2022 year in book review

1. malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid, 369p, 4.5 stars
2. exit to eden by anne rice, 377p, 4 stars*
3. open: an uncensored memoir of love, liberation, and non-monogamy by rachel krantz, 368p, 5 stars
4. one true loves by taylor jenkins reid, 352p, 2 stars*^
5. the secret history by donna tartt, 559p, 4.5 stars*
6. commonwealth by ann patchett, 336p, 3.75 stars*
7. hollywood divorces by jackie collins, 624p, 3 stars*^
8. valley of the dolls by jacqueline susann, 442p, 5 stars*☥
9. ten days in a mad house by nellie bly, 100p, 4 stars
10. the golden couple by greer hendrix, 329p, 2.75 stars*^
11. the wife upstairs by rachel hawkins, 290p, 2.75 stars*
12. flowers in the attic by v.c. andrews, 389p, 4 stars*☥
13. the people next door by keri beevis, 390p, 2.75 stars*
14. the wives by tarryn fisher, 323p, 2 stars*^
15. eight perfect murders by peter swanson, 288p, 3 stars*
16. where the crawdads sing by delia owens, 370p, 4 stars
17. local woman missing by mary kubica, 352p, 1.5 stars*^
18. with friends like these by keri beevis, 296p, 2 stars*
19. the corpse flower by anne mette hancock, 336p, 3.75 stars*^
20. sun storm by asa larsson, 310p, 2 stars*
21. on a quiet street by seraphina nova glass, 336p, 1.5 stars*^
22. the thorn birds by colleen mccullough, 692p, 5 stars*☥
23. dying of politeness: a memoir by geena davis, 288p, 5 stars*^
24. the touch by colleen mccullough, 624p, 4.25 stars*
25. the lady’s guide to celestial mechanics by olivia waite, 336p, 3.75 stars*
26. the pale blue eye by louis bayard, 412p, 4.5 stars*
27. don’t call it a cult: the shocking story of keith raniere and the women of nxivm by sarah berman, 321p, 4.5 stars
28. the storyteller by dave grohl, 384p, 5 stars
29. the care and feeding of waspish widows by olivia waite, 398p, 1.5 stars*
30. the christmas murder game by alexandra benedict, 353p, 3.5 stars*
31. exalted by anna dorn, 293p, .25 stars*^

*audiobook
^review on storygraph – https://app.thestorygraph.com/user_reviews/buckupcamper
☥reread

storygraph stats

books read: 31/23
pages read: 11637/10000
avg page count: 375p
avg books per month: 2.5

no. of books that are a part of a series: 6
no. of rereads: 3

longest: the thorn birds, 692p
shortest: ten days in a mad house, 100p
oldest: ten days in a mad house, 1887
newest: dying of politeness: a memoir, 10.11.22

most read mood & pace: dark, mysterious, tense, reflective, emotional; medium
fiction v. non-fiction: 86% v. 14%
most read genres: thriller, romance, mystery, historical
print v. audio: 33% v. 67%

top five:

dying of politeness: a memoir
open: an uncensored memoir of love, liberation, and non-monogamy
the pale blue eye
don’t call it a cult: the shocking story of keith raniere and the women of nxivm
the storyteller
(top reread: valley of the dolls)

2022 reading challenge (modified & abridged)

• a book about someone leading a double life -exalted
• a dark academia book -the secret history
• a book recommended through an algorithm -the wives
• a book related to constellations -the lady’s guide to celestial mechanics
• a book set in victorian times -the care and feeding of waspish widows
• a social-horror book -with friends like these
• a book featuring a man-made disaster -ten days in a mad house
• a book by an author you read in 2021 -one true loves
• a book set during a holiday -the christmas murder game
• a book with a misleading title -don’t call it a cult
• a book about a secret -the wife upstairs
• a book you can read in one sitting -eight perfect murders
• a book about a band or musical performer -the storyteller
• a book becoming a tv series or movie in 2022 -the pale blue eye
• a book published in 2022 -dying of politeness
• a book you haven’t read since high school -the thorn birds
• a book set in your home state -hollywood divorces
• a new york times best seller -valley of the dolls
• a book more than 600 pages -the touch
• a book from a celebrity book club -where the crawdads sing
• a book set in a scandinavian country -the corpse flower
• a book published in 2016 -commonwealth
• a murder mystery -sun storm
• a book with a blue cover -malibu rising
• a book written by an author with three names -on a quiet street
• a reread -flowers in the attic
• an audio book narrated by a celebrity -exit to eden
• a book with a color in the title -the golden couple
• a book from the library -local woman missing
• a book set in great britain -the people next door
• a memoir -open

standout quotes

“each day was now a vignette i appreciated on a sort of meta-artistic plane, especially as my immediate reality felt increasingly cloudy.” -open

“whatever else one may say about guilt, it certainly lends one diabolical powers of invention.” -the secret history

“we stood looking at each other. it was raining. she looked at me with her rain-colored eyes.” -the secret history

“her mother was lost in a sea of irregular verbs.” -commonwealth

“love shouldn’t make a beggar of one. i wouldn’t want love if i had to beg for it, to barter or qualify it. and i should despise it if anyone ever begged for my love. love is something that must be given–it can’t be bought with words or pity, or even reason.” -valley of the dolls

“time is no more fixed than the stars. time speeds and bends around planets and suns, is different in the mountains than in the valleys, and is part of the same fabric as space, which curves and swells as does the sea.” -where the crawdads sing

“there are no ambitions noble enough to justify breaking someone’s heart.” -the thorn birds

“one wall is covered in posters. the spice girls pose next to eternal and hanson as if they’ve merged into one all mighty 90s super group. tori amos smiles with her lips closed. christian slater slants an eyebrow. there’s a smudge on gillian anderson’s lips where lily once practiced kissing.” -the christmas murder game

a few photos

2021 year-in book review

1. kindred by octavia butler, 287p, 5 stars (book club)
2. i feel bad about my neck and other thoughts on being a woman by nora ephron, 137p, 5 stars
3. waiting for tom hanks by kerry winfrey, 259p, 2.5 stars (book club)
4. my dark vanessa, 384p, 4.5 stars
5. passing by nella larsen, 94p, 4 stars
6. quicksand by nella larsen, 192p, 5 stars
7. kink: stories edited by r.o. kwon and garth greenwell, by vaious authors, 271p, 4 stars
8. wonder by rj palacio, 315p, 4 stars (reread)
9. no one asked for this by cazzie david, 331p, 4 stars
10. the pisces by melissa broder, 270p, 5 stars
11. truly like lightning by david duchovny, 445p, 4.5 stars
12. daisy jones and the six by taylor jenkins reid, 351p, 4 stars
13. memories of my melancholy whores by gabriel garcia márquez, 115p, 2.5 stars
14. cemetery boys by aiden thomas, 342p, 4 stars (book club)
15. souvenir of monique by marion zimmer bradley, 216p. 2.5 stars
16. trainwreck by jude doyle, 261p, 3.75 stars (book club)
17. crying in h mart by michelle zauner, 239p, 5 stars
18. before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi, 272p, 3.5 stars
19. plain bad heroines by emily m. danforth, 640p, 4.75 stars

storygraph stats

books read: 19
total pages: 5421
avg. book page count: 285
avg. books per month: 1.58
no. of books that are a part of a series: 3
no. of rereads: 1

longest: plain bad heroines, 640p
shortest: passing, 94

oldest: quicksand, 1928
newest: crying in h mart, 20.04.2021

most read mood & pace: reflective, emotional, challenging; medium
fiction v. non-fiction: 76% v. 24%
most read genres: contemporary, literary

awards

top five books:

the pisces
crying in h mart
quicksand
plain bad heroines
truly like lightning

top five characters:

helga crane, quicksand
harper harper, plain bad heroines
maritza, cemetary boys
kazu, before the coffee gets cold
lucy, the pisces

2021 reading challenge (abridged)

• a book featuring three generations -cemetary boys
• a book whose title begins with q, x, or z -quicksand
• a magical realism book -before the coffee gets cold
• a book where a main character works at your dream job -i feel bad about my neck…
• a book written by an author who shares your zodiac sign -truly like lightning
• a book about a social justice issue -kindred
• a book by someone you follow on social media -no one asked for this
• a dark academia book -plain bad heroines
• a controversial book -memories of my melancholy whores
• a book with a black-and-white cover -my dark vanessa
• a book that has the same title as a song -wonder
• a book by or about art or an artist -crying in h mart
• a book that has less than 1000 reviews on goodreads -souvenir of monique
• a book you think your best friend would like -daisy jones and the six
• a book in a genre you don’t normally read -waiting for tom hanks
• a book club book -trainwreck
• a book you got for free (gifted, borrowed, library) -passing
• a book you meant to read last year -the pisces
• a book from your tbr list chosen at random -kink

standout quotes

“why hadn’t i left at the first whiff of the other woman’s perfume? why hadn’t i realized how much of what i thought of as love was simply my own highly developed gift for making lemonade? what failure of imagination had caused me to forget that life was full of other possibilities, including the possibility that eventually i would fall in love again?” -i feel bad about my neck

“chicago. august. a brilliant day, hot, with a brutal staring sun pouring down rays that were like molten rain. a day on which the very outlines of the buildings shuddered as if in protest at the heat.” -passing

“she doesn’t understand how satisfying sadness can be; hours spent rocking in the hammock with fiona apple in my ears make me feel better than happy.” -my dark vanessa

“there was a brief silence, during which she feared that her self-control was about to prove too frail a bridge to support her mounting anger and indignation.” -passing

“i tell him i’m sorry. i don’t want to say it but i feel i have to, like he needs to hear it so badly, he’s pulling the words out of me like teeth.” -my dark vanessa

“what, exactly, she wondered, was happiness. very positively she wanted it. yet her conception of it had no tangibility. she couldn’t define it, isolate it, and contemplate it as she could some other abstract things. hatred, for instance. or kindness.” -quicksand

“desperately she was trying to right the confusion in her mind. the temper of the morning’s interview rose before her like an ugly mutilated creature crawling horribly over the flying landscape of her thoughts.” -quicksand

“but she was blind to its charm, purposely aloof and a little contemptuous, and soon her interest in the moving mosaic waned.” -quicksand

“masculinity was a glass vase perpetually at the edge of the table.” -kink: the cure

“my skin, too, felt like an old book: powdery parchment etched with lines that supposedly contained knowledge, but when you looked closer they were only empty scribbles.” -the pisces

“this is why the greeks needed myth: for that boundary, to see where they stood amidst the infinite.” -the pisces

“why were some sadnesses so much more permissible than others?” -the pisces

“but he just said, ‘it’s ineffable. if i could define it, i wouldn’t have any use for it.’” -daisy jones and the six

“i’m saying that when you really love someone, sometimes the things they need may hurt you, and some people are worth hurting for.” -daisy jones and the six

“like a prayer answered within three business days.” -truly like lightning

“i discovered that my obsession for having each thing in the right place, each subject at the right time, each word in the right style, was not the well-deserved reward of an ordered mind but just the opposite: a complete system of pretense invented by me to hide the disorder of my nature.” -memories of my melancholy whores

“sex is the consolation you have when you can’t have love.” -memories of my melancholy whores

“‘men occupy terra firma because they are like stones. women seep because they occupy the filmy gauze between the world of the living and the dead’” -kink: the lost performance of the high priestess of the temple of horror

“we spend so much time pathologizing ‘overemotional’ women that we scarcely ever ask what those women are emotional about.” -trainwreck

“but there is no one woman who is purely sexy, purely agreeable, purely caring; there is no one devoid of appetite, or sadness, or rage, or the need to be taken care of. there is no “ideal girl.” we tried to manufacture her, at one point, and she turned out to be the biggest wreck of all.” -trainwreck

“dreams steered her through the day, and she needed the slight weight of morning vapor to protect her.” -kink: emotional technologies

“hers was tougher than tough love. it was brutal, industrial-strength. a sinewy love that never gave way to an inch of weakness.” -crying in h mart

“the pressure to perform and cater to others felt like holding in a sneeze.” -crying in h mart

“how cyclical and bittersweet for a child to retrace the image of their mother. for a subject to turn back to document their archivist.” -crying in h mart

“she could have had it sewn to her palm and still be unencumbered by it.” -plain bad heroines

some photos

year in book review 2020

not even going to start making excuses, y’all know why my book count is low this year. here it is, my reading list for the year when it was the perfect time to get a lot of reading done while simultaneously being almost impossible to focus on reading at all.

i did join my first ever book club via zoom with some lovely ladies. those books are indicated with an asterisk*

books read: 26

total pages: 8099

avg. book page count: 311

avg. books per month: 2.16

no. of books that are part of a series: 6

no. of re-reads: 1

1. a room of one’s own by virginia woolf, 112p, 5 stars
2. the view from the cheap seats by neil gaiman, 522p, 2.5 stars
3. the sparrow by maria doria russell, 405p, 5 stars
4. lost girls: books 1-3 by alan moore and melinda gebbie, 112p, 2 stars
5. cari mora by thomas harris, 308p, 4.5 stars
6. holes by louis sachar, 233p, 3.5 stars
7. the flowers of evil by charles baudelaire, 168p, 4 stars
8. mary ventura and the ninth kingdom by sylvia plath, 64p, 5 stars
9. the bell jar by sylvia plath, 244p, 4.5 stars
10. my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh, 289p, 4.5 stars
11. i like to watch by emily nussbaum, 384p, 4 stars*
12. untamed by glennon doyle, 333p, 2 stars*
13. the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins, 540p, 3.5 stars
14. the girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larsson, 590p, 5 stars
15. their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston, 195p, 5 stars*
16. the girl who played with fire by stieg larsson, 725p, 5 stars
17. citizen: an american lyric by claudia rankine, 166p, 5 stars*
18. sister outsider: essays and speeches by audre lorde, 190p, 4.5 stars*
19. i’m not dying with you tonight by kimberly jones and gilly segal, 242p, 3.5 stars
20. the girl who kicked the hornet’s nest by stieg larsson, 820p, 5 stars
21. the ten thousand doors of january by alix e. harrow, 374p, 4.5 stars*
22. the faster i walk the smaller i am by kjersti a. skomsvold, 147p, 2 stars
23. witches, sluts, feminists by kristen j. sollée, 163p, 4.5 stars
24. normal people by sally rooney, 273p, 3.5 stars*
25. and every morning the way home gets longer and longer by fredrik backman, 76p, 4 stars
26. triangle, fanfiction by scullygolightly, 424p, 5 stars

awards:

top five – 1) the millennium trilogy, 2) the sparrow, 3) a room of one’s own, 4) their eyes were watching god, 5) the ten thousand doors of january

longest- the girl who kicked the hornet’s nest, 820p

shortest- mary ventura and the ninth kingdom, 64p

oldest- the flowers of evil, 1857

newest- the ballad of songbirds and snakes, 19.05.2020

top 10 characters- 1) lisbeth salander in the millennium trilogy, 2) sofia mendes in the sparrow, 3) cari mora in cari mora, 4) mary ventura in mary ventura and the ninth kingdom, 5) julian scaller in the ten thousand doors of january, 6) the unnamed protagonist in my year of rest and relaxation, 7) dana scully in triangle, 8) stella gibson in triangle, 9) louise in triangle, 10) emilio sandoz in the sparrow

page to screen adaptations that i’ve seen- holes, the girl with the dragon tattoo (2009, 2011), the girl who played with fire, the girl who kicked the hornet’s nest, normal people

best adaptation- the girl with the dragon tattoo (2011)

worst adaptation- the girl who kicked the hornet’s nest

page to screen adaptations that i haven’t seen- their eyes were watching god

the 2020 reading challenge (abridged):

~a book by an author on the abe list of 100 essential female writers – their eyes were watching god

~a book related to maximilian hell, the noted astronomer and jesuit priest who was born in 1720 – the sparrow

~a book related to time – my year of rest and relaxation

~a book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 most coveted literary prizes in the world’ – triangle on ao3, the 2019 hugo award winner for best related work

~a book that is between 400-600 pages – the view from the cheap seats

~a fantasy book – lost girls: books 1-3

~a book that is a collaboration between two people – i’m not dying with you tonight

~a book with a title that doesn’t contain the letters a, t, or y – holes

~a book by an author whose last name is one syllable – mary ventura and the ninth kingdom

~the first book in a series you haven’t started yet – the girl with the dragon tattoo

~a book that can be read in a day – cari mora

~a book by an author you’ve only read once before – and every morning the way home gets longer and longer

~a book with the major theme of survival – the bell jar

~a book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author – the girl who played with fire

~a book related to the arts – i like to watch

~a book about a non-traditional family – the ten thousand doors of january

~a book with a silhouette on the cover – sister outsider: essays and speeches

~a book from your tbr list that you don’t recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim – the faster i walk the smaller i am

~a mystery – the girl who kicked the hornet”s nest

~a book related to witches – witches, sluts, feminists

~a book about an event or era in history taken from the billy joel song “we didn’t start the fire”- citizen: an american lyric; civil rights, “malcolm x”

~a classic book you’ve always meant to read – a room of one’s own

~a book published in 2020 – the ballad of songbirds and snakes

~a memoir – untamed

~a book of poetry – the flowers of evil

~a book set in a country you’d like to visit but have never been to – normal people, ireland

standout quotes:

“[…] the beauty of the world which is so soon to perish has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder.” a room of one’s own

“no need to hurry. no need to sparkle. no need to be anybody but oneself.” a room of one’s own

“for it needs little skill in psychology to be sure that a highly gifted girl who had tried to use her gift for poetry would have been so thwarted and hindered by other people, so tortured and pulled asunder by her own contrary instincts, that she must have lost her health and sanity to a certainty.” a room of one’s own

“do not start. do not blush. let us admit in the privacy of our own society that these things sometimes happen. sometimes women do like women.” a room of one’s own

“lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no fare, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” a room of one’s own

“credo: i believe that it is difficult to kill an idea. because ideas are invisible and contagious and they move fast.” the view from the cheap seats

“sometimes fiction is a way of coping with the poison of the world in a way that lets us survive it.” the view from the cheap seats

“it was like trying to name rumplestiltskin.” the view from the cheap seats

“he turned to sandoz, hoping that he’d caught the infectious, boyish spirit of getting away with something, of skipping school for a day of stolen freedom…and he was instead a desperately tired man, slumped in the seat beside him, eyes closed against a jarring, exhaustive journey through the city, against new pain layered over scurvy’s constant hemorrhagic ache and a damnable bone-deep weariness that rest could not remedy.” the sparrow

“she resisted both hope and fear. either could weaken you.” the sparrow

“rather than deny the existence of something he couldn’t perceive himself, he acknowledged the authenticity of his uncertainty and carried on, praying in the face of his doubt.” the sparrow

“self-disclosure is almost like sex, she thought. it isn’t easy to bare your soul.” the sparrow

“they have this in common: the continual rushes of confrontation with change, the feeling of being hothoused, forced to bloom early, the exhausting exhilaration of doing the unreasonable not just adequately but well and with grace.” the sparrow

“his eyes were black, bottomless, but flecked now with cold spots of laughter.” mary ventura and the ninth kingdom

“the silence between us was so profound i thought part of it must be my fault.” the bell jar

“did they know that glory was mundane?” my year of rest and relaxation

“the opposite of sensitive is not brave. it’s not brave to refuse to pay attention, to refuse to notice, to refuse to feel and know and imagine. the opposite of sensitive is insensitive, and that’s no badge of honor.” untamed

“what she had realised was that love was that moment when your heart was about to burst.” the girl with the dragon tattoo

“”i’m so blameless i’m choking on it.”” the ballad of songbirds and snakes

“because white men can’t police their imagination, black men are dying.” citizen: an american lyric

“memory is a tough place. you were there. if this is not the truth, it is also not a lie.” citizen: an american lyric

“you can’t drive yourself sane.” citizen: an american lyric

“the world is wrong. you can’t put the past behind you. it’s buried in you; it’s turned your flesh into its own cupboard. not everything remembered is useful but it all comes from the world to be stored in you.” citizen: an american lyric

“for all your previous understandings, suddenly incoherence feels violent.” citizen: an american lyric

“perhaps he could nap now then awake from this nightmare that seemed by its tenacity to actually be his real life.” the ballad of songbirds and snakes

“but here they were safe in a beautiful meadow, two thousand miles away from the arena, awash in daylight but none between them.” the ballad of songbirds and snakes

“oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.” sexism: an american disease in blackface, sister outsider

‪”i had decided never again to speak to white women about racism. i felt it was wasted energy because of destructive guilt and defensiveness, and because whatever i had to say might better be said by white women to another at far less emotional cost to the speaker and probably with a better hearing.‬” an open letter to mary daly, sister outsider

“there are years that ask questions and years that answer.” their eyes were watching god

“there is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought.” their eyes were watching god

‪“she didn’t read books so she didn’t know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop”‬ their eyes were watching god

“”but you wasn’t satisfied wid me de way Ah was. naw! mah own mind had tuh be squeezed and crowded out tuh make room for yours in me.”” their eyes were watching god

“so she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. Soon its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day.” their eyes were watching god

“miss irimu’s face lay in a series of wind-smooth planes, nearly architectural in their perfection, which seemed unlikely ever to be disturbed by the mobility of either a smile or scowl.” The ten thousand doors of january

“there wasn’t any particular reason to hide a scuffed-up novel from mr. stirling, except that there was something vital and wondrous about it, and mr. stirling was more or less the human opposite of vitality and wonder.” the ten thousand doors of january

“men like myself cannot see anything beyond our own pain; our eyes are inward-facing, mesmerized by the sight of our own broken hearts.” the ten thousand doors of january

“he carried the secret around like something large and hot, like an overfull tray of hot drinks that he had to carry everywhere and never spill.” normal people

“this ‘what?’ question seems to him to contain so much: not just the forensic attentiveness to his silences that allows her to ask in the first place, but a desire for total communication, a sense that anything unsaid is an unwelcome interruption between them.” normal people

“the whole trip felt like a series of short films, screened only once, and afterward he had a sense of what they were about but no exact memories of the plot.” normal people

“like the inquisitors, witch finders, and civilian accusers of yore, republican lawmakers and their ongoing attacks against sexual and reproductive health place a woman’s right to bodily autonomy perpetually under siege.” witches, sluts, feminists

“they were sixteen and even the snow was happy that morning, falling soap-bubble light and landing on cold cheeks as though the flakes were gently trying to wake someone they loved. she stood in front of him with january in her hair and he was lost.” and every morning the way home gets longer and longer

some photos:

little women: a christmas project

i reread (well, listened to) little women for the first time since i read it as a youth. it still holds up, and that is the mark of a true classic. the concept sounds so boring, but louisa may alcott makes the mundane engaging and every day details come alive in one’s imagination. the different personalities of the march sisters are fully realized on the page. i wanted to see the many versions of these characters and their humble story, so after listening to the book on tape (thank you, hoopla and the santa cruz public library), i set out to watch the film adaptations. not all, though, because there are a lot, but the main theatrical ones.
(if you have a favorite version that i haven’t written about here, let me know and i’ll check it out.)
based on the book only, jo is my favorite and who i relate to the most. next is amy—she has the most growth; i enjoy the insight to her character especially while she is in europe on her own. beth is precious and it’s impossible not to like her—she has social anxiety and i appreciate this representation. meg is my least favorite because she’s basic. her storyline seems one-dimensional since the get married and have babies narrative is tiresome to me.

film grading:
overall (20pts)
adaptation (20pts)
jo (10pts)
amy (10pts)
beth (10pts)
meg (10pts)
laurie (10 pts)
marmee (10pts)

little women (1933)

dir: george cukor
jo: katherine hepburn
amy: joan bennett
meg: frances dee
beth: jean parker
marmee: spring byington
laurie: douglass montgomery
aunt march: edna may oliver

some thoughts: katherine hepburn makes this film. her performance is incredible and you see what a powerhouse talent she is (and this was only her fourth film!). amy is pretty annoying, but, oddly enough, i do like joan bennett’s portrayal. they had to remake her wardrobe because she was pregnant while filming. this version also has the best scene where laurie tells jo that he and amy are married.

overall- 17
adaptation- 15
jo- 10
amy- 8
beth- 9
meg- 5
laurie- 7
marmee- 8
grade: 79

little women (1949)

dir: mervyn leroy
jo: june allyson
amy: elizabeth taylor
meg: janet leigh
beth: margaret o’brien
marmee: mary astor
laurie: peter lawford
aunt march: lucile watson

some thoughts: jo is great. june allyson really captures jo’s joyous side. and her refusal of laurie’s proposal is the most convincing. i love elizabeth taylor as amy. meg is annoying, which kills me to say because i love janet leigh, and i don’t believe it’s her fault—the fault lies in the character that was put on the page. the writing also makes the relationship between jo and meg weak. beth’s scarlet fever reveal is super melodramatic and awesome.

overall- 16
adaptation- 13
jo- 9
amy- 9
beth- 8
meg- 4
laurie- 7
marmee- 8
grade: 74

little women (1994)

dir: gillian armstrong
jo: winona ryder
amy: kirsten dunst/samantha mathis
meg: trini alvarado
beth: claire danes
marmee: susan sarandon
laurie: christian bale
aunt march: mary wickes

some thoughts: this version includes a lot that the others didn’t. there is some narration from jo which i simultaneously like and dislike. it makes sense storywise, but i didn’t love the execution of it. this film has the book-burning scene, thank god. i cannot believe the others didn’t. it’s so rife with conflict and drama. (there is a great article on bookriot that dissects this scene alongside the one in the 1978 miniseries.)

it’s also the only film that uses two actors for amy. while i see why they did this, it is kind of jarring that she is the only one that aged up this way. winona ryder’s jo is sublime. wherein june allyson portrayed jo’s joyous side the best, winona ryder exhibits her anger most effectively. claire danes’ chin quiver game is strong as fuck. and mary wickes as aunt march is perfect casting.

overall- 18.5
adaptation- 19
jo- 10
amy- 6
beth- 9
meg- 7
laurie- 9
marmee- 8.5
grade: 87

little women (2019)

dir: greta gerwig
jo: saoirse ronan
amy: florence pugh
meg: emma watson
beth: eliza scanlen
marmee: laura dern
laurie: timothée chalamet
aunt march: meryl streep

some thoughts: even before my grading, i knew this would be my favorite. what a blessing to actually enjoy meg in this film! emma watson did a stand-out job making her likable and relatable for me. florence pugh put so much into amy and i see the growth that she had in the book so clearly in her performance. laura dern is, by far, the best marmee i’ve seen. she’s the strong mother figure, but so much more than that. like mary wickes, meryl streep as aunt march is great casting and hers is the least caricature-y of the lot.

saoirse ronan’s jo is a friggin’ delight. the relationships jo has with all the others is most favorably represented in terms of the source material, and thus gives the film as a whole an authenticity that the others didn’t quite reach. the book-burning scene is brilliant and including amy’s time in europe does a great service to the character development of not just amy, but laurie and jo as well.

and the ending, oh my god, the ending! i absolutely love how greta gerwig ended this film. it is a revelation! superb! outstanding!

overall- 20
adaptation- 20
jo- 10
amy- 10
beth- 8.5
meg- 10
laurie- 8.5
marmee- 10
grade: 97

 

year in book review 2019

books read: 20

total pages: 6329

avg. book page count: 316p

avg. books per month: 1.6

no. of books that are a part of a series: 4

no. of re-reads: 3

i set out to read 40 book this year and only managed half that, but i read some AMAZING books so i’ll call it a success. i tried to spice it up with classics, new fiction, plays, and non-fiction; and i discovered some great authors and great works in the process. here it is:

1. lady chatterley’s lover by d.h. lawrence, 384p, 4 stars
2. charlotte’s web by e.b. white, 184p, 4 stars – reread
3. who’s afraid of virginia woolf? by edward albee, 242p, 3.5 stars
4. the rainbow by d.h. lawrence, 495p, 3.5 stars
5. call me by your name by andré aciman, 248p, 5 stars
6. white teeth by zadie smith, 448p, 5 stars
7. the illustrated man by ray bradbury, 280p, 5 stars
8. station eleven by emily st. john mandel, 336p, 5 stars
9. because of winn dixie by kate dicamillo, 182p, 4 stars
10. a doll’s house by henrick ibsen, 104p, 4.5 stars
11. catch and kill by ronan farrow, 414p, 5 stars
12. the dreamers by karen thompson walker, 303p, 4.5 stars
13. the voyeur’s motel by gay talese, 233p, 4 stars
14. the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid, 391p, 5 stars
15. in the dream house by carmen maria machado, 247p, 5 stars
16. the house of mirth by edith wharton, 350p, 5 stars – reread
17. the dutch house by ann patchett, 337p, 4.5 stars
18. little women by louisa may alcott, 400p, 4.5 stars – reread
19. the adventure of the christmas pudding by agatha christie, 363p, 3 stars
20. all the bright places by jennifer niven, 388p, 4 stars

awards:

top five (six)- 1) the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, 2) call me by your name, 3) station eleven, 4) catch and kill, 5) in the dream house, 6) white teeth

longest- the rainbow, 495p

shortest- a doll’s house, 104p

oldest- little women, 1868

newest- in the dream house, 11.5.2019

top 10 characters- 1) evelyn hugo in the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, 2) lily bart in the house of mirth, 3) ursula brangwen in the rainbow, 4) irie in white teeth, 5) miranda in station eleven, 6) nora in a doll’s house, 7) maeve in the dutch house, 8) jo in little women, 9) charlotte in charlotte’s web, 10) mei in the dreamers

page to screen adaptations that i’ve seen- lady chatterley’s lover, charlotte’s web (1973, 2006), who’s afraid of virginia woolf?, call me by your name, because of winn dixie, the voyeur’s motel, the house of mirth, little women (1933, 1949, 1994, 2019)

best adaptation- three-way tie: the house of mirth, call me by your name, little women (2019)

worst adaptation- because of winn dixie

page to screen adaptations that i haven’t seen- the rainbow

the 2019 reading challenge (abridged):
a book becoming a movie in 2020: all the bright places
a book that makes you nostalgic: because of winn dixie
a book you think should turn into a movie: the seven husbands of evelyn hugo
a book with a plant in the title or on the cover: station eleven
a reread of a favorite book: the house of mirth
a book about a hobby: the voyeur’s motel (albeit a disturbing and illegal one)
a book you meant to read in 2018: the illustrated man
a book written by an author that has the same first letter in their first and last name: call me by your name
a book that’s published in 2019: catch and kill
a book recommended by a celebrity you admire: the dutch house recommended by gillian anderson
a book with “christmas” in the title: the adventure of the christmas pudding
a book about a family: a doll’s house
a book you see someone reading on tv or in a movie: lady chatterley’s lover in mad men
a classic: charlotte’s web
a book with a question in the title: who’s afraid of virginia woolf?
a book set on a college or university campus: the dreamers
a book told from multiple POVs: white teeth
a book that includes a wedding: little women
a book with a two-word title: the rainbow
a book with no chapters, unusual chapter headings, or unconventionally numbered chapters: in the dream house

some quotes:

“you have been my friend,” replied charlotte, “that in itself is a tremendous thing.” charlotte’s web

“oh, i like your anger. i think that’s what i like about you most. your anger.” who’s afraid of virginia woolf?

“her eyes shone, her face flowed for him, but like some flower opened in the shade, that could not bear the full light.” the rainbow

“her mind reverted often to the torture cell of a certain bishop of france, in which the victim could neither stand nor lie stretched out, never. Not that she thought of herself in any connection with this. but often there caked into her mind the wonder, how the cell was built, and she could feel the horror of the crampedness, as something very real.” the rainbow

“sometimes, he talked of his father, whom he hated with a hatred that was burningly close to love, of his mother, whom he loved with a love that was keenly close to hatred” the rainbow

“it was such a waste of a beautiful opportunity, such a frost that nipped in the bud one of the beautiful moments of her life.” the rainbow

“so they stood in the utter, dark kiss, that triumphed over them both, subjected them, knitted them into one fecund nucleus of the fluid darkness.” the rainbow

“…there are certain wishes that must be clipped like wings off a thriving butterfly.” call me by your name

“fifteen minutes ago, i was in total agony, every nerve ending, every emotion bruised, trampled, crushed as in mafalda’s mortar, all of it pulverized till you couldn’t tell fear from anger from the merest trickle of desire.” call me by your name

“how wonderful to feel his hands all over me under the sheets, as if part of us, like an advance scouting party, had already arrived at intimacy, while the rest of us, exposed outside the sheets, was still struggling with niceties, like latecomers stamping their feet in the cold while everyone else is warming hands inside a crowded nightclub.” call me by your name

“they were standing side by side on a stretch of black dirt-track russian ground, dressed identically in little triangular caps perched on their heads like paper sailboats, wearing the same itchy standard uniform, their ice-pinched toes resting in the same black boots scattered with the same dust.” white teeth

“archie says science the same way he says modern, as if someone has lent him the words and made him swear not to break them.” white teeth

“something in his tone made kirsten want to run, a suggestion of a trapdoor waiting under every word.” station eleven

“you’re kicking porcupines.” the illustrated man: no particular night or morning

“i can’t see nothing but the general shape of things, so i got to rely on my heart. why don’t you go on and tell me everything about yourself, so i can see you with my heart.” because of winn-dixie

“thinking about her was the same as the hole you keep on feeling with your tongue after you lose a tooth. time after time, my mind kept going to that empty spot, the spot where i felt she should be.” because of winn-dixie

“she tried to concentrate on the sound, but music had always unmoored her, and her thoughts drifted.” station eleven

“she seems to be speaking carefully now, each word a fragile object, pulled from a high shelf.” the dreamers

“his mind is like a school of fish, obscured by dark water. once in a while, though, something tugs on the line.” the dreamers

“it is all packed into those cells, like a portrait painted on a grain of rice.” the dreamers

“sara feels a swell of something else, too: that she has seen all this coming in advance, has been expecting it for years, not this disaster exactly, but some inevitable loss, some sudden coming apart, as if all those nights she lay awake worrying were all of them rehearsal for this.” the dreamers

“not everything that happens in a life can be digested. some events stay forever whole. some images never leave the mind.” the dreamers

“it strikes me as a unique form of power to say your own name when you know that everyone in the room, everyone in the world, already knows it.” the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

“i love you too much to let you live only for me.” the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

“she always made sure the bad was outweighed by so much good. i…well, i didn’t do that for her. i made it fifty-fifty. Which is just about the cruelest thing you can do to someone you love, give them just enough good to make them stick through a hell of a lot of bad.” the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

“it cost so much, caring. i didn’t have any currency to spend on it.” the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

“no one is just a victim or a victor. everyone is somewhere in between. people who go around casting themselves as one or the other are not only kidding themselves, but they’re also painfully unoriginal.” the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

“the tears that come out of me feel as if they were decades in the making. it feels as if some old version of me is leaking out, letting go, saying goodbye in the effort of making room for a new me.” the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

“this fantasy springs up so fully formed it feels like it’s already happened in some past era, as if instead of creating it you’ve just plucked it out of a soup of history and consciousness.” in the dream house

“standing on the other side of the glass, watching the sky playfully pummel the earth like a sibling.” in the dream house

“she was so evidently the victim of the civilization which had produced her, that the links of her bracelet seemed like manacles chaining her to her fate.” the house of mirth

“half the trouble in life is caused by pretending.” the house of mirth

“”don’t you ever mind,” she asked suddenly, “not being rich enough to buy all the books you want?”” the house of mirth

“he knelt by the bed and bent over her, draining their last moment to its lees; and in the silence there passed between them the word which made all clear.” the house of mirth

“love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.” little women

“i’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.” little women

“i like good strong words that mean something.” little women

“conceit spoils the finest genius.” little women

“i’m not afraid of storms, for i’m learning how to sail my ship.” little women

“mr. jesmond made a peculiar noise rather like a hen who’s decided to lay an egg and then thought better of it.” the adventure of the christmas pudding

year in book review 2018

books read: 24

total pages: 6,941

avg. book page count: 289

avg. books per month: 2

no. of books that are a part of a series: 6

no. of re-reads: 0

author events:
david duchovny for miss subways at books inc
kate schatz and miriam klein stahl for rad american women a-z and rad women worldwide at bookshop santa cruz
chelsea clinton for start now!: you can make a difference at bookshop santa cruz
markus zusak for bridge of clay at the santa cruz veterans memorial buidling

my numbers are so WEAK this year. i watched a lot of tv. like so much; it’s ridiculous. but the books i did read were wonderful and fantastic, and i consider 2018 a great year in my bookish life. here’s what i read:

1. revolutionary road by richard yates, 463p, 5 stars
2. 200 women by geoff blackwell and ruth hobday, photographs by kieran escott, 392p, 5 stars
3. harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone by jk rowling, 309p, 5 stars
4. interview with a vampire by anne rice, 342p, 4 stars
5. new boy by tracy chevalier, 206p, 5 stars—blogging for books review
6. harry potter and the chamber of secrets by jk rowling, 341p, 4 stars
7. my best friend’s exorcism by grady hendrix, 332p, 4.5 stars
8. just kids by patti smith, 306p, 4.5 stars
9. the vampire lestat by anne rice, 481p, 5 stars
10. disobedience by naomi alderman, 227p, 5 stars
11. the sunlit night by rebecca dinerstein, 249p, 4 stars
12. girl in a band by kim gordon, 288p, 4 stars
13. miss subways by david duchovny, 309p, 5 stars
14. the house of seven gables by nathaniel hawthorne, 318p, 3.5 stars
15. bird box by josh malerman, 262p, 4.5 stars
16. the hate u give by angie thomas, 444p, 5 stars
17. the wisdom of eve by mary orr, 95p, 4 stars
18. the strange library by haruki murakami, 96p, 5 stars
19. i am malala by malala yousafzai, 207p, 5 stars
20. ramona quimby, age 8 by beverly cleary, 185p, 4.5 stars
21. tomorrow will be different by sarah mcbride, 273p, 5 stars
22. bridge of clay by markus zusak, 464p, 5 stars
23. ramona forever by beverly cleary, 208p, 3 stars
24. start now!: you can make a difference by chelsea clinton, 144 pages, 4 stars

awards:

top five (six)- 1) revolutionary road, 2) disobedience, 3) miss subways, 4) the hate u give, 5) tomorrow will be different, 6) bridge of clay

longest- the vampire lestat, 481p

shortest- the wisdom of eve, 95p

oldest- the house of seven gables published in 1851

newest- bridge of clay by markus zusak published 10.09.2018

top 10 characters- 1) gabrielle de lioncourt in the vampire lestat, 2) april in revolutionary road, 3) hermione in harry potter books 1 & 2, 4) mimi in new boy, 5) ronit in disobedience, 6) clay in bridge of clay, 7) eve in the wisdom of eve, 8) tom in bird box, 9) lisa in the hate u give, 10) ron weasley in harry potter books 1 & 2

page to screen adaptations that i’ve seen- revolutionary road, harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone, interview with a vampire, harry potter and the chamber of secrets, disobedience, bird box, the wisdom of eve

best adaptation: revolutionary road

worst adaptation: disobedience (it’s a great film on its own, but a poor adaptation)

page to screen adaptations that i haven’t seen- the house of seven gables, the hate u give

the 2018 reading challenge (abridged):
a book made into a movie you’ve already seen: the wisdom of eve (all about eve, 1950)
a book written by someone under 30: tomorrow will be different
a book about a villain or anti-hero: interview with a vampire
the next book in a series: ramona forever
a book about death or grief: just kids
a book with a female author that uses a male pseudonym: harry potter and the chamber of secrets
a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist: disobedience
a book that is also a stage play or musical: new boy (othello)
a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you: i am malala
a book about feminism: 200 women
a book that was borrowed or given as a gift: the vampire lestat
a book about or involving a sport: bridge of clay (horse racing)
a book with alliteration in the title: revolutionary road
a book with a weather element in the title: the sunlit night
a book with an animal in the title: bird box
a book with characters who are twins: harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone
a childhood classic you’ve never read: ramona quimby, age 8
a book published in 2018: start now!: you can make a difference
a book set in the decade you were born: my best friend’s exorcism
a book that involves a bookstore or library: the strange library
an allegory: miss subways
a book about a problem facing society today: the hate u give
a book you’ve owned for awhile: the house of seven gables
a memoir: girl in a band

some quotes:

“…and don’t fall so madly in with the night that you lose your way!” interview with a vampire

“the name was so foreign that dee could not find a hook in it to hang onto. it was like trying to climb a smooth boulder.” new boy

“…yet i feared we could never reach that place again, but would shuttle back and forth like the ferryman’s children, across our river of tears.” just kids

“jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine.” just kids

“gargantuan silver limousines navigated the narrow french quarter streets like indestructible sea beasts.” the vampire lestat

“all the things i ever wanted to say were clear to me and that is what mattered, not that they be expressed.” the vampire lestat

“a million souls on the tessellated surface of the night, and coming soft on the air a dim mingling of countless human voices.” the vampire lestat

“it will be rage until i have proof that it must be grief, i thought.” the vampire lestat

“and the shock in me melted slowly into another emotion, no less painful, merely easier to contain.” the vampire lestat

“haldor was no priest, but he was righteous. he had the once-removed righteousness of an actor playing the president.” the sunlit night

“there were the vases: in a box labeled Vases with my mother’s porcelain handwriting.” the sunlit night

“out of context, she had behaved out of character. it made one wonder at the independence of character from place and from there to the strange, malleable liquidity of character itself.” miss subways

“‘…and if one of them were to be broken, my heart would break with it. but it is nonsense to speak so about a brittle teacup, when i remember what my heart has gone through without breaking.’” the house of the seven gables

“in hepzibah’s tone, at that moment, as if the words, commonplace as there were, had been steeped in the warmth of her heart.” the house of the seven gables

“at last, therefore, and after so long estrangement from everything that the world acted or enjoyed, they had been drawn into the great current of human life, and were swept away with it, as by the suction of fate itself.” the house of the seven gables

“even his breath seemed to come out of him only to escape.” bridge of clay

“he might as well have tumbled from the wardrobe, or appeared from under the bed:
A meek and mixed-up monster.
A nightmare, suddenly fresh.” bridge of clay

“the sun was some sort of barbarian, a viking in the sky.
it plundered, it pillaged.
it got its hands on everything, from the tallest stick of concrete to the smallest cap in the water.” bridge of clay

“when we hit a piano key and it makes no sound, we hit it again, because we have to. we need to hear something, and we hope it isn’t a mistake—“ bridge of clay

“it was huge and massive and humongous. it was every expression he’d ever heard used, to describe something undefeatable.” bridge of clay

“new boy” book review

“new boy” by tracy chevalier

5 stars

“new boy” is a retelling of shakespeare’s “othello.” i don’t know if me not being familiar with that story helped or hindered my enjoyment of this book, but, it kept my rapt interest from start to finish. i read it in a day. every time i put it down, my thoughts would wander to the playground at that d.c. middle school. what would happen next?

these kids go through a lot in the course of one school day. they experience big emotions and face big, real world problems. the themes of jealousy and discrimination are played out among a cast of characters that confront these feelings with raw honesty yet are confused by them because it is a confusing time. it’s an age of transition—an age where you start thinking for yourself, but the influences of grown up opinions and actions muddle things. expectations conflict with their innate sense of right and wrong.

the story is told from the POV of several characters, so one can empathize or understand their actions and reactions. it also creates a sense of dread of how it will end. shakespeare is good at weaving in drama, but his plays can be difficult to understand. chevalier takes the heightened drama of the story, but puts it in simple terms—from the views of children. though that is not to say it’s dumbed-down shakespeare, by any means. it’s the big themes told in a relatable story.

i received a copy of  “new boy” from blogging for books in an exchange for this honest review.

portlandia

i started reviewing portlandia for tell tale tv after the first episode aired for its seventh season. i don’t like having things unfinished, so i am writing my review for season 7 episode 1 here and then linking the rest of the season’s episodes.

portlandia is a consistently funny sketch comedy show—much more consistently funny than snl, in my opinion. fred armisen has solidified a place in my heart as one of my favorite comedians, sketch or otherwise. carrie brownstein is super versatile and can act the shit out of any role; male, female, or non-binary.

the sketches are topical and quirky, and there are a ton of cool guest stars like steve buscemi and kyle maclachlan. there are recurring characters that you can’t help but fall in love with like nina and lance, and toni and candace. armisen and brownstein both have musical backgrounds, so indie music is often a subject or used to enhance sketches.

here is my review for portlandia: 7.1 “the storytellers:”

portlandia’s penultimate season starts off with a strong episode with one of the best guest stars of the season, claire danes. she plays an acting coach that helps fred and carrie become better storytellers. they need a lot of work in this department. “what was that abortion story?”

the process of excavating and creating an atmosphere in order to tell a simple story at a party is taken outlandishly too far, and that is what makes so many portlandia sketches so great. this one is a perfect example.

another example is the skit with snl’s vanessa bayer. the hotel concierge takes customer service to an astronomically annoying level, and then later the weird room service waiter adds to it. why is everything individually wrapped? in the end she does the only logical thing and jumps out of the window.

the goths are recurring characters that i always love to see. they would probably hate this, but i think they are just delightful. seeing them navigate bed, bath, and beyond (with the help of jamie) is something i didn’t know i needed.

commercials for non-existent products and services are another strong aspect to portlandia. on “storytellers” we get germy, a child’s toy made of beard hair and germs to strengthen kids’ immune systems. naturally, this is gross, and the little sub-plot romance between the mom in the ad (natasha lyonne) and the doctor (mitchell hurwitz) makes for the quirky spoof at which portlandia is so adept.

all in all, “storytellers” is a great kick-off to the season.

here are links to my reviews of the rest of season 7 with some quick thoughts:

7.2 “carrie dates a hunk”
-introduces meninists andy and drew who became some of my favorites characters this season.
-“the hunks are taking over again. i’ve seen it with my own eyes. my own four eyes, if you know what I mean.” brilliant.

7.3 “fred’s cell phone company”
-lance and nina’s first season 7 appearance.

7.4 “separation anxiety”
-a bit of a bummer since toni and candace are some of my favorites, but there is this line: “oh, i can crack any nut. once i crack that nut, i smash it. i turn it into nut butter.”

7.5 “amore”
-rachel dratch and veep’s sam richardson are fantastic guest stars.

7.6 “friend replacement”
-laurie metcalf steals the show.

7.7 “portland secedes”
-mr. mayor! i wish this main plot was executed a little better.

7.8 “ants”
-solid ep.

7.9 “passenger rating”
-steve buscemi directs!

7.10 “misunderstood miracles”
-the season finale is ok. the main sketch is strange, but the rest is pure portlandia fun.

bonus:

read my review of the rad portlandia cookbook here.

year in book review 2017

books read: 42

total pages: 13,114

avg. book page count: 312

avg. books per month: 3.5

no. of books that are a part of a series: 7

no. of re-reads: 3

i fell short of my goal of 52, but i also wrote a lot this year. i reviewed bates motel, twin peaks, and veep at just about write; and portlandia, the goldbergs, will, and mary kills people at tell tale tv. i conducted six interviews, covered two cons, and did a number of feature pieces as well as contributed to many listicles, panels, and roundtables.

1. americanah by chimamanda ngozi adiche, 588p, 5 stars
2. matilda by roald dahl, 240p, 5 stars
3. yes please by amy poehler, 329p, 4.5 stars
4. bossypants by tina fey, 275p, 4 stars
5. the princess diarist by carrie fisher, 257p, 5 stars
6. postcards from the edge by carrie fisher, 226p, 3.5 stars
7. carve the mark by veronica roth, 468p, 3.5 stars
8. bad feminist by roxane gay, 318p, 5 stars
9. difficult women by roxane gay, 260p, 4.5 stars
10. hitler by voller ullrich, 758p, 3.5 stars
11. in a different key by john donvan and caren zucker, 616p, 4 stars
12. dear ijeawele by chimamanda ngozi adiche, 80p, 5 stars
13. we by gillian anderson and jennifer nadel, 308p, 5 stars
14. andorra by peter cameron, 263p, 5 stars
15. tales of desire by tennessee williams, 104p, 5 stars
16. kindred spirits by rainbow rowell, 56p, 4 stars
17. the handmaid’s tale by margaret atwood, 295p, 5 stars
18. norse mythology by neil gaiman, 297p, 4 stars
19. murder on the orient express by agatha christie, 274p, 4 stars
20. anansi boys by neil gaiman, 334p, 5 stars
21. great expectations by charles dickens, 518p, 4 stars
22. chemistry by weike wang, 211p, 3 stars
23. a vision of fire by gillian anderson and jeff rovin, 292p, 3 stars
24. good omens by terry pratchett and neil gaiman, 390p, 5 stars
25. here i am by jonathan safran foer 571p, 5 stars
26. the x-files: cold cases by joe harris, 100p, 1.5 stars
27. the x-files: stolen lives by joe harris, 100p, 1 star
28. crooked house by agatha christie, 236p, 5 stars
29. the lady detective and the writer by mldrgrl 1239p, 5 stars
30. wintry peacock by dh lawrence, 110p, 4 stars
31. otherworld by jason segal and kirsten miller, 355p, 4 stars
32. whatever happened to baby jane? by henry farrell, 304p, 3.5 stars
33. the ocean at the end of the lane by neil gaiman, 181p, 5 stars
34. the remains of the day by kazuo ishiguro, 245p, 5 stars
35. the good times are killing me by lynda barry, 132p, 2.5 stars
36. pride and prejudice and zombies by jane austen and seth grahame-smith, 317p, 2.5 stars
37. dog man: a tale of two kitties by dav pilkey, 256p, 3.5 stars
38. let it snow by john green, maureen johnson, and lauren myracle, 352p, 2.5 stars
39. sarah by jt leroy, 166p, 2.5 stars
40. a man called ove by fredrik backman, 337p, 5 stars
41. we by gillian anderson and jennifer nadel, 2nd reading, 308p, 5 stars
42. we should all be feminists by chimamanda ngozi adiche, 48p, 5 stars

awards:

top five- 1) americanah, 2) good omens, 3) a man called ove, 4) the remains of the day, 5) andorra

longest- the lady detective and the writer, 1239p

shortest- we should all be feminists, 48p

oldest-  great expectations by charles dickens published in 1861

newest- otherworld by jason segal and kirsten miller published 10.31.2017

top 10 characters- 1) miss quay in andorra, 2) matilda in matilda, 3) sonja in a man called ove, 4) magda in crooked house, 5) anathema device in good omens, 6) ifemelu in americanah, 7) miss havisham in great expectations, 8) lettie hempstock in the ocean at the end of the lane, 9) stella gibson in the lady detective and the writer, 10) miss kenton in the remains of the day

page to screen adaptations that i’ve seen- matilda, postcards from the edge, the handmaid’s tale, murder on the orient express (1974 and 2017), great expectations (2011), crooked house, whatever happened to baby jane, the remains of the day, pride and prejudice and zombies

best adaptation: murder on the orient express (1974)

worst adaptation: murder on the orient express (2017)

the 2017 reading challenge:
a goodreads choice award winner 2016- n/a
a book with at least 2 perspectives- the lady detective and the writer
a book you meant to read in 2016- yes please
a title that doesn’t contain the letter ‘e’- sarah
historical fiction- the remains of the day
a book being released as a movie in 2017- crooked house
a book with an animal on the cover or in the title- wintry peacock
a book written by a person of color- dear ijeawele
a book in the middle of your tbr list- whatever happened to baby jane?
a dual timeline novel- n/a
a category from another challenge- a vision of fire, reread
a book based on a myth- anansi boys
a book rec from one of your favorite authors- n/a
a book with a strong female character- matilda
a book written or set in scandinavia- a man called ove (sweden)
a mystery- the x-files: cold cases
a book with illustrations- the good times are killing me
a really long book (600+ pages)- in a different key
a nyt best seller- the princess diarist
a book that you’ve owned for awhile- n/a
a book that is a continuation of a book you’ve read- the x-files: stolen lives
a book by an author you’ve never read before- postcards from the edge
a book from the bbc ‘the big read’- great expectations
a book written by at least 2 authors- otherworld
a book about a famous historical figure- hitler
an adventure book- kindred spirits
a book by one of your favorite authors- we
non-fiction- bad feminist
a book published outside the 4 major publishing houses- pride and prejudice and zombies
a book from the goodreads top 100 ya novels- n/a
a book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre- difficult women
a book with a long title (5+ words not including the subtitle)- murder on the orient express
a magical realism novel- the ocean at the end of the lane
a book set in or by an author from the southern hemisphere- n/a
a book where the main character is royalty- carve the mark
a hugo award winner or nominee- n/a
a book you choose at random- here i am
a novel inspired by a work of classical literature- dog man
epistolary fiction- the handmaid’s tale
a book published in 2017- we
a book with an unreliable narrator- andorra
a best book of the 21st century- good omens
a book with a chilling atmosphere- let it snow
a rec from ‘what should i read next?’- n/a
a book with a one word title- chemistry
a time travel novel- n/a
a past suggestion that didn’t win- we should all be feminists
a banned book- the handmaid’s tale
a book from someone else’s bookshelf- bossypants
a penguin modern classic- n/a
a collection- tales of desire
set in a fictional location- norse mythology

some quotes:

“anger and embarrassment are often neighbors.” yes please

“playing the Game of Privilege is mental masturbation–it only feels good to those playing the game.” bad feminist

“he sleeps soundly despite many reasons he should not.” difficult women “break all the way down”

“pretty isn’t always what you see. sometimes pretty is what you feel.” difficult women “the sacrifice of darkness”

“it was a dark, ugly thing to see such greed cloaked in false good.” difficult women “the sacrifice of darkness”

“i exist beneath and beyond the facts of my life.” we

“our goal as activists is simple: to reduce the amount of avoidable suffering that exists in the world.” we

“teach her not to attach value to difference.” dear ijeawele

“it is a shame that we so quickly lose that ability to believe in things; it limits the opportunities we have to transform ourselves, for it puts the awful burden of transforming ourselves on ourselves.” andorra

“don’t forget that you will find it sometimes but other times you won’t be lucky, and those are the times when you have got to be patient, since patience is what you must have when you don’t have luck.” tales of desire “the mysteries of the joy rio”

“ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it.” the handmaid’s tale

“no mother is ever, completely, a child’s idea of what a mother should be, and i suppose it works the other way around as well.” the handmaid’s tale

“”how do you take your coffee?” “dark as night, sweet as sin.”” anansi boys

“heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. i was better after i had cried than before—more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” great expectations

“so throughout life our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise.” great expectations

“[…] blood rushing from developing brains to developing genitals and back again in the zero-sum game of puberty.” here i am

“silence can be as irrepressible as laughter. and it can accumulate like weightless snowflakes. it can collapse a ceiling.” here i am

“but it is the fate of human beings to live on. and it is the fate of clouds that seem nothing but hits of vapor slowly to pile up, and fill the heavens and blacken the sun entirely.” wintry peacock “england my england”

“and when she giggled she sounded the way ove imagined champagne bubbles would if they were capable of laughter” a man called ove

“ove had never been asked how he’d lived before her met her, but if anyone had asked him, he would’ve answered that he didn’t.” a man called ove

“in a different key” book review

“in a different key: the story of autism” by john donvan and caren zucker

4 stars

this history of autism is complete with in depth analyses of case studies, extensive background on the many forms of research in the field, and heartbreaking real life stories of those on the spectrum, their families and friends, and the doctors and scientists that studied the condition.

it is so comprehensive, that i often felt out of my element while reading it. many of the stories are told quite well, fitting in the research and science in an easy way for a layperson to understand, and to empathize with the subjects. it was not a lack of dynamic storytelling that made it take me so long to get through. it was simply my struggle with non-fiction. i was never itching to get back to it, although i found all of it fascinating.

the personal stories, especially the ones of triumph after bitter diversity were uplifting, and i was filled with a feeling of hope upon completing the book. although the book is easy to read, it can be somewhat clinical at times, and i wish it was a little more accessible to the average reader.

i received a copy of  “in a different key” from blogging for books in an exchange for this honest review.