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Reading Wrap-Up: May 2023
Jun. 8th, 2023 03:41 amSupernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie (nonfiction) -
As the title suggests, this was all about how animals (including humans) navigate, and the experiments conducted to figure out how they do it. It was interesting, but a little dry at times and basically every chapter ended with some variation of "but more research is needed."
A Lady For a Duke by Alexis Hall (library) -
This popped up in my library's LGBTQ+ Historical Romance section, and the premise & sample chapters (Regency romance with a trans lead, childhood friends, secret identities, etc) really intrigued me. After being presumed dead at the Battle of Waterloo, the heroine Viola takes the opportunity to transition and start a new life. Two years later, that new life brings her back into contact with her childhood best friend and war comrade, the Duke of Gracewood, who is suffering from PTSD and still deep in mourning over her supposed death. Regency romance shenanigans ensue.
Unfortunately, the plot really slowed down in the middle, and then the climax took a sharp left turn into violence and sexual harassment that did not match the tone of the previous 400+ pages at all. Had it been that kind of book from the start I wouldn't have minded so much, but the abrupt shift really squicked me out.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell (nonfiction, library) -
Another self-explanatory title, this book examined the way words are used to lure people in and keep them in cults. It covered some interesting topics, but it was a lot shallower than I hoped it would be. For example, the chapter that said it was about speaking in tongues -which I was looking forward to since the church/cult I grew up in was very into speaking in tongues- was instead almost entirely about the author's own brief (and ultimately uneventful) brush with Scientology. It did have a decently deep dive into both MLM and "cult fitness" group tactics, but overall it was disappointing.
Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, & Briar's Book (Circle of Magic #1-4) by Tamora Pierce (library audiobooks, rereads) -
Middle-grade fantasy about a quartet of craft mages discovering their power and becoming best friends. I have read these many times in print (like the Tortall books, they're childhood nostalgia comfort rereads for me), but this is my first time listening to the audiobook versions. They're full-cast versions, with Tamora Pierce herself doing the rest of the narration. Apparently Bruce Coville is the co-founder of the audiobook company that did the production, and he also did the voice of Niko (although his voice isn't at all how I imagined Niko in the past). The voice actors for Briar and Rosethorn were excellent, and Briar's Book hits very differently post-Covid.
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2023 Reading Goal Progress: 30 of 50 total books (over halfway!), 11 of 7 nonfiction.
Currently Reading: A History of the United States in Five Crashes: Stock Market Meltdowns that Defined A Nation by Scott Nations for nonfiction, The Grief of Stones (Cemeteries of Amalo #2) by Katherine Addison for fiction, and Magic Steps (The Circle Opens #1) by Tamora Pierce for audiobook.
I keep forgetting that I avoid ebooks because reading on a backlit screen before bed messes with my sleep quality, and even audiobooks have me checking the screen way too often. So, somewhat less of that from now on lol. I do want to listen to the Circle Reforged series, which I never got around to when it came out because they were audiobook originals at a time when they were significantly less accessible. My library app doesn't have The Circle Opens 3 & 4 in audiobook format, though .
As the title suggests, this was all about how animals (including humans) navigate, and the experiments conducted to figure out how they do it. It was interesting, but a little dry at times and basically every chapter ended with some variation of "but more research is needed."
A Lady For a Duke by Alexis Hall (library) -
This popped up in my library's LGBTQ+ Historical Romance section, and the premise & sample chapters (Regency romance with a trans lead, childhood friends, secret identities, etc) really intrigued me. After being presumed dead at the Battle of Waterloo, the heroine Viola takes the opportunity to transition and start a new life. Two years later, that new life brings her back into contact with her childhood best friend and war comrade, the Duke of Gracewood, who is suffering from PTSD and still deep in mourning over her supposed death. Regency romance shenanigans ensue.
Unfortunately, the plot really slowed down in the middle, and then the climax took a sharp left turn into violence and sexual harassment that did not match the tone of the previous 400+ pages at all. Had it been that kind of book from the start I wouldn't have minded so much, but the abrupt shift really squicked me out.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell (nonfiction, library) -
Another self-explanatory title, this book examined the way words are used to lure people in and keep them in cults. It covered some interesting topics, but it was a lot shallower than I hoped it would be. For example, the chapter that said it was about speaking in tongues -which I was looking forward to since the church/cult I grew up in was very into speaking in tongues- was instead almost entirely about the author's own brief (and ultimately uneventful) brush with Scientology. It did have a decently deep dive into both MLM and "cult fitness" group tactics, but overall it was disappointing.
Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, & Briar's Book (Circle of Magic #1-4) by Tamora Pierce (library audiobooks, rereads) -
Middle-grade fantasy about a quartet of craft mages discovering their power and becoming best friends. I have read these many times in print (like the Tortall books, they're childhood nostalgia comfort rereads for me), but this is my first time listening to the audiobook versions. They're full-cast versions, with Tamora Pierce herself doing the rest of the narration. Apparently Bruce Coville is the co-founder of the audiobook company that did the production, and he also did the voice of Niko (although his voice isn't at all how I imagined Niko in the past). The voice actors for Briar and Rosethorn were excellent, and Briar's Book hits very differently post-Covid.
__________________________________________________________
2023 Reading Goal Progress: 30 of 50 total books (over halfway!), 11 of 7 nonfiction.
Currently Reading: A History of the United States in Five Crashes: Stock Market Meltdowns that Defined A Nation by Scott Nations for nonfiction, The Grief of Stones (Cemeteries of Amalo #2) by Katherine Addison for fiction, and Magic Steps (The Circle Opens #1) by Tamora Pierce for audiobook.
I keep forgetting that I avoid ebooks because reading on a backlit screen before bed messes with my sleep quality, and even audiobooks have me checking the screen way too often. So, somewhat less of that from now on lol. I do want to listen to the Circle Reforged series, which I never got around to when it came out because they were audiobook originals at a time when they were significantly less accessible. My library app doesn't have The Circle Opens 3 & 4 in audiobook format, though .
