It’s time for another edition of Top Ten Tuesday — and it’s a really good one! As much as I enjoy topics that result in lists of awesome books, I absolutely loved making this week’s list. It’s perfect if you’re already making your holiday wish list or just looking to add more bookish things to your life. Without further ado, Ten Bookish Items I’d Like to Own. (Friends and family, take note!)
I’ve been in a bit of an overwhelming book situation lately. In addition to the usual book club reads, I’ve had more-than-usual ARC obligations and a towering pile of library books to make my way through before their due dates. I haven’t read any more than usual — even though I really need to. I’m hoping some upcoming vacation days and my participation in the Thanksgiving Readathon will help me catch up!
Here’s a look at what I read over the last month and the three books I’m working on right now.
I’m a huge fan of John Green and I heard a lot of amazingness about his brother’s first novel, and that’s basically why I picked up An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Hank did a really good job. He put together a fast-paced, entertaining novel that I couldn’t put down.
April May is like any other twenty-something in New York City until she literally stumbles into something that will change her life — and the world — forever. It’s a giant sculpture standing outside a Chipotle. She calls her friend Andy to come check it out, they make a jokey video where April dubs it Carl, Andy posts the video to YouTube, and April becomes inexplicably tied to the Carls’ fate forever.
I decided to pick up The Book of M by Peng Shepherd after hearing about it on a podcast. The story of a post-apocalyptic world where people inexplicably lose their shadows intrigued me. The novel is told from multiple points of view, each character introduced with impeccable timing and purpose.
First, we meet Ory who is living with his wife Max in an abandoned resort where they set up camp when the first shadowless appeared. A little later, we meet Max who has lost her shadow and wanders away from their home. A mysterious character who has many names shares his experiences starting with when he first lost his memory – not by losing his shadow, but due to a traumatic brain injury.
I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump. Not so much in the quantity of books I’ve been reading — because it’s still an average amount for me — but more in the amount of time I’ve been able to devote to reading lately. I also have a lot of library holds coming in lately, and I feel like I’m drowning in them and unable to catch up :/ I need a good long weekend full of reading — and some good books to help me do it!
Here’s what I’m planning to tackle in November. Let’s hope some of these are contenders!
For those of you who enjoyed The Afterlife of Walter Augustus, Hannah Lynn is at it again! This time with a more grounded contemporary drama. I am excited to be one of the last stops on her blog tour for Peas, Carrots and an Aston Martin — the first book in what is sure to be a charming series.
George Sibley has recently died and left his only son, Eric, an unexpected inheritance. Eric is promised his father’s beloved Aston Martin, but it comes with a catch. He’s only allowed to keep it if he agrees to care for George’s allotment every week for the next two years.
I requested Marie Darrieussecq’s novel Our Life in the Forest from NetGalley because the concept was intriguing. Marie — both the author and the main character, our narrator — describes for us a future world in which wealthy humans of her generation have “halves,” or breathing but unconscious humans that are available should they need spare body parts. If you’re less fortunate, you’ll have a “jar” instead, holding just a backup heart and pair of lungs.
It’s a bleak future, and it’s one that Marie has decided to escape with several others. They have taken their halves and are hiding in the forest, where the drones can’t spot them through the dense treetops. The story is translated from French (a wonderful translation) and Darrieussecq’s writing style is direct; we are treated to very little extraneous description.
Good Morning, Midnight is a low-key post-apocalyptic novel. Augie is an aging but brilliant astronomer who ends up stranded in the Arctic, choosing to stay when everyone else flees because of “war rumors.” He never hears from them again. In space, Sully is the communications specialist aboard the Aether, which is heading back from a mission to Jupiter. As they get closer to home, it becomes worrisome that they’re unable to re-establish communication with Earth.
I didn’t love this book as much as I expected to, but it certainly had gorgeous elements. Lily Brooks-Dalton’s writing was vivid and imaginative. I could picture Sully’s living quarters and appreciated the description of life in space. I could feel the cold as Augie explored the frozen world around him.
Fatima Farheen Mirza’s novel A Place for Us put me at a loss for words (a tough position when I need to write a review…). It was beautifully written, the story woven together so expertly. It’s hard to believe this is a debut.
The story of an Indian-American Muslim family opens at the California wedding of Hadia, the eldest daughter. She and the rest of the family anxiously await the arrival of her younger brother Amar, who they haven’t spoken to in years. From there, we are pulled into the family ourselves, where the dynamics are complicated. The siblings struggle with their loyalty to their parents’ way of life and carving out their own place in society, while still seeking to please them. The parents try to raise their children wisely, but sometimes doing what they think is best leads to unexpected outcomes.
Happy Tuesday! And I hope you’re ready for another edition of Show Us Your Books! I also want to take a second to congratulate both hosts on the 4th anniversary of this wonderful linkup! I’ve only been doing it for a little over a year, but I absolutely love it, and I’m so happy to be a part of it now. Thank you, Jana and Steph for all you do to keep this going each month 🙂