Rounding up the stragglers: A final reading update from 2018

Given that I pretty much always finish my last book of the year on New Year's Eve, my wrap-up post for the year never happens until January. Traveling through the first week of January also didn't help, but it did mean getting to meet my ridiculously chubby and cheerful and adorable nephew for the first time, and getting to play with my very talkative and opinionated niece, so I'm not complaining.

For those interested in the highlights of this last bit of reading, check out my reviews of Cat's Eye, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, and Wind, Sand and Stars, all of which were lovely reads. The rest of my nonfiction reading the past few months was also quite good, with I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing bringing particular joy to my nerdy self.

Monthly challenge categories were as follows:

KidLit for Grown-Ups - October: a book with an animal major character (Catwings; Mossflower); November: a book that includes a historical character (Behind Rebel Lines); December: a book made into a film (The Story of Ferdinand)

Read the World - November: Canada (Cat's Eye)

Keeping It Real - October: DDC 300-399 (What Money Can't Buy - DDC 330); November: DDC 700-799 (I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing - DDC 791; Touching the Void - DDC 796)

Again, these blog posts don't include comic collections and the like, or anything too short for me to officially count it toward my personal reading total for the year, but all those reviews are on Goodreads if you're interested in checking them out.

61. Mossflower, by Brian Jacques

(Read for the KidLit, Birth Year, and Read It Again, Sam challenges.) I loved the Redwall books as a kid, but hadn't reread them in years, so I was a little apprehensive about coming back to this book as an adult. It turns out this book mostly holds up, and I enjoyed revisiting Mossflower and its denizens. I did find myself laughing a little at how food-obsessed this book is - every few chapters brings another listing of another (admittedly delicious-sounding) meal - and was a little surprised by how bluntly some of the scenes deal with characters being killed, which I didn't really remember and honestly wouldn't have expected in a kids' book. Overall, though, this was a fun return to a world I enjoyed as a kid.   My rating: 7/10

62. What Money Can't Buy, by Michael J. Sandel

(Read for the Keeping It Real challenge.) I found this to be an interesting read, although I think a more apt title would be something like "What Money Shouldn't Buy: Market Effects on Societal Norms", since the author's argument revolves around the premise that there are areas of life where applying market reasoning degrades the norms that should ideally govern that piece of society. I applaud his willingness to bring ideas of norms and right and wrong into discussions about the reach of markets, and he brings up some good points, even if the writing is a little repetitive at times.   My rating: 8/10

63. For the Glory, by Duncan Hamilton

Like many people, I'd watched and enjoyed Chariots of Fire, and I knew that Eric Liddell went on to be a missionary to China and died there, but that was basically all I knew about him. Not surprisingly, it turns out that his life was much more interesting than the little snippet portrayed on film. His commitment to his calling and his devotion to his faith were astounding, especially given the trials he faced, and the accounts of his time in China, both outside and inside the camp, were by far the most compelling parts of this recounting of Liddell's life story.   My rating: 8/10

64. I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing, by A.D. Jameson

(Read for the Keeping It Real challenge.) Like any book that makes broad generalizations about a group of people, there were things here that I really agreed with, and things that were less true of me than of some geeks, but overall I thought it was an interesting look at the development of geek culture over the last forty years or so. I'm also enough of a geek myself that I've seen most of the genre movies the author discusses, and read most of the comics, since he generally sticks to the ones that had large impacts on their respective mediums. He does misspell "Wookiee" every time, but he also understands my geeky little heart quite well, and I appreciated someone spelling out things I've generally understood but never really thought about in quite so much detail before.   My rating: 8/10

65. The Mermaid Summer, by Mollie Hunter

(Read for the Birth Year challenge.) I've always enjoyed stories that link mermaids and sirens, making mermaids more menacing and giving the tale a bit of an edge. I feel like the premise here was very promising, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.  None of the characters were very compelling, which meant I didn't care quite so much about the mermaid's threats, and thus wasn't as invested in the story. I did still like the resolution to everything, though, and the way that the various gifts tied into the story.   My rating: 6/10

66. Fearless, by Eric Blehm

I've read other stories of military operators, but I don't think I've ever read about anyone overcoming as many obstacles as Adam Brown did over the course of his life and military career. His journey to becoming a Navy SEAL was incredible, and his faith and his commitment to duty were inspiring. The only reason this book isn't getting a higher rating is because the writing was stilted at times. That didn't stop me from tearing up repeatedly over the last thirty pages or so, though. I think it's important to remember the stories of true heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect others, and there's no doubt that Adam Brown was one of those heroes.   My rating: 8/10

67. Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson

(Read for the Keeping It Real and Birth Year challenges.) Reading about what these guys went through, both physically and mentally, made for an intense book, even knowing they both survived. I don't know how people in these types of situations keep pushing on and don't give up even when it seems like things are completely hopeless. But then again, I also don't understand why someone would want to climb mountains in the first place - maybe there's something about the mindset that makes you want to take these risks in the first place that also makes you fight harder when things go wrong.   My rating: 8/10

68. Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood

(Read for the Read the World and Birth Year challenges.) This was my first time reading anything by Margaret Atwood, and I absolutely loved the way this book was written, both the structure of it and the language and imagery used. The people and places felt very real to me, as did the various observations about human nature, which was crucial since this was a character-driven story. The only real quibble I had was that the university section felt like it dragged on somewhat, especially compared to the sections about childhood, but the book recovered nicely and ended on a strong note.   My rating: 9/10

69. Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett

(Read for the Birth Year challenge.) As someone who enjoys Shakespeare's plays, it was fun to read a Discworld story that borrows heavily from that tradition (up to and including the use of a good number of his most famous lines). The main story is very obviously a version of Macbeth, but since this is the Discworld it's a darkly comical version of the story, complete with Shakespearean staples like concealed identities and oh-so-convenient plot twists. The Fool and Hwel were my favorite characters, so I felt the story dragged a bit before they entered the stage, but overall I enjoyed the book.   My rating: 8/10

70. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by Douglas Adams

(Read for the Mount TBR challenge.) This has all the satirical weirdness that I generally love about Douglas Adams' books, but it's lacking something important - namely, a coherent plot to tie things together. It's like he got so carried away with the interconnectedness of all things weird (oh wait, wrong series) that he forgot he also needed a plot and not just a bunch of random scenes. However, they are very entertaining random scenes. My favorite bits are the dude who's spending a year dead for tax reasons, and the colony ship and its fate.   My rating: 7/10

71. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver

(Read for the Birth Year challenge.) For some reason I really related to the main character in this book, even though she wasn't particularly like me in most things. I think it was her way of trying to make sense of the world that connected for me, especially as she dealt with realizing exactly how horrible people can be to one another. I was also saddened by the fact that this book was published thirty years ago, and yet nothing much has changed when it comes to how we tend to treat people who are different from us. I know art draws a good part of its power from addressing timeless themes, but sometimes I really wish certain themes didn't work like that.   My rating: 8/10

72. The Way Things Work, by David Macaulay

(Read for the Mount TBR and Birth Year challenges.) It took me eight months to read this book, not because it wasn't interesting, but because it was very interesting to me. I spent a long time poring over some of the drawings making sure I really understood how and why the item worked the way it did, and since the book covers about 200 different machines, it took a while. I'd read bits and pieces of it back in grade school when we covered simple machines in science class, but I'd never read it start to finish. A few of the machines are dated since this book is 30 years old, but most stuff is still very applicable. The running joke with the mammoth experiments is also a nice touch.   My rating: 8/10

73. The Outlaws of Sherwood, by Robin McKinley

(Read for the Birth Year challenge.) I've always enjoyed various retellings of the tale of Robin Hood, and this one captured all the important pieces, while fleshing out the old stories in a compelling way. It was a quick read with some nice twists to familiar characters and scenes. I'm still not 100% certain that I liked the author's decision to jump points of view quite so randomly at times, which is the main reason this isn't getting a higher rating. That being said, I definitely enjoyed seeing these versions of the characters come to life on the page. 
My rating: 8/10

74. Wind, Sand and Stars, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

(Read for the Mount TBR challenge.) I may not always agree with what Saint-Exupéry has to say, but I always love the way he says it. He also has so many intelligent and wonderful insights into humanity, and the way he combines those in this book with stories of his life as a pilot makes it beautiful to read. I particularly liked the section about the Spanish Civil War, as well as his descriptions of flight in those early airplanes.   My rating: 9/10

75. Lost Star, by Patricia Lauber

(Read for the Birth Year challenge.) I really enjoy reading good biographies written for kids, because they focus on the salient details without getting bogged down in minutiae. Reading this right after I finished Wind, Sand and Stars also gave me a new perspective on exactly how dangerous flying was back in the early days of the airplane, a perspective that I might not have had if I'd just read this book. Amelia Earhart's life was fascinating, and this book did a nice job capturing her desire for adventure.   My rating: 8/10

76. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, by Douglas Adams

(Read for the Mount TBR and Birth Year challenges.) I really liked this book, although the ending wasn't quite as strong as the rest of it. Stories that bring the old gods into modern times are a favorite genre of mine. I ended up finishing the book while family members were watching Thor: Ragnarok in the background, which only made me enjoy it more. 
My rating: 9/10