisons between the prison of the Orsk store (and corporate, box-store America) and the prison that was there before it in subtle ways that really become clear as the story reaches its climax. The characters were great and full-bodied, and it was an overall awesome read.

153.Monkey.
Out 19, 2015, 3:07 am

>151 kaylaraeintheway: I was never a fan of hers. I thought The Guild was entertaining, but once it truly became a THING and she was suddenly Ms Popularity Of The Internet, whatever shy loner gamergirl tendencies she had went POOF and she turned into Like zomg I am so awsum you all love me!!!1! and it pisses me off endlessly. She abandons all her stuff without finishing it, she completely left The Guild, you know, the thing that actually made her into this "professional," hanging, and she does nothing anymore with all those people from it who were her bffs that all her earlier content included. When she and Ryon play games on Cooptitude they come off so incredibly smug about everything, trash-talking and dissing so much of what they play, I want to throttle them! She just, ugh, I went from not being a fan to not being able to stand her at all. And don't even get me started on her "bringing back" The Flog for, 5? episodes for the SOLE PURPOSE of pimping out her book, just because she couldn't keep making more random vids about HEY GUYS, I HAVE A BOOK! without coming off like an ass. So instead, she used The Flog to do it. Which afaic made her look even worse. Who does she think didn't realize what she was doing?! Gee, the moment the book was out & tour over, the show poofed again, really, who saw that coming! blech. Okay I will stop ranting now. >.>

Horrorstör sounds awesome, though! *adds to list*

154mabith
Out 19, 2015, 10:20 am

I'm glad a review has finally decided me against reading Felicia Day's memoir. I really just know her from her acting roles in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Eureka, so was never keen to read her memoir anyway. The "not like other girls" BS makes me so angry, especially coming from adult women (real-life teenagers I will give a slight pass to, but not book characters or adults).

155kaylaraeintheway
Out 19, 2015, 11:16 am

>153 .Monkey.: Glad I could provide you space to rant haha

>154 mabith: Yeah, I was a bit disappointed, but there were still some parts of the memoir that I liked. Oh well. I'll just treasure the memory of running into her (literally) at ComicCon a few years ago and the giggle fit between us that ensued. She seemed like such a cool person then...

156kaylaraeintheway
Nov 3, 2015, 4:18 pm



Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry
2.5 out of 5 stars

I am beginning my foray into the Star Wars book universe! There are literally hundreds of books/e-books/novellas/short stories, so there is no way I'm going to read all of them, but I do have a few series/story lines I'm going to read all the way through.

I started with this book, set in between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, where we find Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie trying to find a way to rescue Han before he is delivered to Jabba the Hutt as a frozen block of carbonite. Of course, a wrench gets thrown into their preparations when a new villain is introduced: the cunning Prince Xizor, leader of the massive underground criminal organization, Black Sun. Xizor wants to kill Luke for a very simple reason: Vader wants Luke alive. Xizor figures that with Luke (a major threat to the Empire) out of the way, Xizor will be able to get rid of Vader and overthrow the Emperor. I'm sure it all makes sense to him.

Anyway, our heroes get side-tracked in the quest for Han when Leia gets trapped in Xizor's palace as a way to lure Luke to him. So now Lando, Chewie, Luke, and some old and new friends have to find a way to evade their enemies, rescue Leia, take down Xizor, and find Han, all while Luke is trying to become a Jedi Knight. Nothing is ever easy in a galaxy far, far away.

Generally, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun adventure story, and I liked learning about Luke's journey towards becoming a full-fledged Jedi Knight, something we didn't get to see in the films. The witty banter was also pretty spot on. However, I rolled my eyes really hard at the "super-sexy, irresistible to women" villain trope. Because of course Xizor was, and of course Leia would be the one to fall into that trap. I just think it's lazy writing, in my opinion. I want my Princess Leia badass, sharp, and sarcastic. Not overcome by reptilian pheromones and waiting to be rescued. She does have her moments to shine, though, so there's that at least.

157kaylaraeintheway
Nov 9, 2015, 2:44 pm



Leaving Orbit: Notes from the Last Days of American Spaceflight by Margaret Lazarus Dean
5 stars!

We've always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. And we count these moments. These moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. We count these moments as our proudest achievements. But we lost all that. Or perhaps we've just forgotten that we are still pioneers. And we've barely begun. And that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, because our destiny lies above us.
- Interstellar (2014)

This quote was on my mind the whole time I was reading this terrific account of the last days of the American shuttle program. Like me, Margaret Lazarus Dean was enamored by space and spaceflight. The fact that we sent men into space with less technological power than what is in our smartphones is amazing! But spaceflight, and NASA as an organization, has always been on the outskirts of American life, even during the patriotic days of the Mercury missions. There has always been a question of cost, and, with the Challenger and Columbia disasters, the safety of the astronauts.

When it was announced that the shuttle program was going to be discontinued, and that American spaceflight was going to end as we knew it, those who believed in the shuttle missions (and the American exploration of space) were understandable hurt and angry. There were others who celebrated the decision, saying that the government was giving NASA too much money anyway to explore space when there were so many problems down here on Earth (the fact that NASA's budget was less than 4% of the total budget for the country was apparently lost on them).

The final missions of space shuttles Discovery, Endeavor, and Atlantis were completed in 2011, and Margaret Lazarus Dean was there for all of them. I'm so glad she chose to write about her experience, the history of spaceflight, and what is means that shuttle is ending (her thesis, if you will, of her book), because I have found a kindred spirit in Margaret. She is completely in awe of NASA - the engineers, astronauts, and other thousands of workers who made spaceflight possible. She fangirls all over Buzz Aldrin when she gets to interview him for a book festival (same, girl. Same). And she is determined to find the reason why spaceflight, which seemed to have captured so many people's hearts and imaginations at some point in American history, has come to an end. I found myself underlining many passages, whether because I agreed with a point she was making or because she captured the awesomeness of spaceflight so remarkably.

I love books about space. This one wrote about the ending of (in my opinion) a great space program in a way that, if only everyone could read it, would cause the Powers That Be to think twice about ending the shuttle program. I'm going to read her fiction novel about the Challenger explosion (The Time it Takes to Fall) soon, and with great interest. I shall also be on the lookout for the works she referenced in this book, specifically works by Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, and Oriana Fallaci.

I fear this review isn't doing the book justice, so I'll end on this note: read it. If you love space and spaceflight, or if you have a passing interest in it, or if you just love really good creative non-fiction, you must read this book.

158bragan
Nov 10, 2015, 4:15 am

>157 kaylaraeintheway: This one is already on my wishlist! But I would submit that there was nothing wrong with ending the shuttle program. Honestly, it was probably about time to retire the things. What's dismaying is that there was nothing to replace them with.

159kaylaraeintheway
Nov 10, 2015, 2:43 pm

>158 bragan:: That is a good point. There were so many talented people at NASA, surely we could have come up with something else to replace the shuttles with.

160mabith
Nov 10, 2015, 6:35 pm

>157 kaylaraeintheway: Your enjoyment of the book definitely shows in your review. Putting it on my to-read list now!

161AlisonY
Nov 11, 2015, 4:49 am

>157 kaylaraeintheway: loved your review - I felt you were hopping about with excitement just thinking about space as you were writing it.

My 8 year old son did a project on space earlier this year (with a dollop of help from Mum...), and it also got me thinking about the whole space programme ending. When I was a child we obviously didn't have the internet or anywhere near the amount of personal technology we do today, but I regularly saw the space shuttles blasting off on the evening news, and it kept the wonderment of space exploration very current in your mind. It was incredibly exciting, and sparked lots of debate in school about what the astronauts would be doing when they got up there.

Technology has since taken massive leaps forward, but somehow rather than increasing children's interest in space I think it's made them more detached from it. We're now able to access amazing space images online 24/7, and unmanned spacecrafts are going further and further into space all the time, yet despite the massive leap forward in quality and availability of information, for me it seems somehow less immediately relevant to today's kids. There was something about seeing those shuttles blast off that just pulled you in; I was very conscious when my son did his project that without that space exploration isn't as prevalent in today's young minds as it was for my generation.

20 years ago Buzz Aldrin visited my school, and we couldn't get our heads around the fact that this man, who was the second person to walk on the moon, was ten feet away from us ordinary kids in an ordinary school assembly in Belfast. I wonder if today's kids would get such a buzz (if you pardon the pun) from the same visit. You'd like to hope they would...

162kaylaraeintheway
Nov 11, 2015, 9:10 am

>160 mabith: I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!

>161 AlisonY: You hit the nail on the head, I think. While on the one hand the advancement of technology - especially social media- has brought people closer to space exploration (I'm thinking of the Voyager flyby of Pluto, where my friends and I got up at 4 AM to follow the live feed on NASA TV and Twitter), it does give us a sense of "Oh, it happened, now it's over. Time to move on to something else". So many folks I know are unaware that either a) the shuttle program has ended, or b) that the International Space Station is still a thing and there are always astronauts living on it.

I would probably lose it if I ever met Buzz Aldrin in person! That's amazing that you had the opportunity to see him.

163kaylaraeintheway
Nov 11, 2015, 9:32 am



The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace
5 stars!

As a Star Wars lover and wannabe Jedi, I found this little book to be a fun (and actually quite informative) read. It's set up like an actual manual/textbook, complete with marginal notes from Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Luke Skywalker himself, among others. There are also pictures, illustrations, and diagrams throughout.

What I really enjoyed was the little disagreements with the Jedi teachings that some of the note-takers expressed (especially Luke regarding attachment and love). It shows that maybe the Jedi did not always know what was best. Luke also offers little hints about how things are going with his own Jedi order, which makes me eager to read the Star Wars books that take place after Return of the Jedi.

In all, a delightfully nerdy read for Star Wars fans and aspiring Jedi Knights.

164kaylaraeintheway
Dez 2, 2015, 3:51 pm



The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
4.5 out of 5 stars

I thought this was a lovely book. It tells the story of Achilles, famous Greek hero and demi-god, and Patroclus, exiled prince and love of his life. We follow them from when they first meet as boys, as they train with the centaur Chiron, and finally through the 10 years of the Trojan War. Throughout all of this, they remain devoted to each other; but Achilles' quest for fame and glory in battle inevitably leads to his downfall (ummm, thousand-year-old spoiler?). The passages depicting Achilles' grief over the death of Patroclus are devastating, and the beautiful moments between them before that tragedy, were wonderful to read. I blazed right through this book, and it seemed to grow in my mind and heart after I finished reading it; I stayed up thinking about the story way past my bedtime.

165brodiew2
Dez 2, 2015, 4:36 pm

Mitford is so good. I read four in a row before taking an indefinite break after These High Green Hills. I've listened to a couple of the subsequent books on audio. However, I'm going to return to the series in 2016 with the most recently released book Come Rain or Come Shine.

166dchaikin
Dez 10, 2015, 8:35 pm

>164 kaylaraeintheway: I have this one in mind for next year, for a Homer theme.

167kaylaraeintheway
Dez 15, 2015, 8:25 pm



Tampa by Alissa Nutting
3 out of 5 stars

This novel left me feeling icky. And seeing as how it's about a 26-year-old 8th grade teacher who seduces 14 year old boys, it did its job.

Celeste Price is a gorgeous woman with a disturbing sexual appetite, one that only underage boys can satisfy. She is repulsed by her husband Ford, and often drugs herself (or him) when intimate encounters with him inevitably occur. She talks constantly about how disgusting other people (particularly adult women) are, and is self-centered in the most horrible way. Her main, and only, goal is to find a perfect specimen of a boy; in fact, she got her teaching credential just so she can constantly be around them. When she finally selects Jack Patrick as her target, she does everything in her power to keep him (but only for a year or so - after that, they start getting too mature).

Nutting based her story on Debra Lafave, a young teacher who was accused of sleeping with her underage students, and a high school classmate of Nutting. During the trial, the jury was told that she was "too beautiful for prison", a sentiment echoed near the end of the book when Celeste inevitably gets found out.

Nutting combines erotica and social satire/criticism in an interesting way. Celeste is absolutely unrepentant in her monstrosity, and her calculating and borderline sociopathic behavior sheds a light on female predators. While the writing was good enough, there was still something about the book that didn't connect for me. I can't quite put my finger on it.

Obviously, this book depicts events and acts that are not for the squeamish. It's not fun or easy to read about child sexual abuse, but in the hands of Nutting, the topic could be an eye-opener into how the world sees female sexual predators and their victims.

168AlisonY
Dez 17, 2015, 8:11 am

>167 kaylaraeintheway: really interested to read your review, as I've been skirting around this book on my wish list for a while now. Hmmm - still undecided. I still think I'm curious to give it a go, as everyone who's reviewed it has agreed with you that it's uncomfortable reading yet very well portrayed.

169kaylaraeintheway
Dez 18, 2015, 4:41 pm

>168 AlisonY:: I say give it a try, but via the library or something where you're not actually buying the book. I bought a used copy, and while I gave a favorable review, it's not something I'm going to reread.

170kaylaraeintheway
Dez 25, 2015, 11:30 pm



The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers
2.5 out of 5 stars

This novel, which takes place pretty much right after the events of Episode VI, finds our heroes rushing to the aid of the planet Bakura, which has been under Imperial control and now finds itself under the threat of the Ssi-ruuk, an alien species who want to harness human souls to power small fighter droids. Luke and Leia are dealing with the death of their father (in very different ways), Han is trying to romance Leia amidst political intrigue and fighting, and Luke is learning to fully master his use of the Force. While the events of this book are interesting, I did not connect fully with the story - probably because I kept having to stop reading for long periods of time due to being busy with work and other things. I hope that as I continue to move through the Star Wars novels they become more interesting and engaging.

171janemarieprice
Dez 29, 2015, 11:54 am

>170 kaylaraeintheway: I have a whole slew of the Star Wars novelizations from when we were kids which the new movie made me want to pull out and see if they still held any interest for me. I'll be following your reading closely to see your thoughts.

172kaylaraeintheway
Dez 30, 2015, 4:03 am

>171 janemarieprice: Great! I have a whole bunch on my shelf waiting to be read. Although now all of those books are not officially "canon" anymore, so it will be interesting to see how the two different timelines go (what is now being called "Legends" vs. the new canon)

173janemarieprice
Dez 31, 2015, 8:47 am

>172 kaylaraeintheway: Yeah that's what I'm interested in too. I know the new movies say they won't follow the books story lines, but I suspect they won't wholly throw out some of the plot points. ;)

174kaylaraeintheway
Dez 31, 2015, 4:16 pm



Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig
3.5 out of 5 stars

This novel takes place a few months after the events of Return of the Jedi and deals with (you guessed it!) the aftermath of the deaths of Vader and Emperor Palpatine and the "end" of the war against the Empire.

There are still people in the galaxy, Rebel and Imperial alike, who do not know (or refuse to acknowledge) what transpired on Endor and what that means for the evil Galactic Empire. We follow several people from both sides of the fight on the planet Akiva as they try to do what they feel is right for their respective causes. We also get little interludes from several people/creatures on various planets as they deal with the fallout of the war. I love that we get varied perspectives of the aftermath; it adds a richness to the Star Wars universe that wasn't always present in the films. I just wish we got more from the perspective of our 3 heroes - although we do get a bit from Chewie and Han, our favorite scruffy-looking nerf-herder. And Wedge Antilles is an important player in this story. But still, it would be nice to hear from Leia and Luke. Maybe in the Aftermath books to come!

Wendig certainly captures the voice and tone of the Star Wars universe really well; my only complaint is he does that things where he breaks sentences up into smaller, not-quite-full sentences. Not my favorite writing style. Still, looking forward to the next installments of this series!