June 2016 Wrap-Up

Well, June is done. That was quick, wasn’t it? It’s already time for me to think about my reading life this past month. I’ve had a very busy month both reading and blogging about reading. I made some dents in challenges, and didn’t do as much in others. But there are still six months left in the year, so I’m not too worried about meeting the goals of the challenges.

This month: I’ve read 9 books total and still have one to finish.

Pages read: 2,950

Challenges:

#ReadMyOwnDamnBooks: 7

Book Riot Read Harder: 1

#WeekofReviews Challenge: 7 (on 6 of the 7 days.)

Book Formats and Genres:

Library Books: 2

EBooks/Kindle: 4

Romance Novels 3

How to/Self-help: 3

Books Purchased: 5.  2 kindle books and 3 paperbacks

Book Box: 1 (#BookMailBox) 2 books, apron, tea towel, bookmark, granola bar.

Book Reviews Posted: 8 (7 for the #WeekofReviews)

 

Reading goals for July:

• Need to read three books for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.
• Finish S! I’m dragging my feet on this one.

How was your June?

 

 

Review of Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

This is day seven of the #WeekofReveiws #Reviewathon challenge hosted by Andi at Estella’s Revenge.  If you would like to read my earlier reviews click here , here,  here, here, and here. And click here if you would like to see my star rating system. Also be sure to visit Estella’s Revenge to read Andi’s reviews and links to #WeekofReviews by other bloggers participating in this challenge.

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach     

• Pub. Date: 2005
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
• Format: Kindle
• pages: 321
• Source: Amazon
• 3 1/2 stars

Mary Roach is known for her well-researched, nonfiction books. And they are fascinating by all accounts. In Spook she asks the question is there life after death? And the book is her answer to this question. As a researcher she knows that getting background information is important. So she examines what religion says about it, including Egyptian beliefs, reincarnation,and Christian beliefs. And she examines the beginning of mediums and speaking to the dead. This last bit is fascinating. The story of the Fox sisters and the industry they spawned is beyond belief. She also examines how science has attempted to discover if there is life after death.

This is a fun read. Roach’s writing is fun and easy to read. This is not at all like reading a dense scientific journal article or college textbook. There is a wryness without being too snarky. And she treats the subject seriously without being too serious. And she does a good job of explaining the more difficult concepts without writing down to the reader. Now, you must have a strong stomach because she does not shy away from gross or nasty details. I’m still not right after reading her description of how mediums in the 19th century made and deployed ectoplasm. I’ll say no more. But it is all fascinating.

 

 

 

 

Reviews of Beautiful Ruins and Rooms

This is day six of the #WeekofReveiws #Reviewathon challenge hosted by Andi at Estella’s Revenge. I missed posting a review yesterday, so I’m doubling up today. If you would like to read my earlier reviews click here , here,  here  and here. And click here if you would like to see my star rating system. Also be sure to visit Estella’s Revenge to read Andi’s reviews and links to #WeekofReviews by other bloggers participating in this challenge.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters

• Pub. Date: 2012
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Format: Trade paperback
• pages: 337
• Source: bookstore!
• 4 stars

I’ve had this book in ye olde TBR for a couple of years. I bought it because I love, love, love gossipy old Hollywood stories. And this one is just that. Now, let me be clear. It is fictional. Richard Burton shows up, but that is about it. There are mentions of Elizabeth Taylor, too. But this is a novel. The main characters are all fiction.

In April of 1962 Dee Moray escapes her dangerous on set love affair with Richard Burton to a small hotel on the coast of Italy owned by Pasquale. The two are both fragile and need kindness from someone. Both are rejected by their loves, you see. In spite of their difficulties in communicating, they find that understanding with each other.

Skipping 40 years forward, Dee’s son Patrick is searching for himself. He is a half-assed musician who goes through women by the score. He needs to find himself. Around this same time, Pasquale’s wife has died and he travels to Hollywood to find his lost love Dee Moray. And at the same-time A young man from Northern California is traveling to Hollywood to try and sell a script. All of these stories  come together and make sense at the end. And do it all beautifully, too. This is a perfect read for a hot weekend when you can’t get out of town. And it’s gossipy. Which for me is always fun.

Rooms by Lauren Oliver

• Pub. Date: 2014
• Publisher:  Ecco an imprint of Harper Collins
• Format: Hardback
• pages: 305
• Source: bookstore!
• 3 stars

I like this book for a lot of reasons, but I think the biggest one is the ghosts. Did I mention that this is a ghost story? No? Well, it’s a ghost story. But these ghost are free floating, chain rattling ghosts. These ghosts, Alice and Sandra,  are embedded in the house. The are everywhere, and they crowd each other. They whisper to each other and the inhabitants almost hear them. They are uncomfortable and make the inhabitants uncomfortable, too.

Minna and Trenton return to the haunted house to clean it and pack up the beings of their recently deceased father. Amy, Minna’s daughter, and Caroline, Minna and Trenton’s mother, join them in this endeavor. Naturally, all of this stirs up bitter feelings between the adults and give the ghosts plenty to discuss as well. This book is not chock full of horror, but instead full of the regrets of everyone living and dead within the house. It’s a nice read for someone who wants to read a ghost story, just not a Stephen King or Peter Straub ghost story.

Reveiw of The Tiger’s Wife

This is day three of the #WeekofReveiws #Reviewathon challenge hosted by Andi at Estella’s Revenge. If you would like to read my earlier reviews click here and here. And click here if you would like to see my star rating system. Also be sure to visit Estella’s Revenge to read Andi’s reviews and links to reviews by other bloggers participating in this challenge. Now on with the review!

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht

• Pub. Date: 2011
• Publisher: Random House
• Format: Paperback
• pages: 338
• Source: bookstore!
• 5 stars

“Come on, is your heart a sponge or a fist?” —The Tiger’s Wife

Summarizing this book is difficult. This story is comprised of so many stories. War stories, death stories, why I became a doctor stories, and, most of all, the stories that reveal who they, the characters, are to others. Natalia and her grandfather go every week to see the animals at a Zoo in an unnamed city in the Balkans. But the animal they spent the most time with is the tiger. And while the watched the tiger, the Grandfather would read Natalia stories from The Jungle Book. As the stories skips back and forth through time we visit the Balkans in time of war both more recent and in the distant past. We visit folk stories and mythologies from central Europe. And most importantly we follow the stories of the grandfather as a young doctor who encounters again and again The Man Who Wouldn’t Die. And after the grandfather’s death, we discover the story of the Tiger’s Wife who fascinated the grandfather as a young boy in his home village. Framing all these stories are the wars in the Balkans. Whether the wars take place years ago or more recently, they affect everyone in the story.

This is an amazing novel. It won a slew of prizes back in 2011. And all of these awards are completely justified. The writing is gorgeous and the stories are fascinating. Since I grew up during the Cold War stories and fairy tales from Central Europe are completely off my radar. Even the Balkans, until the late 80’s and early ‘90’s, meant nothing to me. I’m not sure I could’ve even point out the region on a map. But in the years since this has changed. I love to read the folklore from Central Europe. And Tea Obreht’s telling of these stories is gorgeous. Take this passage from the beginning of chapter 2:

“Everything necessary to understand my grandfather lies between two stories: the story of the tiger’s wife, and the story of the deathless man. These stories run like secret rivers through all the other stories of his life – of my grandfather’s days in the army; his great love for my grandmother; the years he spent as a surgeon and a tyrant of the University. One, which I learned after his death, is the story of how my grandfather became a man; the other, which he told to me, is of how he became a child again.”

I immediately wanted to know these stories. Who is the Deathless Man? And who or what is The Tiger’s Wife? After this passage, I was all in for this story because magical realism is my jam, as the kids say.

I loved the characters in the story as well, Natalia who loved and cared for her beloved grandfather, and went to get him after his death. The grandfather who loved stories and sharing them with his granddaughter.  The Deathless man who longs for death. And the sad Tiger’s Wife who suffers and overcomes her horrific life. And I love the setting. I love the war-torn landscape of the Balkans. I love reading about the past and present and how they are so connected. And soon I’m going to read this again. I’ll probably do it out of the order presented to see if it gives me even greater understanding of the story and themes.

*edited to fix some grammar errors and word choice issues on 05/09/2019

Review of American Ghost

It’s day two of the #WeekofReveiws #Reviewathon challenge hosted by Andi at Estella’s Revenge . I was a bit confused at the dates because I’m not paying as much attention to dates as I should! Thanks, Andi, for this challenge. Yesterday, I posted a review of  Graveminder by Melissa Marr.

American Ghost: A Family’s Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus.

• Pub. Date: 2015
• Publisher: Harper
• Format:Kindle eBook
• memoir
• page number: 341
• Source: I bought it at Amazon.
• 4 stars

What if one day, while watching tv, a picture of your grandparent’s home came on the screen.  And it’s on a ghosting hunting, paranormal phenomena show? And they claim the house is haunted by your great-great-grandmother? What would be your reaction? Well, this is similar to a situation to author Hannah Nordhaus is faced with a similar situation. Since the ’70’s stories about her Great-great-grandmother, Julia Staab haunting the former family mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Stories of murder, depression, evil babies, and locked doors. A women in black wafting down hallways and through walls. Gothic horror stories come to life. Family stories that do nothing to really disprove the tales being told about Julia. So Hannah decides to find out how much of the ghost story is true. She uses her skills as a nonfiction writer to discover more about her family’s infamous ghost. To do this she consults ghost hunters and paranormal investigators, psychics and clairvoyants, gemologists and town historians. She also travels to Julia’s hometown in Germany and spends the night in Julia’s bedroom in her family’s former mansion. It’s a fascinating look at how the ghost stories tell us more about our history than we think.

I was expecting this book to be more like the super popular ghost hunting stories that populate the airwaves, but am surprised and happy it is not. It is an absorbing tale about family history that is also American history. I knew very little about Jewish history in the American Southwest and learned so much while reading this. And she tries to give Julia a voice. It truly is a fascinating read if you enjoy ghost stories and history.

Reveiw of Graveminder

Well, shoot. I just realized today is June 12th and not tomorrow which means the #WeekofReview challenge begins today. Which also means I need to post my first review to my blog. Luckily, I just finished a book this afternoon and I can use it for this first blog post of the challenge. And today is a day that losing myself in a book is a requirement.

The Graveminder by Melissa Marr

• Pub. Date: 2011
• Publisher: Harper Collins eBooks
• Format:Kindle
• page number:341
• Source: I bought it from Amazon.
• 3 stars

Rebekkah has lost most of her beloved family, Here step-father Jimmy and beloved sister Ella. And now she has received word that her grandmother Maylene is gone and she must return to her adopted hometown Claysville to bury her. And important mysteries and secrets go with Maylene, the graveminder, to the grave.

Waiting in Claysville for Rebekkah are those mysteries. What is a graveminder and why is Rebekkah expected to take that role instead of Maylene’s daughter Cissy? Why is Rebekkah’s former lover Bryon so important to the graveminder? And the biggest mystery of all, who killed Maylene and why is no one looking for the killer? Rebekkah and Bryon togethr try to solve these and other mysteries, and discover their role in the town of Claysville. And on top of all of this work out their relationship. There is a lot going on in this story.

I like the premise of the story. It kept me turning the pages eager to discover the answer to all of the mysteries of the story. Especially what a graveminder is and what it is they do. And for the most part that question is answered. And think about what a cool idea it is. A town where one woman is tasked with keeping the dead in the ground. Its quite original. And the dead that don’t stay put? Well, then the graveminder must take them to the land of the dead. And the taste we get of that land is fascinating. The world Melissa Marr builds her and in Claysville is well done. i would like to spend more time is this world she has created.

But that is part of the problem of this story. Too much time building up an introduction to this world and not enough time in it. Too much time watching Rebekkah trying to tentatively understand what is going on and why, and not enough time with the important part of the tale. So many things are lightly touched upon and never mentioned again. Minor characters come out of nowhere to give important information, and then are never seen again.  I have questions about plot points and characters, both minor and major, which are never answered. And so I thought this means she is writing this as a part of a series. She writes YA series according to her Goodreads page, so this could explain the all unanswered questions. But. I can find no indication that she plans of writing book 2. Which is too bad because I would like to visit Rebekkah and Byron again and see what is going on in this world she has created.

 

Friday 56, #4 and #WeekofReveiws

It’s my fourth week of Friday 56!  It’s a book meme hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice. Be sure to visit her blog if you would like to participate! 

From Freda’s Voice The Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that’s ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post in Linky on Friday 56. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It’s that simple.

Here’s my contribution:

“Bourne had imagined a half dozen scenarios that ended in his ferreting Penelope away from her father and her family and marrying her to reclaim his land. He’d planned for seduction, and for coercion, and even-in the extreme-for abduction.

But not one of all those scenarios had involved a snow-covered woman with a penchant for danger and less than the recommended allotment of sense approaching him in the bitter cold of a Surrey January in the dead of night.”

If you are looking for a fun beach read, this book might be it!

#WeekofReveiws

Starting on Monday I’ll be participating in #WeekofReveiws challenge hosted by Andi at Estella’s Revenge. I’m participating because I started this blog to write about books and reading, which includes book reviews.  But as of today I’ve not written even one book review! So this challenge should help me rectify this situation. I’ll have a lsit of books I plan on reviewing on my blog Monday.  And if you would like to participate in this challenge be sure to click on the link to the blog and add your name to the list of other bloggers participating.

What do you think of my Friday 56 book? Would you read a romance novel? And do you like reading book reviews? Let me know in the comments. And if you are participating in any book meme, be sure to leave a link to it in the comments. I love reading book meme posts!

Reading in June and Other Stuff.

I’m still new to blogging and have not yet found my voice. So I spend a lot of time reading other book blogs to see what is going on the book blog world. Over the weekend I noticed that a lot of bloggers not only recap the prior month but also blog about the reading month ahead. So that’s my plan for today! Here are my reading plans for June.

I have three books to finish reading this month: S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Graveminder by Melissa Marr. I’m very close to finishing all of them in the next week or two.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn are both for the Book Riot Read Hader 2016 Challenge. My good friend Dayle and my husband both recommend Station Eleven highly so I’m really looking forward to reading it. Another good friend, Daniela, gave me The Sharper the Knife for my birthday years ago and I’m just now getting to it.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is new to my TBR, and is a literary sensation. I’ve not read a review for it that doesn’t praise it. Which makes me nervous. What if it doesn’t live up to my expectations? I have been disappointed by sensations before. But this month I’m taking the dive into it. I’ll let you know my thoughts at some point! On Beauty by Zadie Smith is also new to the TBR, but I’ve been looking forward to reading it for years.

And all the books on my June TBR pile are owned by me. I’m still working on the #readmyowndamnbooks challenge.

Other Stuff

Speaking of challenges, I’m participating in another challenge, y’all! This one is hosted by Estella’s Revenge. It’s the #WeekofReveiws just click on the link to learn more about it or sign up to participate. Basically, between June 13th and 19th I will post a new book review everyday. My reasons for doing this are bit different than Estella’s. I’m very shy about reviewing books online even though that is one of the reasons why I started this blog. So rather than putting it off any longer, I’m using the challenge to kick-start my book review writing.

This week I will be writing those reviews, so if you have any tips or suggestions for writing book reviews, be sure to post them in the comments.