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Last Book Review of 2020: The Arrest

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Hello and welcome to my final book review for the year 2020! I finally finished this book at nearly the last possible minute. I started it in October, got about halfway through it, and then one thing led to another and it kept getting pushed to the back of the line, and I didn’t finally pick it up to finish it until two days ago. This completes my reading for the year. I officially read 46 books this year. My goal was 50, but I’m still very happy with what I managed. And so, without further ado, my last book review of 2020!

Title: The Arrest
Author: Jonathan Lethem
Release Date: 10 Nov 2020
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Rating: 3.5 stars

Well let me start by saying I’m still unsure about the rating. I keep going back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars. I LIKED this book. I generally love Jonathan Lethem. This book is WEIRD, and I can’t decide how I feel about it. I went in kind of knowing what to expect, having read plenty of other Lethem books. His first two books – Gun, With Occasional Music and Amnesia Moon – are still my favorites, and lord knows THOSE are weird-as-shit books. And yet… this book did not go in any direction I was prepared for and I’m just not sure how I feel.

So, here’s the rundown: The Arrest is a genre-defying post-apocalyptic novel of a kind only Jonathan Lethem could write. It takes us to a United States we would almost, but not quite, recognize, where Sandy Duplessis, aka “Journeyman,” and his sister, Maddie, have become stranded in a sleepy New England town after an unknown catastrophic event causes all technology to fail. With cars dead, communication evaporated, and roads disintegrating, cities and towns across America have become separate isolated city-states. Maddie has adapted, becoming a farmer and respected town citizen. Journeyman has floundered, once a prominent tv writer, now an ersatz delivery man. And then something even stranger than the initial catastrophe happens: a charismatic man named Peter Todbaum from Journeyman’s past appears from nowhere, with seemingly the only car left in the world that actually works. He claims to have driven from California to the East Coast across an America gone wild and savage. And the changes he brings with him could upend the fragile peace the town has built.

Todbaum was a producer before the cataclysmic event they call “The Arrest.” Friends from college, Journeyman and Todbaum had worked together on many scripts for tv and movies, but Todbaum’s main obsession was a dystopian/post-apocalyptic film he could never finish or get into production. In addition, he has remained obsessed with Journeyman’s sister after a brief encounter more than 10 years previously, though she hates him and refuses to speak to him. In his giant nuclear-powered former-drilling-machine vehicle, Todbaum brings unrest and violence into the sleepy New England town, along with the first espresso any has seen in three years, and his increasingly grandiose, fragmented far-fetched stories of driving across America.

Meanwhile, Journeyman is a frankly, spineless man who walks through the whole story nearly mindless and asleep. He does whatever any tells him to do, including the increasingly deranged Todbaum. He never asks questions, objects to anything happening to or around him, or tries to act on anything he thinks or feels. He was frustrating as hell, honestly. I’m pretty sure that was part of the point, but what do I know?

The prose, as anything Lethem writes, is wry and sharp and funny in an unsettling kind of way. Lethem creates colorful images of this world gone insane with spare well placed detail. The main characters are complex and the large cast of side characters are painted with careful brush strokes that highlight the oddities that help them live in the face of this new version of the world. 

This novel is strange, oddly-funny, and dream-like: a cross between post-apocalyptic tale and magical realism, with a healthy dose of philosophical rumination and a treatise on the inherent weirdness of the human condition. There are no straight answers here. Lethem loves his non-ending endings, and this one is right up there with the best of them! You will get little closure or resolution from this novel. But the questions will leave you thinking, often grumbling and occasionally laughing, far past the final page.

Amanda’s Very Idiosyncratic 2021 Reading Challenge

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Photo by Laura Kapfer on Unsplash

As we come to the end of the year, I am taking stock of the books I read and the many many books I did NOT read. I made myself (and a handful of friends) a reading challenge for 2020 that amounted to 21 books: 7 categories, 3 books per category. I finished that challenge, just barely in time, last week! Now, I have devised a new reading challenge for next year.

First, I thought I’d share all the books I read for each category for this year’s challenge. Keep in mind that these are, of course, not the only books I read this year, just the ones that fit the challenge. I’m not going to share my TOTAL book count for the year yet, because I still have a couple weeks left to try to top it off! But here’s the books I read for the 2020 “Storm the Castle” Reading Challenge:

Challenge 1: “It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!” – a book that was gifted or recommended to you
a. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
b. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
c. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Challenge 2: Receive advice from an ancient hermit in the woods – a book that’s been in your TBR pile the longest
a. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
b. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
c. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

Challenge 3: Consult the tomes of wisdom and knowledge at the Great Library – a nonfiction book on science, history, etc
a. Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson
b. Disney’s Land by Richard Snow
c. Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt

Challenge 4: Battle ghosts in a haunted castle – a book you intended to read in 2019 but didn’t get around to
a. Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht
b. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor
c. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

Challenge 5: Witness the birth of a baby unicorn – a book newly released in 2020
a. The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman
b. Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
c. Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott

Challenge 6: Recover a long-lost mythical treasure – a book you started but never finished
a. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
b. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
c. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

Challenge 7: Storm the villain’s castle – a book in the epic fantasy genre
a. Clariel by Garth Nix
b. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
c. Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long

So there you have it! My 2020 Reading Challenge. And now, on to next year. For 2021 I am ditching the cutesy category “themes” and I am expanding from 7 categories to 10 categories, keeping it to 3 books per category. If that goes well, I may expand to 12 categories in 2022, but we’ll see. As the title of this post declares, these categories are pretty idiosyncratic and specific to my own interests and things I want to read. If anyone would like to join me in this challenge, please feel free! If you do, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. But this is not a formally organized thing, and there are no prizes. This is literally just for myself. So, without further ado, here’s my 2021 Reading Challenge:

10 Categories, 3 Books Each, 30 Books Total:

  1. Space Opera
  2. Award-Winning Books (can be any recognized award including but not limited to Hugo, Nebula, Booker, National Book Award, Goodreads Choice Awards, Nobel, etc)
  3. Books In Translation
  4. Romance Novels
  5. Books Bought in 2020
  6. Mystery Novels
  7. Nonfiction: history/science/biography
  8. Poetry Collection Books
  9. Historical Fantasy
  10. Books You’ve Been Meaning to Re-Read

Quick Personal Update

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Hello all! Today, I have more of a general life update kind of post. Just to share a few things while I start working on a couple new book reviews.

First of all: I wanted to share my overall progress for NaNoWriMo 2020! I didn’t make it to the 50k words as I’d hoped, but I did still have a very productive month, and I made good progress on my new project. I ended up with about 27k words, which is still WAY more than I have managed in a single month in AGES (though I came fairly close to that back during Camp Nano in April, with about 23k words). Just as important, I am getting better at building up a daily (or almost-daily) habit, which makes me happy. Even if I don’t write a LOT per day, just being more intentional and consistent about my writing is a huge step in the right direction. Here’s a couple snapshots of my Nano progress over the month:

In OTHER news, I finished two books in ONE DAY this week, completing the audiobook of The Name of the Wind while I was working, and finishing reading the ARC of Hall of Smoke that night while sitting in bed. They were both EXCELLENT. And I had been working through Name of the Wind off and on (while reading other things as well) for TWO MONTHS, so I’m glad I finally finished it. I will have book reviews up for both of those, hopefully fairly soon. *crosses fingers* (I then immediately started RE-READING House in the Cerulean Sea, which I have concluded is DEFINITELY going to be my fave book of the year now.)

And in finally happy news (for me anyway), with a pay raise I got in September and a bit of assistance from my friend/employer (we’re too small a business to buy into group insurance rates, but she does what she can) I have finally managed to get health insurance for the first time in THREE YEARS. I am very excited about this! I haven’t been to a doctor for a single thing in THREE YEARS (and I haven’t been to a dentist in…. uh…. a really REALLY long time). So yay!

Ok, that’s all from me for now! I’ll be back with book reviews soon, I hope!

Book Review: Solutions and Other Problems

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Book: Solutions and Other Problems
Author: Allie Brosh
Release Date: September 2020
Source: own
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If you’re familiar with the name Allie Brosh, you know where this is going. Allie Brosh maintained a blog called Hyperbole and a Half, which was half personal essay, half comic (drawn with child-like simplicity). The blog discussed her rather unusual childhood, her struggles with severe depression, and her very silly dog. It was at turns hilarious, heartfelt, sobering, and very very recognizable to those of us who also deal with severe depression.

In October 2013, her first book was published, also titled Hyperbole and a Half, which contains some essays/comics from her blog, as well as new material. It did very well. She went on book tours and all that. And then she disappeared, seemingly off the face of the planet, for seven years.

When Simon & Schuster announced the imminent release of her new book (I think I first heard about it no sooner than July of this year), it was a SHOCK! There had been no news of Allie Brosh for AGES. I had wondered often how she was doing, and if she had perhaps lost her battle with depression and suicide ideation after all. And suddenly here she was again! I was ecstatic! And I still am.

Her new book, titled Solutions and Other Problems, covers a lot of ground. It covers the reasons for her long disappearance, including severe physical health issues (she nearly died!), a divorce, and the death of her sister. It also covers, in far more detail than her first book, how truly strange she was as a child (and still is!). Just like her first book, and the blog before it, it is both hilarious and sobering. And heartbreaking. I laugh so hard during the first few chapters I could barely breathe. A few chapters later, and I was crying.

The simplistic child-like drawing style is the same, and her characteristic wit and humor are still there, but this book is angrier and sadder than her first book. And for good reason, as you’ll see if you read it.

And yet, it is still laugh-out-loud hilarious. I’m not sure how she manages to hold these conflicting tones and feelings in balance, but she does. Constantly. I suspect it is how she lives her whole life, and is probably the only way she has managed to survive as long as she has.

Now, to help you understand the true hilarity and insanity of this book, I would like to share just a bit of the second chapter. In this chapter, Allie Brosh explains how she discovered she could sneak into the cat door of her neighbor’s house, and proceeded to…. go insane… It is probably the funniest chapter in the book. Here is just ONE page to illustrate:

I need you all to understand that this is pretty early-on in the proceedings. It gets a LOT more insane from here…

In any case, if you want to laugh and cry and have your heart ripped out of your chest; if you’ve dealt with depression, or the death of a loved one, this book (and her first book) might just be for you.

When I See Myself in a Book; or: Book Review of The House in the Cerulean Sea

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I wanted to write a book review for The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. But I find that as I think and talk and write about this book, I am also thinking and talking and writing about a handful of other books, so you’ll have to forgive me for being more scattered than usual. Because, you see, I loved this book. I loved this book madly. And I loved this book for some of the same reasons I have for some other books I also love madly. And so they have all become a bit tangled in my brain now.

The House in the Cerulean Sea came out in March, and my friend and employer, Mary, read it and recommended it to me. I put a hold on an audiobook copy at the library, but the waitlist was ENORMOUS and I waited over three months before I finally received it this past Thursday. The audiobook is approx 12.5 hours long. I listened to 3.5 hrs on Thursday evening. I finished the last 9 hours in one go on Friday. I DEVOURED this book, my friends. I adored it.

Having said that, let me backtrack a tad, and talk about myself a tiny bit. I do not feel like a main character. Not in my own story. Not in anyone else’s. For the most part, people like me do not tend to make it as main characters in stories, but every once in awhile I read a book or a see a movie (but it’s usually a book), and I see myself. At least a bit. There are some characters that I feel so much kinship with that it is mildly embarrassing, and that usually means I will end up loving that book like a piece of my own soul, because in these books this person who looks and feels like me somehow actually gets their happy ending.

Characters like Anne Eliot, from Persuasion by Jane Austen. Like Bastian from Neverending Story. Lirael from Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series. Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. And now, Linus Baker from The House in the Cerulean Sea.

These characters are intelligent, and honorable, but they are quiet, and painfully shy; they are awkward, or bullied, or ignored, or invisible; they are sad and gray and desperately lonely, and resigned to their fates.

And perhaps it is melodramatic to say that that is also me. But something can be a tad melodramatic and also be true.

I see these characters like me, who live quietly desperate routine lonely lives with no hope of being or doing anything special, and then I see these characters GET TO LIVE and to LOVE. The adventure finally comes. The world finally sees them. Love finally finds them. And it gives me hope. (Though I’ll admit that often, once I finish a book with this character, I also find myself weirdly depressed, as I reflect on the fact that I am not likely to ever get a similar happy ending. I am more like these characters at the beginning of their stories, when they are sad and lonely and resigned, than I will ever be like them at the end of their stories.)

So, to return to The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune.

Book: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: T.J. Klune
Release Date: March 2020
Source: borrowed from the library
Rating: 6 out of 5 stars (can I do that? Guess, don’t care! Just did!)

The House in the Cerulean Sea follows main character Linus Baker: Linus is overweight and out of shape, he’s forty, he’s desperately lonely, and resigned to his fate. He is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, because in this version of Earth (it IS Earth, they have computers, and record players, and Linus’s favorite music is oldies like The Big Bopper and Sinatra), magical beings exist. But these magical creatures are heavily monitored; they have to be registered and they are not allowed to hold positions of power or authority (in other words, they are a hugely oppressed minority). Linus inspects orphanages for magical youth (not all magical children are orphans but many of them are), but unlike most case workers, Linus really cares about the welfare of the children, and looks for problems like Masters who abuse or take advantage of the children under their care.

With a reputation for being objective, keeping distance from the children, and very thorough, Linus is brought before Very Upper Management, and given a top secret case: to go visit and live at a top secret orphanage on an island, run by a man named Arthur Parnassus, who has six children under his care. Linus is supposed to look for any issues, because Very Upper Management has “reasons for concern.” It seems pretty clear from the get-go, however, that they are just looking for an excuse to shut it down.

Linus arrives at the orphanage to discover that the children there are unlike any other magical children he has ever seen or heard of. These children are: a female garden gnome with the beard and everything!, a Forest sprite more powerful than any other he’s met, a wyvern (whom people used to think of as animals, but do in fact have intelligent and complex emotions and language, just not human language), a tall shy black kid who is a were-POMERANIAN!, a green blob named Chauncey whose greatest ambition in life is to be a BELLHOP, and a six year old boy who is the literal Anti-Christ.

And then there is the Master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, who is very charming and cares deeply for the children under his care. Linus, unsurprisingly, immediately develops a crush on him.

And folks, it just gets more adorable from there! 

This book is funny, and charming, and quirky, and delightful in ways I cannot begin to express! It deals with deeply emotional issues like child abuse, and racial (or in this case, SPECIES) prejudice and oppression, and despite this it manages to be one of the happiest, most hopeful books I’ve read in YEARS. I smiled like a madwoman through the whole thing. And when I finished the audiobook from the library and returned it (and saw that there was now a six month wait on the book!), I immediately bought the ebook AND audiobook so I can read it again.

I identified so strongly with poor, put-upon, lonely dumpy Linus — who is finally given the opportunity to show how honorable and good and kind he is while staying at the orphanage — that it is mildly embarrassing. And I fell in love with Arthur and the children right along with Linus, the whole way through. I am a sucker for quirky odd funny characters, and found family tropes, and this book gave it to me in SPADES. I think this might end up being my favorite book of the year. (Unconquerable Sun held that honor a few months ago, and that is still definitely near the top as well!)

I have a handful of books that I love dearly, and will go around used bookstores buying up paperback copies just so that I can hand them off to people I love, whom I want to share my favorite books with. I don’t do this with some books I love that are so well known, I have no doubt most people have at least heard of them, if not read them (so for instance, I don’t generally do this with Dune or Watership Down, even though they are my favorite books of all time, because most people are already familiar with them). Instead, I do this with books I adore that have not gotten quite the same circulation. Books like Sunshine by Robin McKinley, and Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn, and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, and Neverending Story by Michael Ende (though the movie is so well known, not nearly as many people have read the book!). I can guarantee that as soon as the paperback version of House in the Cerulean Sea is released next year, this book will definitely be added to that prestigious list. In the meantime, since I cannot buy every single one of you a copy to read (I’m poor, people! Or I totally would!), please please please go do yourselves a favor and GO BUY IT NOW! Or borrow it from the library! Either way, just READ IT!

Edit at 4:20pm: I bought the ebook and audiobook for House in the Cerulean Sea, but I SWORE to myself that I wouldn’t read them until after I finish the other three books I’m SUPPOSED to be reading right now (those being: Name of the Wind, The Arrest, and Hall of Smoke)… but… that resolve may end by tonight… I just LOVED IT SO MUCH FOLKS!

Book Review: Charmed Life

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Book: Charmed Life (Book 1 of the Worlds of Chrestomanci)
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Release Date: 1977
Source: Borrowed audiobook from the library
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

As part of my 2020 “Storm the Castle” Reading Challenge, I needed to read three books that had been on my TBR list ten years or more. I read Solaris, and A Wrinkle in Time, and last for that part of the challenge, I chose Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones.

Charmed Life came out in 1977, and it is the first of the Worlds of Chrestomanci series (I think The Lives of Christopher Chant, which is probably the most popular of the series). I read Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle and its two sequels: Castle in the Air, and House of Many Ways ages and AGES ago. I had always planned on reading more of her books but never seemed to get around to it. So, I finally did it! (Admittedly, I “read” the book on audio, which is the only way I’ve been able to get any reading done lately, because it can often do it while I’m working).

So, Charmed Life follows the misadventures of young Cat Chant (real name Eric, but everyone calls him Cat), who is an orphan with his sister Gwendolen. Their parents died in a boating accident, during which Cat himself almost died but survived by clinging to Gwendolen who showed signs of being a witch at a young age and therefore could not drown. Cat spends all his time following behind his sister, who is older, talented, very bossy, and taking magic lessons from the local magician, Mr. Nostrum.

Gwendolen is very bossy, and strong, and often very mean to Cat (and others). At one point she turns Cat’s violin (he’s been taking music lessons) into an actual cat, who then runs away. And Mr. Nostrum is very happy to encourage these tendencies. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that it becomes clear very quickly that Gwendolen is going to be one of the main antagonists (dare I say villains) of the story.

By a series of incidents orchestrated by Gwendolen and Mr. Nostrum, Cat and Gwendolen are eventually adopted by the mysterious Chrestomanci – a tall elegant man who is clearly feared by Mr. Nostrum and respected by many others, though it is very unclear to Cat (and to the readers) exactly WHY. At Chrestomanci’s Castle, Cat and Gwendolen meet Chrestomanci’s wife Millie and two children, Roger and Julia, who have magical abilities like Gwendolen. The castle has strange magical properties of its own as well. Gwendolen immediately takes a dislike to absolutely everyone, and starts a campaign of childish but magically-fueled terror on Roger, Julia, Chrestomanci, and the rest of the household. She tries again and again to force Chrestomanci to react to her and notice her, but Chrestomanci mostly ignores her, until she finally goes too far and her magic is taken away as punishment.

Things don’t go TRULY nuts, however, until Gwendolen manages to remove herself to another dimension, pulling a replacement version of herself called Janet from another another dimension to hide her disappearance. Suddenly, Cat has a series of disasters on his hands: an evil sister gone missing to who-knows-where, a replacement who doesn’t understand that magic exists and needs constant watching over as no one else has noticed she’s not Gwendolen, several threats of magical retribution on his head for various misdeeds actually perpetuated by Gwendolen, and Mr. Nostrum who has come calling with some dark secret plan he expects Cat to help him with.

How all of this insanity gets resolved, I will leave to you all to read and see for yourself.

I really enjoyed this book quite a lot. It has Diana Wynn Jones’ signature charm, wit, and dry humor. It is not funny on a level like, for instance, Terry Pratchett, but there were quite a few parts that made me chuckle out loud. Chrestomanci, in particular, I found very funny in that dry, sarcastic, “I’m pretending I’m oblivious and don’t know what’s going on” way that I always appreciate and enjoy. On top of that, I routinely hit parts on the book where I thought “I don’t see how it could get more insane than this!” And then it DID. Cat does some things that frustrated the hell out of me, in that “no! Why! Don’t! Go tell an adult!” way, but it all made sense for the character. And it fits that very traditional way in stories in which children never feel safe to actually just tell an adult that they’re in trouble and need help.

Somewhat ironically, when I started writing this review yesterday, just a few hours after finishing the book, I had planned to get it a 4 out of 5. I really enjoyed it, but I was thinking “was it so great as to deserve a 5?” But then this morning, when I was getting a new audiobook loaded to listen to while I worked, I found that I really just wanted to listen to more Charmed Life – which, of course, I couldn’t as I had already returned the book to the library and my library doesn’t have any of the rest of the Chrestomanci series available. So that indicated to me that I had actually enjoyed it even more than I, at first, realized. And it has been lingering in my thoughts all of last night and today. So, it does deserve a 5 out of 5 after all!

If you, like me, have been intending to read more (or any) books by Diana Wynne Jones and just never seem to get around to it, consider this your sign to get started now! I highly recommend this book! And I fully intend to read the rest of the series when I can get them (either on audiobook, or perhaps in print, from my used bookstore).

Rereading books and making zines: a quick Update, Aug 2020

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Hello folks! I apologize for the long pauses between posts lately. I’ve been working a lot of hours and that trend is likely to continue through November at least. I am trying to get better at staying on top of things and using what free time I have productively, but alas, I’ve been so exhausted the last couple weeks that I usually get home from work, make (or order) dinner, take care of the dogs, and then crawl into bed to stare at the ceiling for a few hours.

Anyway! I confess I haven’t done much reading as of late, and what reading I have done has been mostly re-reading, rather than reading anything new. As I mentioned before, I am working my way through Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series, again. I recently finished the second book, Lirael, and have now started the third book, Abhorsen.

I am, however, also reading the first of the Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones, which is called Charmed Life. I have been meaning to read these books for AGES and just never seemed to get around to it. And I needed something a little lighter/funnier to listen to while I work, so I borrowed the first audiobook from the library. I’m about ⅔ of the way through it now and I really like it!

I am technically also reading Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente. I am reading that one in print, but I haven’t actually picked it up in almost two weeks so… Not much progress is being made on that front currently.

What little free (and conscious/lucid) time I have had lately has been devoted to a new project.

I am considering making a zine.

Well, I say “considering” – I am, in fact, already tinkering with/formatting one in a free publishing app. What I’m considering is whether or not I will actually try to print and sell it.

I love zines. Good ol’ fashion handmade DIY zines. Newer, more modern, glossy printed zines. Political zines. Personal/poetry zines. Fan zines. Art zines. ALL THE ZINES!

If you aren’t familiar with the zine as a genre, here’s a couple links to some useful explanations:

Wikipedia article

“What is a zine?”

“A brief history of zines”

(sidenote, there is some crossover and bleedthrough between zines and chapbooks…)

Zines are such a great way to make something with your own two hands (or computer), as an outlet for political ideas, fandom, emotions, creativity, whatever! And I have always wanted to try my hand at one. Or several. Eventually, I think I’d like to try making/collaborating on a fanzine or two, with other writers and artists and such, but for now I’m trying a personal zine on my own. I have compiled a collection of poetry and a few short creative nonfiction/memoir-ish essay-thingies that I’ve written over the years and didn’t know what to do with, in combination with a couple photos and a few doodles, and I am tinkering with putting them together into something semi-passable.

I’m still on the fence about whether or not I will try to print and sell it. If you look on Etsy there are tons of great, fun zines for sale! Some are totally handmade DIY old-school, and some are more glossy and professionally designed and printed, perfect bound instead of just stapled, and so forth. And they can range in price anywhere from like $5 to something like $15 depending on the quality and on the person selling them. If I did sell mine, it would probably only be for like $5-6 since it would be entirely handmade and all. But, we’ll see… *shrug*

Anyway, how are you all doing? Is the situation of the world-at-large freaking you all out yet? Here in Houston we are currently flipping out over the fact that there are currently not one, but TWO separate hurricanes forming in the Gulf! For the first time in recorded history! How fun! Only in 2020, folks… *cries*

Nostalgia Kick

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I’ve been in a weirdly nostalgic mood lately, at least so far as my media/reading consumption is concerned. I keep thinking of more and more books and movies and tv shows I want to re-read/re-watch (some of them for the millionth time).

I am currently re-reading Lirael (the second book in Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series). And I’m debating re-reading Watership Down, the first Abarat book (by Clive Barker), AND doing a MASSIVE Redwall series re-read.

On top of that, I have been re-watching the anime series Inuyasha with my best friend for a couple months now (we watch about 6-7 episodes over the phone together every sunday evening!), and I started a huge M*A*S*H* re-watch (thank you, Hulu!) And I’ve been thinking about re-watching both Yu Yu Hakusho (another anime), and all 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1! Because, you know, I have SO MUCH free time (*sarcasm*). I have also been re-watching a lot of Phineas and Ferb lately as I prepare for the new movie, Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe coming out in Disney+ at the end of August. (Yay!)

Despite all that, I am trying to keep up with reading for my “Storm the Castle” Reading Challenge – I just started Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente for the challenge. AND I still plan to read the ARC of Garth Nix’s newest book The Left-handed Booksellers of London in time to do a review before official release.

So, you know, just keeping busy…

Reading Challenge Update, July 2020

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Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

I’m sure no one actually cares about this, so this post is mainly for myself to keep track of my progress, but here is how I’m doing on my 2020 reading challenges!

Overall, I have read 24 books so far this year. I know this is small potatoes to a lot of big readers (and years ago, it would have been small potatoes to me too), but considering just a couple years ago I wasn’t reading AT ALL, this is great progress for me! And considering that in 2019, I read 29 books in the whole year, I’d say 24 is really really good. I’m on track to read approximately 50 books by the end of the year. We’ll see if that trend continues.

For my “Storm the Castle” 2020 Reading Challenge, I have read 13 of the 21 books in the challenge, so I’m over halfway there! In fact, I’m also ⅔ of the way through! I have slowed down on that front the last month or so because I’ve been reading a lot of books that don’t count towards the challenge. But I’m ok with that. Particularly because some of the books I’ve been reading count toward the “Finishing the Series” 2020 Reading Challenge instead.

For the “Finishing the Series” challenge, I have completely FINISHED the Artemis Fowl series! Eight books down! In addition, I have read books 1-6 of The Dresden Files series. I suspect I will not actually finish THAT series by the end of the year as there are currently 15 books in the series, AND books #16 and #17 are being released in July and October! Still, I am making good headway on that series. In addition, I am currently re-reading Sabriel by Garth Nix, the first in the Old Kingdom series. I read the original 3 books of that series WAY back in high school and absolutely ADORED them, but never got around to reading the 2 sequel novels and the handful of short stories in the series, so I’m working on that for the challenge as well.

Right this minute, I am reading several books. Sabriel (as I said), Dresden Files book #7: Dead Beat, and I am now starting Hyperion by Dan Simmons, which is on my “Storm the Castle” challenge list. I also JUST received the ARC for Garth Nix’s new book The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, which will be released in September. Since I ADORE Garth Nix (see above!), I will probably go ahead and start that one as well.

So that’s my reading progress and plans for the month. How about you folks? What is everyone reading right now? And how are you progressing on any goals you set for yourself for the year? Please feel free to share in the comments!

Book Review: The Daughters of Ys

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Book: The Daughters of Ys
Author: M.T. Anderson (writer)/Jo Rioux (artist)
Release Date: May 2020
Source: ARC provided by publisher (obtained through my work)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

The Daughters of Ys is a graphic novel written by M.T. Anderson, with art by Jo Rioux, that is based on an old Breton folktale. “Breton” refers to the area of France called Brittany, which actually originally had a Briton/Celtic population, before it was colonized by the Roman Empire, and then was eventually subsumed into France. So the folktales of the area are a very fascinating mix of cultures.

This graphic novel contains beautiful full-color art with a soft color palette and a sweeping style, that tells a sad, foreboding far-reaching story in a surprisingly small, tightly-narrated package. 

The Daughters of Ys are two sisters, Rozenn and Dahut, the daughters of King Gradlon of the kingdom of Kerne, who live in the capital city of Ys. The sisters drift apart after the death of their magical (possibly faerie) mother, and follow divergent paths that bring them into conflict with each other. Rozenn, the eldest and heir to the throne, goes to live in the wilds, to be among the plants and animals and away from the riotous parties and debauchery of the capital city. Dahut, the younger, takes on the task of maintaining the kingdom for her increasingly broken and useless father, the king, and revels in the parties and the young men who come to court her. But Dahut has a dark secret. A secret that makes their kingdom the richest and most powerful of all, but at a steep cost. When Dahut and Rozenn come into conflict, one sister betrays the other, and their choices have the potential to ruin the entire kingdom.

This story is a dark lesson in obligation, desire, and what happens when debts finally come due. It is also about the ways that family can fall apart and even destroy each other in the face of competing needs and motivations.

When I first saw the cover, I didn’t care for the art style, but as I got into the story I decided that the style – somewhat loose and soft with a kind of colored pencil texture to it – actually fit the folktale-nature and tone of the narrative. Also, by the end of the story I was very fascinated by the original folktale, and had to go look it up on Wikipedia later. I’m now wondering if there’s a full collection of Breton folktales somewhere, because that would be cool. AND I went in search to see if anyone had written a full novel adaptation of the story, and lo and behold! There is, in fact, a whole 4 book series based on the folktale written by respected SF/Fantasy writer Poul Anderson and his wife/sometimes-coauthor Karen Anderson! So I’ll be looking for those later…

I gave this graphic novel a 4 out of 5 stars. I’m not going to singing its praises to the rafters for weeks, but I did really enjoy it. And I highly recommend it.

For the curious, here is the Wikipedia page about the legendary city of Ys.

And the Wikipedia page about Brittany, where this folktale originates from.

Finally, here is the goodreads page for Poul & Karen Anderson’s book series: The King of Ys.