To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Cute! And a quick read, as I expected. Probably tool about 4 hours total to read. Pretty generic and predictable, really, but I still enjoyed it just as a break from all the high fantasy I've been reading. It's good to get the variety! The names the girls have are baffling old white woman names. It's really hard to remember that they're Korean. That one or two times they mention kimchi or being biracial was sort of odd; kind of stood out.
Ink by Amanda Sun
Was excited about this one, I'll be honest, in large part due to it being set in Japan. I miss living in Korea and my time in Japan was delightful as well. It's hard not to have that anymore, and reading stories set there is fun for me to have a tiny taste of the culture again. Not too far in yet, but kind of expected more from this. It's not particularly riveting, and the characters just feel... the decisions they make, the moods they have, and their odd relationships feel really contrived and awkward so far. We'll see if it gets better...
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Saturday, September 8, 2018
September 2 - September 8, 2018
The Moth by Catherine Burns and many others
So this is, as I say, the only moth I will ever love. Based on The Moth stories hosted by NPR, this is a collection of stories transcribed from the spoken ones they originated as. I have adored these stories since I stumbled upon them and looked beyond the off-putting name to fall in love. Listening to them is a treat, but I also love words. This book also features some stories that are not available in audio due to crazy circumstances of their origins (ex. one salvaged from a war-torn region that had terrible audio quality but was able to be transcribed). So I have been seriously loving these. The moth never lets me down. Even the Steve Osborne story was a good one (which I've now learned is a rarity; more from him later). The way their grouped is great too, categories like "in the trenches" and "shot through the heart," and as always, with their wide range of induced emotions. Happy tears, sad tears, and the stories that make me want to call up my sweetheart.
The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop by Steve Osborne
My friend at work had told me about this book, which he loved, probably six months ago or so. I kept putting it off due to my never-ending list of current reads. However, after reading his story "Mug Shot" in The Moth, I decided I'd follow up and read the guy's book.
Oh my god. How much I dislike him. I could forgive that the writing isn't fantastic, since obviously he's a cop not a writer, and considering as well that many of these were originally verbally told or standalone stories, I could move beyond how many times the same joke or phrase is repeated. What I *can't* move beyond is how he treats women. I mean, this guy. He's just gross. And when I said this to my friend, he shrugged and said "That's just how guys are." I told him it still wasn't shit I wanted to hear, and that it's not necessarily how guys SHOULD be, just because the norm perpetuates something negative. So I am having a real hard time with this guy constantly talking about how he's passing time watching ladies in shorts run by, and ranking them with his buddy, and similarly pig-ish and misogynistic things to say. Couple that with aggressive conservatism, and this guy is just NOT for me. His stories might be interesting or moving to read, but when filtered through his brain and voice, I'm honestly forcing myself to continue it. We'll see if I just abandon it. When I start every new paragraph, page, and story, with my eyes narrowed in expectation of reading something that will turn me off... it gets old fast. Reading his stories are kind of making me see why my brother is constantly hating on cops a bit more....
The Last Guardian (Warcraft #3) by Jeff Grubb
WELL HOLY SMOKES. My fourth book in the Warcraft world, and my god every one is just as good as the last in a whole new way. This author is less polished than some of the others I've read, but he also used a lot of really strange archaic words to fit the era. I don't super love that, but I did love learning all these bizarre new words (cantrip, muzzy, eldritch, lapidarium, thaumaturgic... the list goes on!). Also a shoutout to my favorite description of anything: "with the sound of an egg imploding." Fascinating description. Absolutely NO IDEA what that would be.
For the story, absolutely loved it. It's rare that there's a twist or revelation that catches me off guard, but I was VERY unprepared for one of the primary explanations in this! Holy crap! It's so exciting to learn about the characters I've seen briefly, or heard an intriguing mention of. Every time I think, "Wow, I hope I get to hear that story sometime" it tends to be the next one that comes up! Wow. Yes. Love it. If you're into Azeroth at all, this series is so far holding really strong. Bringing much more depth as I play the game, as well.
So this is, as I say, the only moth I will ever love. Based on The Moth stories hosted by NPR, this is a collection of stories transcribed from the spoken ones they originated as. I have adored these stories since I stumbled upon them and looked beyond the off-putting name to fall in love. Listening to them is a treat, but I also love words. This book also features some stories that are not available in audio due to crazy circumstances of their origins (ex. one salvaged from a war-torn region that had terrible audio quality but was able to be transcribed). So I have been seriously loving these. The moth never lets me down. Even the Steve Osborne story was a good one (which I've now learned is a rarity; more from him later). The way their grouped is great too, categories like "in the trenches" and "shot through the heart," and as always, with their wide range of induced emotions. Happy tears, sad tears, and the stories that make me want to call up my sweetheart.
The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop by Steve Osborne
My friend at work had told me about this book, which he loved, probably six months ago or so. I kept putting it off due to my never-ending list of current reads. However, after reading his story "Mug Shot" in The Moth, I decided I'd follow up and read the guy's book.
Oh my god. How much I dislike him. I could forgive that the writing isn't fantastic, since obviously he's a cop not a writer, and considering as well that many of these were originally verbally told or standalone stories, I could move beyond how many times the same joke or phrase is repeated. What I *can't* move beyond is how he treats women. I mean, this guy. He's just gross. And when I said this to my friend, he shrugged and said "That's just how guys are." I told him it still wasn't shit I wanted to hear, and that it's not necessarily how guys SHOULD be, just because the norm perpetuates something negative. So I am having a real hard time with this guy constantly talking about how he's passing time watching ladies in shorts run by, and ranking them with his buddy, and similarly pig-ish and misogynistic things to say. Couple that with aggressive conservatism, and this guy is just NOT for me. His stories might be interesting or moving to read, but when filtered through his brain and voice, I'm honestly forcing myself to continue it. We'll see if I just abandon it. When I start every new paragraph, page, and story, with my eyes narrowed in expectation of reading something that will turn me off... it gets old fast. Reading his stories are kind of making me see why my brother is constantly hating on cops a bit more....
The Last Guardian (Warcraft #3) by Jeff Grubb
WELL HOLY SMOKES. My fourth book in the Warcraft world, and my god every one is just as good as the last in a whole new way. This author is less polished than some of the others I've read, but he also used a lot of really strange archaic words to fit the era. I don't super love that, but I did love learning all these bizarre new words (cantrip, muzzy, eldritch, lapidarium, thaumaturgic... the list goes on!). Also a shoutout to my favorite description of anything: "with the sound of an egg imploding." Fascinating description. Absolutely NO IDEA what that would be.
For the story, absolutely loved it. It's rare that there's a twist or revelation that catches me off guard, but I was VERY unprepared for one of the primary explanations in this! Holy crap! It's so exciting to learn about the characters I've seen briefly, or heard an intriguing mention of. Every time I think, "Wow, I hope I get to hear that story sometime" it tends to be the next one that comes up! Wow. Yes. Love it. If you're into Azeroth at all, this series is so far holding really strong. Bringing much more depth as I play the game, as well.
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