I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fanciful, magic-based fiction.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
I loved this book. It reminded me of somewhere between CS Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle. This is my favorite Gaiman book so far, but Good Omens in on my list to read soon too. The book is beautifully written and I enjoyed it much more than many of the books I've been reading lately.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fanciful, magic-based fiction.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fanciful, magic-based fiction.
Monday, June 3, 2019
I am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez
As far as angsty, YA novels go, this one was pretty good, but holy cow, if I'd read it before living in Brownsville I would have been like, "No one actually DOES this!" But I have lived in Brownsville and the sad, sad remnants the parents desperately cling to "how it was in the old country" are totally accurate. It infuriates me. Immigrants come to this country to "give their children a better life" and then get mad or try to hold them back when those children take full advantage of what's offered here. Either you want your children to surpass you economically, or you don't, and if you don't, just stay home where things never change!
This novel also focused a lot on basic differences between parents and children, which is common regardless of heritage or cultural background. People reproduce and think that because that child shares half their genetic material, certainly the child will be just like they are. So often wrong! And that was a central theme in this book. It disgusts me when parents believe their children are great, so long as they agree 100% with you.
I don't expect anyone will read this, so spoiler alerts to follow:
This book hits irony HARD, which is both satisfying and frustrating. The MC is a girl in her mid-teens with an older sister in her early 20's. The eldest is the "golden" child and the younger is the "problem" child. The older sister dies in a traffic accident and as the younger sniffs out something's not quiet in order, we learn the "perfect daughter" is anything but. It's so aggravating how blind the parents are that the MC tries to kill herself, and frankly,based in their behavior, I can't say she's totally wrong.
This is a well-written book, but there aren't many people I'd recommend it to.
This novel also focused a lot on basic differences between parents and children, which is common regardless of heritage or cultural background. People reproduce and think that because that child shares half their genetic material, certainly the child will be just like they are. So often wrong! And that was a central theme in this book. It disgusts me when parents believe their children are great, so long as they agree 100% with you.
I don't expect anyone will read this, so spoiler alerts to follow:
This book hits irony HARD, which is both satisfying and frustrating. The MC is a girl in her mid-teens with an older sister in her early 20's. The eldest is the "golden" child and the younger is the "problem" child. The older sister dies in a traffic accident and as the younger sniffs out something's not quiet in order, we learn the "perfect daughter" is anything but. It's so aggravating how blind the parents are that the MC tries to kill herself, and frankly,based in their behavior, I can't say she's totally wrong.
This is a well-written book, but there aren't many people I'd recommend it to.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Home Buying for Dummies - Eric Tyson & Ray Brown
Obviously I read this because I'm looking to buy a house. My last experience was so horrible, I was convinced I did something wrong. This time I thought I'd do way more research to ensure the same errors were not repeated. As it turns out, my lack of education was one of the reasons I had trouble, HOWEVER, everything I didn't know SHOULD have been taken care of by the people I hired. It was not. This book harps on putting together a good team. I had a team, and as best I can tell, it should have been good, years and years of experience. But that team dropped the ball at every available chance. So, I could have corrected them, but they shouldn't have let any of those mistakes happen to begin with, that's why they were getting paid!
I like the format of this series of books. As an E-book, it didn't always format right, but you could at least get an idea. There's a lot of great general information, but as they repeatedly remind you, there are always exceptions. I know I had a few very odd, specific questions that this book could not answer. (that's what the internet is for) But as a prep guide, it's very good.
I like the format of this series of books. As an E-book, it didn't always format right, but you could at least get an idea. There's a lot of great general information, but as they repeatedly remind you, there are always exceptions. I know I had a few very odd, specific questions that this book could not answer. (that's what the internet is for) But as a prep guide, it's very good.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin
A classic, so I thought I should give it a try. It was about what I expected. The author does a perfect job of setting up the tower so that it crumbles perfectly at the end. You pretty much know what the deal is the whole time, but it's still wonderful to see it all come together. And the ending, while not what you want, is perfect for Rosemary's character and makes total sense (unlike some other fiction I've seen lately, ahem!, GoT... anyway!)
As a classic, if you're a horror/suspense fan, you should probably put it on your list. If you're not a horror/suspense fan, eh, that'd be up to you then, but I enjoyed it greatly.
As a classic, if you're a horror/suspense fan, you should probably put it on your list. If you're not a horror/suspense fan, eh, that'd be up to you then, but I enjoyed it greatly.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
The Witches of New York - Ami McKay
This was a fun book. Sneakily feminist. I liked it. Was it life altering? No. Was it a good romp? Totally. I loved many of the obscure historical references like the Egypt-mania of the turn of the last century, tansy tea, the weird obsession with seances, carrying coals in oyster shells and especially the Comstock Act.
This book will make you appreciate how far women's rights have come, holy jeeze! Perhaps the detail I appreciated the most was not a historical reference but the twist the author put on the relationship between Satan and witches. The "alliance" of witches and the devil was manufactured by demons because witches work against the evils of the world and Satan's work. So over the centuries, demons have turned people, mostly men, against them. That was a very crafty move.
I'd recommend this to people who like an entertaining piece of fiction set in the 1880's, but I would not recommend slapping it at the top of your "To Read" list.
This book will make you appreciate how far women's rights have come, holy jeeze! Perhaps the detail I appreciated the most was not a historical reference but the twist the author put on the relationship between Satan and witches. The "alliance" of witches and the devil was manufactured by demons because witches work against the evils of the world and Satan's work. So over the centuries, demons have turned people, mostly men, against them. That was a very crafty move.
I'd recommend this to people who like an entertaining piece of fiction set in the 1880's, but I would not recommend slapping it at the top of your "To Read" list.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
This is your Brain on Anxiety: What happens and What helps - Faith G. Harper
I do not have anxiety, but many of the people I work with and many of my friends do, so I picked up this short book to better understand their condition and how I can help. This book is good for that and not too long. It is written in a very personable style for the millennial or the Gen Z individual. Older readers who become easily offended by "bad words" will not be fans. Foregoing that issue, it is a concise book on cause and correction of anxiety and if, like me, you find yourself surrounded by anxious people, would be a good one to pick up.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Lady Macbeth - Susan Fraser King
This book was entirely unexpected and not what I initially thought it would be about. When I picked it up, I thought it was about the fictional Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare's play Macbeth. I soon realized, no, it was a historical fiction about the actual Lady Macbeth, the one Shakespeare VERY loosely based his play on (as in not at all). So that being said, it's a great read, a fascinating portrait of a turbulent time. The author has a PhD in like medieval art history, or something, but she's clearly an excellent historic researcher and has written this book around what has been written down about this time, and I don't mean recent books, I mean annals from the 1500's (already ancient history when documented, but that's all we have left).
I love books that bring ancient history back to life the way this does! I highly recommend this book for the history lover!
I love books that bring ancient history back to life the way this does! I highly recommend this book for the history lover!
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