Book It – Food & Function

I’m only 6 months into this challenge to read more books this year, and I’m sure I’ve already exceeded the number of books I read last year. Once I started reading again, I found that I can’t put down whatever I’m reading.  In case you’d like to follow along, or making this into a challenge of your own, I’m using the 2015 Reading List from PopSugar as my starting point.

I’ve readjusted my book case again, and somehow have an empty space that is calling for books. I’m trying my hardest not to add even more to the shelves. I’ve also started an unofficial Little Free Library outside my office to share some of the books I’ve finished reading.

Joyland

Joyland is a Hard Case Crime novel by Stephen King. It was an interesting murder mystery that managed not to feel overdone, with a touch of the supernatural that King is known for.  I can honestly say that I didn’t know who did it until it was revealed and that the last chapter made my cry.

Checked off the list:

• A book with non-human characters – there is a ghost
• A mystery or thriller
• A book with a one-word title
• A book by an author you love that you haven’t read yet
• A book that made you cry

Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy Must Die is a YA Fantasy written by Danielle Paige that tells a darker tale of Dorothy in Oz.  Having read all of the original books by L. Frank Baum when I was younger, this fresh version was difficult at time, but written in a way that made the story plausible.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, which I managed to finish in less than a day. I’m looking forward to reading more for Paige.

Checked off the list:

• A book with nonhuman characters
• A book by a female author
• A book a friend recommended
• A book you can finish in a day
• A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit – who wouldn’t want to visit Oz?
• A book set in high school – at least a scene or two
• A book with magic
• A book by an author you’ve never read before

The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais was an interesting and quick read for me. This faux memoir about a restauranteur was full of beautiful descriptions of food and life in such diverse parts of the as the world as Mumbai, London, Lumiere, and Paris. I’m looking forward to watching the movie soon too- yes, I know I’m way behind here.

Checked off the list:

• A book that became a movie, starring Helen Mirran, no less.
• A book with a number in the title
• A book set in a different country
• A memoir, fictionalize, but still a memoir
• A book by an author you’ve never read before

Wicked Girls

Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood follows the lives of two women convicted of murder as children, with flashbacks to the day the murder occurred. Overall, the book was well written, but many of the British terms made descriptions hard to picture.

The biggest let down about the book – for me at least – was that the twist at the end just wasn’t there for me. What happened seemed totally expected. It was a perfectly nice ending but when the cover of the book quotes another author as saying that the book delivers “a twist of an ending that I never saw coming,” I expect more.

Now, that’s not to say that this wasn’t a lovely book. I did enjoy reading it, and I think that anyone who likes a good thriller will too.

Checked off the list:

• A mystery or thriller
• A book set in a different country – Britan
• A book with a love triangle
• A book by an author you’ve never read before

My Kitchen Wars

My Kitchen Wars is a memoir by Betty Fussell about her life in and out of the kitchen. This book was originally published in 1999, and is now available in ebook format. Look for a full review on the blog July 6th.

Checked off the list:

• A book by a female author
• A book set in a different country – parts of the book take place in Germany, England, and France
• A memoir
• A book with a love triangle
• A book by an author you’ve never read before

The Foremost Good Fortune

The Foremost Good Fortune by Susan Conley is a memoir of the two years she, and her family, lived in China.  It is an interesting tale of motherhood and life during life’s large upheavals.

Checked off my list:

• A book by a female author
• A book set in a different country
• A memoir
• A book by an author you’ve never read before

The Way We Live Now

According to my Kindle app, I’m about a quarter of the way through The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope. I feel like it’s taken ages to make it that far into the book, but things are beginning to get interesting. I imagine that if you like soap operas, you would really enjoy all of the goings on in this book. I still get lost in the language from time to time, and there are more characters than you can shake a stick at, but I’m beginning to think the book will be worth it in the end.

S.

S. is a book created by J.J. Abrams and written by Doug Dorst. This book is very strange in that the point of it is the story of two strangers which is told in the margins of the novel called Ship of Theseus. This is one of those books that I originally picked up because of it’s cover design. I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I started reading it ages ago and ended up putting it down because I was getting lost. Thanks to Goodreads, I’ve figured out the order I should be reading things in, so we’ll see what happens.

The Carpet People

The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett is an interesting little story originally published in 1971 and updated years later.  I started reading this novel, the first Pratchett novel I’ve ever read (excluding his work on Good Omens with Neil Gaiman) before his passing in March. It is amazing what a creative mind he had.

My Name Escapes Me

My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor is the diary of Sir Alec Guiness from January 1995 through early June of 1996. Guinness is known most notably in the US for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars.

To Read:

Some other books I’m wanting to read this year include:

• Ten Thousand Devils– the 3rd book in the Outlaw King series by S.A. Hunt – The 1st two books were amazing, but I waited so long before the 3rd came out that I’ll probably reread the 1st 2 before tackling the 3rd in the series.
• Worn Stories– a collection of clothing inspired narratives written up by Emily Spivack – I love fashion, and with a newly discovered love of essays, I want to give this one a try.
• Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution – a book about Walt Disney’s only real rival in the world of cartoon animation. This book written by Richard Fleischer chronicles the life and work of the man behind the creation of Betty Boop and the animation of Popeye the Sailor and Superman.

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