nomadreader

April may have been the month my reading came back to earth. I still managed eight books, which is about two a week. Interestingly, that's what I typically average for print/ebook reading in a month. What's missing? I didn't finish a single audiobook in April, when I have been finishing four a month. I've been listening to my current audiobook since mid-March. Since I spend most of my waking hours with my spouse and kid or working, I've lost most of my solo audiobook time. I have no problem reading a book when we're hanging out together, but somehow it seems odd to put on my headphones on when we're all in the same room together! Honestly, given how stressful work is during the week, I'm amazed I managed to read eight books. I read erratically during the week and then read most of the weekend. I think it's a testament to how important choosing the right book for the right time is for me now. All eight books were at least a four star read, but two wer...

March continued my fantastic reading of 2020. As I did in February, I read twelve books, which brought my yearly total to 35. In 2019, I didn't hit 35 books until July. Comics Everything Is Teeth  by Evie Wyld  I've read one of Evie Wyld's novels before, and I've had this graphic memoir checked out from the the library for years (art by Joe Sumner.) I finally read it, and like All the Birds, Singing  ( my review ), it left me wanting more. The prose is sparse and focused on Wyld's fascination with sharks. It's an interesting, quick read. (3 stars) The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg I didn't know what to expect from this graphic novel, and after reading it, it's both hard to describe and better if you go in with no expectations, so I'll simply say: it's a delightful, fascinating fictional history and mythology. (4 stars) Mysteries & Thrillers Blessed are the Peacemakers  and Blessed are the Merciful  by Kris...

February, despite being the shortest month of the year, was an even better reading month than January . I read twelve books in February, including four 5-star reads. The Ones I Didn't Love The Scent Keeper  by Erica Bauermeister I admit: this book did not appeal to me at all, but I picked it up when Reese Witherspoon picked it as the February book club pick . I have a very poor sense of smell, so it's not terribly surprising that a book all about smells might not be for me. I also found the story problematic in many ways. I enjoyed the second half more, but I'm not the right reader for this book. (2 stars) Island of the Lost  by Joan Druett This exploration of a crew shipwrecked on the Auckland Islands had all the makings of gripping nonfiction. While the story is fascinating, the execution was underwhelming. I listened to the audio, so it's hard to know if it was the writing or narration (or maybe both) that made it hard to engage with this book. It was intere...

January was a great way to start my reading year. I read eleven books, and five of them were 5-star reads. Here are my quick thoughts on each of the eleven reads. Nonfiction Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger  by Rebecca Traister I adored  All the Single Ladies , which Traister also narrated herself. I highly recommend both.  Good and Mad  is brilliant, cathartic, and necessary reading. (5 stars) Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope  by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn  I liked Jennifer Garner's narration. She reads with compassion and care. The issues are well-researched and combined with compelling human interest stories, so readers get both the big picture and the personal impact. I wish the geographic scope were broader. It's mostly set in Kristof's hometown, but it's told in first-person plural (Kristof and WuDunn are married), so at times the audio was confusing with a single female narrator. Overall, recommended, bu...