nocowardsoul

A Spy in the House (2009) and The Body in the Tower (2010) by Y. S. Lee

The first half of a completed YA mystery series. The Agency employs women as undercover investigators, which is an excellent premise but I have mixed feelings about the execution. I like Mary Quinn, who is Irish and Chinese but hiding the latter for fear it will hurt her employment prospects. I almost abandoned the second book when a character referenced Little Lord Fauntleroy, 17 years before it was published! I didn't hate James, the love interest, but I didn't love him either. I think I'll skip the third and fourth books.

The Alcotts: Biography of a Family by Madelon Bedell (1980)

This covers about 1799 to 1854. Bedell meant to write a second volume but didn't finish it (weirdly, I didn't find the year she passed away online). There's a lot in it.

LMA's grandfather Joseph May was not a veteran of the American Revolution. He was in the Boston cadet corps after the war and referred to himself as Colonel. I suppose that must have given people the impression he was in the actual Revolution. He became rich through his shipping company, but it went bankrupt when his partner spent all the company's money in a land-buying scheme.

When Abigail Alcott was a missionary to the poor of Boston she was paid $50 a month.

I enjoyed this quote from Lidian Emerson's “Abstract from the Transcendental Bible” poking fun at Waldo.

Never confess a fault. You should not have committed it and who cares whether you are sorry.

It is juvenile to seek for sympathy. It is mean and weak to give it.

Never wish to be loved. Who are you to expect that?

(Duty to your Neighbor) Loathe and shun the Sick. They are in bad taste, and may hinder you from writing the poem floating through your mind. Scorn the infirm of character – and omit no opportunity of exposing their weaknesses.

Despise the unintellectual, and make them feel that you do, by not noticing their remarks or questions, lest they presume to intrude into your conversation.

If you're interested in a biography of LMA this probably won't suit because it's mostly about Bronson and Abigail. I suggest Marmee and Louisa by Eve LaPlante.

What I finished reading

Freedom and Necessity by Steven Brust and Emma Bull. I adore this book. James Cobham, a man involved in the Chartist movement wakes up with memory loss; he assumes it's due to attempted murder. Through letters and journal entries, his stepsister, his first cousin, and their second cousin work through the mystery. All four characters are delightful and I adore James/Susan.

What I'm reading now

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk. A very good book. But I'm really confused by this sentence: "The last things that should be cut from school schedules are chorus, physical education, recess, and anything else involving movement, play, and joyful engagement."

Chorus and recess, sure, but HOW THE FUCK CAN A TRAUMA EXPERT BE PRO-PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS? You tell us how survivors are out of sync with their bodies - those are the kids who do things wrong in PE and get bullied for it by both classmates and teachers. Which leads to them being in fight-flight-or-freeze mode and hypervigilance during all PE class, which leads to them messing up more, which leads to more bullying and walking into math class sobbing.

What I'm reading next

I'm not sure. The many Vietnam vets mentioned in The Body Keeps the Score reminded me that I want to learn more about the Korean and Vietnam Wars from the non-American point of view, so perhaps that.

I put a hold on the library's copy of Devil's Race right as it was marked for weeding. But it was $1.99 on Kindle. It was just like I remembered it, short and fast-paced. I think another author might have written an extra chapter. Or maybe it's an 1980s thing, not having an epilogue? I prefer late 90s/2000s Avi. The r/fantasy post will happen on October 10.

I'm reading Spinning Silver even though I normally avoid fairy tale retellings and enjoying it more than I expected.

The first book you read in 2016:
Republic of Thieves. That feels like more than a year ago.

The last book you finished in 2016:
Interesting Times. Fitting, no?

The first book you will finish (or did finish!) in 2017:
Hamilton: The Revolution

How many books read in 2016?
60.

Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
Just the one about the Irish famine.
( Read more... )

fic_corner is a new fanfic exchange for picture books up to YA, and there's a post for brainstorming fandoms. I am rather excited for it.

I am too lazy to write reviews most of the time, but if you want opinions general or specific ask and ye shall receive.

* - reread

1. Poppy by Avi 1/1 1995

2. The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander 2/13 1986
3. Ducky, Diary 3 by Ann M. Martin 2/19 1999
4. Maggie, Diary 3 by Ann M. Martin 2/20 1999
5. Sunny, Diary 3 by Ann M. Martin 2/20 1999
6. New Chronicles of Rebecca by Kate Douglas Wiggin 2/21 1907

7. *The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist 3/5 2006
8. Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen 3/14 2001
9. In Like Flynn by Rhys Bowen 3/27 2005

10. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke 4/2 2006
11. Rodzina by Karen Cushman 4/3 2003
12. My Bonny Light Horseman by L. A. Meyer 4/8 2008
13. Angels Watching Over Me by Michael Phillips 4/9 2003
14. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett 4/21 2003
15. Iron Thunder by Avi 4/24 2007

16. Graphic Classics Volume Fourteen: Gothic Classics (couldn't resist Northanger Abbey) 5/1 2007( Life of Pi and more )

I started writing all of them down in 2007, so this is done partly from memory and partly from random papers.( Read more... )