Fairy Tales, Small Towns, and Stalkers

Current Read: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Current Listen: New York by Edward Rutherfurd

Finished three more things! It's been a pretty relaxing weekend, and I've been listening to my audio book while shopping and running errands. Also, I just really needed to know how You ended, and I was NOT disappointed. This was a book I found that was promoted by Audible, and every review I read just raved about the reader, Santino Fontana. Fontana was the prince in the Broadway cast of Cinderella and the voice of Hans in Frozen, so I bought the book out of curiosity. He was an excellent, excellent reader, second only in my experience to Davina Porter, who reads the Outlander series.

You takes place in contemporary New York City and is narrated by Joe, a very intelligent loner who manages a rare and used book store. One day, Guinevere Beck walks into the bookshop and Joe is hooked on her. The whole book is a conversation with "Beck," and he goes to phenomenal lengths to get to know her and to win her love. He is basically a stalker, but never have I been so understanding of someone who should by all accounts be terrifying. I was reminded a bit of Lolita in that I found myself understanding where Joe was coming from against my better judgment. It was an awesome, fun thriller, and I was kept interested despite the fact that I am not normally drawn to this genre. I just discovered via Goodreads that there will be a sequel, also starring Joe! I'm slightly skeptical--I feel like a sequel might be a little formulaic--but I'll definitely read it.

I also finished Renee Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn yesterday evening. I was about a third of the way through it, then read it at the gym, then came home and just read until I finished it. I love YA, and this title falls into a category that I love even MORE, the YA that re-imagines an old fairy tale. This is an AWESOME retelling of Scheherazade. The Caliph of Khorasan takes a new wife every evening and strangles her the next morning. Shahrzad's best friend is taken and killed in this way, and Shazi decides to volunteer to be his next bride in order to exact her revenge. She discovers that things are not as they seem, and there is a lot of tormented, forbidden love. It was super fun, and I'm so, so glad that a sequel comes out next May. The sequel is a fortunate happening not just because I can't get enough of these characters, but because it is easier to resist purchasing a book if I know I'll have to buy the sequel as well. Not that I would be upset if someone gave me the complete set of the Lunar Chronicles for Christmas once the last book comes out.

Finally, I decided to use the weekend to breeze through Our Town, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Thornton Wilder.I'm sure that if I saw the play, I would be weeping all the way through Act III, but plays just don't translate very well for me unless I get a bunch of people together to read different parts, a la high school English. Worth reading, though. With these books, I've completed my Goodreads challenge to myself of reading 55 books this year, which means I need to up the ante considerably for next year. Updated challenging for those following along at home:

A book with more than 500 pages: Drums in Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

A classic romance:

A book that became a movie: Paper Towns by John Green

A book published this year: Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins

A book with a number in the title: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A book written by someone under 30: My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart

A book with nonhuman characters: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A funny book: Grace’s Guide by Grace Helbig

A book by a female author: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

A mystery or a thriller: Doll Bones by Holly Black

A book with a one-word title: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

A book of short stories: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

A book set in a different country: Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

A nonfiction book: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

A popular author’s first book: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

A book a friend recommended: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A book based on a true story: Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald

A book at the bottom of your to-read list:

A book your mom loves: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

A book that scares you: The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon

A book more than 100 years old:

A book based entirely on its cover: Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t:

A memoir: Yes, Please! by Amy Poehler

A book you can finish in a day: Hidden by Helen Frost

A book with antonyms in the title:

A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

A book that came out the year you were born:

A book with bad reviews: Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde

A trilogy: Legend trilogy by Marie Lu

A book from your childhood: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A book with a love triangle: Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

A book set in the future: Cress by Marissa Meyer

A book set in high school: Armada by Ernest Cline

A book with a color in the title: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

A book that made you cry: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

A book with magic: Wild Born by Brandon Mull

A graphic novel: Watchmen by Alan Moore

A book by an author you’ve never read before: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

A book you own but have never read: You by Caroline Kepnes

A book that takes place in your hometown: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

A book that was originally written in a different language: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A book set during Christmas:

A book written by an author with your same initials:Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

A play: Our Town by Thornton Wilder

A banned book: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

A book based on or turned into a TV show:

A book you started but never finished:

I've swapped out a few titles that I read as part of the Young Hoosier Book Award nominations (I read them all for school) in favor of titles that I enjoyed more. Not that anyone noticed, which is fine.

That's all she read!

Philosopher Teens, Aliens, and Wil Wheaton

Current Read: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Current Listen; You by Caroline Kepnes (narrated by Santino Fontana wow he's so good)

My name is Katie, and it has been one day since I purchased a book.

BUT I HAD TO. I REALLY DID.

Because Aristotle and Dante. I finished that book and legitimately wanted to read it again that second. One of the most honest looks at the teenage experience that I've ever read. And it was narrated by a teenage boy, which is rare and wonderful, and that teenage boy was Mexican American, which is even more rare and wonderful. AND it dealt very thoughtfully and truthfully about questioning one's sexuality. When I try to describe the plot to people I always just end up saying "ermagerd read it now" because it doesn't sound like much to write home about. Just boys growing up and being friends.But there's so much amazing stuff about family and dealing with emotions as a young person, and I wish I had read it when I was younger and struggling with everything. It was just great. There's not really anything else to say.

I also finished Armada by Ernest Cline, which fulfilled the "book set in high school" piece of my reading challenge. It was not nearly as good as Ready Player One, I must say, but I still enjoyed it quite a lot. It is set in contemporary America, and it is revealed that a popular video game is actually a military simulation designed to train the populous to fight aliens using drones. Fun, original concept. Good family related plot line, and lots and lots of fun 80s references, since it IS Ernest Cline. Wil Wheaton wins at narrating forever. I felt that the emotion in the book was genuine, if not a SMIDGE cheesy, and the story was just fun.

Haha that is not nearly enough words for those books, since I liked them both a lot. It took me too long to put this post in the world and my emotions are a little less raw and fangirl-y. I'll try to be better about that. The two I'm working on right now are both quite good as well, though. I'm thinking I might start scheduling reading time for myself. Boyfriend always laughs at how I give myself reading assignments (like the 2015 reading challenge), but I was really good at school when I did that, so sometimes schoolifying (wow, okay, words) my life is helpful.

Also, I had to buy a car over the weekend which took ALL OF MY LIFE FOREVER and there was little time for blogging. But now I have her and she is beautiful and her name is Matilda. :) Alright. Here's my book challenge for those zero people following along at home.

A book with more than 500 pages: Drums in Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

A classic romance:

A book that became a movie: Paper Towns by John Green

A book published this year: Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins

A book with a number in the title: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A book written by someone under 30: My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart

A book with nonhuman characters: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A funny book: Grace’s Guide by Grace Helbig

A book by a female author: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

A mystery or a thriller: Doll Bones by Holly Black

A book with a one-word title: Scarlet - Marissa Meyer

A book of short stories: Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

A book set in a different country: Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

A nonfiction book: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

A popular author’s first book: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

A book a friend recommended: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A book based on a true story: Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald

A book at the bottom of your to-read list:

A book your mom loves: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

A book that scares you: The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon

A book more than 100 years old:

A book based entirely on its cover: Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t:

A memoir: Yes, Please! by Amy Poehler

A book you can finish in a day: Hidden by Helen Frost

A book with antonyms in the title:

A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

A book that came out the year you were born:

A book with bad reviews: Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde

A trilogy: Legend trilogy by Marie Lu

A book from your childhood: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A book with a love triangle: Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

A book set in the future: Cress by Marissa Meyer

A book set in high school: Armada by Ernest Cline

A book with a color in the title: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

A book that made you cry: The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford

A book with magic: Wild Born by Brandon Mull

A graphic novel: Watchmen by Alan Moore

A book by an author you’ve never read before: Almost Super by Marion Jensen

A book you own but have never read:

A book that takes place in your hometown: All the Bright Places

A book that was originally written in a different language: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A book set during Christmas:

A book written by an author with your same initials:Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

A play:

A banned book: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

A book based on or turned into a TV show:

A book you started but never finished:

That's all she read!

Fun Home

Current Read: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Current Listen: Armada by Ernest Cline

Short update. I have recently become obsessed with the new musical Fun Home, which won several Tony Awards including Best Musical. So when I found out it was based on a graphic novel, I couldn't help myself. I just picked it up from the library and read through it last night and this morning. It's pretty powerful stuff. It's a memoir about a woman, Alison Bechdel, who grows up in a very interesting family environment (the fun home is how she and her brothers refer to the family-run funeral home). She comes out of the closet in college, only to find out that her father is also gay and has had affairs with some of his male high school students. Several weeks after she comes out, her father is killed in an accident that might not have been an accident. It's a great story, and it's expressed very well in the musical. Now I'm off to write lesson plans. That's all she read! 

The Appalachian Trail and Some Love Triangles

Current Read: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Current Listen: Armada by Ernest Cline

Hey all! Time for a tipsy blog post. I love me some double IPA. Finished not one but TWO books today!

First, I finished my Audible version of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Though it was definitely dated (I need to google some of the things he talked about to see if they've become better or worse since 1998), it was definitely an enjoyable memoir. He hiked the Appalachian Trail in a one of a kind way. This book tells the story of how Bryson attempts to through hike (the term for hiking all 2000+ miles in one go) the trail with his sort of friend Stephen Katz. With every chapter is a fair amount of history, ecology, or trail lore that give a great context to Bryson and Katz's misadventures. It was very interesting to listen to as someone who is probably going to be doing a lot of hiking in the next year (I'm planning to hike the Sacred Valley of the Incas next summer) and as someone who has dreamed of hiking the AT itself. Bryson definitely does not pull punches, and he tells you about certain mountains along the trail that are famous for being murderous and about the perils of nature itself. He mentions the sheer beauty and splendor of it even more, though. A trail hike (not a THROUGH hike, but eventually hiking all of it) is definitely on my bucket list. Side note: I think I just read that this is going to be a MOVIE next year????? That will be funny, but I'm not sure it'll be quite as successful as Wild. They can try, I support.

Secondly, I felt the need to finish Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes tonight. This one was first from the Library to read list because it's the one that I had to wait the longest to get and cannot renew--Penguin is promoting the SHIT out of this book, and with good reason. Tahir uses a backdrop of Middle Eastern-esque folklore and setting to just create the PINNACLE of the YA dystopian novel. The book is told alternately through the perspective of a slave who is part of the Resistance and a soldier of the Empire who is trying to escape his fate as a soulless killer. Obviously these two have fates that intertwine and there's all sorts of juicy romantic tension that's just LOVELY. It was hard to put down. It's also being heralded as having one of the best villains of this year's crop of YA novels in the Commandant, who runs of the Empire's military academy. I loved it, and I am SO SO SO GLAD that it's officially getting a sequel. It's a little bit unbelievable that it was written as a stand alone, since the ending is very much the prompt for a part two. Here's a reading challenge update, if you're interested!

A book with more than 500 pages: Drums in Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

A classic romance:

A book that became a movie: Paper Towns by John Green

A book published this year: Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins

A book with a number in the title: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A book written by someone under 30: My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart

A book with nonhuman characters: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A funny book: Grace’s Guide by Grace Helbig

A book by a female author: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

A mystery or a thriller: Doll Bones by Holly Black

A book with a one-word title: Scarlet - Marissa Meyer

A book of short stories: Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

A book set in a different country: Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

A nonfiction book: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

A popular author’s first book: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

A book a friend recommended: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A book based on a true story: Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald

A book at the bottom of your to-read list:

A book your mom loves: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

A book that scares you: The Noon Day Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon

A book more than 100 years old:

A book based entirely on its cover: Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t:

A memoir: Yes, Please! by Amy Poehler

A book you can finish in a day: Hidden by Helen Frost

A book with antonyms in the title:

A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

A book that came out the year you were born:

A book with bad reviews: Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde

A trilogy: Legend trilogy by Marie Lu

A book from your childhood: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A book with a love triangle: Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

A book set in the future: Cress by Marissa Meyer

A book set in high school:

A book with a color in the title: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

A book that made you cry: The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford

A book with magic: Wild Born by Brandon Mull

A graphic novel: Watchmen by Alan Moore

A book by an author you’ve never read before: Almost Super by Marion Jensen

A book you own but have never read:

A book that takes place in your hometown: All the Bright Places

A book that was originally written in a different language: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A book set during Christmas:

A book written by an author with your same initials:Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

A play:

A banned book: I Know

A book based on or turned into a TV show:

A book you started but never finished:

Up next on the docket listening-wise is the new Ernest Cline novel, Armada, which I'm SO SO SO excited about, in part because Wil Wheaton is again the narrator. Also  Aristotle and Dante, since I think I need to do some contemporary fiction and not immediately jump into another dystopia with a different premise. Too confusing. Enough for now. That's all she read! Ooooooooooh. I like that better than that's all she wrote. #bloggingnoob #strugglebus #workinprogress