Happy New Year!

Hello to 2018!

My apologies for the radio silence. I don’t really have a single explanation for my year-long absence. Regular blog fatigue was part of it, but a huge issue was the state of the world and its general trumpery. Everything just seemed so terrible, and with that, it was difficult to dig into my usual leaning stack of material. You already know that I gravitate toward books that are sad, sad, sad. But for most of 2017, I was full-up on sad. And every time I tried to lighten things up, by, say, picking up a book about quirky family members getting in each other’s business, the plot would turn quickly to tragedy. I read one recently about a dysfunctional family that gathered in an old estate over the holidays. Should have been safe, right? NO. A major plot point involved Ebola (Please pass the turkey, but wash your hands! Sissy has a bad virus!). 

A gift for the person who has everything: an Ebola neck tie

Meanwhile, we decided to make some changes to our house in 2017, which required moving the family and 14 years of belongings out for seven months. During that time, the internet and its decorative rabbit holes took all of my attention. It appears that between January and March of last year I read exactly one book, but I spent unquantifiable amounts of time selecting door hinges (antique nickel vs. satin nickel???! These are different, and complicatedly so.). And did you know that if you want to paint your walls blue, you have to look at grey? My new novel: Endless Shades of Grey. The plot? A couple that has been married for more than 20 years squabbles over color nuance. 

The good news is that I have rallied, and I am working on feeling hopeful about the world again. I also ended up reading quite a few books, even if I didn't blog about them. So I thought I’d start the year with a recap of my 2017 Top 5 books. Each day this week I will be posting about a book on the list. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with all of you. Here’s to better times ahead!

What I'm Reading This Week

I’m joining the “It’s Monday: What Are You Reading” project (hosted by Book Journey) for the first time today. I’m trying to keep my momentum up, because I know that things will fall to pieces once the holiday season begins.

This past weekend I finished Veronika Decides To Die, which is my book club’s pick for this month. I’ll write up a review after our conversation – assuming there’s going to be a conversation. Ladies, who’s coming this month? It’ll be a good time -- Ethiopian food and suicide! 

I’m also reading The Restless Sleep: Inside New York City’s Cold Case Squad as part of the Nonfiction November read-along. I’m about half way through, and the discussion starts on Wednesday. So far…eh. I’m a little bit bored, and a little bit horrified. I’m still waiting to get sucked into it. 

The stack below holds other things I hope to get to soon – though not necessarily all of them this week.  

1) I received Lila for my birthday (thank you, Saskia!). I’m thinking that I have to re-read or at least skim Gilead and Home before I tackle it, though. I tend to forget details from previous books, and that drives me crazy.

From Goodreads:

Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church—the only available shelter from the rain—and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering that preceded her newfound security.

Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand-to-mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. But despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life is laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to harmonize the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband that paradoxically judges those she loves.

2) Radical Equations: Math Literacy and Civil Rights is the last book I promised to read for Nonfiction November. If I accomplish that, I will have read 4 nonfiction books for pleasure in a single month. That might be a record.

From Goodreads:

At a time when popular solutions to the educational plight of poor children of color are imposed from the outside-national standards, high-stakes tests, charismatic individual saviors-the acclaimed Algebra Project and its founder, Robert Moses, offer a vision of school reform based in the power of communities. Begun in 1982, the Algebra Project is transforming math education in twenty-five cities. Founded on the belief that math-science literacy is a prerequisite for full citizenship in society, the Project works with entire communities-parents, teachers, and especially students-to create a culture of literacy around algebra, a crucial stepping-stone to college math and opportunity.

3) Us just came in from my library hold list! Woo! I enjoyed Nicholls’ One Day, so I’m hopeful that this one will be a relaxing treat (It looks like One Day is on sale at Powells for $1.50, if you don't mind the annoying movie cover!).

From Goodreads:

Douglas Petersen understands his wife's need to 'rediscover herself' now that their son is leaving home. He just thought they'd be doing their rediscovering together.

So when Connie announces that she will be leaving, too, he resolves to make their last family holiday into the trip of a lifetime: one that will draw the three of them closer, and win the respect of his son. One that will make Connie fall in love with him all over again.

The hotels are booked, the tickets bought, the itinerary planned and printed. What could possibly go wrong?

4) Finally, This One Summer is a YA (or middle grade? I can't tell) graphic novel. I have yet to read any graphic novels and am not sure how much I’ll enjoy this format. But I’ve heard good things about this one, and it doesn’t involve superheroes or dragons -- so it seems like a good one to try.

From Goodreads:

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It's a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

In This One Summer two stellar creators redefine the teen graphic novel. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of her teen age—a story of renewal and revelation.

That's all for now. Please let me know what you’re reading, too. Hint: Leave a comment. 

Boo!

I am deep in the thick of reading Hannah Pittard's Reunion, and hopefully I'll get a review up this weekend.

I've been sidetracked a bit by Halloween -- in particular, I've been sidetracked by tween costume indecision. Today I spent my day making a last minute Black Knight helmet from Monty Python out of foam. This was tricky because of the problem that glue doesn't seem to work well on foam, and also because of the problem that I don't do crafts. Next year, I plan to give the kids a copy of this book from 1950:

In honor of Halloween, I'd like to leave you with a couple of booky links from the internets:

From Flavorwire, Famous Last Words: 15 Authors' Epitaphs

From Bookriot.com, 15 Awesome Bookish Jack O'Lanterns

Again from Bookriot.com, Bring Out Your Dead: 7 Nonfiction Books About the Science of Dead Bodies

And yet again from (last year's) Bookriot.com, 15 Adorably Bookish Pet Costumes (Because, awwww....I am so loving Scarlett O'Hara)

Blog poll: What is the best candy to eat while reading? Leave your vote in the comments section below.

Thoughts on Numerical Ratings

Those of you who are my friends on Goodreads know about the issues I have with the number rating system. Goodreads asks you to rate a book on a five star scale: five is “it was amazing;” four is “I really liked it;” three is “I liked it;” two is “it was ok;” and one is “I didn’t like it.”

Recently I have received some criticism for not rating books highly enough. I give mostly fours, and only rarely do I give a book a five. I do this because I want to be able to really distinguish a book that rocked my world from all the other books I have enjoyed.  The criticism seems to come from the perception that getting 4 stars is like getting a B in school.

So part of my struggle involves determining how many stars to give a book, but I also struggle with the very idea of numerically measuring a book based on how much I “like” it. The truth is that I look for different kind of reading experiences at different moments for different reasons. I can “not like” a book because it’s the wrong book for my mood, or because there’s something unsatisfying about it, or because it’s not my cup of tea. How can you tell the difference between all of those reasons for “not liking” something?

Here’s an example: sometimes I am in the mood for a quick treat of a book – something easy and simple --  like a thriller or a book about four old friends connecting at a beach house. The point of reading that book at a particular moment is to relax. I read it because it’s perfect for that occasion.

Sometimes, however, I am in the mood for a complex piece of literature – something that makes me think deeply or feel deeply or see the world in a new way. This book might be difficult or challenging or uncomfortable.

If I read either book at the wrong moment, I might not “like” it.  So how do I rate a “wrong book at the wrong time?” Similarly, if I read each book at the right moment, are they both five stars? Does a deep, complex, moving piece of literature get rated the same as an easy, breezy, formulaic read that hits the spot?

I won’t be giving number ratings here, because they just don’t work for me. But what do YOU think? Does rating a book numerically help you? What kind of information do those ratings give you?