book

Abandoned All the Light We Cannot See

Finished reading The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Rated The Potty Mouth at the Table 2/10

Potty Mouth is a collection of ~5 page humorous essays written by a jaded, germ-phobic woman with the sensibilities of the late Joan Rivers. This isn't a book I would typically pick up, but it was chosen by my book club. The book was somewhat amusing at times, but this was overshadowed by the author's very narrow view of what is acceptable on Planet Earth.

Rated The Goldfinch 10/10

Beautifully written story of friendship wrapped in a thriller. Do give yourself enough time to savor the language and relationship nuances as you read through the 700+ pages. <br><br>My one criticism is the amount of space dedicated to describing characters' drug and alcohol experiences. Much of the repetition could have been removed without losing anything.

Rated Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body 8/10

Great introduction to evolutionary developmental biology written for a lay audience.

Finished reading The Husbands

Finished reading The Blood of Olympus

Finished reading We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution

Finished reading Joan of Arc

Rated The Ocean at the End of the Lane 10/10

When I grow up, I want to write just like Neil Gaiman. I don't want to steal his plots, just his style. Ocean at the End of the Lane is a beautifully written novel in which each word is perfectly chosen and every image, no matter how surreal, is vivid. The story is entirely engrossing - it is short and quickly paced making this book perfect for a long rainy afternoon read.

Rated Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities 8/10

Rated A Quiet Life 6/10

Rated American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2002) Mass Market Paperback 8/10

Rated I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 8/10

Rated Nonprofit Kit For Dummies by Hutton, Stan, Phillips, Frances (2009) Paperback 8/10

Rated The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street 4/10

First person narrative of 70 years in the life of a Jewish immigrant woman who becomes an ice cream entrepreneur (think Carvel). Loved having a strong woman character ahead of her time, but I was never entirely convinced of the authenticity of the Lillian's voice. The book is unexpectedly action-packed - even with the mild character weakness, it was a fun read.

Rated Life After Life 8/10

Finished reading Disability and Culture

Finished reading Beloved

Finished reading Nexus

Finished reading Leonardo da Vinci

Rated A Guinea Pig's History of Biology by Jim Endersby 6/10

This book is unusual. I expected it to be a history of animal research but, instead, it's a history of animal researchers. It contains far less biology and far more personality studies. Given this, it's well-written with juicy details.

Finished reading The Hidden Oracle

Rated The Eyre Affair 6/10

Rated Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay 8/10