Books 57-83 of 2017 (March)

(pictured are 5-star reads)

Books read: 26

Male authors: 8
Female: 17
Various/other: 1

Print: 10
eBook: 12
Audio: 4

Translated: 3
Award nominees: 6
Review copies: 14

57. Once We Were Sisters: A Memoir by Sheila Kohler (personal copy from Malaprops subscription; my review) **
58. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (personal copy/review copy from Quarterly.co; my review) ****
59. Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet (eBook from Hoopla; my review) **
60. How to Be a Muslim: An American Story by Haroon Moghul (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) ****
61. The Mothers by Brit Bennett (personal copy/review copy from Quarterly.co; my review) *****
62. March: Vol. 1 by John Robert Lewis (eBook from Hoopla; my review) ****
63. On Reading, Writing, and Living with Books by various (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) ****
64. Cannibal: Poems by Safiya Sinclair (interlibrary loan; my review) ****
65. Island Home: A Landscape Memoir by Tim Winton (ARC from publisher; my review) *****
66. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (eARC from NetGalley; my review) ****
67. Light Box: Stories by K.J. Orr (library book; my review) ****
68. How to Be an Indian in the 21st Century by Louis "Two Shoes" Clark (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) **
69. Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (eBook from Hoopla; my review) ****
70. Cain: Poems by Luke Kennard (library book; my review) ****
71. My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) ****
72. Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi (personal copy; my review) *****
73. The Temporary Bride: A Memoir of Love and Food in Iran by Jennifer Klinec (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) *****
74. Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories by Kanishk Tharoor (eARC from NetGalley; my review) ****
75. The Rules do not Apply by Ariel Levy (eARC from NetGalley; my review) ****
76. Daughter of a Thousand Years by Amalia Carosella (audiobook review copy; my review) ***
77. Difficult Women: Stories by Roxane Gay (personal copy; my review) ****
78. The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (library book; my review) *****
79. Ernesto by Umberto Sala (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) ***
80. Seeing People Off by Jana Benova (eARC from Edelweiss; my review) ****
81. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Audible audiobook; my review) ****
82. Lafayette in these Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell (Audible audiobook; my review) ***
83. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (book swap; my review) ****

Reading Envy 083: Slowing Down and Rereading

Julie Davis stops by the Reading Envy Pub, where we talk about rereading, slowing down to appreciate an author's craft, and the best spy adventure the Vatican has ever seen! We also talk about good books we've read lately.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 083: Slowing Down and Rereading.

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Books featured:



The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
The Temporary Bride: A Memoir of Love and Food in Iran by Jennifer Kinec
Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler by Mark Riebling
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin


Also discussed:

The Tolkien Professor
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit by Corey Olsen
Les Enfantes des Troumarons (film)
Slumdog Millionaire (film)

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
Taste of Persia by Naomi Duguid
America, the Last Best Hope by William J. Bennett
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
The Book of Etta by Meg Elison


Related Episodes:

Episode 003 - 3 of 5 Stars with guest Julie Davis
Episode 055 - Too Late for an Autopsy with Julie Davis
Episode 071 - Bad Priest, Good Priest, No Priest with Scott (discussion of The Unnamed Midwife)


Stalk us online:

Julie at The Happy Catholic
SFF Audio
Julie at A Good Story is Hard to Find
Julie at Forgotten Classics
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Library Books Mid-March 2017

This month's library piles see the clear influence of award lists, because it is the season indeed!

The Mindfulness Diaries: How I Survived My First Nine-Day Silent Meditation Retreat by Jennifer Howd

Charm City: A Walk through Baltimore by Madison Smartt Bell
Light Box by K.J. Orr
Cain by Luke Kennard
The Beautiful Struggle by Ta Nehisi Coates
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion by Meghan Daum
The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone
Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair
The Barn at the End of the World by Mary Rose O'Reilly
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
One Child: the Story of China's Most Radical Experiment by Mei Fong
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
The Nix by Nathan Hill

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
Judas by Amos Oz
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose

I'm going on my first silent retreat in April, so I wanted to read the Howd and O'Reilly in preparation. I'm headed to Baltimore soon and snagged the Bell and Coates for that purpose, but it turns out that the Chabon is also set there. I read the Orr for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, checked out the Kennard and Sinclair for the Dylan Thomas Prize list, the Barnhill and Shawl for the Nebula, the Chabon & Palmer & Hill for the Tournament of Books, the Melrose for the Baileys, and the Oz for the Man Booker International Prize.

The Fong is the April book for my in-person book club; the rest were just books I was interested in.

I review every book I read on Goodreads, and a hefty chunk of these are already done!

These piles are an eternal tribute to the library where I work, because all but one book comes from their collection or through the statewide consortium, or infrequently, an interlibrary loan.

Reading Envy 082: Reading Envy Envy

Scott and Jenny go back and read books mentioned by other people in previous episodes of Reading Envy, because of course we get reading envy too! This is not a repeat episode, but a new look at books that may have only been mentioned in passing on previous episodes. Jenny will link to the original episode mentions in case you want to hear another perspective after hearing this episode.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 082: Reading Envy Envy.


Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
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Books discussed:



The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (originally mentioned episode 075)
The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone (originally mentioned episode 049)
Tenth of December by George Saunders (originally mentioned episode 026)
Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching by Mychal Denzel Smith (originally mentioned episode 070)
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (originally mentioned episode 004)
Plainsong by Kent Haruf (originally mentioned episode 075 and 078)

Other mentions:

Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? by Brother Guy Consolmagno
The Star by Arthur C. Clarke
Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
Gilead  and Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast with George Saunders
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Killing Rage by bell hooks
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Half of a Yellow Song by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Eventide by Kent Haruf
Benediction by Kent Haruf
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi

Related Episodes:
Episode 014 - Flannery O'Connor with Zombies with Jason and Scott
Episode 052 - The Man with the Eyebrows with Philip and Scott
Episode 058 - Wishing for a Sequel with Scott
Episode 071 - Bad Priest, Good Priest, No Priest with Scott
 
Stalk us online:
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Scott on Twitter
Scott on his blog

Reading Envy 081: Readalong Announcement

Jenny sits down alone by the fire at the Reading Envy Pub to bend your ear about our first ever readalong, and the birth of a new online community. This is a quick episode, and you still have time to get a copy of this book to participate in the readalong. I hope to see you there.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 081: Readalong Announcement.

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via iTunes by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Listen via Stitcher

If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ

Book featured:

 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck (of course)

Other mentions:

The brand new Reading Envy Readers Goodreads Group

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Related episodes:

Episode 074 - The Books We Didn't Love in High School with Blaine DeSantis
Episode 077 - No One Messes With a Wolf with Shawn Mooney

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy   

New books in, February 2017

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
Sula by Toni Morrison
Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
Follow Me Into the Dark by Felicia C. Sullivan
No Knives in the Kitchens of This City by Khaled Khalifa
Dance of the Jakaranda by Peter Kimani
Island Home by Tim Winton
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Not pictured:
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

The Book of Etta (The Road to Nowhere #2) by Meg Elison

Daughter of a Thousand Years by Amalia Carosella

I feel like my book acquisition is changing! Most of these are either review copies or subscription services, all except two.

The Adichie, Morrison, and Bennett came in a review copy of the Quarterly.co fiction box, which I'll review as a set soon (I've read 2/3 of the books.) I was happy to end up with a copy of the Bennett due to its position on the Tournament of Books shortlist, and I had not selected it when it was a Book of the Month option.

The Sullivan and Winton came directly from the publishers, which was great (and Sullivan herself contacted me when she saw I was reading another book from Feminist Press, Black Wave. The Saunders, Elison, and Carosella are all audio review books from their respective publishers.

Sheffield was a gift from my Litsy postal book swap for Valentines Day and I'm looking forward to reading it! It's been on my TBR list forever. The Khalifa is a book I wanted to buy in January for my borders reading project, but it was out of stock on Amazon for at least a month. It is set in Aleppo and I don't expect it to be exactly a light read.

The Kimani was the February selection for the Malaprops subscription, and the Wilson and Lee were selections through Book of the Month. I had a few bonus credits so I picked two this month. Have I read them yet? Nope. Ha.