Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Witches and Wizards

Witches and Wizards

This blog posts includes reviews of books about witches and/or wizards. No, this doesn't mean exactly what you think it means. All of these authors are American.

The Specter of Salem

32. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America [2008] by Gretchen A. Adams [Kindle]

This is an academic book by a friend of mine about how the Salem witch trials have served as a metaphor in subsequent American history. While I am an academician, I am not in a book field and I have no particular expertise in history, yet I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
What a fascinating chronicle of Salem's effect on subsequent events, American politics, and the events of a nation. Salem is cited in myriad ways with various results, in the political history of the country, not always accurately and not always fairly. Nonetheless, the events of 1692 and following continue to intertwine with later events and movements.

The writing is superb, the e-book is mostly well-presented (I read this on my Kindle), the whole reading experience is fascinating and fraught with new ideas and meaning.

This book is good reading for anyone interested in the early history of the US, the use of metaphor in political suasion, and in the continuing history of the country and how it is shaped by the past.

I am no historian, of course, but this is a fascinating read.
Witch Hunt

37. Witch Hunt [2012] by Annie Bellet [Kindle

This is a little novella that starts out a fantasy/adventure series.
A mute elven princess on a quest to win back her voice, a pixie goblin, a swordsman, a warrior woman, a blue-skinned half-orc shaman, a mini-unicorn, and a mist lynx... all traveling together, stumble upon a town in need and do their best to help.

While it's too short to be satisfying in the way a full-length book is, it is nonetheless an interesting read and perfect for a short-term sitting. It makes me want to try out some of the author's other books.

I wish I could remember who suggested this author to me...
Magic's Pawn

38. Magic's Pawn [1989] by Mercedes Lackey [Audible

This is the first in a trilogy that I will read complete at some future point.
This book is almost a four. The only thing holding me back is the annoying narrator (I listened to it on Audible.com), really. I think reading the book is probably even more satisfying than the audiobook.

The development of the protagonist from unhappy boy to powerful mage is fraught with conflict and missteps, like any person at this age, no doubt, but so much more complex due to the family and societal values and norms forced upon him. It's fantasy but it's also a metaphor for life today for any young person who doesn't fit in with mainstream life. The underlying homosexual themes are important to the story but do not overwhelm it.

Unfortunately, the next two books in this series have the same narrator, so I will forego the audiobook option on those.
Thank you, Becky-Anne for the recommendation!

Books Completed in 2015
I have read (or listened to) 51 books so far in 2015! Here is a list of completed books (most) with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).  More links added as the reviews go live (some have been posted but are not yet live on Amazon or Audible).  I'm getting the blog up to date in the coming week or two with all the reviews and comments.

52. Cinder [2012] by Marissa Meyer [Audible].51. The Hangman's Daughter [2008] by Oliver Pötzsch [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
50. Out from the Underworld [2015] by Heather Siegel [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
49. Inkheart [2011] by Cornelia Funke [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
48. Legion [2012] by Brandon Sanderson [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible.
47. The Reader [1995] by Bernhard Schlink [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
46. Station Eleven [2014] by Emily St. John Mandel [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
45. My Brilliant Friend [2012] by Elena Ferrant [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
44. Cold Comfort Farm [1932] by Stella Gibbons [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
43. Rabbit Proof Fence [1996] by Doris Pilkington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
42. The Daughter of Time [1951] by Josephine Tey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
41. Outlander [1991] by Diana Gabaldon [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
40. Illegal Action [2007] by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
39. Secret Asset [2006) by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
38. Magic's Pawn [1989] by Mercedes Lackey [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
37. Witch Hunt [2012] by Annie Bellet [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
36. Three Wishes [2003] by Liane Moriarty [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
35. The Evolution of an Empire A Brief Historical Sketch of Germany [1892] by Mary Platt Parmele [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
34. Dear Committee Members [2014] by Julie Schumacher [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
33. Dept. of Speculation [2014] by Jenny Offill [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
32. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America [2008] by Gretchen A. Adams [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
31. Command Authority [2013] by Tom Clancy [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
30Emerald Green [2010] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
29. Sapphire Blue [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
28. Ruby Red [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
27. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [2001] by Ann Brashares [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
26. Dying for a Cupcake [2015] by Denise Swanson [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
25. The Bees [2014] Laline Paull [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
24. Bossypants [2011] by Tina Fey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
23. Night Rounds [1999] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
22. 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy [2006] by L. A. Starks [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
21. Detective Inspector Huss [1998] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
20. Crocodile on the Sandbank [1975] by Elizabeth Peters [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
19. Redemption in Indigo [2010] by Karen Lord [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
18. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [2014] by Claire North [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
17. The Mysterious Howling [2009] by Maryrose Wood [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
16My Life in Middlemarch [2014] by Rebecca Mead [Audible]. Review: Goodreads; Audible
15The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [2010] by Marie Kondo [iBooks].
14The Wreath [1920] by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally [Kindle].
13The Riddle-Master of Hed [1976] by Patricia A. McKillip [Audible Audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
12. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O [1990] by Sharyn McCrumb [Audible Audio] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
11The Knitting Book [2011] by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden [hardcover].
10Americanah [2013] by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
9The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
8The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].
4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. [review: Goodreads]
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].

Fun young adult books with a female protagonist!

Ruby Red

28. Ruby Red [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible

This is a series of books in the young adult, fantasy, time travel, teen angst, science fiction genre. OK, so that's probably not a single genre but the story is pretty funky and creative.  It involves a young woman in the present (more or less) who time travels (sometimes randomly!) to the past. Lots of highjinks ensue. 
Time travel. Ghosts. Visions. Telekinesis. Philosopher's stone?  Alchemy? Magic? Vampire? It's an interesting mix of everything, in the modern day and in the past. A teenaged girl is forced into a destiny of time-travel and family secrets.

A fun read or listen! 
I moved right on to the second one since the first one really didn't end...

29. Sapphire Blue [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible
Oh, and ghosts of demons… sort of. That's an added bit of hilarity in this second installment.  Of course, each book leaves the reader wondering what's next,
30Emerald Green [2010] by Kerstin Gier [Audible


Love this trilogy. Well done. Even this finale is good.  
Time travel. Teen-aged angst and love. What's not to like? 
The demon ghost (minor character) makes me laugh!
Kristen Gier is a German author whose books have been translated into English.  She writes books for adults and young adults. I might look for some of her adult focused books next.

Books Completed in 2015
I have read (or listened to) 51 books so far in 2015! Here is a list of completed books (most) with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).  More links added as the reviews go live (some have been posted but are not yet live on Amazon or Audible).  I'm getting the blog up to date in the coming week or two with all the reviews and comments.

52. Cinder [2012] by Marissa Meyer [Audible].51. The Hangman's Daughter [2008] by Oliver Pötzsch [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
50. Out from the Underworld [2015] by Heather Siegel [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
49. Inkheart [2011] by Cornelia Funke [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
48. Legion [2012] by Brandon Sanderson [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible.
47. The Reader [1995] by Bernhard Schlink [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
46. Station Eleven [2014] by Emily St. John Mandel [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
45. My Brilliant Friend [2012] by Elena Ferrant [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
44. Cold Comfort Farm [1932] by Stella Gibbons [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
43. Rabbit Proof Fence [1996] by Doris Pilkington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
42. The Daughter of Time [1951] by Josephine Tey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
41. Outlander [1991] by Diana Gabaldon [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
40. Illegal Action [2007] by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
39. Secret Asset [2006) by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
38. Magic's Pawn [1989] by Mercedes Lackey [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
37. Witch Hunt [2012] by Annie Bellet [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
36. Three Wishes [2003] by Liane Moriarty [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
35. The Evolution of an Empire A Brief Historical Sketch of Germany [1892] by Mary Platt Parmele [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
34. Dear Committee Members [2014] by Julie Schumacher [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
33. Dept. of Speculation [2014] by Jenny Offill [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
32. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America [2008] by Gretchen A. Adams [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
31. Command Authority [2013] by Tom Clancy [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
30Emerald Green [2010] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
29. Sapphire Blue [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
28. Ruby Red [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
27. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [2001] by Ann Brashares [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
26. Dying for a Cupcake [2015] by Denise Swanson [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
25. The Bees [2014] Laline Paull [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
24. Bossypants [2011] by Tina Fey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
23. Night Rounds [1999] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
22. 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy [2006] by L. A. Starks [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
21. Detective Inspector Huss [1998] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
20. Crocodile on the Sandbank [1975] by Elizabeth Peters [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
19. Redemption in Indigo [2010] by Karen Lord [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
18. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [2014] by Claire North [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
17. The Mysterious Howling [2009] by Maryrose Wood [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
16My Life in Middlemarch [2014] by Rebecca Mead [Audible]. Review: Goodreads; Audible
15The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [2010] by Marie Kondo [iBooks].
14The Wreath [1920] by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally [Kindle].
13The Riddle-Master of Hed [1976] by Patricia A. McKillip [Audible Audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
12. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O [1990] by Sharyn McCrumb [Audible Audio] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
11The Knitting Book [2011] by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden [hardcover].
10Americanah [2013] by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
9The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
8The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].
4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. [review: Goodreads]
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Chick Lit

Chick Lit 

So, I read almost consecutively, three books I shall roughly describe as chick lit.  They were entertaining, for sure, but not necessarily great literature.

Dying for a Cupcake

26. Dying for a Cupcake [2015] by Denise Swanson [Audible

This is the sort of beach reading that will entertain you but not make you think too much. It's a mystery, of course, and part of a series (first installment).
Cozy mystery in the chick-lit manner. Lots of female characters but some are a bit too shallow and stereotypical. Entertaining, though.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

27. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [2001] by Ann Brashares [Audible] 

This one is probably best categorized as young adult but it's very much (youthful) chick lit, as well.
Reasonably entertaining, though sometimes a bit too childish, but able to open to the reader a number of issues of teen-aged angst in a variety of circumstances.
Three Wishes

36. Three Wishes [2003] by Liane Moriarty [Audible

Of these three, this one is my favorite. It is set in Australia and had an Aussie narrator who was really good. I love hearing the familiar Australian expressions. I miss Australia.
Entertaining story of the family of triplet daughters, now in their thirties, and their fulfilled and unfulfilled dreams, as well as their byzantine relationships and dependencies. Much humor. Some Aussie silliness. Some of the expected family issues, of course.  An entertaining read.

I listened to the audiobook on Audible and the narrater was quite good.
Books Completed in 2015
I have read (or listened to) 51 books so far in 2015! Here is a list of completed books (most) with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).  More links added as the reviews go live (some have been posted but are not yet live on Amazon or Audible).  I'm getting the blog up to date in the coming week or two with all the reviews and comments.

51. The Hangman's Daughter [2008] by Oliver Pötzsch [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
50. Out from the Underworld [2015] by Heather Siegel [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
49. Inkheart [2011] by Cornelia Funke [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
48. Legion [2012] by Brandon Sanderson [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible.
47. The Reader [1995] by Bernhard Schlink [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
46. Station Eleven [2014] by Emily St. John Mandel [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
45. My Brilliant Friend [2012] by Elena Ferrant [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
44. Cold Comfort Farm [1932] by Stella Gibbons [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
43. Rabbit Proof Fence [1996] by Doris Pilkington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
42. The Daughter of Time [1951] by Josephine Tey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
41. Outlander [1991] by Diana Gabaldon [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
40. Illegal Action [2007] by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
39. Secret Asset [2006) by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
38. Magic's Pawn [1989] by Mercedes Lackey [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
37. Witch Hunt [2012] by Annie Bellet [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
36. Three Wishes [2003] by Liane Moriarty [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
35. The Evolution of an Empire A Brief Historical Sketch of Germany [1892] by Mary Platt Parmele [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
34. Dear Committee Members [2014] by Julie Schumacher [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
33. Dept. of Speculation [2014] by Jenny Offill [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
32. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America [2008] by Gretchen A. Adams [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
31. Command Authority [2013] by Tom Clancy [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
30Emerald Green [2010] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
29. Sapphire Blue [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
28. Ruby Red [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
27. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [2001] by Ann Brashares [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
26. Dying for a Cupcake [2015] by Denise Swanson [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
25. The Bees [2014] Laline Paull [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
24. Bossypants [2011] by Tina Fey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
23. Night Rounds [1999] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
22. 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy [2006] by L. A. Starks [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
21. Detective Inspector Huss [1998] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
20. Crocodile on the Sandbank [1975] by Elizabeth Peters [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
19. Redemption in Indigo [2010] by Karen Lord [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
18. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [2014] by Claire North [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
17. The Mysterious Howling [2009] by Maryrose Wood [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
16My Life in Middlemarch [2014] by Rebecca Mead [Audible]. Review: Goodreads; Audible
15The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [2010] by Marie Kondo [iBooks].
14The Wreath [1920] by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally [Kindle].
13The Riddle-Master of Hed [1976] by Patricia A. McKillip [Audible Audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
12. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O [1990] by Sharyn McCrumb [Audible Audio] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
11The Knitting Book [2011] by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden [hardcover].
10Americanah [2013] by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
9The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
8The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].
4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. [review: Goodreads]
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].

Two Must Reads: Bossypants & The Bees

Two Books You Must Read

So, here are two books I read back to back. They have nothing really to do with one another but they were both superb reading experiences.

Bossypants

24. Bossypants [2011] by Tina Fey [Kindle

Am I the last person to finally read this book?
I had no idea if I would really enjoy this book, mostly because I'm old enough that my clearest memories of Saturday Night Live far predate Tina Fey's tenure there, and partly because I don't watch much television any more (Who does with Netflix and such? Commercials? Not for me!). I have never seen 30 Rock (although it is time to troll Netflix for it) and the idea of staying up late enough to see SNL fled from my consciousness by at least 1990, perhaps much sooner.

However, anyone with an IQ in the positive numbers who was a grown up by the time of the 2008 election knows who Tina Fey is. And, of course, that she is both funny and successful. Who doesn't love a funny and successful woman? Ok, well, some people, mostly male, rude, and creatures from a thankfully bygone era, but I digress.

So, I picked up this book (Or, rather, I picked up my Kindle, which, by the way, is not the best format for reading a few figures in this book - most notably the hand drawn chart and the several pages of script dialogue) to give me a much-needed mental break from the endless series of serious science fiction, Swedish crime procedurals, and classic literature of England and Norway I've been reading this month. My motives were purely selfish, of course.

However, in addition to being funny (about every 4 seconds) and successful (Improv? Television? Film? Writing?), Tina Fey is not only erudite but also penetrating. She slices through the Italian rum cake and stale sandwiches to remind us about big important life lessons. These lessons are not just applicable to a woman having a career in comedy and entertainment, but to all of us. Big important life lessons.

For example, she gives excellent advice on how to deal with sexism (racism, ageism, whatever-ism) in the workplace. She also gives brilliant advice on finishing a dissertation. OK, so she didn't even mention the word dissertation, but the advice is nonetheless applicable. Trust me.

But, she doles out this advice under the cover of humor. Incredible amounts of humor. You won't even notice you are being given fantastic life advice, really, because you'll be giggling and hooting and having people on the plane or train or bus or your spouse in the bed beside you looking at you like you've lost your mind. We all know you have not lost your mind, you have just regained your sanity, if only temporarily.

Read this book. Read it and laugh. Then, apply those surreptitious life lessons with gusto.

P.S. If you are avoiding this book because you think Tina Fey's political persuasion is too different from yours, you are an idiot. It's full of humor and life lessons, which are so much more important than who you voted for in a bygone election.
Read this book.

The Bees

25. The Bees [2014] Laline Paull [Kindle

How does one categorize this book? It has a bit of science fiction, personification of animals (insects), dystopia, fantasy, and, well, did I mention bees?
The Handmaid's Tale meets Logan's Run meets Watership Down. Holy cow.  The story exhausted me, in the most wonderful terrible way. Bees! Who has thought of what goes on in a bee hive? This author has, clearly. She weaves the classic dystopian story with feminist undertones and a cultist flavor.   
Moreover, the idea of a socialist utopia mixed with a dictatorship and, all, it becomes a multi-allegory. Yes, the whole story revolves around the life of one bee, a worker bee. 
At once astounding and intimate, loving, violent and sexual, it is unlike any other novel, but has flavors of both the familiar and the unfamiliar. It will entertain you, scare you, and make you think.  This is no children's story but a broad massive intricate novel of what could be and, perhaps, what is or has been.
Read. This. Book.

Books Completed in 2015
I have read (or listened to) 51 books so far in 2015! Here is a list of completed books (most) with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).  More links added as the reviews go live (some have been posted but are not yet live on Amazon or Audible).  I'm getting the blog up to date in the coming week or two with all the reviews and comments.

51. The Hangman's Daughter [2008] by Oliver Pötzsch [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
50. Out from the Underworld [2015] by Heather Siegel [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
49. Inkheart [2011] by Cornelia Funke [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
48. Legion [2012] by Brandon Sanderson [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible.
47. The Reader [1995] by Bernhard Schlink [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
46. Station Eleven [2014] by Emily St. John Mandel [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
45. My Brilliant Friend [2012] by Elena Ferrant [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
44. Cold Comfort Farm [1932] by Stella Gibbons [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
43. Rabbit Proof Fence [1996] by Doris Pilkington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
42. The Daughter of Time [1951] by Josephine Tey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
41. Outlander [1991] by Diana Gabaldon [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
40. Illegal Action [2007] by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
39. Secret Asset [2006) by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
38. Magic's Pawn [1989] by Mercedes Lackey [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
37. Witch Hunt [2012] by Annie Bellet [Kindle] Review: GoodreadsAmazon
36. Three Wishes [2003] by Liane Moriarty [Audible] Review: GoodreadsAudible
35. The Evolution of an Empire A Brief Historical Sketch of Germany [1892] by Mary Platt Parmele [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
34. Dear Committee Members [2014] by Julie Schumacher [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
33. Dept. of Speculation [2014] by Jenny Offill [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
32. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America [2008] by Gretchen A. Adams [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
31. Command Authority [2013] by Tom Clancy [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
30Emerald Green [2010] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
29. Sapphire Blue [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
28. Ruby Red [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
27. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [2001] by Ann Brashares [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
26. Dying for a Cupcake [2015] by Denise Swanson [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
25. The Bees [2014] Laline Paull [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
24. Bossypants [2011] by Tina Fey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
23. Night Rounds [1999] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
22. 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy [2006] by L. A. Starks [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
21. Detective Inspector Huss [1998] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
20. Crocodile on the Sandbank [1975] by Elizabeth Peters [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
19. Redemption in Indigo [2010] by Karen Lord [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
18. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [2014] by Claire North [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
17. The Mysterious Howling [2009] by Maryrose Wood [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
16My Life in Middlemarch [2014] by Rebecca Mead [Audible]. Review: Goodreads; Audible
15The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [2010] by Marie Kondo [iBooks].
14The Wreath [1920] by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally [Kindle].
13The Riddle-Master of Hed [1976] by Patricia A. McKillip [Audible Audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
12. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O [1990] by Sharyn McCrumb [Audible Audio] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
11The Knitting Book [2011] by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden [hardcover].
10Americanah [2013] by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible]
9The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
8The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: GoodreadsAudible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].
4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle]. [review: GoodreadsAmazon]
3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. [review: Goodreads]
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: GoodreadsAmazon].