Literary Lundi #11

Books Acquired:

Cress by Marissa Meyer-- I loved Cinder, the first book in this series, so I'm picking up the other titles whenever I see them on sale.

Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu-- It's no secret I love cozy mysteries. This author of this one is Singaporean, and I'm looking forward to reading the delicious food descriptions.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward-- A blogger I like recently mentioned this book, and it sounded different from my usual reading, but interesting. It takes place in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis-- I can't resist a fairytale retelling.

Books Finished:

What I Keep by Jennifer K. Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't read a whole lot of poetry, and don't usually have much to say about it, but I was given this book and ended up really enjoying it. It's divided into three sections, and the poems in each section sort of have a different theme. There are poems about the place in Montana where the author is from, poems that take place in the southwest and are mostly about her relationship with her husband, and poems that are stories, slices of life that I didn't assume were about the author personally. In a way, they remind me a bit of Mountain Goats songs, because Greene uses a lot of really specific imagery, and even when the specifics are not familiar, what she is saying is relatable.

View all my reviews How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I wanted to describe this in a quick blurb, I'd say it's a 90s English Bell Jar with less mental illness. But that doesn't really do it justice. It's a book about being a teenager, but not really meant for teens. It's about looking back at your teenage years and absolutely cringing, which I did several times while reading this book. Even though I wasn't always 100% sure what the British slang terms meant, and though I grew up in a different time and place from the main character, I could relate to so much of what she was saying. This was the first book I'd read this year that I really didn't want to put down; rather than just reading a chapter or two before bed, I read huge chunks late into the night. Any woman who has survived being a teenager, but isn't sure exactly how, will love this book.

View all my reviews

Currently Reading:

The Riddle of the Labyrinth by Margalit Fox-- Narrative non-fiction describing the unsung female hero of the quest to decipher Linear B.

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica-- I'm liking the way the story is told, although I so far would not describe it as "thrilling."

Next Up:
Possibly Red Rising, since I've had it for a while and I've been hearing good things for so long.