Month: January 2019

“I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read That Yet” #6 (Help me choose!)

Posted 31 January 2019 in can't believe haven't read /8 Comments

I can't believe I haven't read that yet banner
Once a month, I curate a small list of books that make me think, “I can’t believe I haven’t read that”.  Then, you vote on which book I should read in the following month. I hope that I’ll be able to ‘catch up’ on certain books that I ‘should’ have read ages ago and finally be able to discuss those books with my fellow book lovers.

December’s Result – Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My first adult read of the year! Reading Station Eleven made me realize how long it has been since I read a solid work of fiction like this. Station Eleven felt to me like a slice of life look at a post-apocalyptic world. The plot doesn’t revolved around the violent prophet mentioned in the jacket copy. He is just one of the characters whose lives are explored before, during, and after the Georgian Flu that wipes out 99% of earth’s human population. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, but the sections are long enough that I became absorbed in each character’s part of the story. I was surprised to find myself reading through nearly 200 pages in my first sitting.

Recommended for readers interested in character-driven stories (as opposed to an edge-of-your-seat, plot-driven, end-of-humanity tale). (Though I admit I felt tense at the early descriptions of the flu spreading – that sort of thing stresses me out!) If Station Eleven has been on your TBR for as long as it was on mine, I think you’ll enjoy it.

March’s Selection

I am skipping over February because I am already fully booked up (in more ways than one, lol), so the results of this poll will decide what I read in March. The theme this time is young adult fantasies. Every time I see these mentioned in the book community, I think “I can’t believe I haven’t read that yet!” The number of reviews listed after each book are reviews by my Goodreads friends.

Only three options this month. Which book should I read in March? Vote on the poll below or by leaving a comment on this post. (I can’t tell who voted on Twitter, so if you’re really keen you can vote in the comments AND on Twitter ;P) Voting closes on February 6. Voting now closed. Check back in March for results!

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Books I Didn’t Read in 2018 But Will in 2019 [TTT]

22 January 2019 / to be read, top 10 tuesday / 6 Comments
Books I Didn’t Read in 2018 But Will in 2019 [TTT]

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday list features recent releases I didn’t get to in 2018 but will try in 2019. For the sake of variety, I’m not including any titles that are covered by my challenges, so you won’t find any Tolkien or middle grade on this list.

25 KidLit Annotations: Early Readers [Review]

18 January 2019 / review / 0 Comments
25 KidLit Annotations: Early Readers [Review]

One of the assignments for my children’s literature course last term was to write 25 annotations (snapshot reviews between 50 and 150 words) on all sorts of kidlit. It was a great opportunity to delve out of my comfort zone […]

Anna-Marie McLemore’s Dazzling Debut [Review + Discussion Questions]

15 January 2019 / review / 0 Comments
Anna-Marie McLemore’s Dazzling Debut [Review + Discussion Questions]

The Weight of Feathers, Anna-Marie McLemore’s debut novel, tells the story of two families of entertainers caught up in a bitter feud. The French Romani Corbeaus walk in trees and the Latinx Palomas swim as mermaids, travelling to small towns in California for performances. The Weight of Feathers explores themes of family, loyalty, and love with a touch of magical realism. The book is #ownvoices for Latinx representation.

Talkin’ About Tolkien: Favourite Chapters in The Lord of the Rings [Discussion]

12 January 2019 / discussion / 6 Comments
Talkin’ About Tolkien: Favourite Chapters in The Lord of the Rings [Discussion]

I compiled this list from my last three annual read-throughs of The Lord of the Rings. (This post has been stewing in my mind for a few years!) Screen captures (which I spent way too much time searching through and choosing…) are from Movie-Screencaps.com; […]