what I've been reading....

Hi. It's nice to be back from my little break. Life got in the way of blogging and reading. It was all good stuff, but I have missed sharing here what I've been up to.

I was over on GoodReads.com the other day, listing some books I'd finished reading, and decided to check out how I was doing on my goal of reading 75 books this year. Well, the news was bad. While I've read 13 books, I'm 17 books behind... yikes! Not sure if I can catch up, or if I even care to try, but I want to get back on the horse and read more the second half of the year. I also have piles of books in my room to read:)

Books I've read since I last posted...

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, by Lauren F. Winner
I picked this up since I loved her first book Girl Meets God and this didn't disappoint. Winner honestly shares her struggles with God and Christianity, and where she sees her self in the Christian story.

Here I Go Again, by Jen Lancaster
A hard book to explain without giving too much away, Lissy Ryder returns to her high school for her 20th reunion to discover that her memories were a little rose-tinted, and she may not be as successful and beloved as she once thought.

The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World, by Nancy Jo Sales
While not the most well written book, it's an interesting look at the headline catching story of six LA teens who burglarized celebrity homes including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom. This book attempts to discover the motivation behind the break-ins and what lead to their obsession with celebrity.

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, by B.J. Novak
Random, odd, funny, heart-touching. A mix of short stories, Novak does an amazing job of fabricating unique stories, characters and places.

Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
I've heard about how great this book is, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. It is definitely a young adult book, but is a beautiful story of two high school misfits finding love and seeing if they have what it takes to make it last.

Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers, by Anne Lamott
One of my favorite authors, Lamott shares the three prayers that get her through tough times, and shares personal stories that lead her to these three prayers.

The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer
I read this book with my church's small group. Tozer does an amazing job at identifying and expounding on God's attributes, such as wisdom, grace, mercy and justice. There was a lot of content that was new to me, and it's a dense book, elegantly written, and I probably re-read in a year or two.

More from Connie Willis - Novella Review

On Wednesday I posted a general review of Connie Willis' collection of short stories, The Winds of Marble Arch, and today I am back with two more reviews.


The Last of the WinnebagosOut of the four novellas I read, this on was my favorite. It's set in a time when animals are dying off, roads and cars are changing drastically, and technology is taking over the job of newspaper photographers (ok, that last one seems to be happening already).

David McCome is a reporter and photographer on route to report on the last RV on the road. RV's are banned in all but four states and relegated to only driving on the old undivided multiways.

On his way he passes a dead jackal on the road, bringing back memories of his old dog and the day he died. The story weaves in many side stories and mysteries, with a satisfying ending.


Even The Queen

In a futurist setting, Traci's daughter joins group called the Cyclists. In recent history women have made strides to become more like men, remove third-person singular pronouns and use words like "herstory." but this pre-Liberation women's groups wants to go back to the core of who they are as women. They want to have their periods again. 

It seems that during the liberation women decided to implant a shunt to free them of their monthly cycle and all the negative effects of it. So now, the alternative thing to do, is to have the shunt remove and get back to nature.

As Traci's mother-in-law bring the family together to try and "save" the daughter, there is humorous debates over the pros and cons of having a menstrual cycle, and beautifully written dialog among the women of the family.

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I'd recommend this book for people who like science fiction or short stories, or anyone else to wants to read. Luckily the short stories don't take too much commitment, and if you don't like it, you probably will be done in a few pages.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks! 

The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories by Connie Willis - Novella Review

Book: The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories

Author: Connie Willis

Genre: Short Stories, Sci-Fi 

Publisher/Publish Date: Subterranean Press / 2007

Source: Public Library

Pages: 700

Rating: 3.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

While I rarely read short stories, I was recommended this author on a podcast I listen to, Books On The Nightstand, which I would recommend to anyone who loves books. The hosts have dubbed 2013 "The Year of the Short Story" and have been recommending a story or two each week. Their review of Connie Willis "Fire Watch" intrigued me and I decided to check out a collection of her stories from the library. This book is 700 pages! And contains 23 stories, so I decided not to over due it but read and review four stories that were highlighted on the dust jacket. A celebrated Science Fiction writer who has won many awards, Willis has been called, "the most relentlessly delightful science fiction writer alive."

As many of her novels plop you right down in the middle of the world she's created,  and it takes a few pages, or until the end to discover what really is going on, there may be some spoilers in the following reviews.

A Letter from the Clearys
Located miles and miles from anyone, Lynn lives with her over protective parents and a family friend, Mrs. Talbot. On a trip to the post office to pick up some magazines, she discovers a letter from the Clearys. As the story continues we discover there was some sort of large explosion that wiped out most of the population, and possibly the Clearys who were supposed to be visiting them at the time it happened. They now live in fear or looters.

This novela, like many of the others, focuses on the characters and the details of their life, which in turn allows us to discover the nature of the world they are living in.

Fire Watch
This novela in particular was recommended by the podcast I mentioned above. In the world this story is set in, historians travel in time. They seem to travel to record date about specific events, i.e. number of deaths and certain dates, but I questions that their presence there would possibly change history.

Mr Bartholomew is tasked with traveling to London in 1940, during the Blitz, with little advance warning and little time to train. While he seems unsure about what his task is exactly, he is sent to the church St Paul's to be part of the fire watch, and spends three months helping put out the bombs that land on the roof.

Willis is skilled at creating a universe with it's own vocabulary and way of life, which I really enjoyed in this story.

Check back on Friday for reviews of two more novellas from this collection.


*Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased at Amazon. 

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks!

July - What I Read

After a really slow reading month in June (only 3 books), I kicked it up a notch in July. Though it helped that one is a photo book, another I only read part of, and yet another was short stories.

Coyote Lost at Sea, by Julia Plant 

I really enjoy adventure books and this was no exception. It's a look at the life of Mike Plant, seen through the eyes of his younger sister Julia. He's a solo sailer, willing to risk his life for the sport he loved. [my review]

Kneading to Die, by Liz Mugavero
A good beach read with a bit of heart. Luckily the pet parts didn't over power the other good qualities of the book. [my review]

Vanishing Portland, by Ray Bottenberg
A photography book, showing historical architecture in Portland Oregon, along side a bit of info. Fun way to see and read about the history of this city.

Portland in Three Centuries, by Carl Abbott
Another history book about Portland Oregon, but with a lot more words. I only made it through half of it. It found it interesting, but it had a lot of details and I felt ready to move onto another book.

The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan, by Jonathan Kirsch
While I really liked this book and learned a lot from it, it wasn't the most fun book to read. I powered through it and was glad I did. [my review]

Seaside Harmony, by Evangeline Kelley
Another good beach read or summer read. Lighthearted and made me wish I could take a trip to where the book was set.

Accidental Time Traveller, by Janis Mackay
A pretty decent Middle Grade book about a young girl who travels and gets stuck in time.

A Dangerous Fiction, by Barbara Rogan
A really great mystery novel. Well written with a plot that is layer though not too complicated to get confusing. Expect a review for this soon.

The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories, by Connie Willis
A collection of short stories. I read four of them, and really enjoyed them. Mostly I am not a huge fan of short stories though, would rather have something around 300-400 pages with a good story I can get lost in.