Love, Lydia - Notes from a geeky, plus sized artist.: My Summer Book Report - Overview

Monday, July 13, 2015

My Summer Book Report - Overview

Hi guys,

I've been doing lots of reading, and also rereading books while moving.  But it's been a long time since I've written you all one of my bigger book review posts.  So this one is long past due!

The books I've read since my last post in February (oh man...so long ago!) are as follows The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess, Call The Nurse by Mary J MacLeod, and Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates - these are all non-fiction.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen, and Philip Smiley, Geekomancy by Michael R. Underwood, Celebromancy by Michael R. Underwood, The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter - these are adult fiction.

Fuse by Julianna Baggott, Burn by Julianna Baggott, Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire, The Swap by Megan Shull, Cipher by Aileen Erin, Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger,  plus the books I reread The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, and Wild MagicWolf Speaker, and Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce - all YA fiction.

And finally with many more entries than I've had before comes the graphic novels/comics section.
Manifest Destiny Volume 1 by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni, Amulet Volume 1 by Kazu Kibuishi, Thor: Godess of Thunder Volume 1 by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud, Rat Queens Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Weibe and Roc Upchurch, Rat Queens Volume 2 by Kurtis J. Weibe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Sejic, and Ed Brisson,   Captain Marvel: Marvel Now, Volume 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, and Lee Loughridge, Lumberjanes Volume 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen, Ms. Marvel Volume 2 by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt, Ms. Marvel Volume 3 by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc, and Mark Waid, Bride of the Water God Volume 1  by Mi-Kyung Yun, Avengers & X-Men: Axis by Rick Remender, Adam Kubert, and Leinil Francis Yu, Batgirl Volume 1 by Cameron Stewart, Babs Tarr, and Brenden Fletcher.

Also here's an updated list for my more complex reading challenge.  I'd love recommendations for books, and if anyone can think of a book set in Roanoke, VA that'd be fantastic!  I don't want to have to cheat and use a book about the lost colony, but I guess I could if I have to.



The big reason I have so many graphic novels on my list is because back in February Bryan and I happened to spot a new comic book store in a strip mall we often passed going on errands from our old house.  The place is called Fight or Flight Comics and it was exactly the kind of store we didn't even know we were looking for.  We always end up in some great conversations when we go in, and find new things to read too.  6 of the 13 comic titles are entirely thanks to them!  If you're in Raleigh or the Triangle area be sure to check them out, their shiny new shop is well worth the trip!  You'll probably hear more about them in the future as Bryan and I are hoping to get involved with a discussion group they have going.

Anyway, back to the books - I don't want to overwhelm you all, so I'll be breaking the actual reviews into 6 entries of 4-7 items each since there are 42 books in total on this list.  I'm very close to hitting my yearly goal of 52 books, because with all these I'm sitting at 51!  I imagine by the time I get around to writing the last of the 6 sets of reviews I'll have topped that and should be adding a couple more books to the lists as I go along.  Till next time.

Love,
Lydia

2 comments:

  1. Hello again, Lydia!
    Are you more interested in light reading or heavier reading? I was just gonna recommend a few books that I really enjoy based off of your reading challenge list.

    For the "book with nonhuman characters," I really enjoy the Warriors series by Erin Hunter (which is actually a pen name for about a dozen people -- check it out here: warriorcats.com). I have almost the entire 50 book collection (which includes manga, guides, prequels, and spin offs), which you can borrow from if you like them. It's actually targeted at children but I've always really enjoyed them, and they cover some deeper subjects like the loss of a loved one, racism, prejudice, and war. I have two copies of the first two books if you'd like to have them at any point. Maybe just try the first book and see if you like it.

    As for the "book with more than 500 pages"
    or "book set in a different country"
    or "book a friend recommended"
    or "book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit" (possibly, idk, its set in Paris and London)
    or "a classic romance"
    or "a book that became a movie,
    or some of the others you already have marked off... anywayyyyy
    I would like to recommend A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It is pretty time consuming so you may not be interested at all but I wanted to mention it because it's my favorite book *ever*. It's actually divided into three parts (so it might count as a trilogy, since they were originally published individually in newspapers!) and the first part is the hardest to get through but it's also the shortest. Most people stop there because its pretty boring. But it is important to the story so I wouldn't recommend skipping it. It's written in old English which might be a turn off but it's very clever and humorous and thought provoking, which is probably why it's a classic. Maybe you've already read it? I don't know but I just wanted to throw it out there as a possibility because I love it so much!!

    Other books you might like just in general include, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, & Don't Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk.

    ♥ Keri

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    1. Thanks Keri! I'm interested in all kinds of reading, and I really like your suggestions too. I haven't heard of the Warriors series so I'd be happy to borrow the first book from you. I've never read A Tale of Two Cities either, so I'll add that to my list. I've started reading Nickel and Dimed and had to set it aside since I was in school at the time, but now I'll have to pick it back up, because I really do want to finish it. I also have one of the authors other books, Bait and Switch if you want to read it sometime. I still haven't read it yet, and I also have a copy of The Kite Runner that I should get to reading. I'll have to check out Don't Stop the Carnival too! Thanks again. :-)

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