In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 50/52

Nine books last week - 21st to the 27th of June.  And only two weeks till my birthday!

Eight o those were audio books, seven of which I've read before because I've run out of new ones.  Payday on the 8th of August, and my subscription rolls over on the 21st...so a bit of time until I get my hands on some new ones.

I'm listening to the Spilling CID series at random right now, because I do enjoy the mysteries.  Sophie Hannah's stories remind me of that little story about the woman who meets the man of her dreams at her grandmother's funeral and then goes home and murders her great uncle, so he'll be invited to that one.  Completely insane characters, but the mystery somehow works.

I liked The Red Zeppelin a lot more than I thought I would.  It's the second in a series, and involves a lady MI5 agent who disguises herself as a man.  It's set in the 1930s, which makes it somewhat reminiscent of the Gas-Lit Empire series.  I loved the performance of the voice actress, who does a proper transatlantic accent throughout.  I'm not usually a fan of the genre, but this was rather good!

Finally, Stiletto, the second part in the Checquy series.  A very long wait, and a bit of a slog to get through; it's pretty long!  I felt like, at times, the author forgot what he'd already explained and repeated himself a bit.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 49/52

Four books last week, two of the rereads, two of the them audiobooks (not the same two).  This is the week from 14th to 20th July.

The rereads were A Blink of the Screen and Atlas Shrugged.  A Blink of the Screen is a collection of Pratchett's short stories, including the High Meggas, which inspired The Long Earth.  I really need to read that series; it's such a good story!

Both Atlas Shrugged and Wild Swans I listened to while catching Pokemon.  Weirdly, Pokemon Go has really helped with listening to long audiobooks, and with getting through my unread list on Audible.  Probably because my attention's less focused on it, so I don't fret about how long the story is.

The Floating Prince is a collection of fairytales which are available on Wikisource.org.  It's an excellent collection, which I read in quiet moments at work.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 48/52

Seven books last week!  That's the 7th to the 13th of July.

Jewel is the first in the Lone City series while White Rose is the second.  The Wishing Well is a short story from within the same universe, and House of the Stone is a longer piece which takes place between books 1 and 2.  The final part of the trilogy is due to be published in October.

I rather enjoyed the series, as you might have guessed.  It has a lot in common with The Handmaid's Tale, in that young girls are forced to act as surrogates for wealthy women.  These young girls are selected and taken from the poorest communities based on the presence of 'augeries' - the power to affect colour, shape, and growth.

I've seen the series criticised for its focus on the beauty of the young girls and the luxury of their surroundings.  I don't think that makes the series shallow; they're criticising a society which includes materialism and opulence, like The Hunger Games.  Atwood was criticising a different population with some overlapping traits.

I reread The Magician's Nephew, the first/sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia depending on how you count them.  My personal favourite is probably The Horse and His Boy or the two which focus on Prince Caspian's journies; maybe I'll reread the entire series.

I also reread The Basic Eight, one of my favourites, while being tattooed.  It definitely helped with distracting me!

Finally, The Narrow Bed, another reread.  Still a dumb premise but well-told at least.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 47/52

Eight books last week - 29th June to 6th July.  Four audiobooks, two of them new and two of them rereads.

The Undomestic Goddess and Wee Free Men were both rereads, as was Mary Poppins (via Kindle).  I really need to make some gingerbread!

I listened to The Fire Sermon for the first time and really enjoyed it.  I'm taking my time looking up the second one because the third isn't out yet.

The Dragons of Crumbling Castle was a collection of Terry Pratchett's short stories, most of which were unfamiliar to me.  I'm less of a fan of Pratchett's early work, though this was very enjoyable.

The Girl in the Photograph has been on my unread pile for a while; it focuses on the same issues as The Yellow Wallpaper.

I finally got around to reading (well, listening to) The Maze Runner on a recommendation from a friend.  It took me a while to get into it, but I went out and borrowed the sequels from the library afterwards.

Finally, Snow White Must Die; an interesting German crime novel.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 46/52

Six books last week; that's the 23rd to the 29th of June.

Four were rereads.  Lorna Doone is one of my favourite novels and on this readthrough I realised something that makes it even better.  John Ridd is explicitly writing as man in his fifties.  When he describes himself and Lorna and teenagers, and says things like he never again saw a spring flower without thinking of her, he isn't saying that as a teenager, but as a man in his fifties about the woman he's been married to for thirty years.

Catching Fire is the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy.  I named my hedgehog after Johanna; I love her, especially as portrayed by Jenna Malone in the movie.

Making Money and Trigger Warning are both books I've read before.

I'd never read Desperation before now but I really enjoyed it.  I need to write a proper post about it, though that may need to wait until I've finished The Regulators.

Finally, I read When Marnie was There after watching the Studio Ghibli movie.  I felt like the movie was simpler and more beautiful.  I also liked the mix of cultures in the movie; Marnie remained English though the setting and other characters were updated to Japan.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 45/52

Only three books last week - the 19th to the 22nd of June.  You'd think I'd have been quicker writing the post, huh?

Uglies is the first of a trilogy by Scott Westerfeld which I've read before.  I enjoyed the audio-performance, especially since the main characters name, Tally, is pronounced almost the same way as mine.

Past Mortem is another I've read before, though this time it was as an audiobook.  The performance wasn't particularly noteworthy, which at least means it wasn't bad.  I wish I could get Dead Famous as an audiobook.

Finally, Foodist.  It's another one of those books which begins by declaiming all diets and then suggesting new food rules which are totally a lifestyle change and completely distinguishable from a diet.  In fairness, this is one of the better ones.  Most of what I took from it was "buy good ingredients", "make your plate at least half vegetables" and to have some "home court" habits which will work to maintain your weight when everything else goes crazy.  Mine is mostly walking; I've found if I walk more than 15,000 steps a day I consistently lose weight.  I imagine 10,000 per day would be suitable for maintaining a low weight.  I'm also trying to eat more vegetables and go to farmer's markets, and I've found a local bakery where they actually mix up the dough, don't add any preservatives or e-numbers, and just go ahead and bake it right there.  It tastes amazing.  I'm also trying to chew each mouthful 20-25 times, which I find does help me to appreciate food more and to notice when I'm full sooner.

In Which We Discuss Books I Read in my 27th Year, Week 44/52

Seven books this week - Thursday 9th June to Wednesday 15th!

Four audiobooks, all of which I'd read before, though I hadn't listened to The Colour of Magic or The Lottie Project before.  I used to own paperback copies of both.

Evil Games I read for a bookclub which I didn't attend.  It was pretty good!  Marsons used 'female' and 'male' a little less, and her sentence structure was more grammatically correct, though still not perfect.

How to Win Friends and Influence People is another one I've read before.  I love Dale Carnegie's writing style, and I've found the advice in the book to be very useful.  Some of it may seem obvious to someone who is good at talking to people, and I'd say that's a compliment.  Some of us need to be told these things!

Finally, Northanger Abbey.  I'm reading this for a book group; I suggested something by Austen, as I've never gotten along with her, but I know lots of people love her books, so clearly I'm missing something.

I loved Northanger Abbey.  It amazed me how little has changed, socially speaking.