changes

It was tense and musical and I liked it.

Had no knowledge or expectations going into this one, just wanting to read more recently released verse novels and it came up in the trusty library catalog subject heading browse: Novels in verse

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams

Read aloud with my son at bedtime some nights. We both really enjoyed it; hope for more with these characters and/or in this world.

Previously read this myself a couple years ago - one of my favorites of recent years. Disappointed that I never actually wrote a review of this back then.

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: A Snake Falls to Earth

Read this back to front, basically two times, then started looking up the websites and other poems and writings of many of the poets here.

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: booktitle

Stopped after the 1912 stories and “The Stoker” because I meant to jump over to Amerika next, but then I read other things and continue to want to read other things. I do intend to still come back to this, though. I should put entries for the individual first edition published pieces I did read so at least it they come up on my reading log gallery…

Past Log Updates

2024-07-04 :

Finally starting a deep dive back into Kafka. Intend to read most of his works in roughly the order they were written, so I’m reading the 1912-1913 works in this anthology and then I will jump out of this to read Amerika, then probably jump back into this, then read The Trial, possibly unpublished stuff like Investigations of a Dog, and so forth. Kafka stories blew my mind when I was in high school; we’ll see what happens as a 44 year old.

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Metamorphosis and Other Stories

Undeniable, probably book of the year. I have thoughts that I should articulate better, if I get brave.

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Louder Than Hunger

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Ultraviolet

I’ve been reading this with my son - a reread for both of us, as I read it to him years ago. We finished it last night and were surprised; what we remembered as the final scenes of this book must actually be the opening scenes of The Wild Robot Escapes. Very nice flow from one book to the next, I guess? We will be moving on to the next book.

Past Log Updates

2024-07-25:

Continuing to read this at bedtime with my son, every other night or so.

2024-07-10 :

Started reading The Wild Robot with Will tonight.

We started reading Sheine Lende the night before last but it was making Will feel quite anxious and so wasn’t a good bedtime read.

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• I really hyped this book back in 2016 on Granite Media. The review is still there, and I still stand behind it: The Wild Robot – Granite Media

Standalone post link: Reading Log: The Wild Robot

I love that in the afterword the author essentially admits that a germ of this book was in fact a crush on an arctic explorer, written for the enjoyment of friends who perhaps share the romantic obsession. I had already assumed as much while reading the narrative, so it was refreshing for her to not be coy or pretentious about this.

Great reminder to me as a would-be writer that a way into this (maybe the way into this?) is to unabashedly pursue an idea that interests me, and learn and write all I can about it. When the writer is interested in what they are writing about and having fun writing it, that intrigue and fun should come through to the reader. It worked in the case of this book for this reader, at least.

Past Log Updates

2024-08-02 :

Picked this up yesterday and tried it out simply because it had the next closest due date of all my current library checkouts, would not be renewable. Spent a couple hours reading instead of doing other things, then stayed up past midnight reading until I got too sleepy to actually finish it.

Not world-shattering but has a little bit of everything, like the blurbs say, and it’s fun. Like a lighter, funnier, more romantic David Mitchell book? (Thinking Bone Clocks, Cloud Atlas, etc.)

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: The Ministry of Time

Finished reading early this morning. Another great one from this author. Review to come?

Past Log Updates

2024-07-11

Started reading this the other night with my son but it was too harrowing for him as a bedtime read, so I’ve just been continuing on my own.

2024-07-13 - 31%

So far it stays somewhat creepy throughout, with a mysterious vibe and shadow of death over everything that happens, so for the sake of my son’s restfulness it was a good call to not continue with it in that venue. We really loved A Snake Falls to Earth and I had also read Elatsoe previously. He was interested in trying Elatsoe but we decided to try this prequel first. I’m not sure if we would encounter the same issues with Elatsoe; I don’t remember it being too suspenseful (at least not in the “threat to small children” and “missing mother” elements which Sheine Lende opens with), but it does have a murder mystery element, vampires, and some creepiness. Maybe he’ll come back to this later in another way?

If there was a sequel or prequel to A Snake Falls to Earth he would read it in a second. I for one look forward to a story of the mockingbird’s chaotic misadventures on Earth, culminating with taking down the Nightmare?

2024-07-19 - 51%

2024-08-12 - 68%

Got myself back to this book tonight; no way am I going to leave it unfinished.

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Standalone post link: Reading Log: Sheine Lende