Book It

I don’t know how it got so cold, but now my absolute favorite thing to do is to spend my time curled up under a quilt (or six) reading a good book.  And thanks to the 2015 Reading List from PopSugar, I feel like I’ve found a lot more good books than normal.

I’ve already met my Goodreads reading challenge goal for the year, but I’m still hoping to get a few more books in before it’s time to ring in the new year. I actually got a surprising number in this month.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

As I mentioned last month, I recently decided it was time to re-read the Harry Potter series.  I made it through The Sorcerer’s Stone last month, so I picked up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to read for November.  Needless to say, it didn’t take long to get through. And I forgot how much I could hate a fictional character. Professor Gilderoy Lockhart is possibly the most annoying fictional character ever. I basically spent the entire book rooting for him to loose his mind.

Checked off the list:

• A book that became a movie – the 2nd of 7
• A book with non-human characters – cornish pixies, ghosts and giant spiders to name a few
• A book by a female author
• A book set in a different country
• A book from your childhood
• A book with magic
• A banned book

 

Myst: The Book of Atrus

Myst: The Book of Atrus is the first of 3 books based on the Myst game series. The books are written by Rand Miller, Robyn Miller, and David Wingrove. The Book of Atrus, is basically a prequel to the original Myst game.  It follows a boy named Atrus and his father, two of the last remaining D’Ni as they build worlds, and clash with each other.

I have played the original Myst game. (Though I admit my complete inability to finish it. I love gaming, but I’ve never been very good.)  I’m sure that made the book more interesting to me, but I think this is a book with themes that would make it enjoyable even if you’ve never heard of the game before now.

Checked off the list:

• A book a friend recommended – Thanks Joseph!
• A trilogy (book 1)
• A book with a love triangle – and a creepy one at that
• A book with magic
• A book by an author you’ve never read before

Short Stories

I’ve read several short stories by Neil Gaiman this month, which are available for free on his website.  They include:

• The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds – Need a twist on the nursery rhymes you read as a child? This is it.
• I Cthulhu – Because, Lovecraft.
• Cinnamon – About a girl and a tiger.
• How To Talk To Girls At Parties – Aliens? Aliens.
• A Study in Emerald – This story about Sherlock Holmes, but not in a way you’d expect. I also recommend you know a little about Lovecraft, or read Gaiman’s short story I Cthulhu, linked above, before you read this one.

 

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is my To Read or Not To Read Book Club selection this month.  I would have liked to have been finished with this month’s selection already, but All the Light We Cannot See is a long book. 500+ pages long.  It’s beautifully written in short chapters that go back and forth between a young German boy and a blind French girl in the years leading up to and through WWII.  I’m really enjoying it so far.  More next month, when I’ll surely have it done.

Other Books I’m Actively Reading

The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler
The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett

Books I’ve Put Aside and Plan to Finish Later

To Read:

I have a rather large number of books in my TBR pile right now. A few of them include:

• Mort by Terry Pratchett – I recently won a beautiful copy of this book, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
• Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum – I have my mom’s collection of Oz books, but recently picked up a graphic novel edition of Road to Oz, which I’m looking forward to reading.

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