Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention by Kathryn D. Sullivan
I don't know a ton about the shuttle era so it was cool to read in-depth about something from it besides the disasters.
~ remreader (bluesky)
A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell
I liked this one! I wish there'd been fewer side characters so they could've had more development/not have it feel like some were sort of dropped by the wayside as the story went on but I really enjoyed the main archeology plotline.
~ remreader (bluesky)
One of the Boys by Victoria Seller
Highly recommend even if you aren't a football/sports person (I'm definitely not 😅)
~ remreader (bluesky)
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organising by KC Davis
4 stars
I've had this book recommended to me several times and finally picked it up. There are now sticky notes in the book with pages that might help me if I have a bad day, but it's also made me realise that I've already sorta intuited the way that works best for me over the last few days. Mostly, what this has taught me is that I need to be kinder to myself about not ticking off all the tasks I had planned, and potentially even making a list of tasks I would need to prioritise when I've got a bad day so I can keep functioning in my space.
I really do like the idea of the 5 things tidying method, and I've absolutely also taken notes on the various ways to get motivation to start a task because that is often more of a holdup (but once I get moving, I can usually knock everything out). The closing duties are intriguing too, I will have to figure out if that works for me. I think this is a very helpful book if you struggle with care tasks and figuring out where to start with them.
~ fpwoper
Vanilla by Ype Driessen
4 stars
[Dutch novel, this book has not been translated]
I didn't know what to expect from this book when I started it but I enjoyed it. The different types of dates described are probably recognisable to many people and I do have to say that it made the book feel more realistic. I'm also glad that there were consequences to Jip's actions, which means that Jip turns into a grey-moralistic character, which in turn made him feel more human. I kinda wish that there'd been more info about Mefi and the investigation into what he was doing, but well. It isn't a book that needs to put that at the forefront, although he is a fascinating character.
I'm kind of glad that this book is explicit about its talk about sex and detailed sex scenes, including drug usage which seems to be the norm in Amsterdam for gay men. Every detail added to this book makes it feel more realistic. Great book!
~ fpwoper
The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K. Langmead
This was a really lovely cozy queer Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery. I wish it had been longer than a novella so the mystery and investigation and characters could've been fleshed out more but it was definitely still compelling as is.
~ remreader (bluesky)
Strange Houses by Uketsu
This author's books are so gimmicky - he's a Japanese youtuber who wears a mask and whose identity is unknown, they all have a major visual element that gets revisited and explained as the books go on, and they're written mostly in a script/dialogue style rather than traditional narrative. They're also just enjoyably batshit - every so often you'll be like WHAT AM I READING. Anyway, this book is about houses with weird floor plans, which the main mystery-solver guy immediately theorizes is due to them being used for [extremely specific way to commit murder], and by the end of the book you find out he's right, and also the murders are being done for [insane reason]. Fun!
CW for weird family dynamics/trauma and kids getting involved in the murdering
~ @alimasin.bsky.social
Ga gewoon wat leuks doen [Just do something fun] by Aafke Romeijn
4* [Book read in Dutch; review is translated - the book, unfortunately, has not been translated as of yet]
An incredibly accessible book about depression and everything related to it like getting a diagnosis, medication, and ways to find a better balance, but also the way it might impact your family and desire to have children. I enjoyed the langauge used and Aafke does a great job taking you along to show you how she's experienced her chronic depression. Definitely a recommendation if you want to know more about depressions.
One downside is the amount of repetition in the book, which made me skim some parts. But it's still absolutely a rec from me!
~ fpwoper
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
4.5* - I loved this. It breaks several walls (or does it?), and I like how some of the stories and characters seem to overlap. And then the final few stories just turn everything back on its head. I... I think I'm a little flabbergasted after this one, to be honest. I'm not sure how to describe how I feel after this book except that I just really enjoyed it. I loved the different mediums, the different characters, the different types of text we were dealing with (lots of texting, some e-mails. Longform sort of reddit posts). This book is not quite a joy to read, because the topic of it is too heavy - it *is* all about rejection and people being rejected or rejecting themselves - but it is very good.
~ fpwoper
Vesuvius by Cass Biehn
Unfortunately this one just really didn't work for me. The plot(s) were messy and poorly paced, the characters spoke and behaved WAY too modern for ancient Pompeii (yes, even taking into account that this is YA written for modern readers), and the actual eruption of Vesuvius ended up sort of feeling like an afterthought in the last handful of chapters of the book.
~ remreader (bluesky)
Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales! Yarn is Everything by Aaron Reynolds
Girl becomes obsessedwith crocheting and being on a tv show. A possesed crochet hook comes into her possession and bad things happen.
~ killerweasel
Barn 8 (2020) by Deb Olin Unferth
Perhaps this book got a movie deal because of the price of eggs this past year? Maybe not, but it has interesting parts:
-a “small” family egg farm that grew to be huge
-investigators who secretly check on the living conditions of the hens
-a main story about setting some of the hens free
I enjoyed the time jumping, which did require a few notes and paying attention. I rooted for the well-meaning humans, and also for the hens.
Thinking of OFMD while reading…
-Janey left her home, and when she tried to go back her mother had passed away
-Stede left his family and when he tried to go back he discovered his wife had started an affair and he realized he was in love with Ed
-the ‘old Janey’ would do ‘whatever law-abiding inanity’ ‘as a way to waste the day.’
‘the new Janey was a pirate, a Robin Hood, an outlaw of the best kind’
-In OFMD, Stede was ‘uncomfortable in a married state’ and would play pirates with his kids, saying, “I'm the greatest pirate that ever lived!”
And here’s a wonderful quote from the book that is also fitting for OFMD:
‘Of course, one falls in love not because of who the beloved is but because of who the beloved allows -you- to be.’
~ cindyb5
The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
This was a re-read for book club and I had just intended to skim to refresh my memory for the conversation but by page ten I was sucked in, by page fifty I was pre-grieving. Just a really juicy reading experience, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much the second time around but it was still beautifully written and almost better on the second pass knowing the beats and seeing them play out again. I love fate, I love tragedy, I love sad boys.
~ rueforyou
The Lost City of Z - David Grann
My favourite genre of non-fiction is 'man goes out into nature, it goes wrong'. This was a little left field for me because there was no water (iced or otherwise) involved but still a great read that had me wanting to google every little detail to find out more.
~ rueforyou
