The Hungry Bookworm
reading + eating
My reading month started off with a bang and then pretty abruptly crashed to a halt the week of Halloween. In that time, I managed to read two graphic novels and an essay collection about popular movies, but have been struggling through my current fiction read (which I’ve been working on for 13 days). Anyway, here’s a look at what I read — mostly 4-star reads and no two books alike!
I first heard about Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet on my favorite book recommendation podcast, All the Books, when Liberty Hardy raved about it. The concept sounded intriguing, but I didn’t add it to my TBR. I started seeing it more and more on bookstagram and decided to request a copy from the library, but by then the waitlist was quite long. Then, it won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Someone I’d been following closely on Instagram had read it and was beyond excited that it won. This someone also happened to live less than a mile from my house. I knew I needed to read it.
So I reached out, asked if I could borrow her copy, and she generously said yes! I dropped by and picked it up off her porch, we chatted out the window for a few minutes, and off I went. If it weren’t for her, I may still be waiting on the library waitlist.
[Read more...] about Hamnet + British Apple PieIt’s finally (already?) October! I’m sure I’m not alone in the feeling that 2020 has somehow been both the longest and shortest year so far. Anyway, fall is definitely underway in Michigan. We had what was probably our last 70-degree day on the last weekend in September, and it’s been chilly and a little bit rainy ever since. It’s wonderful cozy-up-with-a-book weather.
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is mostly aesthetic, focusing on book covers with fall vibes, but per usual I'll share just a few thoughts on each pick today — even though I picked them for their looks, their contents are what’s important.
How often do you give books a second chance? Until Fredrik Backman’s Beartown, I would’ve said never. And, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure it’s a practice I will repeat often, but I’m so glad I did decide to give this novel another try.
The first time I read Beartown (about 3 years ago) I was less than impressed. I went into it expecting "classic" Backman — the Backman of charming, somewhat whimsical stories/characters as in A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry, both books I absolutely loved — and what I got was not that. Beartown is a much darker narrative (though both of the above-mentioned books certainly have their dark spots), and I just wasn’t ready for it. I wasn’t expecting it, and so I was disappointed.
[Read more...] about Beartown + Bear ClawsI recently read and adored The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I haven’t been this excited to talk about a book in a very long time.
TJ Klune’s novel is a fantasy about a group of magical beings on a secluded island. For those of you who may be skeptical about fantasy, I want to clarify that on the whole, it’s quite realistic — apart from the magical beings. Our main character, Linus, works for a government agency providing recommendations as to whether or not orphanages should remain open or be shut down. The orphanages happen to be home to children with special abilities.
[Read more...] about The House in the Cerulean Sea + Blackberry Ice CreamIf you’re looking for a powerful coming-of-age story about a fiercely resilient girl, look no further than Tiffany McDaniel’s Betty. Based on the life of her mother and crafted out of a series of Q&A sessions with her family members, it is a gritty read that doesn’t shy away from abuse or violence. It’s also inspiring and hopeful.
Betty was born in 1954 to a Cherokee father, Landon, and a white mother, Alka. Though many of her siblings favored their mother, Betty had the dark skin of her father. Growing up, she was witness to terrible acts of racism toward her father and experienced the same prejudices herself. Rather than turning inward, Betty continues to be curious about the world and takes pen to paper to record real-life stories alongside her imaginings.
[Read more...] about Betty + Jewel Pudding Pie