Books Read: 220
Shortest "Book": "300 Fox Way Holiday Piece" by Maggie Stiefvater (it's an online story, only 2 pages)
Longest Book: Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2019 by Bob Sehlinger (832 pages)
Average Rating: 4 stars
Most Popular (according to Goodreads): The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls (read by 856,569 other people)
Highest Rated (by Goodreads): Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol 27 by Hiromu Arakawa (4.71/5 average)
Re-reads: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, Jim Dale, and Jim Kay (the illustrated/audio versions)
DNFs: I Did Not Finish about 10%, or 23 books in 2019.
Fiction vs Nonfiction: 76% fiction, 24% nonfiction
Author Gender: 72% women, 28% men, 0% nonbinary
Format: 55% print, 34% audio, 11% digital
Audience: 57% YA, 31% adult, 12% children
Source: 90% library books and the remaining 10% was split between purchased books, gifts, and advanced reading copies
Authors of Color: 34% of the books I read were written by authors of color
Queer Authors: 10% of the books I read were written by LGBTQIAP+ authors
Translations: 15% of the books I read were translated from a language other than English
Most Popular Authors: Becky Chambers, Leigh Bardugo, Cressida Cowell, and Hiromu Arakawa
Biggest Surprise: two mermaid horror stories that kept me up way past my bedtime and allowed mermaids to be beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Biggest Letdown: a retelling of The Little Mermaid that fell into all the YA stereotype traps while also being plain old not well written.
Goal For 2020: If I read anything in 2020, I'll be happy. (I have zero idea of what to expect for personal time during the twins' first year!) Goodreads is easy enough to update, so I'm not too worried about tracking my reading (which I truly appreciate at the end of the year). The amount of time I usually spend reading and writing reviews, looking over booklists, and curating titles will be severely limited, but I hope I can at least continue the actual reading of books!
Extras: 2018 By the Books, 2017 By the Books, 2016 By the Books
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
2019 Winter Solstice
Pregnant me very much appreciates long nights - while I've had insomnia here and there, I usually fall asleep (and stay asleep) hard and fast these days. Middle of the night bathroom breaks happen, yes, but the extra darkness has been good for my rest. As our days now start to lengthen, I'll try to keep my extended sleep schedule for as long as I can. I've got 27ish days (or less) until babies and then all bets are off!
What else am I hoping for and savoring in my last remaining childless days? Hugs/time with my husband, uninterrupted reading, long showers, and leaving the house with minimal prep/work.
Here's to the rest of the nights of the year, and the long days and nights I have ahead!
Extras: 2018's Check-In, 2017's Check-In, 2016's Check-In
What else am I hoping for and savoring in my last remaining childless days? Hugs/time with my husband, uninterrupted reading, long showers, and leaving the house with minimal prep/work.
Here's to the rest of the nights of the year, and the long days and nights I have ahead!
Extras: 2018's Check-In, 2017's Check-In, 2016's Check-In
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Favorite Fall Reads 2019
This year has so many great releases - here are a few of my favorites in my favorite genres (YA, sci fi, and fantasy) from this fall!
Finishing (or Continuing) Trilogies:
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Calling this book the end of the Wayfarers Trilogy might be a bit of a stretch - it's in the same universe, but with new characters. This meant I struggled to connect with it in the same way, but overall, it's a solid (and solidly written) story. I'd prefer the Wayfarers to be a duology, and this to be a standalone, a slice of life or "comfy sci fi". If that's what you're into, you don't even need to read the other two books first!
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now this is how you end a trilogy. The Toll picks up right where Thunderhead ends and throws our protagonists into even more conflict. Plot points from the first book are brought to satisfying fruition even while new twists and turns are introduced (and resolved). This final book is also appropriately dark and quite a bit more mature than the first two - as this is a young adult series, I appreciate how the trilogy itself "grows up" along with its intended audience.
Steel Tide by Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As far as continuity and plot goes, Steel Tide does a fine job of continuing the story that Seafire sets up. We get more depth to our main characters, and new characters help keep things fresh. The open sea in a post climate disaster world remains my favorite aspect of the series, and we get to explore more of it. I'm looking forward to the final book (no release date yet)!
New Standalone Titles:
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love when historical fiction says "Yeah, maybe things were this way, but what if this had happened instead?" The Downstairs Girl is set firmly in late 1800s Atlanta, with all of its society rules about how various races, classes, and genders act and interact, but Jo is distinctly modern with her anonymous advice column that challenges many assumptions about who is and is not "genteel" and why. Jo is easy to cheer for, her antagonists are fun to hate, and the audio is done extremely well!
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This was one of the most anticipated fiction novels of 2019 for me, and for many others who were taken in by the world of The Night Circus in 2011. The Starless Sea is a completely different book in a completely different world, though its feel is very much Morgenstern: complex and layered, dark and dreamy. It didn't quite capture me like I wanted it to - often I felt not smart enough for the book - but the craft of writing and storytelling is on full display, and was still wondrous to be a part of.
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Here is a dark and dreamy book I fully got into. This retelling of the Grimms' Twelve Dancing Princesses is the horror fantasy I needed this fall. The creepy atmosphere and seaside manor setting are the standouts of this novel, but Annaleigh makes for a compelling protagonist as she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding her sisters' deaths - before she or her other sisters suffer the same fate.
Extras: 2018 Faves, or View All My Reviews
Finishing (or Continuing) Trilogies:
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky ChambersMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Calling this book the end of the Wayfarers Trilogy might be a bit of a stretch - it's in the same universe, but with new characters. This meant I struggled to connect with it in the same way, but overall, it's a solid (and solidly written) story. I'd prefer the Wayfarers to be a duology, and this to be a standalone, a slice of life or "comfy sci fi". If that's what you're into, you don't even need to read the other two books first!
The Toll by Neal ShustermanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Now this is how you end a trilogy. The Toll picks up right where Thunderhead ends and throws our protagonists into even more conflict. Plot points from the first book are brought to satisfying fruition even while new twists and turns are introduced (and resolved). This final book is also appropriately dark and quite a bit more mature than the first two - as this is a young adult series, I appreciate how the trilogy itself "grows up" along with its intended audience.
Steel Tide by Natalie C. ParkerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As far as continuity and plot goes, Steel Tide does a fine job of continuing the story that Seafire sets up. We get more depth to our main characters, and new characters help keep things fresh. The open sea in a post climate disaster world remains my favorite aspect of the series, and we get to explore more of it. I'm looking forward to the final book (no release date yet)!
New Standalone Titles:
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey LeeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love when historical fiction says "Yeah, maybe things were this way, but what if this had happened instead?" The Downstairs Girl is set firmly in late 1800s Atlanta, with all of its society rules about how various races, classes, and genders act and interact, but Jo is distinctly modern with her anonymous advice column that challenges many assumptions about who is and is not "genteel" and why. Jo is easy to cheer for, her antagonists are fun to hate, and the audio is done extremely well!
The Starless Sea by Erin MorgensternMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This was one of the most anticipated fiction novels of 2019 for me, and for many others who were taken in by the world of The Night Circus in 2011. The Starless Sea is a completely different book in a completely different world, though its feel is very much Morgenstern: complex and layered, dark and dreamy. It didn't quite capture me like I wanted it to - often I felt not smart enough for the book - but the craft of writing and storytelling is on full display, and was still wondrous to be a part of.
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. CraigMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Here is a dark and dreamy book I fully got into. This retelling of the Grimms' Twelve Dancing Princesses is the horror fantasy I needed this fall. The creepy atmosphere and seaside manor setting are the standouts of this novel, but Annaleigh makes for a compelling protagonist as she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding her sisters' deaths - before she or her other sisters suffer the same fate.
Extras: 2018 Faves, or View All My Reviews
Friday, December 6, 2019
Things My (Teen) Patrons Say 2
After telling a few PDA offenders to give each other some space: "You're just jealous your husband isn't here." (I mean, true, tbh...)
Patron #1: Do you know any Roblox keyboard commands?
Me: Nope...[Name of a younger coworker] might, he's a nerd. I'm not.
Patron #2: ...You're a librarian.
Patron: Why does the library have to close?
Me: Well, I can't stay here all night.
Patron: I would!
"Do you have any books to help my sister break up with her boyfriend?" (ABSOLUTELY I DO!)
Patron: What time is it?
Me: Time for you to get a watch.
Patron: Time for you to get a better joke!
Let's Call This Segment I FEEL OLD
While playing Apples to Apples: "Who's Puff Daddy?"
While discussing photography: "What's a camcorder?" What's a tape? What's film?"
After asking that they leave the ashtray outside alone: "What's an ashtray?"
After explaining how people put out cigarettes: "What do you mean..don't you just turn them off?"
Patron #1: Do you know any Roblox keyboard commands?
Me: Nope...[Name of a younger coworker] might, he's a nerd. I'm not.
Patron #2: ...You're a librarian.
Patron: Why does the library have to close?
Me: Well, I can't stay here all night.
Patron: I would!
"Do you have any books to help my sister break up with her boyfriend?" (ABSOLUTELY I DO!)
Patron: What time is it?
Me: Time for you to get a watch.
Patron: Time for you to get a better joke!
Let's Call This Segment I FEEL OLD
While playing Apples to Apples: "Who's Puff Daddy?"
While discussing photography: "What's a camcorder?" What's a tape? What's film?"
After asking that they leave the ashtray outside alone: "What's an ashtray?"
After explaining how people put out cigarettes: "What do you mean..don't you just turn them off?"
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