FairyBookAunt

Here’s the reading challenge that I’m going to be following this year! While my over all goal is 55 books - my plan is to hit all of these thirty categories at least once. Feel free to play along!

Categories: Author I’ve read, arguably current events, 5+ years, body count, non human characters (I’ll be using it for this one), a book you SHOULD read.

Shadow and Bone By Leigh Bardugo. I read this book again because I'd like to read this series before the Netflix show comes out this year. I know I liked it more this time than I did the first time I read it. It follow Alina Starkov, a scrawny little nobody who learns her destiny is a lot more than she had signed up for. She is a Grisha (think witch) - and a very special kind at that. Alina can summon the sunlight. It's an interesting story about power and what people will do to possess it. It's about love and what we do for those around us. This was Bardugo's first book – and it shows. After this series, she wrote the Six of Crows books - which are arguably in the top ten of my favorite books. They’re set in the same universe and they are vastly more interesting. I also read the first book in the series that follows that one, King of Scars and I really enjoyed that – although admittedly I didn’t understand all of it because I never finished this first series. I didn't connect to Alina and I still don't - but I am interested in this world around her and I would like more of it. I don't hate her, but she leaves me face palming a lot. I'm hoping she learns a bit as the series continues - I guess we're going to see. Categories: Currently being turned into a show, author I’ve read before, more than 5 years old, series, monster, journey, magic.

Book 2: SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson is the author’s memoir, written as a novel in verse. I read a lot of her books growing up, and I’ve even taught Speak twice. This memoir was a ride. It was a look into a lot of complicated pieces of her life, and their lives of her parents, which in turn impacted her life. I listened to this one as an audiobook, and Anderson was the one reading it. Often times, I found myself muttering holy shit under my breath. I think it spoke a lot to how trauma can become generational. The book, apparently according to Amazon is in fact for teen readers. While Speak is often taught to ninth graders – I don’t know that I would throw them towards the deep end with this one because I feel like there isn’t enough to help them work through all the very adult things Anderson is trying to address. (Honestly, that’s one of the limits of novels in verse sometimes, I think). That isn’t to say they too don’t go through it – I just feel like I would shift this one up towards maybe the 11th graders who appreciated Speak in 9th? This book was rough; it dealt with rape, abuse (both spousal and parental – but I’m not even sure it quiet accepted that that was exactly what was going on). I learned a lot – and honestly, I think it has informed my reading of some of her books. My favorite by her was probably The Impossible Knife of Memory and hearing the stories about her father made that one seem a lot more personal. For now, I’m going to call this my memoir, but I might change it to my author from my state (NY) later. Other categories include: family, novel in verse, one word title, author I’ve read before, and arguable character with a mental illness.

I loved the first one of these books so I was pretty excited about the second one. The From a Certain Point of View books take the Star Wars movies and add in 40 stories each book that revolve around side characters. I love it because I feel like it gives the world more depth – and can also add more emotion when you go back and watch the movies (and point out to whoever is stuck with you) all the new extra stuff to random characters. I will consent that these are basically fanfiction – but I’m cool with that. There were fewer authors I recognized in this line up, but Hank Green was given a story and so was Beth Revis (who wrote Rebel Rising the Jyn Erso prequel to my favorite Star Wars movie Rogue One). I love that these books give voices to droids, creatures, previously nameless Strom Troopers who have had enough and defect during the occupation of Cloud City. In this book Alexander Freed gave me more Red Squadron pilots and it makes me even more excited for the announced Rogue Squadron movie. Basically what I’m saying is that if you’re a Star Wars human, you will likely really enjoy this book. If I had to find a critique, I would like to express some frustration with the universe and not necessarily this book; there’s diversity here. There are characters of color (who are treated well) and there are Queer characters – and while I love that it becomes a reminder that the on screen Start Wars seems so hesitant to take the real plunge. Categories for this book include: felt good to read, a hero, a body count, over 400 pages, more than one author, from a series, a family, featuring an LGBTQ+ character, a Monster, at least one nonhuman character