Finished reading Trail of Lightning
book
Rated Jago & Litefoot: Series 3 8/10
<div>I enjoyed Leela joining them this time.</div>
Wants to read A Gathering of Shadows
Finished reading Space Brooms!
Edited 84d ago
Finished reading The Jasmine Throne
Wants to read The Lotus Empire
Finished reading Frankenstein in Baghdad
Rated Life Is Strange Vol. 5: Coming Home 8/10
<div>I haven't played the video game this is based on, and previously, I'd only read Vol. 1 of the comic, but this holds up even if you're not fully versed in the universe(s) involved. The summary at the beginning of the various characters is enough to get your bearings, and the story in this volume otherwise stands well on its own, even though it does somewhat end in a cliffhanger. The artwork is also good.</div>
Rated Joyride: A Memoir 8/10
<div>Susan Orlean has a particular talent for finding the story in just about anything, and that's probably why I was first drawn to her magazine writing before I even registered her name, only realizing later whose writing I found compelling. In Joyride, Orlean looks back over her life and career, telling us what made her the person that she is, and why she feels compelled to tell stories that we might never otherwise notice.<br><br>I haven't read every book of hers — just The Orchid Thief and The Library Book — but I used to have a New Yorker subscription, and I can remember buying, during some airport layover, the issue of Vogue during some airport layover. And I was there, Frodo! I was there the night of Susan Orlean is Drunk-Tweeting! ha (Really, we were ALL losing our minds in 2020, so I think she's allowed.)<br><br>Orlean brings that same "tell me about an interesting person" energy to her own life, and I enjoyed reading this, even though I want to throw her first husband into the sun. (He's dead now, but still.) I also discovered that our children graduated college at the same time. We were rained on together!<br><br>If you've enjoyed any of her other work, you'll like this one.</div>
Wants to read The Madwoman of Serrano
Rated Making Masterpiece: 25 Years Behind the Scenes at Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! on PBS 6/10
The writing in this is not exceptional, but the stories are interesting, particularly if you've seen a lot of the things Eaton has produced. The back end of the book is more or less affectionate promo for Downton Abbey (while only sort of mentioning the revival of Upstairs Downstairs, then half forgetting to resolve its narrative), but I like Downton Abbey, so that's all right. Not a bad read.
Finished reading Judy Blume and Lena Dunham in Conversation
Wants to read Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos
Rated Leviathan Falls 10/10
<div>My goodness, what a series. (Also, I both can and can't believe I read all 9 books and a few of the short stories in just this year.) The resolution of all the different plot points and last big conflict felt correct. If you have enjoyed the show in any way and are wondering if the books are worth it, the answer is YES. </div>
Finished reading A Dark and Drowning Tide
Wants to read The Phaeton Report
Finished reading The Sins on Their Bones
Rated Life & Times of Michael K 6/10
<div>I liked this, but it was not love. Nothing particularly wrong with the book, the writing is good, and I understand thematically what the story was doing, but it's not necessarily the sort of thing I'd have picked up on my own had I not been reading this for a yearly challenge list (this particular entry was for "Award-winning book from the year you were born"). And that's fine! You may like it better, and it's short.</div>
Finished reading Roadside Picnic
Wants to read Un pianista de provincias
Finished reading A Darker Shade of Magic
Wants to read A Day of Fallen Night