1/26/2015

Review: Golden Son


Golden Son
Golden Son by Pierce Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




As finely drawn, as brutal, as the first in the series, with a raising of stakes and a darkness that all second novels should aspire to. This is the Empire Strikes Back of the Red Rising series, and it broke my heart and made me wish there were more yet to read.

I'll be waiting impatiently for the next installment.



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1/21/2015

Review: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith


Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars




This is really two books. It's the story of a double murder that took place in Utah in the 1980s, and it's the sordid history of the Mormon church. At times, the history portions seem out of place, but they do ultimately fuel an understanding of both historical and fundamentalist Mormon ideology/ideologies that contributed to the murder.

My particular edition could have benefited from an update: the discussion of Warren Jeffs did not include that he is currently serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting a child.



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1/19/2015

Review: Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic


Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




This book is one of the best books on epidemiology that I have read, hands down. Its science is more rigorous than other "Ebola books" and it even takes "And the Band Played On" to task for some of its excesses. Spillover hits the tone just right between giving you the facts about zoonotic diseases and doing so in a wholly engaging way.

If you dig scary diseases, this is a solid entry in the genre.



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1/17/2015

Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge


I've tracked my reading for years over at Goodreads. I'm pretty consistently reading 75ish books a year, but this year I was looking for something a little different. I want to read more books published in 2015, but I also want to broaden my horizons in other ways, too.

I just wasn't sure how.

Enter the Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge. I think this is the thing I was looking for to take some risks and read some books that wouldn't have otherwise been on my radar.

Here's the list, for the click-averse:
They've created a Goodreads group for people participating in the challenge, too. I'm really, really excited to give this a whirl!



1/16/2015

Review: The Martian


The Martian
The Martian by Andy Weir

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Here it is: my first five-star book of the year. I really enjoyed this, and though I found the breezy, goofy tone of the early log entries to be sort of irksome, eventually I felt like the novel HAD to have them. They gave you a way to know Mark Watney well, which is vital to make the stakes as high as they need to be for the payoff.

Ultimately, Watney and his logs grew on me, but it was the non-journal portions of the book that worked best for me. I really loved the snappy dialogue and the sparks of the tension between the various NASA personalities.

Andy Weir has written a monumental book that makes the science of the Mars mission accessible and fascinating. It might be the best thing anyone's done for the space program since President Kennedy.



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1/15/2015

Review: A Rogue by Any Other Name


A Rogue by Any Other Name
A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




I found this book to be sweet, clever, and a really enjoyable read. I haven't made romance a regular part of my reading rotation in a long time, but these author kept popping up on the feeds of people I trust to recommend books.

I'm totally going to keep going with this series, and I would recommend this book to anyone who can have an open mind about the genre.



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1/10/2015

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue


Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




I still love love love this series, but this one had me thinking it was the last one, then it ended with next to nothing resolved. Compounding this, I read it as an ebook, so when I ran out of pages, I was baffled as to how it could be over already.

I need the last one. I need to know how it ends.

I love this author more than socks.



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1/05/2015

Always good to reread this

Desiderata 
-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s 

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, 
and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible, without surrender, 
be on good terms with all persons. 
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; 
and listen to others, 
even to the dull and the ignorant; 
they too have their story. 
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; 
they are vexatious to the spirit. 

If you compare yourself with others, 
you may become vain or bitter, 
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; 
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. 

Exercise caution in your business affairs, 
for the world is full of trickery. 
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; 
many persons strive for high ideals, 
and everywhere life is full of heroism. 
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. 
Neither be cynical about love, 
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, 
it is as perennial as the grass. 

Take kindly the counsel of the years, 
gracefully surrendering the things of youth. 
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. 
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. 
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. 

Beyond a wholesome discipline, 
be gentle with yourself. 
You are a child of the universe 
no less than the trees and the stars; 
you have a right to be here. 
And whether or not it is clear to you, 
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

Therefore be at peace with God, 
whatever you conceive Him to be. 
And whatever your labors and aspirations, 
in the noisy confusion of life, 
keep peace in your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, 
it is still a beautiful world. 
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

1/04/2015

Review: Fiendish


Fiendish
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved the unique voice of this novel as well as the vivid setting that it conjured. I've enjoyed most of Brenna Yovanoff's works that I have ready, and this was no exception.

A good YA read for adults of all ages.



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1/01/2015

Happy New Year!


I declared 2014 "The Year of Finishing Things," almost a year ago, and I wouldn't say I just knocked that goal out of the park. I'm not terrific with finishing things, but I want to be. I'm going to carry this idea over into this year and give it another go.

I'm terrible with resolutions, so I'm just going to make a list of some things I'd like to accomplish in 2015, with no expectation that I will achieve all of them. I'm a work in progress, into 2016 and beyond. I don't doubt I'll be back here 1/1/2016 reaffirming some of these goals to be carried forward into the next year, but that's okay.

The trick is to keep moving.

Goals for 2015

  1. Get my average steps per day up to 10,000.  I have lots of data here, since I've been wearing a Fitbit every day for over a year.  My steps per day took a dive when I stopped working at Target (praise god, though, really.) and since I've been at my current (desk) job, Since then, my daily steps have dropped to an average of 4272. So I need to get 6k elsewhere, probably before work, and I don't think that will be that hard. I'm determined to do this one. It's my number one priority. That leads to the next goal...
  2. Gym. Oh, the gym. I belong to Planet Fitness, that notorious gym. I'm one of the people who pays 10.00 a month to feel healthier without actually going to the gym. I really want to turn this around, though I know the Resolution People will be there with me, making the gym crowded for the first few months of the year. I'm going to be one of them. I confess, I'm a little curious how many other slackers like me are about to go back to the gym because of the principle of the thing.
  3. Read 75 books, including clearing the backlog of to-reads I've been dusting and living in proximity to for two years or more. 
  4. Blog three times at least three times a week--twelve entries a month, not including book reviews. 
  5. Use Chuck Wendig's Novel Writing Plan to finish my NaNoWriMo 2014 project as well as the Improbable Romance Novel. 
  6. 100 Happy Days--I started this last year, and fell off immediately. More pictures of more things that make me happy. It's a good practice, to be present and grateful and aware of when I am happy.