It’s the end of May, and after a long and blustery winter and some fits and starts to spring, summer is upon us here in northern Nevada. And in just a few days, I will actually be able to enjoy it because my professional busy season will come to a close!
In Books…
- Jackaby: This YA mystery is very much Doctor-Who-meets-Sherlock-with-a-touch-of-Supernatural. When the young Abigail Rook flees from her prim upbringing as a proper lady in England in search of adventure, she winds up in America in a small town called New Fiddleham, in the employ of a strange detective called R.F. Jackaby, who solves supernatural crimes. It’s a very simple mystery, but it’s breezy and light and enjoyable to read.
- First: Sandra Day O’Connor has been one of my role models from the time I was a little girl, so I was super excited for and had high expectations of this biography of her. And I was let down. The book itself seems tilted to the right politically in a way that wasn’t necessary, and was a little too laudatory. I wanted a more complex portrait.
- Battleborn: I’d been meaning to read this Nevada-centric short story collection for a while, so I was excited when it was chosen for my book club. And I wasn’t disappointed! Though I’m often ambivalent about short stories, there were no duds here, just a powerhouse collection of ruminations on loneliness and the failures of human connection
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: I think I didn’t quite get as caught up in this novel about a maybe-cursed Dominican family as I could have because I kept stopping to translate the Spanish and slang, but I was still very into it and impressed by it…so next time I read it (because there will be a next time, it was that good), it’ll go smoother!
- The Lives of Tao: This was a slightly cheesy sci-fi/adventure story that I picked up on a whim from the Kindle sale selection. It’s easy and enjoyable enough to read, chronicling what happens when a sloppy, pudgy IT tech, Roen Tan, suddenly finds himself the host to an ancient alien called Tao who needs to whip him into shape to serve in a war between factions of the alien race, but there’s nothing really remarkable here.
- Midnight’s Children: This is a masterpiece of a book and Salman Rushdie is an incredibly talented writer…but as much as I appreciated the craft of this book, I never really actually got into it. I want to learn more about the history of India and then come back and read it again, it really seems like the kind of book that needs to be read multiple times to fully appreciate!
In Life…
- Almost done with session: By the end of the day Monday, the gavel will fall and the Legislature will adjourn. It has been an enormously busy month with lots of stress and I will be very glad to return to my commute-less existence. And, you know, sleeping.
One Thing:
When I started watching Game of Thrones when I still lived in Ann Arbor. My coworker Beverly told me how much she loved the show and invited me over to her house to watch it, I think right around the time the second season was starting, and I got into the books after that. My life has changed a lot since then, what with a cross-continental move, a career change, and getting married, so watching the finale this month felt like the end of an era. The end of the show was so bad, though, that I don’t know that I’m disappointed that it’s over. I AM looking forward to reading how George R.R. Martin handles the ending of the story…even if it’s largely similar, his writing will almost certainly make it a more enjoyable experience!
Gratuitous Pug Picture:
