TTT: Starred Reviews

Top Ten Tuesday (a slight variation): Starred reviews.

Professional book publications give starred reviews for their favorite books. Each year I pay attention to these starred reviews to help me attempt to figure out which books will win an award at the ALA Midwinter meeting which just concluded last week. Looking at just six of those publications: Book List, School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, books with the most starred reviews should technically win. Right? Well, let's check out if that is true.

(Young Adult books are the only ones I am considering here.)

There were two books which earned a starred review from each of the six publications: Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson and On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. Neither of them won any awards last week. Hmm. Interesting. Seems to me that six starred reviews should equal winners.

1. Michael L. Printz Award (Best YA literature of the year) 

• Dig by A.S. King- Award---4 starred reviews
• The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi- Honor---?
• Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki- Honor---5 starred reviews
• Ordinary Hazards: a Memoir by Nikki Grimes-Honor---4 starred reviews
• Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean- Honor-1 starred review

2. Schneider Family Book Award (Teen living with a disability)

• Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein (Ages 13-18)-Award---0 starred reviews
• The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais- Honor ---0 starred reviews

3. Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature (LGBTQ+) :

• Black Flamingo by Dean Atta- YA Award---0 starred reviews
• Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Honor---4 starred reviews
• Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian- Honor -1 starred review

4. William C. Morris Award (First YA novel by author)

• The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillippe- Award-0 starred reviews

5. YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 

• Free Lunch by Rex Ogle- Award---2 starred reviews

6. Coretta Scott King Book Award (African American Author) 

• New Kid by Jerry Craft-Award---4 starred reviews
• The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus---3 starred reviews
• Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds---5 starred reviews

• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia---4 starred reviews

7. Coretta Scott King Author-Steptoe New Talent

• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams---3 starred reviews

8. Sibert Informational  Book Award (Distinguished Informational books)

• This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy-Honor---3 starred reviews
• Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes-Honor ---4 starred reviews

9. Newbery Medal (Most outstanding contribution to children's literature)

• New Kid by Jerry Craft-Award---4 starred reviews
• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams---3 starred reviews

10. The Sydney Taylor Award (Jewish experience)

• Someday We Will Fly by Rachel deWosken - YA Award---2 starred reviews
• Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work by Victoria Ortiz- Honor-1 starred review
• Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz ---3 starred reviews

11.  American Indian Youth Literature award

• Hearts Unbroken, written by Cynthia Leitich Smith - YA Award ---1 starred review
• Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett - Honor ---1 starred review
• Reawakening Our Ancestors’ Lines: Revitalizing Inuit Traditional Tattooing by Angela Hovak Johnston - Honor---0 starred reviews
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza -Honor---3 starred reviews
• Apple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley - Honor ---1 starred review

12.  Asian/Pacific American Literature Award

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott - YA Award---2 starred reviews
• Frankly in Love by David Yoon- Honor---5 starred reviews

I tend to pay attention to starred reviews to make my YA choices for what to read next, yet, based on my example here, I see it is not a reliable method for picking a winner. Let's see how many starred reviews the National Book Award Finalists earned...

 

 
So. Hmm. Notice that the winner got no starred reviews, while one of the finalists got five. Interesting. Just interesting.

 

-Anne

 

Review and quotes: MUSE OF NIGHTMARES

Title: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor


Book Beginning quote:

Friday56 quote:

Summary: Muse of Nightmares is the sequel to Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. Since it is a sequel to a wonderful book that ended on a huge cliff-hanger I hate to give too many details because that would mean I'm letting out spoilers. So let me ask a few questions which likely are answered by the end of the book: As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, will the mysteries of the Mesarthim be revealed? Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with the thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? As forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed will the heroes slay the monsters, or is it possible to save them instead? Will Lazlo be able to save everyone he loves?

Review: I LOVED Strange the Dreamer, published in 2017. So it is shocking that I didn't immediately read its sequel, published in 2018, the minute it was available. It's a pity I didn't because I'd forgotten a lot of the details making the first one third of this book a bit of a muddle.

The book was divided into five parts. At the beginning of each part a word is defined and described (see Book Beginning quote.) I liked challenging myself to find the word used somewhere in the text. The book introduced a lot of new characters but also reunited us with the whole cast of characters from the first. In other words, there were a lot of humans, gods, and godspawn to keep track of.

Though it took a while to get realigned with the plot, I loved the story. It was so intricate and surprising. Quite a bit of back-story filled in gaps and there was even a little peek at a mystery from one of the author's other series, The Daughter of Smoke and Bones. What a little thrill.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the production. Overall, I am glad I read it finally.


Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from current book.
The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56 to share. 
Visit these two websites to participate. Click on links to read quotes from books other people are reading. It is a great way to make blog friends and to get suggestions for new reading material. 

-Anne

Best YA books of the 2010s

Top Ten Tuesday: Time for another decade list. 

Here are my favorite YA books published and read in the 2010s.

This was really, really hard for me. I read hundreds of YA titles in the last decade and I love so many of them. I initially added 20 books to the list and then decided to cull it down to my very, very favorites that I recommended over and over to teen readers. Click on the hyperlinks and read my reviews. You'll catch why I love them as you read those reviews.

1. Stolen by Lucy Christopher (2010)

2. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (2011)

3. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (2011)

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012)

5 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2012)

6. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013)

7. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (2014)

8. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry (2016)

9. The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016)

 

10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)

11. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (2017)

12. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson (2019)

What are your favorite YA books from the last decade?

 

- Anne

ALA Youth Media Awards 2020

The YMA Awards were announced this morning and the YA winners are: (For the full list click here)

My list only reflects YA winners(with a few middle grade titles thrown in here and there.)

1. Michael L. Printz Award (Best YA literature of the year) 

• Dig by A.S. King- Award
• The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi- Honor
• Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki- Honor
• Ordinary Hazards: a Memoir by Nikki Grimes-Honor
• Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean- Honor

2. Schneider Family Book Award (Teen living with a disability)

• Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein (Ages 13-18)-Award
• The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais- Honor 

3. Alex Awards - 10 Best adult books that appeal to teen audiences   

• A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World (Fletcher)
• Do You Dream of Terra-Two? (Oh)
• Dominicana (Cruz)
• Gender Queer: a Memoir (Kobabe)
• High School (Quin and Quin)
• In Waves (Dungo)
• Middlegame (McGuire)
• The Nickel Boys (Whitehead)
• Read, White, and Royal Blue (McQuiston)
• The Swallows (Lutz)

4. Margaret A. Edwards Award (An author who has made a significant contribution to YA or Children's Lit)

• Name of author : Steve Sheinkin

5. Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature (LGBTQ+) :

• Black Flamingo by Dean Atta- YA Award
• Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Honor
• Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian- Honor 
• (The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy-Honor, Middle Grade title)

6. William C. Morris Award (First YA novel by author)

• The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillippe- Award

7. YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 

• Free Lunch by Rex Ogle- Award

8. Coretta Scott King Book Award (African American Author) 

• New Kid by Jerry Craft-Award
• The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
• Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

9. Coretta Scott King Author-Steptoe New Talent

• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams

10. Pura Belpre (Latinx Author) 

• (The Award and honor books are all for middle grade or children readers this year.)

11. Odyssey Award (Audio Book)

• Hey Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt With Family Addiction by Jarrett Krosoczka- Award
• Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt- Honor
• (The other three honor books are middle grade or children's books)

12. Sibert Informational  Book Award (Distinguished Informational books)

• This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy-Honor
• Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes
• (The award winner and two other honor books for children or middle grade readers)

13. Mildred Batchelder Award (Translated into English)

• The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi - Honor, translated from Japanese
• (The award book and other titles were for younger readers)

14. Children's Literature Legacy Award (An author or illustrator whose work has had a substantial and lasting effect on Children's literature)

• Author name: Kevin Henkes

15. Newbery Medal (Most outstanding contribution to children's literature)

• New Kid by Jerry Craft-Award
• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams
• (Three honor books are for younger readers)

16. Caldecott Medal

• (All Award book and honor books are for children readers.)

17. The Sydney Taylor Award (Jewish experience)

• Someday We Will Fly by Rachel deWosken - YA Award
• Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work by Victoria Ortiz- Honor
• Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

18.  American Indian Youth Literature award

• Hearts Unbroken, written by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee)- YA Award
• Surviving the City, written by Tasha Spillett (Nehiyaw-Trinidadian)- Honor
• Reawakening Our Ancestors’ Lines: Revitalizing Inuit Traditional Tattooing, gathered and compiled by Angela Hovak Johnston (Inuk)- Honor
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People, written by Debbie Reese (Nambé Owingeh) and Jean Mendoza -Honor
• Apple in the Middle, written by Dawn Quigley (Ojibwe, Turtle Mountain Band)- Honor

19.  Asian/Pacific American Literature Award

• They Called Us Enemy, written by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker- YA Award
• Frankly in Love, written by David Yoon

So many good books. Let's get reading. (Highlighted books or authors are those I have read.)

Review and quotes: BLOWOUT: CORRUPTED DEMOCRACY, ROGUE STATE RUSSIA, AND THE RICHEST, MOST DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRY ON EARTH

Title: Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow

Book Beginnings quote:

Friday56 quote:

Summary:

With her trademark black humor, Maddow takes us on a switchback journey around the globe, revealing the greed and incompetence of Big Oil and Gas along the way, and drawing a surprising conclusion about why the Russian government hacked the 2016 U.S. election. She deftly shows how Russia’s rich reserves of crude have, paradoxically, stunted its growth, forcing Putin to maintain his power by spreading Russia’s rot into its rivals, its neighbors, the West’s most important alliances, and the United States. Chevron, BP, and a host of other industry players get their star turn, most notably ExxonMobil and the deceptively well-behaved Rex Tillerson. The oil and gas industry has weakened democracies in developed and developing countries, fouled oceans and rivers, and propped up authoritarian thieves and killers. But being outraged at it is, according to Maddow, “like being indignant when a lion takes down and eats a gazelle. You can’t really blame the lion. It’s in her nature.” Blowout is a call to contain the lion: to stop subsidizing the wealthiest businesses on earth, to fight for transparency, and to check the influence of the world’s most destructive industry and its enablers. The stakes have never been higher. As Maddow writes, “Democracy either wins this one or disappears.” (From the publisher)

Review: I am hoping that my blood pressure goes down now that I am finally finished with Blowout.

Everything we have been hearing on the news lately related to Russia, Trump, taxes, cheating, Ukraine, everything...is related to the most destructive industry on earth---the oil and gas industry.

The title---"Blowout"---has a double meaning. For anyone who has a baby at home, you know what I'm talking about. So it is a perfect title...if you get yourself tangled up with the oil and gas industry you WILL BECOME soiled. Maddow shows the reader over and over and over with example after example of what this means. It is, as a co-founder of OPEC, Venezuelan diplomat Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo, reportedly once called oil “the excrement of the devil.” 

My husband and I listened to Blowout on audiobook, or at least the first half, we had to finish it separately, and each of us were horrified by what we learned. I could only consume it in short sessions and never before bed or before church. I'd get too riled up to go to sleep or to be prayerful otherwise.

Maddow is a commentator on MSNBC and as excellent a writer as she is in that role. She often makes information clear to me that was fuzzy before. In Blowout she draws together a whole bunch of controversies and shows the reader how they are related. I highly recommend the book but I warn you, it is not an easy read.


Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from current book.
The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56 to share. 
Visit these two websites to participate. Click on links to read quotes from books other people are reading. It is a great way to make blog friends and to get suggestions for new reading material.
-Anne
 

Best Nonfiction Reads of the Past Decade

Here is my promised list of favorite nonfiction titles read and published in the last decade. I decided to leave Memoirs off the list. How knows? Maybe I will create a list of my favorite Memoirs of the decade soon. I hyperlinked the titles of those books I reviewed. The books I've selected represent those books which have stayed with me or I've referenced frequently in the past years. I recommend them all highly. Sorted chronologically.

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2010)---A fascinating look at medical ethics based on the use of Henrietta's cancer cells without family permission. A book club selection. (Audiobook)

• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand (2010)---Louis Zamperini was a true American hero, an Olympian, and an all-around character. His story inspires me to be a better person. A book club selection. (Audiobook)

• The Boys in the Boat: Nine American Boys and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (2013)---Nine boys from the state of Washington compete in the Olympics in Berlin and win against great odds. This is all of their stories and so much more. Another book club selection, a favorite among group members. (Audio and Print)

• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (2014)---Dr. Gawande reminds us that we are all mortal and with our doctors we need to plan our end-of-life goals. I think of this book often and its advice. I want to finish well. (Audiobook)

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (2014)---Stevenson is a lawyer dedicated to helping individuals who are trapped in prison without representation, particularly those on death row. A movie is being made of it, so read it first and watch his TED talk. (I also read the YA version of the book but I don't think it is as good. It is too pared down.) (Audio and print)

• Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin (2015)---The only YA book on the list and it is a good one! It is the Pentagon Papers for a new generation. I went to hear Daniel Ellsberg speak after I read this book and was horrified about what a nuclear war would look like and become. (Print)

• The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (2015)---We all think we know everything there is to know about the Wright Brothers but we are wrong. Orville and Wilbur were way more creative, innovative, inventive, hard-working, and capable than you can imagine. Any book by David McCullough is not-to-be-missed. This one is no exception.  (Audiobook)

• Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (2016)---Part memoir, part biology manual. For that reason I kept it on this list, though it is technically a Memoir. I fell in love with Hope Jahren and with trees. (Audiobook)

• Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World by Rob Sheffield (2017)---I really geeked out on this homage to my favorite rock group. Sheffield writes for Rolling Stone Magazine and he knows what he is talking about when it comes to rock music and the Beatles. (Print)

• A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves That Made Us Human by Kay Frydenborg (2017)---The only middle grade book on the list and the only one I evaluated for the Cybils Awards. As a dog lover I was fascinated by it. As a lifelong learner I was gobsmacked by how mush I learned from it. If you don't want to read it, at least read my review. (Then you will want to read it!) (Print)

•  Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (2017)---This book reads like a murder mystery. David Grann does something most writers don't do, he inserts himself into the story as he reports his findings. A book club selection. (Audiobook)

• The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham (2018)---Meacham is a historian and writes with authority about other times in our history when we faced crises, putting our current political climate into context. I felt soothed by his words and message. The title comes from a quote by Abraham Lincoln: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” (Audiobook)

What are some of your favorite nonfiction titles published in the last decade?

-Anne

Sunday Salon: January 19, 2020

Weather: Today was overcast but no rain. Fine enough for a walk with the dog. This past week we've seen it all: snow, hail, rain, wind, and fine blue skies.

6000 years old: James Usser (1581-1656) decided to calculate the age of the earth. He went way back to the "beginning" in the Bible and used all kinds of calculations. He was very meticulous. He used over 2000 pieces of paper and it took him 10 years to figure it out. In 1650 he came to a conclusion: "Earth was formed on Sunday, October 23, 4004 BC...around lunchtime." Nevermind that he was over 4 billion years off. He became known as the first geologist. In 1703 the Church of England printed Usser's dates in the margin of the updated Bible. From that point on many Christians have thought Usser's numbers were actually from God. In fact, Gideon's Bibles were also printed with this date up until 1978. Some misinformation really dies hard. (From the book: The First Dinosaur by Ian Lendler.)

"I want to finish my book before I die": My mother's dear friend had a small stroke this past week. She told her family that she didn't want to die, though she was ready, until she finished the book she was reading. It was too good to miss the ending. A few days later she had a bigger stroke which rendered her uncommunicative. Her family made sure to read the ending of the book aloud to her anyway. I sure hope she could hear them. She died yesterday in peace.

Snow-what?: The weather forecasters made sure we all were prepared for the worst: Snow, wind, freezing temperatures. When the snow arrived it amounted to less than two inches. I think one night the temperatures did fall below freezing, but just barely. Now we are back to regular winter weather: rain.

No reviews: This is the first time I have participated as a round two judge for the Cybils book award. After reading my first of eleven finalist books, I wrote a nice review and posted it here on my blog. Umm...That was a problem. Apparently, even though Cybils are awarded by book bloggers, we are NOT supposed to publish our reviews of the finalists until after the awards are announced on Feb. 14th. Not sure why, especially since I didn't say anything like "I will for sure vote against this book." Nevertheless, I took down my review and have it piled up with the other four I've written since then. Starting late in the day on the 14th of February, I will release one review a day for the following eleven days. I'm sure you can hardly wait.

Speaking of reading. Here is a list of the books I've read so far in 2020 (I've been busy):

• Dreamland (YA Edition): The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones. E-book. I've wanted to read the adult version of this book for the years since it was published so I am glad to be able to read this YA version now. Cybils, SH Nonfiction.
• On This Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Print. A gay man writes a letter to his mother, a Vietnamese woman who cannot read English, as an explanation of how he has interpreted his life and interactions with her. 
• Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow. Audiobook. The title says it all except that 'Oil and Gas' is the industry.
• Playlist: Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound by James Rhodes. Print. Rhodes, a classical musician highlights pieces of music from the original rock stars: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. Cybils, SH Nonfiction.
• Disaster Strikes! The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time by Jeffrey Kluger. Print. Some of the space disaster I'd heard of (Apollo 13) but most I hadn't. Cybils, JH Nonfiction.
• 1919: The Year That Changed America by Martin W. Sandler. Print. Women get the vote, prohibition is voted in, the first red scare, the Harlem Rennaisance, etc. Cybils, JH nonfiction.
• Normal People by Sally Rooney. Audiobook. A girl and boy hook up in high school where he is popular and she an outcast. When they get to college, things are reversed. Read my review before you decide to read it. (Click hyperlinked title.)
• The First Dinosaur: How Science Solved the Greatest Mystery on Earth by Ian Lendler. Print. All the people who put their heads and minds together to figure out geology and paleontology to the point of naming the first dinosaur. Cybils, JH nonfiction. 

Currently reading: 

•  A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein. E-Book. 28%. Cybils, SH Nonfiction.
• The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out In the Streets by Gayle E. Pitman. Print. 46%. Cybils, JH nonfiction.
• The Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor. Audiobook. Part of the 'Strange the Dreamer' series. 5% complete.

Instead of publishing reviews, I've been creating posts like these:

• Life According to Literature
• My favorite novels published in the last decade
• Six Degrees of Separation. From Daisy Jones and the Six to...
• Best Book Club Selections of 2019

Sanditon: PBS is running a mini-series on Jane Austen's unfinished novel, Sanditon. The creator of the series took her characters, setting, and plot beginnings and built the story from there. Don and I binge-watched all eight episodes this week. What fun to be back in Austen's world for a while. I must say though, quite a few circumstances were very 21st Century, not early 19th Century. And the ending...I'll say no more. Watch it.

Survey: 59% of Republicans think college is bad for America. (Pew Research, August 2019) How far we have slipped. Sigh.

On the impending Senate trial on the impeachment of Trump:

“The most important thing is that the American people deserve a fair trial. The Constitution deserves a fair trial. Our democracy deserves a fair trial. And we believe that a fair trial involves witnesses. It involves evidence. It involves documents.” (H. Jeffries, D-NY on Fox News)

Because I want to think about something other than politics:

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Do something good for someone in need!

-Anne

Life According to Literature

THE RULES: Using only books you have read during the year (2019), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. Let me know below, if you've joined in too.

• Describe yourself: Becoming | Michelle Obama
• How do you feel: Called | Mark Labberton
• Describe where you currently live: Inland | Tea Obreht
• A place you like to hang out: The Library Book  | Susan Orleans
• If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Astoria | Peter Stark
• Your favorite form of transportation: The Walk | Richard Paul Evans
• Your best friend is: The Friend | Sigrid Nunez
• You and your friends are: The Great Believers | Rebecca Makkai
• What's the weather like: The Sun and Her Flowers | Rupi Kaur
• You fear: Life on Mars | Tracy K. Smith
• What is the best advice you have to give: We Should All Be Feminists | C.N. Adichie
• Thought for the day: Disappearing Earth | Julia Phillips
• How would I like to die: Burial Rites | Hannah Kent
• My soul's present condition: Crossing to Safety | Wallace Stegner

Guess I'll have to do this every year. It was fun and a little weird. What do you think of my selections?

Thanks Brona for the idea (Brona's Books)
-Anne

Review and quotes: NORMAL PEOPLE

Title: Normal People by Sally Rooney

Book Beginnings quote:

Marianne answers the door when Connell rings the bell. She's still wearing her school uniform, but she's taken off the sweater, so it just her blouse and skirt, and she has no shoes on, only tights.

Friday56 quote:

He kept thinking of himself saying to Marianne in bed: I love you. It was terrifying, like watching himself committing a crime on CCTV. And soon she wold be in school, putting her books in her bag, smiling to herself, never knowing anything. You're a nice person and everyone likes you. He took one uncomfortable breath and then threw up.

Summary: Marianne and Connell grow up in the same small town in Ireland and attend the same school but that is where the similarities end. She is rich but a loner while he is poor but popular. Connell's single mother cleans Marianne's house twice a week. In the first quote Connell is dropping by the house to pick up his mother after her shift is over. Because Connell is often in her house he and Marianne start to interact with one another, but at school they behave as if they don't know one  each other. Often what they talk about it grades because both of them are good at school and get top marks. At one point Marianne confesses that she likes Connell. This comment leads eventually to a whole clandestine sexual relationship between the teens, while they still maintain the rouse of not knowing each other while at school. In the second quote Connell's friends have been teasing him when he realizes what he's done. He's fallen in love with a social outcast. The thought makes him sick.

A year later Marianne and Connell are off to college in Trinity College in Dublin. After ending their "friendship" the two never see each other at college until they end up at the same party. Now Marianne is the popular person and Connell is the one who has trouble making friends. For the next several years their relationship waxes and wanes. they are drawn to each other and then break apart. Over and over. It also becomes evident that Marianne is becoming more and more destructive with her body and Connell is having trouble with his mental state. Can they save one another?

Review: I was pretty excited to read this book after I saw it on lots of end-of-2019-best-books lists. I thought it was a fun premise that the roles of these two "friends" would reverse after high school. What I wasn't prepared for was all the sex. Lots and lots of it. I kept checking to make sure the book was truly written by a woman because it seems like only a male author would be so obsessed with sex scenes. And then the sex morphed into sadomasochism. Thankfully, those bits aren't very graphic. As the story opens up we learn why Marianne expects to be dominated by men and it is a pretty sad situation.

I listened to the audiobook of Normal People read by Aoife McMann who has a lovely Irish brogue. I simply loved the listening experience. I also devoured the book. Though I was horrified by the negative turns the book took, I was compelled to listen as fast as I could which meant I sat for hours listening yesterday, barely moving a muscle. I thought the title 'Normal People' played a prominent theme in the book, which I like. I like figuring out why an author titles their work with a particular word or phrase. Will I recommend that my book club read this book? No. Will I tell others about it? Probably not. Did I like it? Yes, sort of. There, I am like Marianne and Connell. My relationship with this book will remain a secret.

Oh, by the way, I just noticed that Hulu will be running a TV series of the book this spring. Last chance to read it before it hits the airwaves.

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from current book.
The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56 to share. 
Visit these two websites to participate. Click on links to read quotes from books other people are reading. It is a great way to make blog friends and to get suggestions for new reading material.

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-Anne

My favorite books that were published in the decade.

My top twelve books published in the last decade

I am always compiling lists in my head and then sometimes, like right now, I publish them for you to see. This list is my favorite books that were published in the last decade. As with every list the top books would probably change somewhat depending on my mood. To help alleviate that moodiness vote, I have consulted my end of the year lists and my own reviews on Goodreads or here on this blog. I decided, at the last minute, to only include fiction works for this list which will give me an excuse to create a similar list for nonfiction favorites of the decade.

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr---I even re-read this book soon after reading it the first time. The writing and the symbolism are just simply gorgeous. It helps that I met Doerr at a book event and he is such a fascinating guy. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize among its many awards. (2014, Scribner)

2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman---Something about this book really spoke to me about the way we treat people who we don't understand. It also spoke to me about the importance of being a good friend. (2017, Viking)

3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel---Another book which I reread in the decade, this is a book I think about every day because I suspect it may become true. It deals with life twenty years after an apocalypse. The writing is pretty spectacular, too, with the author leaving little dragon's teeth along the way which the reader collects as she reads. (2014, Knopf)

4. The One-In-A-Million Boy by Monica Wood---I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this book. It is chalk full of quirky characters and odd situations. It is also loving and kind at the same time. (2016, Headline Review)

5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline---I know this is a niche book, but I really like it with it's quirky plot and characters. It is a throwback to the 1980s when everything was a little bit more innocent and then it jumps forward in time when everything is much more complicated and horrible. (2011, Crown)

6. The Round House by Louise Erdrich---This was the first book by Erdrich that I read and now I am huge fan. The Round House is Justice series. I don't think you can read books by this Native American author and not be changed. An unreviewed book by me. Sigh. (2012, HarperCollins)

7. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt--- I enjoyed every minute of The Goldfinch and my reading experience was measured out in minutes, as I listened to all 32 hours of the audiobook. Of all the book reviews I've written, this is my favorite. This book is a Pulitzer Prize winner. (2013, Little, Brown and Company; 2014, Audible)

8. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green---The only YA book on this list, though I have many that I love. This book was just extra special. In the decade I've read it once, and listened to the audiobook twice. (2012, Dutton Books)

9. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai---My favorite book read in 2019, this book gives a hard look at the AIDS epidemic from its start to current days. The loss of so many men in the prime of life is compared to the Lost Generation of WWI. (2018, Penguin Books)

10. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki---I like books that have interrelated themes and plots. This book is that in spades, with the stories relating across time and distance, plus there is a little magical realism thrown in for good measure. A book club selection. Our group lined up on both sides of the "like" question. I was on the love side. (2013, Viking)

11. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead--- Whitehead wrote this book on this premise: What if the Underground Railroad was a real railroad. This book stands the typical slave narrative story on its head and it is brilliant. Another Pulitzer Prize winner.  (2016, Doubleday)

12. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens---This book has a little of everything I like in books: flawed characters, interesting/new-to-me settings, mysteries, and poetry. I loved everything about it. (2018, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

I could go on and on. Maybe my next list will be my favorite nonfiction titles of the past decade, or my favorite YA titles...We'll see!

Happy 2020.

-Anne