Greetings and salutations, friends and readers! I have successfully scolded myself for the stupidly late March/April recap post to stay current on the books I’ve read as I finished them. Hence, here it is, June 1st, and we are ready to go!
Books! Obviously, there were books. In the month of May, I finished 5 of them – let’s discuss.
The first book I finished in May was the final part of Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy – To Green Angel Tower (Part 2) is a 796 page chunker in paperback form, so it was a perfect choice to finish the series and fill out prompt #52, Read a book with over 700 pages. From early in the first book, I had certain expectations about the main character, which turned out to be absolutely correct, but the amount of trauma the characters went through over the course of the series was unexpected to say the least.
The ending of the saga took a few twists I didn’t see coming – including some deaths (and one fake out death) that stunned me. Overall the final book felt a little chaotic and there were some scenes that dragged a bit, but I was happy with the way it resolved. [4.25 stars]
After the epic fantasy, I went for a different vibe – Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a YA sci-fi retelling of the classic Cinderella story, which was an obvious fit for prompt #6, Read a retelling of a fairy tale or a classic novel. This book is the first in Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles series, which adapts classic fairy tales into a dystopian future world. In Cinder, our heroine is a cyborg who has a natural aptitude for mechanics and electronics, so she’s forced to work to support the wife and daughters of the man who adopted her as a child and passed away not long after.
The bones of the original tale are obvious, but the best parts of the story are the parts that follow from the changes to the setting and the characters. There are some things that were very predictable – one of the twists I predicted immediately upon the mention of a character being presumed dead – but the finale of the story, when one might be expecting a happily ever after, blindsided me with an unexpected ending that sets up Cinder’s tale continuing into future volumes. And now I definitely want to read them. [4 stars]
From fairy tales to actual faeries, for challenge #15, Read a book about faeries, I read one of the books I bought at this year’s JordanCon – Sarah J. Sover’s Fairy Godmurder. This is the first in her Fractured Fae series, and it’s a really good one. This is a well written blend of urban fantasy and a serial killer murder mystery – the fae elements were interesting, and the murder mystery was carefully laid out. There was action. There were high stakes. There were delightfully flawed characters. I heard Sarah speak on a couple of panels, and spent a while at her table in Author’s Alley chatting with her (and managed to spend about half of the dance party in a little cluster on the dance floor with her and two other authors), and I’m impressed.
Since there’s only one more in the series so far, I’m definitely planning to snag a copy at next year’s JordanCon, and I’m excited to read more from her in the future. [4.5 stars]
About 2-1/2 years ago, I read the first book in N.K. Jemisen’s Broken Earth trilogy, which came highly recommended – and I truly enjoyed it. I’ve heard that the first is the best book in the trilogy, but of course that never stops me from continuing with a series – and I’m glad I didn’t, because The Obelisk Gate was extremely interesting, and very moving. The first novel had a fascinating structure with three main characters told in three different POV narration styles (first person, second person, and third person). It took some getting used to, but made for some interesting revelations.
This second installment has three main characters as well, but mostly third person narrative style (with some of the second person narration, and the actual narrator is revealed, which is pretty cool). More of the history of the world is revealed, and some of the mysteries of the Stone Eaters and the Guardians – although there is so much more to learn. The last 20% or so was quite emotional, and I’m dying to get to the third book to finish out the story. Perhaps I’ll snag it for one of my two remaining free spaces. [4.75 stars]
For #22, Read a book with a Gothic theme, I had a couple of options, but decided to read one of the definitive Gothic fiction novels, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I could swear that I read this book 30 years ago or so, I distinctly remember having checked it out of the library with a big stack of books, but once I came to reading it I had absolutely no memory of any of it – the only bit that seemed at all familiar was the opening paragraph.
This book is atmospheric as anything – with vivid descriptions of the beauty of windswept landscapes and lush gardens juxtaposed with an undercurrent of dread and mystery. The narrator of the story is unnamed, which really stuck out to me, as her husband’s dead first wife, Rebecca, is constantly being named, and held up as a source of comparison. The narrator’s sense of inferiority and insecurity is a huge factor in the unsettled mood and sense of impending doom. [4.5 stars]
Aside from reading, I continued on with my Veronica Mars journey alongside my favorite reactor – we finished Season 2, which ended with quite the bang. I also rewatched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as she watched for the first time. And I checked out Bridgerton Season 3, part 1. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite fictional tropes, so I’ve been excited for this season.
My next door neighbors’ cat had a litter of kittens in March, and they started venturing outdoors in May, much to my delight – I catch them out front of my condo often, and hope to adopt one of them soon. I treated myself to a spa pedicure for the first time in wayyyyy too many years (seriously, why don’t I do this more often?). And I took a week at the end of the month to visit Mom, where we had a bit of a wild and stormy Sunday morning (tornadoes touched down less than 20 miles from her house), and again a tornado watch in the evening. I’ve still never experienced a tornado, thank the Lord. We spent several stormy hours on the back porch checking the weather reports, but again they missed us entirely. Some local residents got frightening photos of the ones that passed close by.
Mom usually has a project for me when I come to visit, but this time I set my own goal to get through her giant pile of dead branches from her enormous birch tree – she bought a fire pit last year at the end of summer and decided to start saving the limbs that fell to use for firewood, but it was starting to get intimidating and dangerous, so I spent a solid 2-1/2 days in the backyard snapping, snipping, and sawing into reasonable stacks of good sized sticks, and bags and bags worth of tiny twigs that were good for kindling. Mom burned a good amount of it to keep it from overwhelming the back porch, but I finished on Thursday evening. My fingernails were positively ragged, and Mom was contemplating whether she should try getting a pedicure herself, so I made us an appointment at a local nail salon to get pampered on Friday evening. My nails were so wrecked I decided to try dip powder to keep one that was on the verge of tearing off below the quick from betraying me before it could grow out to a less painful length.
Below you will find my favorite photos (and one screenshot) that represent my month, including my one nail art look that I did myself.
So here we are, gentle readers… at the end of my thoughts, where I ask you for yours. What are you looking forward to in June? Tell me about what you’ve been reading! What is your favorite new discovery or hobby? For those who are reading along with the challenge, do you have any recommendations for those of us who haven’t figured out a book to fit every prompt yet? And do you have any vacation plans?
The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2024 Reading Challenge
Level 1: Book of the Month Club [COMPLETED]
1. Read a book you got for free – Find Layla – Meg Elison
2. Read a book by an author you’ve previously read – Defiant – Brandon Sanderson
3. Read a book that is under 400 pages – Apollo Grant – Rey Nichols
4. Read a book published in 2014 (10 years ago) – The Storytelling God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Parables – Jared C. Wilson
5. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – Jade City (reread) – Fonda Lee
6. Read a retelling of a fairy tale or a classic novel – Cinder – Marissa Meyer
7. Read a book that is a comedy or satire – The Color of Magic – Terry Pratchett
8. Read a book that’s been on your “shelf” for over a year – Collages – Anais Nin
9. Read a book with a color in the title – To Green Angel Tower (Part 1) – Tad Williams
10. Read a book from the Los Angeles Public Library’s staff recommendations –The City We Became – N.K. Jemisen
11. Read a caper story (heist, thievery, etc.) – A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E. Schwab
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldree
Level 2: Casual Reader Club [7/12 complete]
13. Read book 1 of a Duology
14. Read book 2 of a Duology
15. Read a book about faeries – Fairy Godmurder – Sarah J. Sover
16. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies – Misha Popp
17. Read a book with three or more colors on the cover – Watchman Nee Collection: The Spiritual Man, A Living Sacrifice and Authority & Submission – Watchman Nee
18. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with a family member – Thirteen Moons – Charles Frazier
19. Read a book published by Simon & Schuster or one of its imprints
20. Read a book with the word “Dark” in the title – City Dark – Roger Canaff
21. Read a book published in 2004 (20 years ago) – The Family Trade – Charles Stross
22. Read a book with a Gothic theme – Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
23. Read a book on a banned book list
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Visci – Venessa Giunta
Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [5/12 complete]
25. Read an Enemies to Lovers story
26. Read a Lovers to Enemies (or Friends to Enemies) story
27. Read a book that starts with the letter “S”
28. Read a book from Refinery29’s “The Ultimate Book Bucket List: The 75 Best Books Of All Time” – The Obelisk Gate – N.K. Jemisen
29. Read a book with a grey cover
30. Read a book by an author you think has an interesting name – Jivaja – Venessa Giunta
31. Read a Historical Fiction novel
32. Read a book with the name of a place in the title
33. Read a book about a veterinarian (or someone who works with animals)
34. Read the first book in a series you’ve wanted to start – All Systems Red – Martha Wells
35. Read a book that was published before you were born – A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 – W. Phillip Keller
36. Free Space – Pick any book! – Taken for Granted – Rey Nichols
Level 4: Speed Reader Club [0/12 complete]
37. A book by Eleanor Hibbert under any of her pseudonyms
38. Read a Memoir
39. Read a book that is referenced in a film or TV show
40. Read a book with a skull on the cover
41. Read a book with the word “Truth” in the title
42. Read a book that involves gamer/fandom/geek culture
43. Read a book with a Scientist as the main character
44. Read a book that takes place in a cold climate
45. Read a book that has double letters in the title
46. Read a book by two or more authors
47. Read a book involving or inspired by Egyptian mythology
48. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 5: Overachiever Club [2/12 complete]
49. Read a book with a Unicorn in it
50. Read a book that takes place during the 18th century (1701-1800)
51. Read a book by Jonathan Coe
52. Read a book with over 700 pages – To Green Angel Tower (Part 2) – Tad Williams
53. A book with a title that has 5 words
54. Read a non-fiction book – You Have Not Many Fathers – Dr. Mark Hanby
55. Read a book with a picture of food or drink on the cover
56. Read a book by an author with Fred in their name
57. Read a book that takes place in South America
58. Read a book you previously started but left unfinished
59. Rickrolled! Read a book with one (or more) of the following words in the title: Never Going To Give You Up
60. Free Space – Pick any book!
The Logophile 