It's been a while since I told you what I've been reading, and I've been reading a lot. Here's the first half of the book dump. I'll post the second half in another day or two.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by that one lady
We read/listened to HP#3 over the summer as a family, and finishing that one made me want to read the next one, so I did. Also, we've been grappling with the issue of what to do next, when it comes to Harry Potter. The girls (particularly Julia) love the books, and who can blame them. But starting with #4, the books start to get darker. Cedric dies (um . . . spoiler alert) and Voldemort returns. Julia is a sensitive soul and we aren't sure if she'll handle the scarier books well. I re-read this book partly as research on whether or not girls could handle it, and partly because it's nice to re-read. After going back and forth on how it would go with the girls, I've started reading it aloud to both girls at bed time . . . . and now I'm realizing that I just signed up to read a 700+ page book out loud. Yikes. Things are going well so far, but this is going to be a continuing issue as the books continue to get darker (and include more snogging) and it's going to be a bummer to make her wait a year after each book she gets to read.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The first two books in a new trilogy. (The 3rd is due out any time now.) The cover of the book has a quote from someone who has reviewed the book: "Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow." That really gives you a relatively good idea of what's to come, though people should always take care when evoking the name of Ender. Basically, Darrow is part of a repressed underclass living on Mars roughly 1000 years in the future. He gets involved in a plan to impersonate a member of the ruling class, so he can rise to the top and tear the system apart from the inside in order to allow the repressed people to rise up. Oh, and as part of the training process for the ruling class, he has to compete in the Hunger Games. (Well, it's a contest where you try to win, not just by killing the other competitors. But killing the other competitors is an allowed method to win.) So, adventures, mayhem, deceit, treachery, love interests, secrets, plotting, training montage . . . you know how it goes. The books are engaging, and reasonably intelligent. They are at times a bit graphic, as there is a lot of hand to hand fighting. Not much language though, so that's a plus. I'll be reading the last one when it comes out, because that's what you have to do when you get sucked into these things.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
You should read this book. I find myself struggling to explain to you why you should, because it's a unique book. But I liked it, and Shannon liked it. It describes a world where the population has been more than decimated by a deadly virus (remember, historically, 'decimate' means to kill one in 10). The writing is excellent.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
You're possibly familiar with the movie, and even if you're not, you're familiar with Sam Spade and the whole private investigator genre inspired by Humphrey Bogart's portrayal. The movie is very faithful to the book, which is only 194 pages.
One Summer by Bill Bryson
Bryson is an excellent writer who generally picks interesting topics for his books. This time, he's writing about the summer of 1927. Not having been around back then, that didn't sound particularly interesting, but I was very quickly drawn in as he covered flights across the Atlantic (successful and not), massive floods on the Mississippi, Babe Ruth, talking pictures, the Model A, and murder trials that gripped the nation.
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