No Easy Answers from Brooks Brown

As far as the last book I finished, it was The Tyranny of Words by Stuart Chase.

I am currently reading Protienaholic by Dr. Garth Davis and Whole by Dr. T. Collin Campbell.............as well as How Not to Be Wrong - The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenburg. You see, I have a book in my car for when I get stuck someplace (not while driving, just if I have a flat tire or am waiting for food) and then I also have a book in my bag for when I am at school and need to kill time. Then there are my two bookshelves filled to the brim with books. I kinda went crazy this new year and purchased a bunch.

Currently reading the first installment of the Diviners and I can't recommend it enough. From a writing point of view, the story telling is so solid and on point, and from a reader's perspective it's such an enjoyable book. I'm continuously impressed by Libba Bray. She handles the complexities of her characters and interwoven plot points with enough finesse that the read itself is seamless, and easy to digest and get swept away in. And Naughty John is one of the most wretched villains I've encountered in a long time - I love it. Lately, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on sympathetic villains in stories, so Naughty John is a refreshing change of pace. As someone who enjoys vile characters, the fact she's not afraid to let her villain be so unabashed in his wickedness, and gives us a character we can truly enjoy hating, has been so fun. I find myself both loving his horribleness, and the creativity of his concept, while also being so angry at his acts. I haven't looked forward to seeing the protagonist get taken down like this in a long time. It's fantastic! I'M LIVING FOR IT

And all of the main characters are brilliant. It takes place during the roaring 20s, in the United States, where a group of people with special abilities are all drawn together by those same gifts. Not only is the setting believable and well researched, Bray includes main characters of color and queer characters without turning them into insulting stereotypes, or focusing on the othered quality. Which is honestly not common enough, especially in historical pieces. And her main protagonist, Evie, is wonderful. I know a lot of people don't like her, and get caught up on her frivolousness and superficiality, but she's a multi-faceted character, and I LOVE that she defies her own stereotypes. Including the too often toted ideal that a female char cannot be both strong and also swept up in the trends of femininity of their time.

Those things aside, even if you just read the book at face value, it's great. That's what I mean about it being a seamless read, all of these qualities are presented in one hell of a good story. Although the aspects I mentioned are ones I myself notice, you don't have to do a literary analysis on it to get enjoyment from it. There's something for everybody.

Definitely check it out if you're looking for a good read!

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Catherine Webb

I'm perpetually halfway through The Color of Magic because I don't know how to actually finish books lmao

California Girl by T Jefferson Parker? Maybe?

The last book I probably actually finished was my own, but that was writing, not reading.

I really liked that book. Have you read her other books Touch or The Sudden Appearance of Hope? Both were also really good.

My most recent finished book was Gullstruck Island by Frances Hardinge. Now reading PopCo by Scarlett Thomas.

I have not, but I will give them a try!

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Previously it had been [i]Steampunk![/I].

Now its War Pilot. I dig P-38s.

Right now I'm reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I've only just started it but it's really good so far.

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Halfway through The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

I finally finished PopCo and started reading Infoquake. So far I am not seeing any reason it got such good reviews, it is.kind of... Cliched and uninspiring so far, but I may give it a little longer. PopCo had some of the same kind of uninspiredness but maybe from the other direction (anticorporate instead of procorporate) and perhaps my patience for such is lower than usual.

Little Prisoners by Casey Watson. So good but so sad.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I am not usually one for science fiction, but about halfway through the book I became absolutely hooked. I am now reading the second book in the series.

Young Monsters in Love anthology of short stories

The last book I read was Missing Rose by Linda Newbury.

I didn't like it. It's about a woman whose sister went missing when they were teenagers and her quest to find her, so I obviously thought it was going to be quite mysterious, maybe a bit of a thriller. It mostly focused on her relationship with her partner though and her mum's childhood and the whole missing sister thing was kinda ignored until a load of stuff was just dumped on you at the end.