tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7549196885108900762024-03-07T11:38:49.909-08:00We Be Readingbook thoughts and reading-related content for all agesKristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comBlogger1547125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-52375394445285065752024-03-01T17:34:00.000-08:002024-03-01T17:34:09.574-08:00March Magics 2024<p>Long time, no post, eh? Well, I wanted to let anyone know who is looking that Chris Lovegrove over at Calmgrove is hosting this year's March Magics festivities.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFG2jjtdJX1rZBaQCOxucc1rV-dQM_XoMchqQ04FcBpWzEpNy0xfvS0z4NCIwuuWFgg-hKdGB6DrCY8ddsWyW6HoYV1thSb5_WJ_yunN_PYIhhR9o2x3_TalBYhyphenhypheny783BJV00CiW3BWgUD8wPVw1fTD_l9IkFYbymTRWIPHSy7FO7pP9wregGAfq_9ZA/s439/IMG_4453.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="439" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFG2jjtdJX1rZBaQCOxucc1rV-dQM_XoMchqQ04FcBpWzEpNy0xfvS0z4NCIwuuWFgg-hKdGB6DrCY8ddsWyW6HoYV1thSb5_WJ_yunN_PYIhhR9o2x3_TalBYhyphenhypheny783BJV00CiW3BWgUD8wPVw1fTD_l9IkFYbymTRWIPHSy7FO7pP9wregGAfq_9ZA/w200-h199/IMG_4453.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><p>The <a href="https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/mm24/">kickoff post is here</a> and Chris will have a couple more posts throughout the month. I'll be reading a couple of Discworld books that are new to me and the recently released collection of Pratchett's early short stories. I also think I'll be rereading <b>Howl's Moving Castle</b> and its sequels. I rewatched the Miyazaki Howl movie the other night and am definitely in the mood for more.</p><p></p><p>All is well with me and mine. Z is attending a local college and seems to be taking a lot of Digital Media Arts classes even though he said he wanted to study psychology. I think he's just finally admitting where his talents lie and realizing that choosing a career means being in a field for long time. I'm happy as long as he is finding his way forward! I'm still being a support parent and doing a lot of reading and exercising and various other things so nothing to write home (or a blog) about but I do sometimes missing chatting with all of you. Maybe one day I will find my writing mojo again.</p><p>Anyway, take care and enjoy March Magics and its celebration of Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones. I will be!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-8244489837616231512023-03-01T00:21:00.002-08:002023-03-01T00:21:43.963-08:00March Magics 2023 Begins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQPvFBnVAdKEyr1yHFbs8i2a3BUIoy4oj1rsJ6czADnJOcpe4cviauk3Tj7PV0wCbDPPO3BwGcwvpz_JmSeLOmyVtX03UWTCeHHMmACAusIeqJrogCKATKXLLIV4jL5-zDDxkYtv1fDpBUmn48-GVyN2sMmtE0nZSWRB3xEdcj0QOlB2OzWxt4ZwJ-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQPvFBnVAdKEyr1yHFbs8i2a3BUIoy4oj1rsJ6czADnJOcpe4cviauk3Tj7PV0wCbDPPO3BwGcwvpz_JmSeLOmyVtX03UWTCeHHMmACAusIeqJrogCKATKXLLIV4jL5-zDDxkYtv1fDpBUmn48-GVyN2sMmtE0nZSWRB3xEdcj0QOlB2OzWxt4ZwJ-" width="240" /></a></div><p>It's March 1st, time to start reading Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones! This is the year to celebrate all of the good things, be they Chrestomanci, Howl, or Tiffany Aching. I can't even imagine my reading life without these two stellar authors. They have comforted me, distracted me, amused me, and brought me to tears. And I have yet to read a book by either one that I wouldn't be willing to read again and again. (And seeing how my final new DWJ is below, I think I'm pretty safe.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhki9Ep6qbAVD0WiWOroBSTmD7Bgyn60KELicP22MJRg0UghkRXqZnQiSO4Vfl0W5fY5b7Z_QPVFDb4dHAuzr10DwXgbQYkogVlGb9T-lpc647fpMiSnVxi6hTJHcHDAckNSpushQ7Y1SeTJo5ILc7nW8XvdmmcTvENkLWH0qROfPQDHWTey_WzUfYg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhki9Ep6qbAVD0WiWOroBSTmD7Bgyn60KELicP22MJRg0UghkRXqZnQiSO4Vfl0W5fY5b7Z_QPVFDb4dHAuzr10DwXgbQYkogVlGb9T-lpc647fpMiSnVxi6hTJHcHDAckNSpushQ7Y1SeTJo5ILc7nW8XvdmmcTvENkLWH0qROfPQDHWTey_WzUfYg" width="240" /></a></div><br />I have these first time reads ahead of me and will probably start with <b>The Fifth Elephant</b> because you can never go wrong spending time with Vimes and The Watch. I'll fill in the rest of my DWJ reading with whatever I'm in the mood for as the month goes on.<p></p><p>I am not using Twitter at the moment so come find me on <a href="http://instagram.com/klpm" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or <a href="https://mastodon.world/@klpm" target="_blank">Mastodon</a> or leave your links on this post ... and remember to use the #MarchMagics hashtag wherever you post!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-13414631903524538702023-01-22T01:00:00.115-08:002023-01-22T01:00:00.166-08:00#MarchMagics 2023: All Good Things<p>Hello, friends! I wanted to do an early heads-up this year about March Magics because I have decided that this will be my last year hosting this lovely event. I started it as DWJ March in 2012, one year after our beloved Diana Wynne Jones passed away and then it became March Magics in 2016, one year after the passing of Terry Pratchett. As this 26th of March will be the twelfth anniversary of Diana's death and will also be the last year that I have a new-to-me book of hers to read, it felt like the right time to wind this down. It will only be eight years since Sir Pterry died (on 12 March 2015) and I do have a dozen or so of his books still ahead of me but it seems like a nice, odd milestone to hit for him as well.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7TjffLkw6xsASlPnXZ6lBYYgWbt_DbyDPe3ZYbj5tjWnrTN2C4UUd2VDpnrUO1wYW2jBq9TnRu3xE5wRbelfIyBSLuyVOV-HKcZeHMf_2VvsnggJEDKgcsgf-wGf7I-0lpdyT1P35IDvs8zxLE0HiGrcdNvYPpq5iFmDkWSTCcsbvd_YRYBvW6IIr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7TjffLkw6xsASlPnXZ6lBYYgWbt_DbyDPe3ZYbj5tjWnrTN2C4UUd2VDpnrUO1wYW2jBq9TnRu3xE5wRbelfIyBSLuyVOV-HKcZeHMf_2VvsnggJEDKgcsgf-wGf7I-0lpdyT1P35IDvs8zxLE0HiGrcdNvYPpq5iFmDkWSTCcsbvd_YRYBvW6IIr=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Paraphrasing Chaucer, this year's theme will be All Good Things ... (Must Come to an End). This means that basically anything goes, because, with these two, there are so, so many Good Things to enjoy and they're different for everyone. I hope that many of you will join me this year in reading one or both of these authors. I don't have plans yet for any read-alongs or guest posts but, if you are interested, please do let me know! And thank you for spending each March with me in this celebration of literary lives well-lived. It has been one of the highlights of my reading year for so long now. Finally, I am more than willing to hand off the hosting of this event to someone else so do let me know if that is something that interests any of you.</p><p>Look for an official kick-off post on 1 March!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-88930935453561151782022-03-31T01:22:00.000-07:002022-03-31T01:22:22.707-07:00Wrapping Up #MarchMagics 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCz-mGEXuaoBaxhIEbck9-TkmBaTLPdchgWi5nfMK4cOEBCS5sO3oyFKrqajjiI7zCkQ09UL1qkw3wolaWl9GhupcesO0n7-K2P2dX8M4LgnWkBtzLzaEgUeKW9jK5cpxPXOlVi6zjJkrSpo0AXSSswMRY-bwU3NehPYrLm4NHAwNIEA19vfpcBkIi/s1080/MarchMagics2022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCz-mGEXuaoBaxhIEbck9-TkmBaTLPdchgWi5nfMK4cOEBCS5sO3oyFKrqajjiI7zCkQ09UL1qkw3wolaWl9GhupcesO0n7-K2P2dX8M4LgnWkBtzLzaEgUeKW9jK5cpxPXOlVi6zjJkrSpo0AXSSswMRY-bwU3NehPYrLm4NHAwNIEA19vfpcBkIi/w200-h200/MarchMagics2022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p>Thank you all for joining in again this year to celebrate the wonderful works of Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. It has been eleven years since Diana passed and seven since Terry left us but it still feels so recent.</p><p>I was able to read almost everything I planned and certainly met new friends and enjoyed my time with the old ones. I had a lot of fun with Sir Pterry's <b>The Last Continent</b>, <b>The Wee Free Men</b> (a relisten), <b>Dodger</b> (a relisten), and <b>Equal Rites</b> (a reread). I also watched the 2008 miniseries The Colour of Magic (with story from both <b>The Colour of Magic</b> and <b>The Light Fantastic</b>) and listened to LeVar Burton read the short story <i>The Troll Bridge</i> on his podcast. It was also quite a treat to read the biography <b>The Magic of Terry Pratchett</b> by Marc Burrows. I'm looking forward to having Rob Wilkins' Pratchett biography (Sept 2022) to read next year.</p><p>As for DWJ, I got through <b>Dark Lord of Derkholm</b> (a relisten), <b>Cart and Cwidder</b>, <b>Drowned Ammet</b>, and <b>The Spellcoats</b> (a reread). I started <b>The Crown of Dalemark</b> the other day and got about 50 pages in (where Mitt and Moril first meet) and decided that I just wasn't ready to finish my final new-to-me DWJ. I will save this book until next year and postpone that particular sadness.</p><p style="text-align: center;">How was your March Magics month? Let me know what you ended up reading!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-77652650805617015182022-02-19T23:16:00.001-08:002022-02-19T23:16:42.979-08:00#MarchMagics 2022: Friends Old and New<p>I was considering whether to just let March Magics go this year since I haven't blogged since the last one when I got a short message from <a href="https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Chris</a>, asking for an event image. Well, I just couldn't let him down so here we are again, celebrating Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett through their always-wonderful works. I am actually quite happy to host this again for the 11th (!) time.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQrGMm4P41trIvjm1BzyAk0BTefF3SF_ISeE2hlkBoWQ6BjhL_gLzjUZJ-r8L_tPSVrooeE3xXf4uNK4aebEJC9nmWFvPS50qS54ig1icrjMSIdZFBoAipu8odF9n74h0DpAawJcQrTRJbejoO8vzUSRQeVMyDXvieOPAHcVwvxNeoGySyh3CrztOi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQrGMm4P41trIvjm1BzyAk0BTefF3SF_ISeE2hlkBoWQ6BjhL_gLzjUZJ-r8L_tPSVrooeE3xXf4uNK4aebEJC9nmWFvPS50qS54ig1icrjMSIdZFBoAipu8odF9n74h0DpAawJcQrTRJbejoO8vzUSRQeVMyDXvieOPAHcVwvxNeoGySyh3CrztOi" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I chose the theme Friends Old and New this year because we are all at different places in our DWJ and Pratchett journeys. Some of the characters have been old friends for years, others we have yet to meet but are guaranteed to be friends when we do.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimSmAPbVW6vuKrM_EFqba4sX5TzhA3YRjXipYIJbAciHD2YNs517dKqeDJl640AZFe_XTuZUGSzrZAFx-7wQckuFkg97BDioT_cn9PideTsmLhsY3-9qj-w7hWMgqSz2h7_-GvTZrTxlc6aiWNdKP3MaFBvrFe_CooaE2yqbctUB5cHNe57hRMJebd" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimSmAPbVW6vuKrM_EFqba4sX5TzhA3YRjXipYIJbAciHD2YNs517dKqeDJl640AZFe_XTuZUGSzrZAFx-7wQckuFkg97BDioT_cn9PideTsmLhsY3-9qj-w7hWMgqSz2h7_-GvTZrTxlc6aiWNdKP3MaFBvrFe_CooaE2yqbctUB5cHNe57hRMJebd=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div><br />This is my stack for the month, minus one book that is still on its way. I'll be reading two more Discworld books in my journey through that series--<b>The Last Continent</b> and <b>Jingo</b>. I have also decided to reread <b>Dodger</b> since I can't even remember how long it has been since I first read and loved it. And I have Marc Burrows' biography, <b>The Magic of Terry Pratchett</b>, that I'm really looking forward to. Then for DWJ, well, I'm picking up the last unread books I have of hers--The Dalemark Quartet. <b>The Spellcoats</b> will be a reread but the other three will be first time reads. It's going to be quite sad to have no more new-to-me DWJs after this. But, this is still a chance to make new fictional friends, right?<p></p><p>I would love to know who is participating this year and what you are planning to read so please leave a comment or find me on instagram or twitter. And if you post about the event during the month, please use hashtag #MarchMagics. I hope to chat with many of you soon! And thank you for becoming my friends over these many years through our shared love of these authors. I appreciate all of you!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-52151622455528745772021-03-30T22:37:00.004-07:002021-03-30T22:37:55.753-07:00Wrapping Up #MarchMagics 2021<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizANVOyhclMCp6Ws_CrB8ARFmAzvMgfgbL9rAbeYGpTBWUaFo87yGG7HWevSv2IIrHXJy08JmeQRzj_IQaHZ01mmBwOZ2RmtXJTh0feoGW1upqN7mduiBuP1CHFJTe04dqpf4a4eHZaxI/s1654/March+Magics+2021.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizANVOyhclMCp6Ws_CrB8ARFmAzvMgfgbL9rAbeYGpTBWUaFo87yGG7HWevSv2IIrHXJy08JmeQRzj_IQaHZ01mmBwOZ2RmtXJTh0feoGW1upqN7mduiBuP1CHFJTe04dqpf4a4eHZaxI/s320/March+Magics+2021.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, I have to say that my theme for this year's event ended up being a bit inspired. "All Together Now" was the perfect theme to tie together some of the wonderful stories of Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. Because, after all, what better magic is there than the relationships we form with family, friends, and sometimes even foes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I ended up reading <b>Earwig and the Witch</b>, <b>The Islands of Chaldea</b>, <b>The Lives of Christopher Chant</b>, <b>Power of Three</b>, <b>Nation</b>, <b>Guards! Guards!</b>, <b>Men at Arms</b>, and <b>Feet of Clay</b>. There were definitely some amazing examples of teamwork and friendship in these stories. I had the most fun revisiting <b>The Islands of Chaldea</b>. The first time I read it, Diana's death was still rather fresh and it was bittersweet to read her final tale. This time, it could be just a fun story with another trademark whirlwind ending. I really appreciate that her family made the effort to finish the story and share it with readers. The Pratchetts have just released a final collection of Sir Pterry's short stories for children too (<b>The Time-Travelling Caveman</b>) and I can't wait to pick that up sometime this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thank you all for participating this year! I loved seeing your posts and pictures and tweets throughout the month. It made me feel a little less alone. I also love that these two special authors bring us together and I'm thankful that they wrote books that are brilliant every single time we read or revisit them. Diana and Terry were gems and they will always be missed.</div>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-16889522539516107452021-03-24T21:30:00.128-07:002021-03-24T21:30:01.488-07:00Read-Along: Power of Three #MarchMagics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSIFccqnA09xFXfTZtZCxP9I83Ysi2kM40AjD55NyvdHuTRQdPMU3FN8W7sxa3ZbVpqT374FmTZnzfpI9_aYe2JgqDim6SvSGp7Fg9bCD5BhoR-_WUQeAPPL3kShueU3Wif4fjjtS9Zc/s193/powerofthree.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cover of Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones" border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="128" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSIFccqnA09xFXfTZtZCxP9I83Ysi2kM40AjD55NyvdHuTRQdPMU3FN8W7sxa3ZbVpqT374FmTZnzfpI9_aYe2JgqDim6SvSGp7Fg9bCD5BhoR-_WUQeAPPL3kShueU3Wif4fjjtS9Zc/w212-h320/powerofthree.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><p>I almost forgot to write about <b>Power of Three</b> because I read the book last week and since then have have been enjoying seeing posts pop up from various other bloggers (<a href="https://bookforager.wordpress.com/2021/03/21/power-of-three-by-diana-wynne-jones/" target="_blank">Bookforager</a>, <a href="http://howlingfrog.blogspot.com/2021/03/three-books-by-diana-wynne-jones.html" target="_blank">Jean at Howling Frog Books</a>). It felt like a discussion already in progress! I also went looking for past posts I had written about this book and had completely forgotten that I had written about it on <a href="https://emeraldcitybookreview.com/2014/11/witch-week-day-two-power-of-three-gues.html" target="_blank">Lory's old blog</a> for Witch Week in 2014. This was my summary of the book from that post and I like it --</p><blockquote>Power of Three is one of Diana Wynne Jones’s oldest books, first released in 1976. It is less fantastical than most of her other books, even while being rooted in magic. In the land of the Dorig, the Lyman, and the Giants, each race thinks that they are the “people” and that the others are savages, both dangerous and mean. It is the simple magic of words that give each group power, be it curses, charms, or negotiation, and they frequently use those words against each other. It is only when they use their words for friendship and forgiveness instead of enmity that all will be well in their world.</blockquote><p>This story fit perfectly with the "All Together Now" theme of the month. Three very different groups had to come together to find a solution that would work for everyone and somehow they managed it. As I see more and more divisiveness in our world these days, even though we have far fewer differences than the Dorig, Lyman, and Giants (apologies to the characters for using what they consider slurs), I wonder if we will ever get over them for the common good. You would think things like climate change and a global pandemic would be big enough problems that the world could come together but, well, not yet.</p><p>As for discussion, I don't want to talk about DWJ's fat phobia because that's just depressing and we've already talked about it many times. Instead let's talk about the "people" in this story that surprised us. I loved how Mr. Claybury and Mr. Masterfield totally got on board with everything with NO hesitation. This is so different than how adults act in almost any other children's story. <b>Was there someone that surprised you with their actions?</b> Also, I was wondering if this book predates standard environmental reviews for civic projects. Isn't that what actually happened in this story? The creatures of the land (different groups of people, in this case) got to actually speak up and stop their habitats from being destroyed. That's pretty cool when you think about it, right? Finally--and this one sounds like a spoiler but it's not because anybody who hasn't read the book will have no idea what we are talking about--when did Ceri put a Thought on Gair on in the final scene?!? I honestly can't figure it out.</p><p>I'm planning one more post at the end of the month to tally up all of the great books I ended up reading. They have almost all perfectly fit the theme and have gotten me a little more excited to see people again later this summer. (I am one of the weird people who hasn't been overly sad that we've been locked away in our own homes and yards for a year.) Anyway, I hope that you all are fitting in one more fun DWJ or Pratchett read before the end of March!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-29055641453160780452021-03-10T21:30:00.143-08:002021-03-10T21:31:36.391-08:00Read-Along: Nation #MarchMagics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtgWOf331So59ykZNOCbWjF56EDhRDAw7zc9XY0kQn0nc4p0hgLiyrY8gCa5NkW05eRJV6DrNZvWIP8Xv6ueaSEZy-yLCN7KrsaemqWN7SIsvP45o5u9-txcawqTHzFSfnNHkOvEa-qQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Cover of Terry Pratchett's book Nation" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtgWOf331So59ykZNOCbWjF56EDhRDAw7zc9XY0kQn0nc4p0hgLiyrY8gCa5NkW05eRJV6DrNZvWIP8Xv6ueaSEZy-yLCN7KrsaemqWN7SIsvP45o5u9-txcawqTHzFSfnNHkOvEa-qQ/w212-h320/nation.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Terry Pratchett's <b>Nation</b> is a multiverse book, a "not our world but one a lot like it" story that brings together two young people who are an unlikely pair. There is Mau, the young Pacific Islander on the cusp of manhood who loses everything when his village is destroyed by a giant wave. And there is Daphne, a British young woman who used to be Ermintrude but who used the wreck of the ship she was on to reinvent herself. Her ship, of course, wrecks on the island that used to be the home of the Nation, Mau's people. As other refugees from the storm start arriving on the island, Mau and Daphne learn to communicate and to create a new found-family as they also strive to each understand themselves better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I couldn't have picked a better book to fit my "All Together Now" theme. So many characters come together, each with their own strengths, to build a new community from the remains of the old one. They do things that are hard and sometimes uncomfortable but it allows them to process their grief and move forward and to save each other. There is also the pro-science message of the story that seems especially timely right now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some things I thought about while reading, if anyone wants to discuss:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why are we always so certain when we speak about history when we are constantly discovering new facts about what came before?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Will white supremacy ever end or will it eventually be the end of our species?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why can't we stand up to our grandparents or other elders when they are obviously wrong/mean?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Could you survive alone (or almost alone) on a previously inhabited island?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can you really shout underwater to scare away a shark? (I looked this one up. The answer is ... maybe sometimes.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope most of you will eventually read this book if you didn't get around to it for this event. It is a fantastic story that showcases more of the philosophical side of Pratchett. There is definitely still humor but it takes a backseat in this one and I found it refreshing. Of course I'm reading <b>Guards! Guards!</b> right now so I can obviously appreciate all of the humor as well. He really was one of the best.</div>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-59451603971992815792021-03-05T22:43:00.001-08:002021-03-05T22:43:15.266-08:00Book v. Movie: Earwig and the Witch #MarchMagics<p>Welcome to a chat about <b>Earwig and the Witch</b>! I read the book on the first day of March Magics and finished it on, well, the first day. (It's just over 110 big print pages and full of illustrations.) When I set it down, I spent the afternoon watching the movie. Here are my thoughts ...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKP7ZPSvG8-4-JmsklA3mPAcjeeI2JtzNyZdzjE15OQNhudPAKb4K-X1Arw8Qu2PGzEUchp_tMsuSVojMgxkz8qyJ2PN9txnCNbMBQtLlNw3W3BMmIl50Fuw0Oi5ZZz9HnU4tir0Jjt4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover of Earwig and the Witch" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKP7ZPSvG8-4-JmsklA3mPAcjeeI2JtzNyZdzjE15OQNhudPAKb4K-X1Arw8Qu2PGzEUchp_tMsuSVojMgxkz8qyJ2PN9txnCNbMBQtLlNw3W3BMmIl50Fuw0Oi5ZZz9HnU4tir0Jjt4/w254-h320/earwigbook.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><p>This was DWJ's last completed fiction book, published in June 2011, just after her death in March of that year. It's probably for the youngest audience of all of her books besides a 1992 picture book and a handful of short stories. The US edition (seen above) was illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. It's the story of Earwig, a young girl who was left at an orphanage when she was a baby with nothing but a note that said "GOT THE OTHER TWELVE WITCHES ALL CHASING ME. I'LL BE BACK FOR HER WHEN I'VE SHOOK THEM OFF. IT MAY TAKE YEARS. HER NAME IS EARWIG." The children's home staff, of course, aren't sold on the witch story or the name and they try to call her Erika Wigg. Still the nickname Earwig creeps back in and she grows up with it and with the special talent of making anyone and everyone do just what she wants. Another day comes when foster parents are to arrive and choose kids to take home with them and Earwig expects the usual thing to happen, a bunch of cooing over babies and toddlers and the ignoring of the older kids. This time though, a very weird pair of adults, one who seems to get taller and grow horns as he stands there, actually choose Earwig to go home with them. What happens after this is unpredictable and fun.</p><p>The thing I like most about this book is that Earwig is not a bad kid. She gets her way and she does things that she doesn't have permission to do but she is not trying to hurt anyone. And, in the end, she stays happily with the same people who she didn't think cared about her at all. It's a found family story which is different from many DWJ stories that have bad parents. This one has adults that don't want to be parents who kind of grow into the role because of the strong personality of Earwig. Also ... talking cat!</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63YzJW9oGq-QfP-oQjQaWYGIINTKMb7TAjH73E6AdPgPDn7nwou1Rj6Nzd_5fEoKVbjROhP1GGPqf9s9wOz_-SlGbDMxV_m8QZfyqzi8bUEFNnrC8hd1W186g4PeyBbOveyNoOU2P9v8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earwig and the Witch movie and title image" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63YzJW9oGq-QfP-oQjQaWYGIINTKMb7TAjH73E6AdPgPDn7nwou1Rj6Nzd_5fEoKVbjROhP1GGPqf9s9wOz_-SlGbDMxV_m8QZfyqzi8bUEFNnrC8hd1W186g4PeyBbOveyNoOU2P9v8/w400-h225/earwigtitle.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Just in time for the tenth anniversary of the book, we get the Studio Ghibli film version of Earwig. This is the studio's first computer animated film and was directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro. As far as story goes, this film is almost too faithful to the book. It uses the exact dialog and pacing from DWJ's book and, in my opinion, it's not quite the right pacing for a film. It does start with an added scene of Earwig's mom taking her to the orphanage while being chased and there are two brief additional plot lines but neither really brings anything interesting to the story and seem tacked on. But these were only obvious to me because I had literally just read the book that morning. Most people won't have read the book and will may not have these issues. But the thing that disappointed me most was that the movie has Earwig's mom return at the end. That killed the entire "found family" aspect of the book and it bummed me out a bit.<p></p><p>As a huge Studio Ghibli fan (you may remember my <a href="https://webereading.com/2010/02/hello-japan-challenge-on-big-screen.html" target="_blank">Ghibli watching project</a> in 2010), I missed the magic that Hayao Miyazaki brings to a story. I adore DWJ's <b>Howl's Moving Castle</b> but will admit that Miyazaki's film, with its differences, has more heart than the original tale. His son needs to learn to find and grow the spark that makes a good book into a great film. Also, the animation of Earwig was a little weird with thin old-lady eyebrows and too many angry looks. And the cat had no fur texture which, as we all know, Pixar perfected twenty years ago with Monsters, Inc. It just didn't work for me the way hand-drawn Ghibli films do ... although the workroom was exactly how I imagined it, so dirty and slimy! I also missed the music of Joe Hisaishi, which is one of the threads that tie all Ghibli films together and also adds to the magic.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7DGKaiJMQvHddfn29i-MFlJmf12wUKNAc-A5QK1bGCo05DBOiJbFqDQuTRNAfzoGxVJrseTxy9HoEDuyZuTaN2EGsGxLrNb2STUHp9TwJcWBK224y_6o-RvG_XTOd_G_1bOINwl3FsA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Earwig singing in front of a band" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1680" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7DGKaiJMQvHddfn29i-MFlJmf12wUKNAc-A5QK1bGCo05DBOiJbFqDQuTRNAfzoGxVJrseTxy9HoEDuyZuTaN2EGsGxLrNb2STUHp9TwJcWBK224y_6o-RvG_XTOd_G_1bOINwl3FsA/w320-h200/Earwig-And-The-Witch-1612804443.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Side note: this is the promo image for the film and it is not something that happens in the movie. That's kind of weird, right? Anyway, I know a couple of you were going to be able to watch the film so what did you think? Did you read the book first? How do you think it compares to other Studio Ghibli films (if you've watched any of them)? What was your favorite thing about the movie? Least favorite? Please share!</p><p></p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-47081243691074484412021-02-28T21:33:00.083-08:002021-02-28T21:33:00.308-08:00Time for #MarchMagics<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsM58EReX6mcYRD85xcW1qrSsatvSZ3Gxbvf3-vRENlebbuU37mRGF6leE4NzntyossjzPd8e1qb2YZxr0_Bz1daKSXJO-5TYeS_g8j0PqD_tjcXVzBfcR8Wp3RTwSYhH6eczeeowiu8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1654" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsM58EReX6mcYRD85xcW1qrSsatvSZ3Gxbvf3-vRENlebbuU37mRGF6leE4NzntyossjzPd8e1qb2YZxr0_Bz1daKSXJO-5TYeS_g8j0PqD_tjcXVzBfcR8Wp3RTwSYhH6eczeeowiu8/" width="240" /></a></div><br />I don't know where February went but here we are -- March! It's time again to celebrate the lives of two incredibly imaginative and prolific fantasy/sci-fi authors, Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. Here are some key dates:<p></p><p>6/7 March - EARWIG AND THE WITCH watch and discuss</p><p>11 March - Discussion post for <b>Nation</b> (TP) read-along</p><p>25 March - Discussion post for <b>Power of Three</b> (DWJ) read-along</p><p>I don't have the energy to coordinate an actual watch-along of Earwig but I'll post about it on the 6th and then we can discuss here on the blog or on <a href="https://twitter.com/webereading" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/klpm/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. It will be the first book I read this month as well. Speaking of ... here's my stack for the month in the order I think I'll read them:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2OQgtKMmCPUq3uCEl9TVB1Mvxpo1gPSog8zdLd5u9D6i-KQh-G3taQPVKRE9mHZcGy5_qQ4IQYvsTzuUWZwM7HR-b53J4wg6s2E0dHL6lfK7LzDkEnb288VI-HiPuh9NWMC96m8f4kc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2OQgtKMmCPUq3uCEl9TVB1Mvxpo1gPSog8zdLd5u9D6i-KQh-G3taQPVKRE9mHZcGy5_qQ4IQYvsTzuUWZwM7HR-b53J4wg6s2E0dHL6lfK7LzDkEnb288VI-HiPuh9NWMC96m8f4kc/w320-h320/myMM.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Earwig and the Witch</b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Nation</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Guards! Guards!</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Men at Arms</b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A Tale of Time City</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">(When I get close to this one I'm gonna start bugging you, Jenny. Be ready to reread with me!)</div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Feet of Clay</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Power of Three</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">The DWJs are all rereads and only two of the Pratchetts are new-to-me so I'm doing a lot more comfort reading than anything else. If I can find the time, I'll pick up another DWJ or two (because how can I have a year with no Chrestomanci?!).</p><p style="text-align: left;">Link any posts you have this month here and be sure and use the MarchMagics hashtag on social media. And, most importantly, have fun!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-86077892624570184052021-02-08T14:53:00.001-08:002021-02-08T14:53:30.960-08:00Announcing #MarchMagics 2021: All Together Now<p>Thank you so much for responding to my last post and sharing what is important to you about March Magics. After a couple of comments came in, my brain miraculously kickstarted and within an hour or so I had a theme and graphic and some ideas for events during the month!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUw2lPLn28Tcb3cfXTkwy5AWCCPrOVZerwl5Knb2FvU04M50WcdmVs3r0pfmw2MaUmsHe6zajV4E8AnlP8rSUx_gruo8HnlCMIiHcI9O-WJwITTos_7u3Iu740HWPGjIcStF66s-mFQY/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUw2lPLn28Tcb3cfXTkwy5AWCCPrOVZerwl5Knb2FvU04M50WcdmVs3r0pfmw2MaUmsHe6zajV4E8AnlP8rSUx_gruo8HnlCMIiHcI9O-WJwITTos_7u3Iu740HWPGjIcStF66s-mFQY/w320-h320/March+Magics+2021.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I hope many of you will join me this March for a celebration of the wit and wisdom of Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett, may both of their names be spoken forever. I have chosen the theme "All Together Now" for a few reasons. First is that we all professed our fondness for coming together during the month and to having and making friends with a shared love of one or both of these authors. Many (most? all?) of us are obviously feeling lonely and isolated after this long ordeal and some of us need to be reminded that we can still come together past physical boundaries. Second, both of these authors do marvelous things with ensemble casts, whether it's the Chrestomanci clan at the castle or the Nac Mac Feegles under the chalk. Celebrating teamwork and shared responsibility in literature may even inspire us in our real lives. Finally, I have been seeking out music recently that brings me joy and The Beatles' <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73lj5qJbrms" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">All Together Now</a> never fails to get me smiling and it immediately popped into my head when I was thinking about togetherness and the joy of this event so here we are!</p><p>So what should you read? It's entirely up to you. This theme is meant to be very loose and can be applied to the actual plots of the books or just the experience of reading these authors while others are doing the same. I will definitely be rereading <b>Earwig and the Witch</b> and <b>Guards! Guards!</b> and will finally continue with the Watch series. Past that, I'm going to let my whims guide me. Per Stephanie's (bahnree) great suggestion, I created a bingo card for the month. I will post it in my Instagram stories on March 1 for those of you who want to copy or reshare it there but here it is if you want to blog it and/or use it to spark some ideas about what to read --</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJO_tK_qPpypz0s1CN-Z5KiRTL0KjkrhRBY9NkquFzaDDh-YMYF4PSqz6DbLq5-IAdgUwv3LA_DEJNCg9rxZbcALlsQ_UJzGzBCyIB-AI609by_CtTPgqMfN5SPv6MFoeaYbyJBu3qEJQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJO_tK_qPpypz0s1CN-Z5KiRTL0KjkrhRBY9NkquFzaDDh-YMYF4PSqz6DbLq5-IAdgUwv3LA_DEJNCg9rxZbcALlsQ_UJzGzBCyIB-AI609by_CtTPgqMfN5SPv6MFoeaYbyJBu3qEJQ/w360-h640/March+Magics+Bingo.png" width="360" /></a></div><br />As for readalongs, Jean suggested <b>The Power of Three</b> (DWJ) and I am dying to reread <b>Nation</b> (TP - and not a Discworld book, in case those aren't your thing) so I will have posts up on 11 March (Nation) and 25 March (Power of Three) where we can discuss. Feel free to participate even if you don't get a chance to freshly reread. I'll come up with some questions/thoughts to relate the books to our theme.<p></p><p>And if anyone does happen to have a way to watch the new Studio Ghibli <b>Earwig and the Witch</b> movie (HBOMax or in theaters), let me know and I'll time my viewing similarly and chat with you somewhere!</p><p>Finally, I am considering small sessions of reading aloud on Instagram Live throughout the month. This is still up in the air as I have to gather A LOT of courage and find a place where I won't bother my family in their work/school/etc. If I end up doing this, I will make heads-up announcements on Twitter and Instagram.</p><p>I want to open this up to all of you as well. If you want to host another readalong of your own, do some live readings or meet-ups, or anything else you can think of, please do! Just share with me what you are planning and I will spread the word and probably participate as well because what else do I have to do?!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Share your thoughts about this year's March Magics below!</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">(One last thing -- remember to use the #MarchMagics hashtag on social media so we can find each other's posts.)</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-13842102740136115202021-02-01T21:31:00.002-08:002021-02-01T21:31:31.266-08:00#MarchMagics 2021 - Help!<p>I have been thinking about March Magics for the past month and just can't seem to settle on a theme or plan. Therefore, I am turning to you, my lovely readers with a couple of questions:</p><p>1. What are you hoping to get out of March Magics this year? Is community interaction important or do you just need a flimsy excuse to get to old and new Pratchett and DWJ favorites?</p><p>2. Do you have the will/time for read-alongs this year? What about a watch-along of Earwig and the Witch? Does anyone else even have HBOMax?</p><p>3. Do we need a theme/graphic or is the hashtag enough to bring us together?</p><p>Please let me know your thoughts in a comment or find me on Twitter or Instagram if you want to chat!</p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-86477129813352454002021-01-23T23:46:00.003-08:002021-01-23T23:46:29.623-08:002021's Big Reading Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEz52lU8_F6CJkieSm0CcXSAKZBOzueESucg2VizqHCeBzOyURmbD-4FyWUmvBJ8-7IMxacqC5HO7NJlc7amKwYcxdeC6BAF9jhc2LRST_kGKMIfpcqhOQuvQhY9CTZDqLd4IzYyPT64/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEz52lU8_F6CJkieSm0CcXSAKZBOzueESucg2VizqHCeBzOyURmbD-4FyWUmvBJ8-7IMxacqC5HO7NJlc7amKwYcxdeC6BAF9jhc2LRST_kGKMIfpcqhOQuvQhY9CTZDqLd4IzYyPT64/" width="240" /></a></div><p>I started this year's reading by finishing <b>The Pickwick Papers</b> as my book for Monika's Chunkster Readathon. It felt so satisfying to be immersed in a sizeable book (719 pages) for almost a week that it has led to my choosing mostly bigger books since. I listened to <b>A Promised Land</b>, the first Barack Obama memoir which is 768 pages and about 30 hours of audiobook. (It was fantastic and I can definitely recommend listening to him reading it.) I got through 300 of the 800 pages of <b>Death and Mr. Pickwick</b> before I decided I just wasn't enjoying it enough to continue. And I'm now reading <b>Lost Acre</b>, the third book in Andrew Caldecott's Rotherweird trilogy, which is 473 pages long. This doesn't mean that I won't be reading many shorter books this year, just that I am going to deliberately start choosing some of the longer reads from my shelves and giving myself permission to spend a week on a book sometimes. This probably means more Dickens, Murakami, and maybe, finally, Trollope! I did read one novella that I had from the library (<b>Flyaway</b> by Kathleen Jennings) and I found myself wishing it had been longer and more fleshed out. I'm sure that all of this has something to do with regaining my concentration, my thought cycles, and my sanity.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>What types of books are you reading in 2021?</b></p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-21825129205462239302020-12-31T13:03:00.002-08:002020-12-31T13:03:57.499-08:00A Not-So-Quick 2020 Summary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTX4y2UugLMdFG3a-xyv7IiaX_6pJ3tQUKIFULSvi0rtwNR5UWbA8KNn-wFJEv1zZtLv1YsJcCB-b2CoVqXcj5rTuuxAD9yCvo91MK4kMTImF7f8lgDTbj-VVQGnbKp3Y3Ztmadj0iPok/s2048/FE83DC07-646F-4B02-B268-C23C72A98B2F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Feather from a barred owl" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1638" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTX4y2UugLMdFG3a-xyv7IiaX_6pJ3tQUKIFULSvi0rtwNR5UWbA8KNn-wFJEv1zZtLv1YsJcCB-b2CoVqXcj5rTuuxAD9yCvo91MK4kMTImF7f8lgDTbj-VVQGnbKp3Y3Ztmadj0iPok/w256-h320/FE83DC07-646F-4B02-B268-C23C72A98B2F.jpg" title="Feather from a barred owl - photo by K" width="256" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This has been the most exhausting year and I am so very glad it is finally over. I haven't entirely quit blogging (mostly because that also takes a certain amount of effort) so I suppose I have to record my reading stats for 2020. A look at the basics:</div><div><br /></div><div>Books read: 124</div><div>Number of those that were audiobooks: 29</div><div>Rereads: 25</div><div>Non-fiction reads: 11</div><div>Books in translation: 8</div><div><br /></div><div>My "best" of the year are a bit different than usual because I was choosing mostly reads that were either comforting or distracting or "easy". My once-varied library list ended the year looking quite stern and scholarly as I selectively plucked out the light and genre reads and left the heavier non-fiction and literature titles alone. My home TBR was whittled down to a few classics and some titles that have been sitting there for years and probably should just be weeded. A quick count says I read:</div><div><br /></div><div>Mystery: 30</div><div>Sci-fi: 16</div><div>Fantasy: 39</div><div><br /></div><div>That means 68.5 percent of my reading was genre this year which seems rather high compared to my normal numbers though I'm far too lazy to actually count past years' numbers. Still, they were the perfect choices for this year of stress and uncertainty and I really liked almost everything I read. Here are the highlights:</div><div><br /></div><div>In non-fiction, I can highly recommend <b>From Holmes to Sherlock</b> by Mattias Boström to any Sherlock fans. I learned a lot of cool pieces of trivia and was surprised to find that I had read/watched most of the post-ACD Sherlock content that was mentioned. One day I'll admit that I'm a Sherlockian. Also, <b>Nature Obscura</b> by Kelly Brenner inspired the best thing to happen to me this year -- my hummingbird feeder! I now have a daily visitor (a male Anna's) who is just getting used to me and sometimes lets me stand on the other side of the window watching him eat and fight. Though Kelly's observations are all about Seattle animals and locations, her love of exploring urban wildlife habitats is infectious and will definitely get you out into your yard or local park. (Plus, tardigrades are literally everywhere.) Finally <b>Sigh, Gone</b> by Phuc Tran was super fascinating. Again, it was probably more interesting to me since the author and I are the same age but a good immigrant story is always worthwhile. Honorable mention goes to <b>How to Be an Antiracist</b> by Ibram X. Kendi for being an essential read to change one's basic thought processes around race and racism. I think about it constantly.</div><div><br /></div><div>My favorite rereads? <b>The Starless Sea</b> and <b>The Night Circus</b> by Erin Morgenstern, <b>The Eyre Affair</b> by Jasper Fforde, all four of the<b> Murderbot</b> novellas by Martha Wells, <b>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</b> by Lewis Carroll, and all of <b>Kate Milford</b>'s Bluecrowne/Greenglass books. Honorable mention goes to a couple of the gothic novels I revisited: <b>Jane Eyre </b>and <b>Rebecca</b>. All of these books will always be on my home library shelves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, new-to-me books that I loved (in the order read because I don't have the energy to rank them):</div><div><b>Truckers</b>, <b>Diggers</b>, and <b>Wings</b> by Terry Pratchett were written for a younger audience but were such great escapes, made more exciting by the great escapes of the wee little characters.</div><div><b>The Philosopher's War</b> by Tom Miller was an exciting sequel, quite different from the original but brilliantly detailed about nursing and war and the magic system of the world. I wish this series had more fans.</div><div><b>The Vanishing Stair </b>and <b>The Hand on the Wall</b> were books two and three in a murdery boarding school trilogy by Maureen Johnson and I absolutely loved them.</div><div><b>Kafka on the Shore</b> by Haruki Murakami was just like his other books, so removed from any reality that I know that they always provide near-perfect entertainment. There were certainly some weird parts, as there always are, but I appreciate that they never seem gimmicky.</div><div><b>Six Wakes</b> by Mur Lafferty was apparently "fantastic" in my spreadsheet but I don't remember very much about it except for blood smears. That happens with me and audiobooks so I'll be sure to get a paper copy to reread later.</div><div><b>The House in the Cerulean Sea</b> by TJ Klune wins the award for book that made my heart the happiest this year. It was just a lovely tale of love and found family and I adored it for it's simplicity and honesty. I gave a copy to my sister for Christmas and she better love it or else.</div><div>Even though I mentioned the other books in the series in my rereads list, I'm going to call out <b>The Thief Knot</b> by Kate Milford because my spreadsheet note on it is the absolute truth - she has written the fictional world I would most like to live in. As I've said before about her books, they are marketed as middle grade but are really complex and interesting enough for all ages.</div><div><b>The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne</b> by Elsa Hart is a new period mystery series with two smart young women as the protagonists and I look forward to reading about more of their adventures.</div><div>One that I didn't expect to like as much as I did was <b>A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians</b> by H.G. Parry. I got it from the library and looked at the summary and thought "why did I possibly think this would be interesting? It's just real history with magic stuck in." It turns out that real history with magic stuck in is AWESOME.</div><div><b>Over the Woodward Wall</b> by A. Deborah Baker (Seanan McGuire) was made of everything I love. I need a copy on my shelves but am waiting and hoping that I'll be able to get a signed copy sometime next year since she's a local author.</div><div><b>The Left-Handed Booksellers of London</b> by Garth Nix made me really annoyed that I've put off reading Garth Nix until now. I loved this one with its weaving of myths and magic and London (but sadly not much actual bookselling).</div><div>And <b>A Deadly Education</b> by Naomi Novik makes it onto the list simply because the negativity of the narrator was such a perfect fit to this year and my mood. She was angry and cynical and moody and I absolutely felt like I had found a friend (except she didn't want friends). It was also a humorous take on magical boarding schools that was fresh and fun.</div><div>Finally, honorable mention goes to all of the American Mystery Classics that I read this year (put out by Penzler Press). They weren't all perfect but the editor chose such a wide variety of authors and types of stories that I never knew what I was going to get and had fun with all of them! <b>Rocket to the Morgue</b> and <b>A Puzzle for Fools</b> were especially good.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I guess that's a wrap on this crap year. At least the books were good!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>In the comments, recommend one book that you loved this year.</b></div>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-25065991158432839562020-11-04T21:05:00.216-08:002020-11-04T21:05:01.829-08:00A Long List of Gothic Novels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2n_BoyYSY0tcdQ04XtKrDSu2SW36I-1jkSFXlolCygz_q_hDryHt48pJaAWLUG_x64ZEe0EFTn9hrrfpSBhW36-SZeNoikQz4KEDY2frZ1gUAbVIk3asfKqNMYEHGnfIwbCYk5w9xpUk/s2048/KristenM-MexicanGothic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2n_BoyYSY0tcdQ04XtKrDSu2SW36I-1jkSFXlolCygz_q_hDryHt48pJaAWLUG_x64ZEe0EFTn9hrrfpSBhW36-SZeNoikQz4KEDY2frZ1gUAbVIk3asfKqNMYEHGnfIwbCYk5w9xpUk/s320/KristenM-MexicanGothic.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We're nearing the end of Witch Week and I wrote a <a href="https://lizzierosswriter.com/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">post that went up today</a>, <u><b>Mexican Gothic </b>and the Classic Gothic Novel</u>. In it, I mentioned making a list of the more than 75 gothic novels and short stories I have read over the years. They may not all be pure gothic but at least contain significant gothic elements. Here, for your curiosity and edification, is that list.<div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Peter Ackroyd<span> <b>The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein</b><br /></span><span>Joan Aiken<span> <b>The Wolves of Willoughby Chase</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span>Jane Austen<span> <b>Northanger Abbey</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>John Boyne<span> <b>This House is Haunted</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span>Octavia Butler <b>Fledgling</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span>Mary Elizabeth Braddon<span> <b>Lady Audley's Secret</b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span>Charlotte Brontë<span> <b>Jane Eyre</b>, <b>Villette</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Emily Brontë<span> <b>Wuthering Heights</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Edgar Cantero<span> <b>The Supernatural Enhancements</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Laura Carlin<span> <b>The Wicked Cometh</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Angela Carter<span> <b>The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Agatha Christie<span> <b>And Then There Were None</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Wilkie Collins<span> <b>Armadale</b>, <b>The Haunted Hotel</b>, <b>The Moonstone</b>, <b>The Woman in White</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Michael Cox<span> <b>The Meaning of Night</b>, <b>The Glass of Time</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Charles Dickens<span> <b>A Christmas Carol</b>, <b>Bleak House</b>, <b>Dickens' Ghost Stories</b>, <b>Great Expectations</b>, <b>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</b>, <b>Oliver Twist</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Arthur Conan Doyle<span> <b>The Hound of the Baskervilles</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Daphne du Maurier<span> <b>Don't Look Now</b>, <b>Jamaica Inn</b>, <b>My Cousin Rachel</b>, <b>Rebecca</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Umberto Eco<span> <b>The Name of the Rose</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Alan Finn<span> <b>Things Half in Shadow</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Neil Gaiman<span> <b>The Graveyard Book</b>, <b>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Charlotte Perkins Gilman<span> <b>The Yellow Wall-Paper</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Elizabeth Hand <b>Wylding Hall</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>John Harwood<span> <b>The Asylum</b>, <b>The Ghost Writer</b>, <b>The Seance</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Nathaniel Hawthorne<span> <b>Rappaccini's Daughter</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Jane Healey<span> <b>The Animals at Lockwood Manor</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Susan Hill<span> <b>The Woman in Black</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Shirley Jackson<span> <b>The Haunting of Hill House</b>, <b>The Lottery</b>, <b>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Henry James<span> <b>The Turn of the Screw</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>MR James<span> <b>Short Stories</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Franz Kafka<span> <b>Metamorphosis</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Elizabeth Kostova<span> <b>The Historian</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>WW Jacobs<span> <b>The Monkey's Paw</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Sheridan Le Fanu<span> <b>In A Glass Darkly</b>, <b>Carmilla</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Harper Lee<span> <b>To Kill a Mockingbird</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Gaston Leroux<span> <b>The Phantom of the Opera</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Gregory Maguire<span> <b>Lost</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Erin Morgenstern<span> <b>The Night Circus</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Kate Morton<span> <b>The Clockmaker's Daughter</b>, <b>The Distant Hours</b>, <b>The House at Riverton</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Arturo Perez-Reverte<span> <b>The Club Dumas</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Edgar Allan Poe<span> <b>The Fall of the House of Usher</b> and <b>more</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Ann Radcliffe<span> <b>The Mysteries of Udolpho</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Diane Setterfield<span> <b>The Thirteenth Tale</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Mary Shelley<span> <b>Frankenstein</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Robert Louis Stephenson<span> <b>The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Bram Stoker<span> <b>Dracula</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Horace Walpole<span> <b>The Castle of Otranto</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Sarah Waters<span> <b>Affinity</b>, <b>Fingersmith</b>, <b>The Little Stranger</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Oscar Wilde<span> <b>The Picture of Dorian Gray</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Cat Winters <b>The Uninvited</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Carlos Ruiz Zafón<span> <b>Labyrinth of the Spirits</b>, <b>Marina</b>, <b>The Angel's Game</b>, <b>The Midnight Palace</b>, <b>The Prince of Mist</b>, <b>The Prisoner of Heaven</b>, <b>The Shadow of the Wind</b>, <b>The Watcher in the Shadows</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>and now</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Silvia Moreno-Garcia<span> <b>Mexican Gothic</b></span></div></div>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-1705821101614911152020-09-30T22:51:00.000-07:002020-09-30T22:51:16.754-07:00#RIPXV September UpdateThe RIP challenge has turned out to be a lifeline during this ridiculously stressful time. Escaping into old and new favorites in my favorite genre is the perfect antidote to the world right now. Here's how I did in September.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eqQoH10c-TfgIAxT1b8thRaeikY3wpwLDWYrnorK_vrtTssqtq8Vsz3cdb8-7yB8Jslxw4tmVx7kD_Rlrv9ybJZ9hVvdu7QHZq585Z2dMBv01Moqlv5Tuoen3qvbey2Ds-OJ0L9GBPc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eqQoH10c-TfgIAxT1b8thRaeikY3wpwLDWYrnorK_vrtTssqtq8Vsz3cdb8-7yB8Jslxw4tmVx7kD_Rlrv9ybJZ9hVvdu7QHZq585Z2dMBv01Moqlv5Tuoen3qvbey2Ds-OJ0L9GBPc/" width="240" /></a></div><br />The books I finished:<br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Murder by an Aristocrat</b> Mignon G. Eberhart</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Manual of Detection</b> Jedediah Berry (reread)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Silver in the Wood</b> Emily Tesh</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Haunting of Tram Car 015</b> P. Djèlí Clark</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkVwZK1FQ6N3AyP7X9ym6-qtyQbJghXaIpatpQTGkc2xFpbewkmehRD5Bg4mKwiwMR21RF6qh22_GBcYWEKEshIE_d76G-Uw8MEUk2HRSgFZQHRF6zTqU6zckBMCafwUZ5uEI9TCz5-I/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkVwZK1FQ6N3AyP7X9ym6-qtyQbJghXaIpatpQTGkc2xFpbewkmehRD5Bg4mKwiwMR21RF6qh22_GBcYWEKEshIE_d76G-Uw8MEUk2HRSgFZQHRF6zTqU6zckBMCafwUZ5uEI9TCz5-I/" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling</b> Michael Boccacino (reread)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Mexican Gothic</b> Silvia Moreno-Garcia</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Infinite Blacktop</b> Sara Gran (audiobook)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Seance</b> John Harwood (reread)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Finna</b> Nino Cipri</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Crooked Hinge</b> John Dickson Carr</div><div><br /></div><div>My favorites of this batch were <b>Finna</b>, <b>The Haunting of Tram Car 015</b>, <b>The Crooked Hinge</b>, and <b>The Seance</b>. Although <b>The Manual of Detection</b> was really fun to revisit and <b>Mexican Gothic</b> was a great choice for my Witch Week post (which you will see in just over a month).</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been extra stressed during the past week or so (PSATs and debates and such) so I have three books going at the moment: </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales</b>, edited by Chris Baldick</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Murder in the First-Class Carriage</b> Kate Colquhoun (non-fiction)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Horrorstör</b> Grady Hendrix (audiobook)</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I listened to half of <b>Horrorstör</b> today because it is just that good! I tried to listen to <b>Melmoth</b> by Sarah Perry just before this but it was just too slow and after fifty pages I still didn't care about anyone in the story. I don't know if I'll put it aside for later or just be done with it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Looking forward, I have a couple of books that I was saving specifically for October and a few audiobook holds that should come in this month. I don't know if I'll participate in Readathon just because I'm having a hard time with anything organized or social. We'll have to see!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you read anything for Readers Imbibing Peril yet? Anything you want to recommend?</div>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-44332052963151051642020-08-31T14:13:00.001-07:002020-08-31T14:13:11.855-07:00#RIPXV Will Save the World<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDwD_-1ISA3XI9eWLgFYYHVdZj3ZcDpmz09KYCS9aYfi88qXwRgIyPo1Lwb2TqvHfTd4-b6kskTBuBXS3mpvJRou2f25SUdlZOeWuu84RcKfNHtXzCR8wLKCeQfHpkQ3uPN9n7hhoIbI/s1440/0CF44237-010E-4376-8B6B-DFE355EE9D06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDwD_-1ISA3XI9eWLgFYYHVdZj3ZcDpmz09KYCS9aYfi88qXwRgIyPo1Lwb2TqvHfTd4-b6kskTBuBXS3mpvJRou2f25SUdlZOeWuu84RcKfNHtXzCR8wLKCeQfHpkQ3uPN9n7hhoIbI/w328-h328/0CF44237-010E-4376-8B6B-DFE355EE9D06.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><p>What is this beautiful book stack for? Readers Imbibing Peril, of course! It is the 15th year of this wonderful, seasonal reading challenge, started many full moons ago by Carl and continued by Andi and Heather for the past few years. It is my absolute favorite thing and, to be honest, a good portion of the books I read year-round could fit into this challenge. But, in September and October, I read exclusively Perilous books and I've never regretted it. There is so much variety in what you can count, from a classic ghost story to a tea-sipping matronly detective tale to some full-blown horror and mayhem.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bB-j-BczorVOD0d5RSgcoJPjvK9OOBcxFa5Jm9l_ZmeMnNqEIOdgHWLiFu0RNOCCHCAU2-MVqmg3nh-C-6sNcRJ9gaZYqjN9BVdmCHMjWi7lwkODRLPUKATWXqlhJCmj05SwwBrIiJA/s1117/828AA542-2FB5-4E40-AFC9-C5C91834CF99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1117" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bB-j-BczorVOD0d5RSgcoJPjvK9OOBcxFa5Jm9l_ZmeMnNqEIOdgHWLiFu0RNOCCHCAU2-MVqmg3nh-C-6sNcRJ9gaZYqjN9BVdmCHMjWi7lwkODRLPUKATWXqlhJCmj05SwwBrIiJA/w328-h327/828AA542-2FB5-4E40-AFC9-C5C91834CF99.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><p>As we all have for many things during the past six months, our friends have opted for a simplified version of the challenge this year. There are no sign-ups and no levels. Just read one or more books during these months and post on Instagram or Twitter (if you have them) or your blog, if that's still going. It's all questionable these days, right?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUoFiRlD2yZyYW8r1XzKI_wUqdt5Uzdsv19_uynPm15dH1wOdC6HyNStA2A5OPqjwsd-DU6DKo-41yBi5lDxxB3oA2f5BY_DU7O9hNJmZkEiRkyaan1Z3pnSP6IVUpNNOO7GIGwvXVDk/s1440/A6CC3A32-D3FB-4E0B-B64C-279C5A36237F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUoFiRlD2yZyYW8r1XzKI_wUqdt5Uzdsv19_uynPm15dH1wOdC6HyNStA2A5OPqjwsd-DU6DKo-41yBi5lDxxB3oA2f5BY_DU7O9hNJmZkEiRkyaan1Z3pnSP6IVUpNNOO7GIGwvXVDk/w328-h328/A6CC3A32-D3FB-4E0B-B64C-279C5A36237F.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><p>So, we'll start with my new books. I have a full shelf of about 25 books that I will consider picking up this fall but I decided, since I have some other stacks, to pick a smaller group that are my "top-shelf, must reads". I will be writing about <b>Mexican Gothic</b> as part of Witch Week (Oct/Nov). The gothic tales pair with that (and I read some gothic classics during the summer too). <b>Plain Bad Heroines</b> is a new release, coming out in October, that I'm looking forward to. And, as for the American Mystery Classics, I have fun with almost every one and, in fact, started <b>Murder by an Aristocrat</b> last night and it grabbed my attention immediately.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaFeAV_baL2h8DU2OmAfqLx-0a2nkEwGim00SZDcut1_2-gdCl7cEeO-v-OYryZ15Sg28kEwcBAKjOi3XWCtnnbK52y1CPv3RjqUujL75fo8sWZZv_vk8NvFS2P6Pb4hBrNJ-8S65XXs/s1440/D511A863-A496-4197-B0E8-6B48BD9C2C59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaFeAV_baL2h8DU2OmAfqLx-0a2nkEwGim00SZDcut1_2-gdCl7cEeO-v-OYryZ15Sg28kEwcBAKjOi3XWCtnnbK52y1CPv3RjqUujL75fo8sWZZv_vk8NvFS2P6Pb4hBrNJ-8S65XXs/w328-h328/D511A863-A496-4197-B0E8-6B48BD9C2C59.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><p>Then I have some library holds that will be (hopefully) coming in over the next two months. These two novellas, <b>Silver in the Wood</b> and <b>The Haunting of Tram Car 015</b>, came in first and I think <b>Finna</b> is in transit. I'm also hoping for <b>The Eighth Detective</b>, <b>A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians</b>, <b>Flyaway</b>, <b>The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne</b>, and <b>The Relentless Moon</b>. These are all new releases so we'll see if the library manages to receive their ordered copies in a timely manner! If not, I'm sure I can handle reading them in the winter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmnDDql1vWW_HJzoe1_-Aeldv_KwJsaJXA50ZUS1ZwxbfvwKzSZ17JJIcj7p73osfTCKmC-NNFilw4Q24g9w7qgNo-j-zR8DXJFe58h8RYb8mHHYa0Xj48DpahSz0k18Jiz149JIiUxE/s1440/ECB80676-AE9E-41C1-9B2F-6C1D0928E5CF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmnDDql1vWW_HJzoe1_-Aeldv_KwJsaJXA50ZUS1ZwxbfvwKzSZ17JJIcj7p73osfTCKmC-NNFilw4Q24g9w7qgNo-j-zR8DXJFe58h8RYb8mHHYa0Xj48DpahSz0k18Jiz149JIiUxE/w328-h328/ECB80676-AE9E-41C1-9B2F-6C1D0928E5CF.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><p></p><p>And then, this year, I really wanted to pull some old RIP favorites off of my shelves to enjoy their familiarity and the guaranteed quality. Picking a Carlos Ruiz Zafón almost broke my heart but his YA horror novels are so fantastic and he and I discussed once that I always turn to at least one of his books in the fall for their atmosphere. The others are all going to be fantastic as well! I don't think I could even pick one that I'm looking forward to the most.</p><p>Finally, with last Saturday being Independent Bookstore Day, I couldn't resist a few purchases to support my indie favorites. And yes, the books I chose all happen to be possible RIP reads. I grabbed two more American Mystery Classics (<b>The Red Right Hand</b> and <b>Rocket to the Morgue</b>), the latest Charles Lenox mystery, <b>Titus Groan</b>, and a British Library Crime Classic, <b>Castle Skull</b>.</p><p>So, 26 books, plus 19+ on my TBR and many others that I could choose to reread. I think I'm set!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>What will you be reading perilously this autumn?</b></p>Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-31824459818677661432020-07-08T00:17:00.000-07:002020-07-08T00:17:05.099-07:00Blogiversary and Random Bits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I started this blog twelve years ago in July 2008. The world was different, the community was different, the books I was reading at the time were different. These days I read far fewer picture books, far more genre books. I allowed diversity to seep into my reading organically by following from one book/author I enjoyed to another similar/tangential one. I read more memoirs, mainly by funny people. I don't make enough time for reading other blogs, mostly because I am barreling through my owned books and the library's audiobooks in an attempt to escape to anywhere else. (I know some people are having trouble reading right now but I just finished my 72nd book of the year yesterday. That's ridiculous.) And, just writing this post, I can tell that I'm missing blogging. I no longer worry about visitor counts or giveaways or review copies but I do worry that some of you might miss out on a fabulous book because I didn't share it.</div>
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Anyway, here are a few random bookish things of recent note:</div>
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My heart broke last month with the news of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/21/carlos-ruiz-zafon-obituary">passing</a>. I went back through this blog and counted 45(!) posts that were reviews, giveaways, or mentions of his books. I have all of his books that were translated into English in hardcover and I revisit them regularly. I'm starting to feel the need to renew and improve my Spanish reading skills so as to eventually read his books in their original form.</div>
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There is a <b>Fire and Hemlock</b> discussion at the end of this month (27 July, 8pm EDT), <a href="https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/virtual-book-discussion-virtual-20200727">hosted online</a> by the Brooklyn Public Library. Follow the link to register. I think it will be a fun little Zoom gathering, especially if a couple of us DWJ fans from around the world join in!</div>
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<a href="https://www.lovelybookshelf.com/">Monika</a> has compiled a Goodreads list of "<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3970914-monika?shelf=not-cis-authors">not-cis authors</a>". They have 206 books on this list so far!</div>
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And here's a <a href="https://www.tor.com/2020/06/17/two-truths-and-a-lie-sarah-pinsker/">free short story</a> from Sarah Pinsker, one of my favorite current authors. She actually wrote a post-pandemic tale, <b>A Song for a New Day</b>, that came out last year and recently won the Nebula Award for Best New Novel. I told her that she might be a witch and she didn't disagree.</div>
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So, I do feel kind of happy writing right now and I am certainly reading enough to give me content so maybe I'll be back soon? I was going to wait until after the November election to decide whether to come back or not but I feel like this might be the moment when I need to reach out, to start rebuilding what I once loved. If you are still around and reading this, please leave a comment below!</div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-27286228800339948442020-02-28T23:13:00.004-08:002020-02-28T23:13:54.848-08:00#MarchMagics 2020 Has Begun! #DWJMarch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know that it is only February 29 but I figure that we can add this day on to March Magics if we want to since it's a random, magical day. I, for one, am ready to start reading the wonderful stories of Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett.<br />
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I have two new-to-me books that I'm planning on reading--<b>Small Gods</b> and <b>Hexwood</b>--and then the rest will be based on mood. I'm pretty sure I will reread <b>Dodger</b> and <b>Eight Days of Luke</b> because I've been thinking about them lately. I'm not sure if I will write any additional blog posts but will definitely be sharing on <a href="https://twitter.com/webereading">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/klpm/">Instagram</a>, and Litsy.<br />
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<b>Which DWJ and Pratchett books are on your stack this month?</b></div>
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Please post any links you have during the month on this post so that others can come and find them. And remember to use the #MarchMagics hashtag on social media.</div>
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Enjoy your month with our dearly departed but never forgotten!</div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-3496016283959676772020-02-12T20:45:00.000-08:002020-02-12T20:45:13.935-08:00Announcing #MarchMagics / #DWJMarch 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As we quickly approach the middle of February, I remembered that I need to actually launch our favorite event of the year, that it doesn't just magically begin in March. So, without further ado, this year's March Magics (formerly DWJ March), celebrating the books and lives of Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones--two of the *best* all-ages fantasy authors EVER--will be a DIY event!</div>
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As I am a bit scattered, stressed, demoralized, and a host of other not-fun emotions at the moment, and since I know some of you are feeling the same, I wanted to continue with last year's theme and have this event really be about the joy you find while you spend time with these two authors. Simply pick up your absolute favorites, dive into them, and lose yourself for a few hours. Afterwards, share that love with others. If you want to host a readalong or a giveaway, DO IT! If you want to write a blog post, share on social media, or even read with your kids--PERFECT! If you want to pick up that last book you have been saving with a heavy heart, this is the time.<br />
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<b>Have you already been thinking about March Magics? Share your plans below!</b></div>
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Please link any posts, events, etc. below that you create/organize before March 1 and then I'll have another post for sharing during the month. (And remember to use the hashtags!)</div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-79523737869610549572020-01-01T23:17:00.000-08:002020-01-01T23:17:04.451-08:00Closing out 2019<div style="text-align: center;">
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Well, hello there! I don't know if I'm coming back or not yet but I feel really antsy about not having a wrap-up post for 2019 because, even if I'm not blogging, I'm definitely reading. Here are some of the stats:<br />
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<b>Books read: 139 </b></div>
This was helped by audiobooks and novellas and the fact that I needed A LOT of escapist time due to things both personal and worldwide. Many of my books were genre -- mystery, fantasy, and, this year, a lot more science fiction. I've gone to space more times than I ever expected to!<br />
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<b>Rereads: 21</b></div>
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This was mostly due to MarchMagics/DWJ March but I also had a couple of Jasper Fforde, William Ritter, Erin Morgenstern, Philip Pullman, Mary Shelley, and Neil Gaiman rereads throughout the year.</div>
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<b>Library books: 60</b></div>
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I made really good use of my library this year. I do wish they had a few more audiobook choices but they are a great way to try books I'm not sure I want to buy. I even gave a couple of romances a whirl this year! I didn't really like any of them though. Hmm.</div>
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<b>Books in translation: 3</b></div>
This is the stat that I'm most disappointed with. I usually do much better but I only managed one German, one French, and one Japanese story this year.<br />
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<b>Non-fiction: 19</b></div>
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I made up for that bad translation number though with an amazing non-fiction year! I even have two more in progress on my nightstand. The best ones of the year were <b>Becoming</b> by Michelle Obama, <b>Sea People</b> by Christina Thompson, <b>Hidden Figures</b> by Margot Lee Shetterly, <b>Coal Black Mornings</b> by Brett Anderson, <b>So You Want to Talk About Race</b> by Ijeoma Oluo, and <b>The Lady from the Black Lagoon</b> by Mallory O'Meara. I think the key for me is definitely variety!</div>
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<b>New-to-me authors: 59 (+ some in collections)</b></div>
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My favorite new-to-me authors this year? Seanan McGuire, Sarah Pinsker, and Becky Chambers. I ended up reading five books by McGuire!</div>
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<b>I even made a Top 10 of the year list:</b></div>
<b>Bluecrowne</b> by Kate Milford<br />
<b>Forest of Memory</b> by Mary Robinette Kowal (novella)<br />
<b>Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea</b> by Sarah Pinsker (short stories)<br />
<b>Six Months, Three Days, Five Others</b> by Charlie Jane Anders (short stories)<br />
<b>Crosstalk</b> by Connie Willis<br />
<b>Middlegame</b> by Seanan McGuire<br />
<b>The Starless Sea</b> by Erin Morgenstern<br />
<b>To Be Taught, If Fortunate</b> by Becky Chambers (novella)<br />
<b>How Long 'Til Black Future Month</b> by N.K. Jemisin (short stories)<br />
<b>Rotherweird</b> by Andrew Caldecott<br />
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<b>And a runners-up list:</b></div>
<b>Once Upon a River</b> by Diane Setterfield<br />
<b>The City in the Middle of the Night</b> by Charlie Jane Anders<br />
<b>The Rook</b> by Daniel O'Malley<br />
<b>The True Queen</b> by Zen Cho<br />
<b>Witchmark</b> by C.L. Polk<br />
<b>The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet</b> by Becky Chambers<br />
<b>Recursion</b> by Blake Crouch<br />
<b>The Fated Sky</b> by Mary Robinette Kowal<br />
<b>Strange Practice</b> by Vivian Shaw<br />
<b>Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts</b> by Kate Racculia<br />
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<b>And an honorable mention:</b></div>
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<b>Wanderers</b> by Chuck Wendig ... for being the book to traumatize me the the most! I am terrified that any single thing that happened in that book could really be in America's future.</div>
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My goal for the first couple of months of this year is to read almost exclusively from my shelves (after two audiobooks that I have checked out -- <b>The Starless Sea</b> and <b>Bring Down the Hawk</b>). These beauties I got for Christmas will help keep me busy!<br />
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And finally, I have to decide what to do with the blog. At the least, I think it is time to rebrand it. When I started writing here, I was reading with my little guy, featuring picture books and chapter books along with my own reads. But Z and I haven't read together in years and so the "we" is now just "me". I also have a goal of less screen time this year so I'm not sure how blogging would fit in with that. I have started using Litsy again (kristenm) but I'm not sure if that will stick. I tend to forget it after a couple of posts and I just don't feel like it's a replacement for blogging. And finally, there's MarchMagics/DWJMarch, which I don't want to let go but also am not sure I have the time/energy to run.</div>
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So there it is -- where 2019 went and where 2020 is headed. Happy New Year, friends! I wish you each happiness and many unexpectedly good story adventures.</div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-52918754450132734982019-08-30T11:56:00.003-07:002019-08-30T11:56:43.695-07:00Reappearing for #RIPXIVI was about to say "I can't believe it has been five months since I last posted" but I can totally believe it. I'm starting to feel like this particular blog has run its course after 11 years, that it needs to either change format into something more fun for me or close for good. I spent the summer posting all of my summer reads on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/klpm/">Instagram</a> and that was okay for a while but I even got bored there and let the final couple of weeks drop. The state of the world, extended family issues, mid-life crisis ... it has all come together to form the perfect storm of me not knowing what I want, feeling paralyzed by uncertainty, and choosing to do nothing for a bit and waiting to see what is ahead.<div>
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BUT! It is almost September and that's R(eaders) I(mbibing) P(eril) time and I have to at least share my bookshelf here, right?! If anything is going to bring me back to blogging, it's the <a href="https://readersimbibingperil.com/">RIP challenge</a>, now in its 14th year.</div>
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This challenge is, of course, a simple one where you can read anywhere from 1-100 books or short stories (or watch movies) that fall into the "perilous" category, be they mysteries, horrors, creepies, or atmospherics.</div>
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This is what my shelf looks like at the moment, packed solid and full of what I think I will be in the mood to read. I, naturally, have other books below that can move up if the mood strikes. Here are a couple of close-ups.<br />
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I'm really looking forward to <b>The Inheritor's Powder</b> (non-fic about arsenic!), the final Jackaby novel (after a reread of book three), Jo Walton's Small Change trilogy (I need to hate on some Nazis right about now), and <b>Hollow Kingdom</b> (crows and Seattle).</div>
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These are mostly mysteries and I have plenty more where they came from (the stack on the floor next to the bookshelf). I'm really looking forward to <b>Stiletto</b>, the second book in The Rook series. I tried about ten minutes of the tv show but it pissed me off so badly with the changes in character and tone and even purpose that I swore it off forever. The Daphne du Maurier shorts are going to be fun too!</div>
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I have audiobooks on hold at the library that are unexpectedly spread perfectly over the next two or so months -- <b>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</b> (~3 weeks), <b>The Graveyard Book</b> (~4 weeks), <b>The Sentence is Death</b> (~5 weeks), <b>Coraline</b> (~7 weeks), <b>The Night Circus</b> (~8 weeks), and <b>Wanderers</b> (~9 weeks). Obviously the Gaimans and the Circus are rereads, there for comfort and sheer happiness. And my library hold list has some peril on it too ... like <b>The Darwin Affair</b>, <b>Sword and Pen</b> (the new Great Library book!), and maybe <b>Recursion</b> (I'm #117 on the hold list).</div>
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I'll definitely be posting on Instagram/Twitter and we'll see if the season and books I love inspires me to resurrect the blog as well.</div>
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<b>What will you be reading this season?</b></div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-42366184276244193742019-04-01T00:15:00.000-07:002019-04-01T00:15:03.166-07:00Farewell, #MarchMagics / #DWJMarch 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is sadly time to wrap up this month of celebrating two of the best genre writers ever to have lived. I want to thank all of you who participated and shared the Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett love, of which there is still an overwhelming amount. Thank you especially to Stephanie, Virginia, and Deborah for your Instagram posts! And also thank you to Chris, Jean, and Kim for your thoughtful blog posts!<br />
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As for me, I finished the ten books I set out to read. I absolutely loved revisiting all five Tiffany Aching books. I read the first two and listened to the remaining three, usually binge listening over the course of a day. I sorely wish that we had been able to have one more book with Tiffany as an adult, perhaps at the time that she discovered the witch that she would pass on the leadership mantle to.<br />
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I also revisited five Diana Wynne Jones books, including two of my absolute favorites -- <b>Dark Lord of Derkholm</b> and <b>Year of the Griffin</b>. I love the richness of the worlds, the non-stop activity, and, yes, the griffins. I am not so sure though about children with wings so I am glad we didn't have to see them very often. ::wink::<br />
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Well, it is now Z's spring break week and we have no plans. So I am going to settle in with some good books and hopefully spend a little time in the sun as well. This coming Saturday is Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon so if you haven't signed up yet and want to participate, <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/">head over to their site</a>. I'll be posting during the event on Twitter and Instagram. And on Sunday, Z and I are going to see Howl's Moving Castle in the theater for, I think, our second time together. Maybe this time after we see it, I'll be able to convince him to try the book!<br />
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Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in March Magics / DWJ March - even those who did it quietly. It means the world to me that you come back year after year.<br />
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With friends,<br />
KKristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-63632898773242804092019-03-23T00:18:00.000-07:002019-03-23T00:18:05.531-07:00Howl's Moving Castle Group Read for #DWJMarch / #MarchMagics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hope a few of you were able to read / reread HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE this week. There's always something new to discover in this tale of magic, misdirection, and secrets! It was published in 1986 and definitely has some 80s-ness to it (mostly the text-based computer games) but it is also timeless in its themes of lust, heartbreak, family, and loyalty.<br />
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As I was reading, I kept trying to think of a discussion topic for this post but it turned out to be quite hard! Sometimes I got distracted by considering how a horse-disguise cloak would actually work and forgot what brilliant idea I had. Other times, I just felt a topic was too drab for such a vivid story.<br />
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What I eventually found my mind returning to was the fact that Diana includes so many *different* types and methods of magic in this story.<br />
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First, there is the fire-demon-assisted magic of Howl and The Witch of the Waste. They both seem to have endless powers, with the only limitation being energy. They can transform themselves and other objects, create elaborate illusions, connect different worlds, and execute curses. Most of this seems to be able do be done on a whim, with only a small amount needing actual words or rituals.<br />
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Second, there is the "grade-school" magic of Michael. He can follow directions to create simple potions and powders that help with everyday problems. Some of them might even be so simple as to be considered placebos. He never does anything on his own though so this implies that there is no "power" required for this magic.<br />
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Third, there is the honey magic of Mrs. Fairfax (and Lettie/Martha). Her specialties seem to be gentle transformations and simple manipulations of nature. Again, this seems to be follow-the-directions magic.<br />
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Fourth, there is the verbal magic of Sophie which is obviously a talent as she didn't even know she was doing it at first. She can talk life into inanimate objects, transform matter, control minds and actions, and clean houses. Okay, so that last one is just a series of mundane chores -- but if I could make it happen in my house it would be magic!<br />
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I'm not quite sure where Mrs. Pentstemmon's magic would fall in this. She has the ability to detect spells and talent and she is said to be a great teacher but we never get a look at her practical methods. She has no demon so it could be that hers is just an advanced version of Michael's magic. But I have a feeling that she's also able to do things at will, just perhaps less spectacular things than those done with demon-assistance. I am assuming that Wizard Suliman would be in this same category.<br />
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And then there is the question of whether Martha practices another sort of magic. She says it is just that people like her because she likes them but it definitely feels like at least a bit of enchantment with how manic everyone in the bakery is about her. It could be a minor form of Sophie's belief-driven magic.<br />
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The point of all this being ... many authors create a single system of magic where various characters are just more or less advanced and/or talented at operating within the system. But, in this book at least, DWJ seems to have created new magics every time she needed them. She has at least four different ways of using magic and nothing seems to be out of bounds for what magic can do. This makes the world of HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE both fascinating and a bit frightening!<br />
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<b>So, tell me ... what did you think about while reading HMC this time through? Is this one of your favorite DWJs? Have you read the sequels?</b></div>
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Telling this post to write itself didn't work,</div>
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Postscript: Let us keep Diana in our hearts and minds on Tuesday, 26 March, as the 8th anniversary of her passing arrives. What a treasure we lost on that day.</div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-54314720937588813002019-03-09T00:03:00.000-08:002019-03-09T00:03:02.238-08:00The Wee Free Men Group Read for #MarchMagics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to our first MarchMagics group read -- THE WEE FREE MEN! Crivens! Though this is the 30th Discworld novel our beloved Sir Terry wrote, it is the first in the Tiffany Aching series and is a fresh take on that also-beloved world. It is billed as a YA series but I feel it is very different in tone to his children's books and fits more with his adult work. It is a story of danger and bravery, complex relationships and motives, and, yes, very ridiculous humor.<br />
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Since the plot of this first book is pretty straightforward (fairy queen steals child, protagonist comes to the rescue), how about we talk about the stellar characters today?<br />
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One thing that stands out immediately is the fact that Tiffany is only nine years old, doesn't know about her powers, and yet is already super amazing. She's a productive member of the Aching family, making the butter and cheese. She's a babysitter who takes her annoying little brother Wentworth on walks and even sometimes giving him sweeties. She's educated -- at least a basket of produce and a dozen eggs worth! And she's even a matriarch ... well, for a couple of days at least. She's a great protagonist because she's interesting from the start but, because she's so young, has SO much room to grow.<br />
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Then there are the titular Wee Free Men. They are thieves and fighters but also have the biggest hearts inside their tiny bodies. And how about that Scots dialect that the Nac Mac Feegles use? I kind of love when a book makes me read out loud inside my head to understand it. And, as Jean just found out, it also makes the audiobook version, read by the inimitable Stephen Briggs, AMAZING.<br />
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And, finally, there is the larger-than-life character who isn't even there anymore -- Granny Aching. Her influence on Tiffany, the entirety of the Chalk, and the supernatural world beyond is incalculable. I think the fact that Tiffany didn't even realize she was a witch proved she was one of the strongest ones possible. And yet she did it all as a "simple" solitary shepherdess, whose smoking habit seems a bit gross and whose belief in the medicinal uses of turpentine is horrifying.<br />
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<b>So, if you read or reread along this month or even have read it in the past, what are your thoughts on the characters of THE WEE FREE MEN? Share them or any links to your own posts below!</b></div>
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Listening to the toad,</div>
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K</div>
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Postscript: Remember to observe a moment of silence on Tuesday (12 March), as we again mourn the far-too-early departure of Sir Terence David John Pratchett OBE.</div>
Kristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.com15