Rabbit Hole #64: In/Out January and February

Yeah. . . so about that regular schedule.

 

I'll keep trying to be better about that. 

Here's just a quick run-down of what I've been reading since I last popped in here: 

Black Chalk by Christopher Yates (3 stars): a psychological thriller that had a lot of promise, but fell a little flat for me. There were just some plot holes that needed to be fleshed out a little bit more. 

Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman (4 stars): I am a sucker for travel memoirs. The downside--I start looking for travel packages. 

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang (4 stars for both): These two graphic novels are centered around the Boxer Rebellion in China. It does a good job of showing the two sides of the conflict, reminding us that there's always more than one story to be told. 

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (3.5 stars): I've been wanting to read more Wilde, and this was a quick, easy read. I think the satire comes across better in the viewing of the play rather than the reading of it, though. 

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice (4 stars): My comfort reads. Definitely not my favorite book of hers--it got a little bogged down trying to introduce an alien species and the lost city of Atlantis into the vampire world, but it was fun. 

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (3.5 stars): Live for six months in a prison and the other six in a gated community with your every need taken care of--for the people in this post-apocalyptic/post-economic crash society, it sounds like a pretty good deal. Maybe too good. Like the Rice book, this isn't my favorite of Atwood's, but it definitely is a good satire on our society. 

Glass Sword and King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard (3 stars for both): YA fantasy dystopia. Nothing fancy, just quick, easy, fun reads. 

The Crack-up by F. Scott Fitzgerald (3.5 stars): I FINALLY finished this. I have been dipping in and out of this book since 2015. This is an odd collection: it starts with Fitzgerald's memoir/essays "The Crack-up", then goes into about 150 pages from his writing notebooks, then finishes with letters to/from Fitzgerald, as well as obituaries. I enjoyed all of it, but the format just made it a slow read. 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (4.5 stars): This is the best fiction book I've read so far this year, hands-down; the only reason it isn't a 5 star read is that I just wanted more. The story follows the descendants of two sisters, one sold into slavery, the other married to a slave trader, and the repercussions that reverberate through the centuries. 

Currently, I'm reading The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter and Bright Lines by Tanwi Nadini Islam. Hopefully I will give you an update soon!

Rabbit Hole #63: In/Out Jan. 1-7

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope the first week has been treating you well. Sorry this is a day late; it wouldn't be a free weekend without me getting sick. My hope is to get back on a regular schedule with these; if not every week, every two for sure.

Recently Purchased

Black Chalk by Christopher Yates

Just one this week (after the Christmas spree last week, I think that's plenty!). This is the January choice for my book club, and I have no idea what it's about. Should be interesting!

Recently Completed

What Moves at the Margins by Toni Morrison (4.5 stars)

I honestly don't know what to say. This was an amazing collection of Morrison's nonfiction work, from book reviews to her Nobel Prize acceptance speech. It was the essays on race and gender that were especially hard-hitting though--I often had to look at the date of each piece several times, because they are so relevant to our world right now. Sadly, those pieces were written 20-30 years ago in most cases, showing just how far we still have to go. The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I wanted more--more of her words and her wisdom.

Currently Reading

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Only about a hundred pages in, and we've already added the mystical realm of Atlantis and some type of extra-terrestrial immortal beings to the already crowded world of vampires, witches, ghosts, and spirits. I'm perfectly okay with that though; Rice's books have always been comfort food for me. They're the type of books I can just sink into and forget about the chaos around me. Looking forward to seeing where she's going to take me. 

Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman

I have really grown to love essay collections over the past few years, and this one ticks all the boxes: travel, memory, art. So far, an enjoyable read. 

Rabbit Hole #60: In/Out Dec. 11-Jan. 1

Well, we made it to the end of another year. I hope your celebrations over the past few weeks have been joyous and you are ready for what 2017 had to bring. Here's just a bit of what I've been reading the past couple of weeks. (I'll also have a 2016 reading wrap-up/2017 goals post and a top books of 2016 post coming in the next few days.)

Recently Purchased

Not technically purchased, as I was given gift cards, but these are all on their way. I have very generous family members!

 

 

Yeah, the to-be-read pile just became substantially larger.

Recently Completed

The Witches: Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff (4 stars)

I've always been interested in the psychology behind the Witch Trials: what could possibly have made so many people turn on their friends and loved ones? Unfortunately, because of the lack of historical record, we may never know that answer definitively. Since I've taught Arthur Miller's The Crucible several times, I knew most of the information presented in the book from my own research. But it was still intriguing to delve into the enormous scope of the, for lack of a better word, madness. It also solidified the fact that we haven't changed all that much: one of the radical notions that the "devil" was promising the "witches" was that all people are created equal, and that terrified people. As it still does today. 

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland (3.5 stars)

This is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel about two sisters who find themselves alone in their forest home after a mysterious illness has wiped out a large portion of the population and their father dies while trying to provide for them. Hegland doesn't waste a lot of time on the outside world, focusing instead on the realities of trying to survive when everything you take for granted is gone. I liked the sister dynamic, but it felt almost too easy for these two teenagers to survive. It was a fun, quick read, though. 

The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemison (4 stars)

I was thinking this was going to be more of a science fiction novel, but to me, it felt more fantasy. Not that fantasy's a bad thing--I like that much more than science fiction! This is the first in a duology and centers on a world where dreamblood is harvested and used to cure the sick. The Gatherers take "tithes" from those who are deemed unworthy by their order (they're really highly skilled religious assassins). But of course, in the wrong hands, dreamblood can be a weapon. Political intrigue, war, alternate realms are all beautifully crafted by Jemison, and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel. 

Currently Reading

What Moves at the Margins: Selected Nonfiction by Toni Morrison

To me, Toni Morrison is the queen goddess of contemporary literary fiction. Her work is insightful, raw, thought-provoking, challenging, and inspiring: everything I need right now as we head into an uncertain time. 

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Comfort food

I'm starting this one tonight. 

Rabbit Hole #27: Top 10 (+2) Most Owned Authors

Once again, stealing an idea from the wonderful Jen Campbell, these are my top 10 most owned authors. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised by the top 3 at all.

Honorable Mention with 7 books each: (Interestingly, these are the only two men on this list.)

C. S. Lewis: Lewis is a bit of a cheat, since all 7 of his are the Chronicles of Narnia series, but since they are separate books...

F. Scott Fitzgerald: I love Fitzgerald and wish he had lived long enough to continue writing. I think the only thing I don't own right now is The Last Tycoon, which was the book he was working on when he died.

Tied with 8 books each (#10-8)
J. K. Rowling: Again, a bit of a cheat since seven are the Harry Potter books, but I also have her first adult novel The Casual Vacancy, which was okay, but not up to the level of the Potter books.

Margaret Atwood: I am just scratching the surface with Atwood. I love her dystopian novels,   especially The Handmaid's Tale and the MADDADDAM series, but I'm anxious to dive into her poetry and short stories soon.

Louise Erdrich: Her stories about life on the reservation in North Dakota and the interweaving narratives throughout her novels have kept me hooked since I first read Love Medicine. She has a new novel coming out in May, which I am very excited for. Like Atwood, she has poetry and short fiction out that I need to read, as well as children's fiction.

#7 with 9 books
Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible is one of my all-time favorite books. I also really love her nonfiction as well; her background in biology and ecology is fascinating.

#6 with 10 books
Toni Morrison: It's Toni Morrison. She's the godmother of modern literature. Enough said.

#5 with 12 books
A. S. Byatt: I fell in love with Byatt's writing when I read Possession. She blends historical fiction with literature with myth with a bit of magical realism...well, you get the point.

#4 with 13 books
Charlaine Harris: Once again, this is all one series. I loved the HBO series True Blood, and decided to read the Sookie Stackhouse books it was based on. These were fun and quick reads, good for getting out of reading slumps or days where you didn't want to have to think to hard about what you were reading.

#3 with 17 books
Virginia Woolf: I haven't read Woolf in a while, to be honest. I think I'm still on a bit of a hangover after writing my master's thesis on her. Her writing is frank, experimental, forward-thinking, and thought-provoking, and I've read almost everything she's written except her diaries, which is where I might head next.

#2 with 22 books
Alice Walker: I absolutely adore Alice Walker. It started, naturally, with The Color Purple, but I've devoured almost everything she's written--novels, poetry, essays, memoirs--the only thing I haven't read are her children's books. You are always forced to look at the world around you and your own beliefs when reading her books.

And, of course...

#1 with 29 books
Anne Rice: I fell in love with Rice in high school, and haven't looked back. For me, her knowledge of history weaving in and out of tales of witches, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves is the most intriguing part of her tales. I also love her two non-paranormal historical novels as well: Cry to Heaven and The Feast of All Saints.  


So there you have it, my top 10 (+2) most owned authors! (Hey, if the Big Ten can have 14 schools in it, I can have 12 in my top 10 list!)