Welcome to another round of “What I’ve Been Reading Lately”. Last month, I finally completed my 2022 Scandinavian Reading Challenge with a book that spanned several decades, and it was a very satisfying way to wrap up the read-through-the-decades challenge. Continue reading
Welcome to another round of Quick Lit where I join other readers in sharing what we’ve been reading lately. If it hadn’t been for a couple of middle grade books, it would not have been a very interesting start to the new year. I was so enthralled by an audiobook and on a mission to complete the 20 hours of listening before my loan expired that I focused solely on that. Instead of listening to one book and reading another, which is my usual reading tendency, I alternated between the audio version and the ebook so I could finish in time. The audiobook was such a fabulous listening experience that I wanted to listen to as much as possible before it expired, and I managed just in the knick of time. Then I squeezed in the two middle grade books before the end of the month. Continue reading
July was a fun reading month! I had time to read and each book was so different from the others. I caught up on my Scandinavian Reading Challenge which I had fallen behind on, and a reading challenge happening at work gave me the incentive I needed to read some middle grade and YA that had been on my TBR list for a while. Continue reading
It was a surprisingly strong reading start to 2022 and even more surprising was the fact that most of my reads were Nordic books (Icelandic and Norwegian). The high number of books is due to binge reading/listening to the last 2 books in an engrossing crime fiction trilogy as well as reading a short novel and a middle grade book. Future months are not likely to be this full of books. Continue reading
October was a slow reading month so I saved my two reads from that month to share this month. It’s been a very varied period of reading and listening: two children’s books about the Sámi Indigenous peoples of Northern Europe, an LA-based contemporary novel, two historical fiction both coincidentally about a village woman and a man of faith not from the community (luckily different settings, one England in the mid-1600s and the other Norway in 1880), and finally a contemporary crime fiction set in Oslo. Continue reading
I’m excited for a new year of reading goals and challenges. This year my main focus will be on my own 2019 Scandinavian Reading Challenge but I’ll be participating in The Reading Women’s 2019 Reading Women Challenge and Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2019 Reading Challenge as well.
Curious about what I’m thinking of reading for this year’s Scandinavian Reading Challenge? Check out my potential picks for the 2019 #ScandiReadingChallenge. I’d love to hear if you have any other suggestions.
This was the first book of the new year for my local book club. I was not a total fan, but I found certain aspects enjoyable. I was intrigued by the mysterious first person narrator who surfaced occasionally. I kept wondering who he was – and how could he have such an overarching view of Arthur Less’ life? I thought Arthur’s jaunts through the many countries were interesting. However, I wasn’t a real fan of Arthur himself. He was uninteresting and frustrating and I couldn’t really relate to him.
This one took a little longer than anticipated to read. At the time of my last Reading Lately post, I had not yet completed it but counted it for 2018 challenges since I was 70% through a 500+ pages book. This was an eye-opening book because it revealed so much that I didn’t know about the before, during, and after of the July 22, 2011, bombing of the government quarters in Oslo and the massacre at the youth summer camp that followed. I also feel it’s an important book for me to have read because this day was a defining moment for Norwegians, much like September 11 is for Americans.
I listened to this as my 6th grade son read it for a schoolwide reading program. Turns out it was set in Appalachia, rural Pennsylvania to be exact, so it met a prompt for this year’s Reading Women Challenge as well, which was a welcomed bonus. I really enjoyed this middle grade book! However, it wasn’t quite your typical middle grade read; it was a little darker with some serious themes and harsh scenes. It takes place during World War II, which I appreciated since I haven’t read many WWII books set in the US. The first-person narrator, soon-to-be 12-year-old Annabelle, lives on a farm with her extended family and goes to school in a one-room schoolhouse. She is responsible, trustworthy, and mature. She and her family are friendly and helpful to Toby, a WWI veteran, who lives in a deserted shack and roams the woods. Then Betty, a bully, moves to town and Annabelle’s idyllic life is turned upside-down. The language is beautiful, old-fashioned to coincide with the time period. The setting is well developed. The issues raised made for good discussions with my son.
The book opens in 1939 with 11-year-old Simon who lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is from a working class family and goes to school where he becomes friends with Isak, a Jewish boy from a rich family. The two families are drawn together and become an extended family that together endures the trials and tribulations of the times. The book was a little slow-going for me, but it was interesting to see what life was like for families, both Jewish and not, living in neutral Sweden during World War II. Especially interesting for me was that my maternal grandmother grew up in this area during this time (only 2 years older than Simon) and so the book gave me a glimpse of the setting of her younger life.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn’t love the first part, but I really enjoyed the second part. The first part about Tara’s homelife with her survivalist family was just a series of horrible experiences. I kept thinking “What crazy thing will happen next?” And something always did. There were accidents of all kinds – car, motorcycle, and junkyard – with total lack of concern by her father as well as physical and emotional abuse by her brother without any intervention by the parents. Once Tara left for Brigham Young University and began discovering the real world, however, I had a hard time putting the book down. I really enjoyed reading about her drive to make sense of the world and figure out her place in it. I was amazed at how she was able to educate herself. She’s an inspiring woman and an excellent writer which made her story even better.
🇳🇴 An interesting sidenote to my Scandinavian readers, especially Norwegian ones… Tara has a Norwegian great-great-grandmother, Anna Mathea (born 1853 in Nes, Hedmark County, Norway, about 100 miles north of Oslo, which I discovered here). “It was her [Anna Mathea’s] voice that brought our family to the church,” explained Tara’s mother (p. 245). “She heard Mormon missionaries preaching in the streets of Norway” and then managed to convert her parents who “felt compelled by God to come to America to meet prophet Joseph.” This sent me down an Internet rabbit hole curious about how Mormonism came to Scandinavia, in particular Norway, its history there and role in emigration, which was fascinating.
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I always enjoy finding out what others have read, are reading, or plan to read. If it’s something I’ve already read, it usually brings back warm memories, like good times with an old friend. If it’s something new to me, I often add it to my want-to-read list. I’m especially grateful for my book club which often forces me to read books I would never have chosen on my own, and in most cases I thoroughly enjoy. Here are the books I read this past year, in order of completion.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt – This was a book that someone in my book club brought to our holiday 2014 book swap. At the end of the evening, it ended up in my hands, and we chose to read it for the next meeting. It’s the story of 14-year-old June and her relationship with her uncle Finn, who dies young and was really the only person who truly understood June. It was a very moving book which I highly recommend.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – My mother had recommended the author, and somehow I selected this book. It’s the story of a young woman who forms an unlikely relationship with a quadriplegic man. It had interesting characters and a moving story that kept me totally engaged. Nothing thrilling, just a very well-told story. It was one of my favorites this year; I highly recommend it. I recently learned that a movie based on the book is being released this summer so make sure you read the book before you see the movie.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – This was a book I suggested for my book club based on a high school friend’s strong recommendation on Goodreads. She’s a voracious reader, teacher, and writer; I highly value her recommendations. It was a great story of a mysterious bookstore and secret society, and I liked how modern-day technology was intertwined with the story of old-fashioned books. I read it on my kindle, but I recently learned that the cover actually glows in the dark.
The Martian by Andy Weir – This was suggested by a book club member, and I was not totally on board. A science fiction book about a man stuck on Mars? That was certainly not a book for me, but I went along with the choice. I thought the first 50 pages were a little slow, but then I was hooked. I loved the main character’s resourcefulness and humor. My 11-year old son read the book as well and devoured it in 3 days (late nights!). I have not seen the movie yet.
The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization by Daniel Pinkwater – Daniel Pinkwater is a quirky, amusing author. When I learned he’d written a kid’s chapter book that took place in Los Angeles, I was curious. He didn’t disappoint. It’s a weird, surreal tale of a young boy’s road trip to Los Angeles and his adventures with a shaman, a ghost, and three friends. It’s the first in a series that continues with two books with similar odd titles.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – This was another book club selection, one that I was totally on board reading. I was thoroughly engrossed as I jumped between the lives of a blind French girl who had to flee from Paris to the coast of France when the Nazis occupied Paris and a German orphan who ended up in a Hitler Youth academy and went on the monitor and track Resistance movement. Slowly but surely, their lives converged, but not like I thought they would. If you haven’t already read it, you should.
West of the Moon by Margi Preus – I read this book because of my interest in children’s books relating to Norwegian history and culture. It is not only a historical look at Norway in the 1800s and Norwegian immigration to America at that time, but it also provides a peek into the little known world of Norwegian folk tales by interweaving these tales into the story.
Svøm med dem som drukner by Lars Mytting – This was my Norwegian read this year. Best book all year for me, as I wrote in a previous post. Too bad it’s not translated into English so I can recommend it to more people. Update: English translation is now out, The Sixteen Trees of the Somme.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – This was not only highly recommended by my friend who had loved Mr. Penumbra, but I also saw it on “My Top Books of 2014” at Noriko’s Random Bits, the blog of another writer/teacher/friend who’s an avid reader. I love books as a way to experience other people’s lives, especially those of foreign and diverse cultures. This was a story about a Nigerian immigrant to the US and her later return to Nigeria. I liked how it brought me into a race and culture about which I had little knowledge and opened my eyes to so many new ideas.
The Sunlit Night by Rebecca Dinerstein – In an edition of the Norwegian American Weekly, I saw that Dinerstein was soon coming to LA to promote her debut novel. I was intrigued. She was an American who had gone to Northern Norway for a year to write and had even learned the language. I convinced a friend to join me to hear her speak. Her story was interesting, and I put her book on my want-to-read list. The book is about two strangers from New York City who meet in Northern Norway’s Lofoten area during the season of the midnight sun. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the area and the midnight sun.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown –This was another book club selection that I would not have picked out for myself, but I loved it. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of what life was like back in the 1920’s and 30’s and thought it was interesting how the story included glimpses of Germany during that time as well. After reading it, I have so much more understanding and tremendous admiration for the sport of rowing. If the Summer Olympics come to LA in 2024, I definitely want to see eight-oared rowing. I gave the young readers adaptation of this book to my 11-year-old son for Christmas and he finished it overnight. I highly recommend the story for young and old alike.
Paper Towns by John Green – I don’t remember how I came about reading this one. Most likely it was because I enjoyed John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and I needed something to read and it was available as an ebook from the library. The book was fine but not one that I would necessarily recommend.
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes – Our book club was having a hard time reuniting again after summer break so I had some extra time to read books of my own choosing. After such an enjoyable time with Moyes’ Me Before You (and the sequel wasn’t out yet), I chose this one. It was also a very good read, but there were too many similarities between this and the other one that it wasn’t as enjoyable. But don’t get me wrong, it was still very good.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz – My book club wrapped up the year with this one. You might be familiar with Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series about pierced and tattooed superhacker Lisbeth Salander and investigative reporter Mikael Blomqvist. Larsson died and Lagercrantz continued the series with this one. I didn’t feel the book contained the same suspense as the others and Salander was more on the outside of the story than I would have liked, but overall a very engaging read.
Reminiscing about the books I read in 2015 was a fun experience. I’m proud of my reading accomplishment this past year. It was quite a few books (14!) of different genres and on a variety of topics. I look forward to another productive year of reading, and welcome your recommendations!
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