What I’ve Been Reading

A Truly Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Started: 12/6/22
Finished: 12/12/22

Hank Green does everything, so it’s not really a surprise that he also wrote a book. And it’s pretty good! Not subtle in its message, and it’s a bit meta (about his life) at times, but since I tend to agree with the message and I know something about his life, it didn’t bother me.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Started: 12/1/22
Finished: 12/5/22

Big happy sigh. I really enjoyed this book. It’s a romance, and it’s a family story, and it looks like it cannot possibly have a happy ending (except that I TOTALLY called it before I reached the halfway mark, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment in any way), and it was really nice. I cried. Twice? Maybe.

Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle

Started: 11/25/22
Finished: 11/27/22

I don’t usually read holiday books, and I don’t read a lot of romance novels, and I certainly don’t read a lot of holiday romances, but I loved this book. The main character is pretty awful at the beginning, but the book takes a ludicrous turn FAST, and it’s funny, and I swear I cried TWICE before it was over. Super light read, super ridiculous plot, oversimplified resolution, and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Started: 11/16/22
Finished: 11/25/22

Sequel to The Atlas Six, which I enjoyed so much I got on the waiting list for this one immediately. Turns out there will be at least one more (there’d better be), and this one suffers a little bit from 2nd volume syndrome. It has a thing to do, but it takes overlong to get there, and there are a lot of scenes of characters figuring something out without actually telling the reader what they’re figuring out. I can’t tell if whatever the thing is (or things are – this happens more than once) is supposed to be obscure and I’ll find out later, or if I’m just being dense and I should have understood what the character was saying.

But I enjoyed it! And I’m looking forward to the next book.

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong

Started: 11/8/22
Finished: 11/16/22

I have no idea what prompted me to pick this one up, although I’ve heard of the author, but I’m glad I did. It’s not good, but it makes me laugh every 20 pages or so. I’m going to be super annoyed if it ends with the main character in love with this one dude. (I’m afraid it will.)

Update now that I’ve finished it: super satisfying, and I am not super annoyed. Yay!

I should mention that this book is extra violent and pretty gross.

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Started: 11/3/22
Finished: 11/8/22

This started out super interesting (it’s set in LA’s Chinatown and written like a movie script), and it’s a fast read, but I nearly gave it up around 2/3 of the way through. I don’t think there’s any question about the conceit (that I don’t want to spoil for anyone), but I will admit to be confused about what was reality and what was, I don’t know, maybe allegory?, a couple of times.

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

Started: 10/1/22
Finished: 10/31/22

I read this for the first time last year, and I’m thinking about making it an October tradition. Here goes year 2. The book has one chapter per day, so that’s how I’m reading it. It’s delightful. I think my favorite chapter is October 17.

Definitely doing this again next year.

The Charmed List by Julie Abe

Started: 10/5/22
Gave up: 10/8/22

I read a Buzzfeed article about cozy fantasy books for the fall, and this sounded promising. Magic hidden in plain sight in Palo Alto, cute little romance. And sure, those things happen. But the characters are in high school, and I just cannot. I literally said, “Ugh, teenagers,” when I put this one down for good.

Docile by K.M. Szpara

Started: 10/1/22
Gave up: 10/5/22

I tried really hard to keep reading this book. I’ve read a lot about it, and it gets good reviews, and what the book is eventually saying is stuff I would want to say, but it starts out SUPER rape-y, and it sure feels like the victim is going to fall in love with the rapist, and the rapist is going to see the error of his ways, and gross gross gross. My understanding is that this is NOT how it goes, but I couldn’t get past the initial part. Not for me.

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers

Started: 9/27/22
Gave up: 10/1/22

I have no idea how this book crossed my radar. I usually take better notes about that, and I’m annoyed that I messed up this time. Captain Bluebear falls into adventures, and I suppose each one is a life. Nothing much happens (adventures might not be the right word). It’s a series of vignettes, all fanciful, mildly amusing. Maybe good for bedtime reading. They remind me of The Phantom Tollbooth and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but without the morals, the lessons.

I got bored, lost interest. Might be nice to come back to if I’m looking for something without any suspense.