People keep asking me what I'm going to do over the summer, since my job ebbs and flows with the academic calendar. My answer: I'll finally read all the books I've been wanting to read! Okay, probably not ALL of them, since my TBR list is 600+ books long, but that just means I'll have no trouble filling my free time. Between that and catching up on my TV shows and exploring more parks in the area and spending time with friends and family, I'm very ready for summer break to arrive.
Even with all the craziness of the end of the semester, I've kept on pace for my 100-book goal for the year, and mostly stayed to my list of books to prioritize (shocking, I know). I'm now caught up on the events of the Grishaverse (Leigh Bardugo's highly enjoyable YA fantasy world), and coming to the end of novellas that comprise the Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells' excellent series about a rogue AI with some definite issues), as well as making a dent in my stack of Christian nonfiction.
I had a whole cluster of books in the 8 or 9 out of 10 range, so picking out highlights from this batch was a little difficult, but if I had to pick three, I'd go with the following:
- All Systems Red, by Martha Wells, for anyone looking for an exciting science fiction read.
- Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin, for those who like beautiful stories for slightly younger readers.
- Uncomfortable, by Brett McCracken, for people ready to be challenged on their expectations for Christian community.
31. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, by W. Phillip Keller
There are passages from the Bible which are so familiar to me that I am frequently guilty of skimming over them rather than really thinking about them, and Psalm 23 is one of those. This book countered that tendency by providing a fascinating perspective and framework for understanding this oft-quoted psalm. Some of the observations felt a little trite or forced, but there were also some wonderful insights into the meaning of these familiar verses, gained from placing the psalm back into the context of the agrarian society for whom it was first written.
My rating: 8/10
32. Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo
Reread update: All the good things from my first time through were still true (particularly how much I love the majority of these characters), and I think the plot held together a bit better when I knew where things were going in the long run, so that each change to the plan didn't feel like it came completely out of left field. Also, having read the Shadow and Bone trilogy before this reread, I greatly enjoyed Sturmhond's cameo appearance.
My rating: 9/10
33. The Djinn Falls in Love, edited by Mavesh Murad & Jared Shurin
Like with many anthologies, there were stories here I really loved, and stories I liked, and a few stories that just fell flat. One thing I particularly appreciated about the book as a whole was the wide variety of tales - all focused on djinn, but running the gamut of genres, settings, and storytelling styles. Some of my favorite stories were ones with unexpected manifestations of the djinn, or fascinating dystopian settings, while other favorites had exceptionally rich storytelling. And while I enjoyed the majority of the stories, my very favorite was A Tale of Ash in Seven Birds, by Amal El-Mohtar, which was brilliantly written and made me tear up.
My rating: 9/10
34. The Imperfect Disciple, by Jared C. Wilson
I had very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the author made a good number of statements early on that I vehemently disagreed with, particularly those downplaying the important of holiness in order to put a stronger emphasis on grace. (He balanced this out somewhat better later on, but man, those first few chapters were rough.) His frequent use of the phrase "my gospel" also really annoyed me, even though I understood the point he was trying to make. That being said, I thought the sections on prayer and Christian community were excellent, with a lot of good points that really hit home for me. I also appreciated all the good discussions that this book sparked in our book group, since we all had different reactions to the material, and weren't shy about sharing our responses.
My rating: 7/10
35. King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
Sometimes I return to a book from my childhood to find it has diminished with time. But sometimes, like with this book, I return to find the book different, yes, but equally good. I was a horse-crazy kid, and so I loved all the horsey details in this book when I was young. Now, while I still appreciate those details, I'm even more enamored with Marguerite Henry's gift for bringing scenes to life on the page. Whether things were unfolding at the Moroccan stables, or the court at Versailles, or the racetrack at Newmarket, the descriptions drew me in every time.
My rating: 9/10
36. King of Scars, by Leigh Bardugo
I will admit to having some mixed feelings about the choice of POV characters prior to reading this book, my excitement about Nikolai being tempered by the fact that I never liked Zoya as a supporting character and found Nina much less interesting than any of the others in Six of Crows. I needn't have worried. Zoya's character development here was superb, Nina has grown into someone both more driven and more likable, and the surprise fourth POV character was a nice addition to the story. Honestly, my biggest quibble with this book after the fact was the two plotlines which never converged - I can see how they probably will in the next book, but it did make things feel a little disjointed here. Also, I could have done with more Nikolai in the second half of the book. Overall, though, this was a worthy addition to the Grishaverse, and set some very interesting things in motion for the sequel.
My rating: 8/10
37. All Systems Red, by Martha Wells
This book was fun, and just what I needed to distract me from the fact that my back was killing me the day I read it. Murderbot's take on life was a wonderful blend of AI and human thinking, and the plot was nicely paced, making for an easy and entertaining read with a surprising amount of depth. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of these books, and seeing more of this universe from Murderbot's perspective.
My rating: 9/10
38. Talking as Fast as I Can, by Lauren Graham
As someone who grew up with the Gilmore girls, and also loved Parenthood later on, I was excited to read about those shows from Lauren Graham's perspective, and this book didn't disappoint. Out of the chapters about those shows, I particularly loved the one about filming the Gilmore Girls mini-series, because you could tell how special that experience was for her and for everyone involved. With that being said, I think I actually liked the chapters where she talks about random things even more than the ones about the shows - her take on life is one that resonates with me, and her sense of humor jives well with mine. Definitely a fun read!
My rating: 9/10
39. Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells
I didn't like this book quite as much as the first one, mostly because the plot was not as interesting to me. On the other hand, Murderbot navigating the human world on its own for the first time was handled brilliantly, and its interactions with ART were great, especially when they watched shows together. I'm definitely curious to see where the story goes from here, since many of the events in this book felt like they were potentially setting the stage or providing the background for plot developments down the line.
My rating: 8/10
40. Dispatches from the Edge, by Anderson Cooper
I thought this was an interesting look at some significant world events from a journalist's perspective. Anderson Cooper's job is to get the story that will sell, but he's self-aware enough to realize how that affects his approach to people and events, for better or worse. He also acknowledges that journalists face a temptation to depersonalize the stories they're chasing, both because they see so many horrible things and because they have to follow the news that sells. He's covered a lot of stories in his career, and the way he shifts between the events of 2005 (which are present-day for the book) and related things from the past works well as a framework for the memoir. It also makes it clear that things never really change - the world is always falling apart somewhere in the same ways that it's been falling apart forever. Which is kind of a depressing thought, but also a valid picture of the brokenness in the world, and the need for something more. Well worth the read, in my opinion, not so much for knowledge of the events themselves, but for Cooper's take on them and on the world in general.
My rating: 9/10
41. Storeys from the Old Hotel, by Gene Wolfe
It's somewhat disconcerting to start reading a book when the author is alive and then get on the internet one morning to find that they died over the weekend, while you were in the middle of reading their stories. And the stories in this collection were often disconcerting enough on their own, without any real-world additions. Some of them I really liked, but a good number of them didn't quite click for me. The writing was excellent, but some of the ideas were too morbid or bizarre even for me, and that's saying something. On the other hand, the Sherlock Holmes pastiches were excellent, as were the Liavek stories and the piece about UFO sightings.
My rating: 7/10
42. The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis
While it gets off to a bit of a slow start, this book is still a wonderful piece of the story of Narnia. I particularly love the whole creation sequence, with Aslan singing the world into existence, and the contrast between Narnia and Charn, and the journey to obtain the apple. I don't know that this book would mean as much to someone who hadn't already been introduced to Narnia via The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but Lewis does a nice job of fleshing out the backstory of the world here, and showing us Aslan as creator. Also, Kenneth Branagh's narration was excellent for the most part, even though his Cabby and Strawberry/Fledge didn't quite match up with my mental pictures of them.
My rating: 9/10
43. Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin
Purchasing books at the Dollar Tree is always a gamble, but this one looked lovely. I ended up reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon first, even though I bought it later, since I believe in reading things in the order in which they were written. Thus, I came into this book with very high expectations. It mostly lived up to them, even though in some ways this was a very different book from the first one. Yes, it had the same beautiful illustrations and type setting, and the same device where the stories told within the story were more than just stories, but the book as a whole felt rather different. Where the first book had a quest driving the plot, this one meandered more, and for a long time I wasn't quite sure where it was going. Rendi was also a very different sort of main character than Minli - more jaded and angry with the world. Honestly, he's probably more like me, but I don't necessarily want to read about myself. The stories in this book also felt more personal, as most of the stories revealed things about the person telling them, rather than being stories that revealed things about others. And while this book did end with the moon safely returned to the sky, Rendi himself was still in the middle of his journey to find peace - an ending that wasn't quite an ending, which I liked, but wasn't expecting. I also appreciated the way this book fitted into the universe of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and was particularly amused by the solution to the snail problem.
My rating: 9/10
44. Rogue Protocol, by Martha Wells
The plot picked back up again in this installment, and Murderbot's character evolution continues to be the best part of this series. Also, the corporate intrigue makes for a great story, the action scenes are handled well, the primary side characters are given enough personality to make them interesting, and the universe continues to be fleshed out little by little, always in a way that keeps the story moving forward. It's been a while since I've found well-written, fast-moving sci-fi with a narrator I like as much as Murderbot.
My rating: 9/10
45. Uncomfortable, by Brett McCracken
I have to admit, I was expecting this book to be more about the reasons why Christian community is necessary and important, and less about the many ways in which it is uncomfortable. However, this book does an excellent job of covering all of the above, and talking about discomfort on a lot of different levels, including but not limited to interpersonal and interdenominational differences. Since we move so frequently, and are thus church hunting on a regular basis, there were a good number of helpful takeaways that I will be trying to apply the next time we're looking for a church. There were also various points that were relevant to living as a part of the church community where we are currently, including reinforcement of things I've been convicted about over the past year or so.
My rating: 9/10
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