I have quite a few books to discuss for this reading week thanks to two days off work as well as a goal to read audiobooks for at least 3 hours a day.
This week and next week I’m prioritizing all of my “required” reads before the Goodreads Choice Awards finalists are announced. (If it happens around the same time as last year, that should happen on the 14th or the 15th.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
T. J. Klune
I don’t know how the “skip the line” copies work on Libby but I’m glad that they exist. I had planned to read a different potential Goodreads Choice Award nominee but dropped that plan immediately for this one.
If you get the chance to read this book, read it via the audiobook. Daniel Henning does an amazing job bringing these unique and lovable characters to life with incredible voice acting.
Many people questioned the need for a sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, myself included.
Rather than feeling like a sequel, this book read like a new chapter. It had some obvious similarities. I do not think, like others have said in their reviews, that this was The House in the Cerulean Sea, Arthur’s version. Arthur had a lot to learn and I appreciated Klune’s take on it. This book did not quite reach 5 stars for me like the first book even though I still love all these kids so much.
The reason I hold back has more to do with a lack of depth on one key aspect. At one point, Arthur is so deeply hurt about a revelation he has just learned that he starts to lash out at those around him which at that point was his partner, Linus, the main character of the first book. In his anger, Arthur asks an incredibly valuable and important question. Basically, why did it take these specific Kids for Linus to learn about the wrongness of the system? Why had he not seen the value in all of the other magical children in the other homes he had evaluated before he, Linus, came to the island. When Arthur posed this question, I held my breath with anticipation to see how Klune would tackle the response and found myself incredibly disappointed that he avoided the response altogether. I still love the story though and believe it should definitely have been written.
Wash Day Diaries
Jamila Rowser
I picked up this graphic novel at my most recent trip to the bookwarehouse outlet, excited to finally get my hands on something I had seen lauded back when it appeared in the new defunct comics/graphic novels category in the Goodreads Choice Awards. I found myself intrigued by the premise but unprepared for how it played out. It definitely was not bad, just not the book for me.
The City in Glass
Nghi Vo
I really appreciate Nghi Vo’s writing. However, her latest book just did not work for me. I definitely did the book a disservice by picking it up immediately following Somewhere Beyond the Sea. These books have completely different tones and writing styles. Thus, it took my brain longer to get a grasp on the conceit behind the story that Vo told in this novella.
The structure of the narrative also kept me at arms length. I did not realize scope of time
covered in the novella until already immersed. This type of story telling works for many but it does not work for me. Some of Vo’s narrative choices also blurred the edges, a clearly deliberate choice on the part of the author. However, that kept me from becoming invested in the story to my great disappointment.
This is a beautiful story; it just didn’t work for me.
The Man Who Died Twice
by Richard Osman
Full disclosure for this review: I listened to most of this book first thing in the morning as part of my self-imposed challenge of getting in at least three hours of audiobook time in before I watch any YouTube. That, when combined with lazy mornings where I would lay down while listening, meant that I missed a few small pieces. Thus, it took me longer to catch on to the happenings and reveals. I know one thing for sure. I
absolutely love these characters and how absurd some of them and some of the relationships are. I appreciate the nuanced touches Osman gave to several recurring characters like Donna, revealed in her conversation with Ibrahim. I hope I will be more awake for the next installment.
The River of Silver
S. A. Chakraborty
I really enjoyed this return to the city of Daevabad. If I understand the author’s note correctly, all or almost all of the included stories came about as deleted scenes or possible alternatives for others scenes included in the books; basically, she did not write these stories to specifically stand on their own away from the trilogy. While I really enjoyed all of these further glimpses into the characters’ lives, I cannot speak to the content because … spoilers.
A Little Less Broken
Marian Schembari
Schembari writes so well, laying out her story with realism and grace for herself. As an adult woman who knows that my own brain is definitely not neurotypical, I have often wondered what makes me so different from those around me and if the work that I have done to become a better teacher has helped me mask or cope better with my differently-abled brain. Thus, I listened for ways that Schembari’s experiences may have been similar to my own.
That being said, this is definitely Schembari’s story and listening to her tell it, reinforced to me just how important it is to listen to and value people’s stories.
Amari and the Despicable Wonders
B.B. Alston
This book definitely felt quite different from the first two in the series and unfortunately, not in a good way.
Rather than taking place during the normal summer training sessions as the first two did, this book picks up immediately after the end of book two with Amari and crew trying to pick up the pieces.
This installment also suffered from a lack of overarching chronological framework like the initial training of book one and the Great
Game of book two. This meant that it ended up feeling a bit aimless with a couple false climaxes.
I also reached the end of the book feeling quite confused because I had gone into the book thinking that the overall series arc would not end for a couple more books based on some reviews I saw and the mention of more Amari books that Alston himself mentioned in the acknowledgements. Perhaps the additional books that he promises are one off adventures in the style that some YA mystery series have adopted lately.
Unfortunately, this is my least favorite of the trilogy. I will, however, definitely read any sequels that Alston writes.
The Raven King
Maggie Stiefvater
I did not break the mold of all the readers (or most of them at least) when it comes to my opinion of the final book in the series.
I found this conclusion to be not only my least favorite of the four books but also one that I cannot make heads or tails of most of the narrative.
Stiefvater included so many characters, most of them unnecessary and then wrapped up the series in a way that makes sense only to
those who see magic and previously laid world-building as eminently expendable. I read only for a couple of the characters and would happily leave the third and fourth books unread if I had a choice.
A Fever in the Heartland
Timothy Egan
I probably should not have read this a couple days after learning the results of the election since I already felt a bit jaded when I started this audiobook.
That being said, one cannot read this book without being struck by the blatant parallels between the story told of this creep, this leader of the KKK in Indiana without noticing eerie parallels with current events. With my mind and emotions in their current state, I
cannot write a review of this book itself; the events simply come way too close to America’s current reality.
With that bummer of a review to end on, I finished the first week of November. As I mentioned in the above review, my mental and emotional state will likely color/influence many of the reviews coming up. It is the current reality that we currently live in and one that all those who hoped for a better outcome but process our grief about before moving forward and leaning into what we can still do.