The Library Book

I’m not typically a nonfiction reader unless it’s more of a narrative nonfiction.  After seeing some hyped reviews for this book about the Los Angeles fire of 1986, I really wanted to read it.  It seemed right up my alley:  a book about books!  However, it was a little off for me.

On the gorgeous front cover, there’s a review that says it’s a mix of “true crime, history, biography, and immersion journalism.”  This book doesn’t fit into just one nonfiction genre; it’s a mix of many different types which made it feel very disjointed for me.  Part of the story is the history of the Los Angeles public library, from it’s start as a gentlemen’s reading room to its current state as a modern day information center.  Part of the story is the history of libraries themselves, focusing on the history behind book burnings and library fires.  Part of the story is the Los Angeles library fire and the hunt for the arsonist.  Part of the story is Susan Orlean’s research process and interviews with past and current library staff.  

It was interesting, but all of the differing stories seemed to make it feel disjointed, in my opinion.  You’d be skipping from the background story of the main arson suspect to the modern day librarian interviews to World War II book burnings to the eccentric library director in 1905 who hiked from Chicago to Los Angeles.  I had a hard time staying engaged with the book because it seemed so scattered.  I’d get really into one chapter then find myself skimming the next to get through it.  

For anyone who loves libraries, history, and books, this will be a great book for you.  If you need linear, chronological order when reading a book, then you may just want to skip this one.

The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction

I'm completely mixed about this book.  The first half of the book drew me in:  the 1980s culture, the elements of a blended family during a time when it wasn’t as common, the threat of nuclear destruction and Laura’s nervousness about it.  However, the second half of the book was a let down.  It was very over dramatic and just skimmed over events so it didn’t have the same connected feeling.

Laura wins a guest role in a movie that's being filmed in her town.  It's the 1980s and people are still anxious about Russia and impending nuclear attacks, which makes people a little edgy about the 1950s style movie about an accidental nuclear war.  Laura is especially anxious about mutually assured destruction because her dad works in one of the nuclear silos located near her town, however, the rest of the town can only talk about Laura’s mother new marriage to a black man.  I enjoyed hearing Laura's backstory about her family and new stepbrother Terrance, however, the second half of the book just made me say, "What?"  Some of the side stories got lost somewhere, and the details just got confusing. 

I was really hoping for a little more cohesive storyline, so it was a little bit of a let down for me.

**Thank you, Net Galley, for this free read in exchange for an honest review.**

Pride: a Pride and Prejudice Remix

I have a soft spot for Pride and Prejudice (as you know from this post and this post), so when my husband got me this book for my stocking this year, I was over the moon!

This YA book modernizes the classic story while also having its own heart and soul.  Set in modern day Bushwick, Brooklyn, Zuri and her loud Haitian-Dominican family love where they live.  Zuri loves the block parties, the old men who sit outside the corner bodega all day, her fortune telling landlady in the basement, and the sense of togetherness.  However, she has noticed changes coming to her neighborhood, the biggest of which is the rich family who bought the old dilapidated house across the street and restored it.  Zuri is worried that the Darcy family moving in is the beginning of the end of her close-knit neighborhood, since they obviously don’t belong with their wealth and uppity son, Darius.  The summer before her senior year should have been filled with college essay writing and sister-bonding, but Zuri finds she now must worry about her sweet older sister Janae falling for Ansley (the other Darcy brother), her two younger sisters emerging into the world of puberty and boys, and the sincerity of her her love interest Warren.

This was a great start to my New Year’s reading!  The characters were well-developed (or at least Zuri, Janae, and the Darcy boys are…no one ever really thinks about her poor middle sister Mary), and I think many teens will resonate with this story. 

You don’t have to have read the original to appreciate this one, however, it does add to the layers of the story to know the original.

New Year's Resolutions and Reading Challenges

I admit, I’ve never been one to pick a resolution for the new year (except that one year I tried to give up chocolate in college and it ended flopping like a professional basketball player).

So this year I’m doing something different:  I’m committing to a reading challenge.  

There are tons of reading challenges out there:  post a picture every day on a specific theme, read through the genres, read lesser known books with fewer review hits…but the one I’ve decided to do is the Unread Shelf Project for 2019.

My current unread stack of books

The rules are simple, read books you already own (or in my case, books that I’ve wanted to read but haven’t found the time).  I currently have a stack of 23 books next to my nightstand waiting to be read, another 18 books on my Kindle, and 71 books on my Goodreads “Want to Read” list.  And in all sincere honesty, I blame all of you for this.  You give me really good book recommendations.  My husband passes on great library finds to me.  Instagram is inundated with books, books, and more books.  I also blame myself.  I’m a mood reader, so if I’m reminded of a favorite book, I really want to go back to reread it (for example, I read Fangirl FOUR TIMES in 2018 because it’s my go-to book to destress my anxious mind).

So what are the specifics, you may ask?

• January:  read any unread book
• February: read a book gifted to you
• March:  read the book that’s been on your self the longest
• April: read the book you most recently acquired
• May: read a book you bought because of the movie/TV/theater adaptation
• June: read a book about travel or set in a country you’ve never been to
• July: read a book from a series on your shelf or one you already started
• August: read a book recommended for you by a friend
• September:  read a book you can buddy read with someone else
• October: read a book that scares you (can be its length, content, or genre that’s out of your comfort zone)
• November: read a book from your favorite genre
• December: read the shortest book on your shelf

Usually I read multiple books a month, so this will be one of my monthly picks to give me some emotional freedom to still moody read.

Want to join me?  I’d love the company and the accountability.

Happy reading in 2019!

Lois Lane: Triple Threat

Since seeing Gwenda Bond at ReadUp Greenville in October, I’ve read all three of her Lois Lane books.  She’s taken the iconic Lois Lane character and given her a spunky, sassy personality.  This third book in the series is no different.

Teenage investigative reporter Lois Lane has seen some weird things since moving to Metropolis:  cloning, mind-melding experiments, and cyber bullying.  Through it all, Lois has found a set of in real life friends (something she’s never had before because of moving around for her dad’s army job) and online friends (like her mysterious SmallvilleGuy).  In this book, Metropolis is full of weird sightings of silver-tinged teens doing superhuman things, like lifting cars and flying.  Lois decides to start investigating for her newest Scoop article but soon realizes that these teens have an odd fascination with her.  To make things more complicated, her cyber-maybe-more-than-a-friend SmallvilleGuy is coming to Metropolis for a birthday trip which means they will finally get to meet in real life.  Lois is also still trying to figure out if another online acquaintance TheInventor is a friend or foe, especially when he leaks a list of usernames to the government to retaliate for Lois’s snooping.

This book focuses more on Lois’s personal life than her news story this time, which is fine, but it makes the news story seem like an add-on story. She does (finally) figure out why these silver kids are trying to recruit her, but it wasn’t because of her investigative skills.  She found out more because she lied to her friends and charged into trouble without thinking things through.  

Overall, it was good book, especially since you’re already invested in the characters and their outcomes from the previous books.

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

I love Pride and Prejudice.  It’s my favorite classic novel for many reasons that I will not go into here (see this post for all my P&P love).  And because I love the original story so much, I’ve read lots of retellings and modern adaptations, like Eligible and Jane in Austin.  Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe tops that list.  

I know, I know…it’s written as a fluffy Christmas story, and it is.  But it’s also more than that.  The author captured the original angst of the story and the misconstrued intentions perfectly, even if the setting is modern.  There are also a few other changes I enjoyed, like the role reversals.  In this story Darcy Fitzwilliam is an independent, self-made woman who has a fantastically lucrative career in New York City.  But when her mother has a heart attack, she must go back to Pemberly, PA, her hometown that she hasn’t been to in eight years.  There she reconnects with her best friend Bingley Charles and her neighbors, the Bennett boys.  

Another change I liked was the story being told from Darcy’s point of view.  Most retellings stick with Jane and the Bennett sisters, since they are the main focus of the original novel, but I enjoyed being in Darcy’s head throughout all the confusing, conflicting feelings she’s having for Luke Bennett, her old high school rival.  I was expecting the novel to flip back and forth between the two points of view, but by sticking with Darcy, the story seemed more honest and truthful.  

Could I have used a few more details throughout the story?  Sure, being only 225 pages.

Did I read this practically in one sitting?  Why yes, I did.

Did I throughly enjoy it?  Most definitely.

You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas

The thing I love about my book club is the fact that it gets me out of my reading comfort zone.  When you’re in a group with a dozen other people, there’s a very diverse pull for what books to read.  Some I’ve been pleasantly surprised with, but sometimes you come up with a dud, like this month’s book.

Augusten Burroughs is a nonfiction writer who writes about his life in a very satirical way, much in the same writing style as David Sedaris.  From what I gathered from our book discussion, this book is in the same vein as his other books.  Burroughs wrote seven short stories about different Christmases he’s experienced over the years.  Some parts are slightly humorous, like when he tricks his parents into buying all the presents on his list by demanding a horse or when his newly renovated house floods.  But mostly it just made me depressed and feel sorry for him, like the Christmas he didn’t remember because he was blackout drunk or the last Christmas he spent with his AIDS-infected boyfriend.

What I really wanted to read was a hilariously funny set of Christmas stories, but instead what I got was story after story of hardships and confusion and struggles, like a tasteless cookie with some sprinkles on top to try and make it look better.