Hi friends,
December was a great month for reading, and I read 8 books! A few of them were Murderbot novellas, which is fast becoming my favorite Scifi series I’ve ever read, but there were also a few nonfiction reads that were interesting and enlightening.
We mostly enjoyed the holidays. We came down with a bad stomach bug that had everyone sick one night, and then maybe passed it on to all my in-laws who were in town visiting. So, we spent a lot of time cozy at home recovering and trying to avoid getting sick again.
Christmas is a ton of fun with little kids, though, and the girls loved all their presents and have actually been well entertained with them the past week or so.
As always, let me know what you think of these reads and if you have suggestions for future reading.
Cheers and Happy New Year,
Tonya
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, a great stand-alone epic fantasy novel
Review: This was a re-read as I continue my slow rereading of Sanderson’s Cosmere. I started it after a particularly hard day and night when I wanted something familiar that I knew I would enjoy. It’s been so long since I read this that it felt like reading it for the first time, and I enjoyed getting to know Lightsong, Vivena, and Suseborn all over again. In fact, I found myself appreciating the character work that Sanderson does with Lightsong and Vivena more than I did before. Both of these characters have really cool arcs in this story that explore themes of prejudice and knowing yourself. Vivena’s journey from a stuck-up and snobby princess who was completely confident of herself and her opinions to a new and more open person was particularly enjoyable to read. The magic system is awesome, and I can’t wait to see what Sanderson does with it in future Cosmere stories. Highly recommend.
Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes
Review: Murderbot is just so fun to read. In this installment, our favorite anti-social rogue SecUnit has to fake being a human (gross) for most of the book. It learns about friendship, sacrifice, and loss as it tries to figure out exactly what it wants to do with its life now that it has self-determination, which is a remarkably human problem. There are some great action scenes, and I love seeing Murderbot get out of tricky situations.
Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries #4) by MArtha Wells
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes!
Review: In this Murderbot adventure, our favorite rogue SecUnit is finally ready to reunite with the crew that we began with and led to its abandonment of the SecUnit lifestyle. It’s fun to see Murderbot grow and develop relationships as it tries to navigate very human emotions when it would rather just sit and watch TV. I can relate, Murderbot. As always, the action is gripping, and Murderbot’s internal dialogue is on point. It was great to see Murderbot’s character arc develop too as it realizes the importance of relationships and stops running away from scary feelings. It’s also always fun to see Murderbot screw over the evil corporations that controlled it for most of its prior existence.
Network Effect (Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, for Murderbot fans
Review: This was the first full-length Murderbot book that Wells wrote, and she uses the extra space well to further develop the scifi universe that Murderbot and its friends inhabit. Murderbot also goes on a new adventure and learns about loss and friendship again. It’s great to see Murderbot’s reactions when it realizes that there are humans and other bots who genuinely care about it and are willing to sacrifice for it. This one had a great mystery that drove the plot and included plenty of Murderbot action against steep odds. I will definitely read any further Murderbot adventures Wells produces.
Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood by Jessica Grose
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, for all my fellow moms out there
Review: This kind of read like a 300-page rant about everything that makes motherhood hard in modern-day America, and while I could relate to almost everything that Grose discusses, I kind of wish that she had focused more on solutions and coping mechanisms, which would have made the book feel a little more worth my time to read. Trust me, I am very familiar with all the challenges that accompany motherhood in America today. What I’m less familiar with is collective ways to overcome those challenges in the future, and individual ways to cope with them in the meantime. But apparently so is everyone else. Grose does dedicate the last chapter to talk about how social, economic, and cultural change are all needed to help improve the lot of American mothers. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to see some of these shifts in my lifetime so that if or when my girls become mothers they won’t be harping on about these same challenges. Grose starts by talking about how motherhood has changed, or not, throughout the history of America, and the immense pressure that we put on mothers to perfectly care for and raise our charges. She talks about how in the early 20th century, economists chose specifically not to include the immense amount of care work that women perform in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations, and since then the federal government has done little to nothing to support this care work. Grose also talks a lot about the COVID-19 pandemic, and how that crisis continues to finally shine a light on the immense amount of unpaid care work that largely women provide to the economy. Turns out, that without this unsupported and uncounted work, economic systems literally collapse. OK, now I’m ranting. She has a whole chapter on motherhood and social media and focuses on Mormon Mommy bloggers in particular, which I found interesting since I guess I’m technically a Mormon Mommy blogger… In any case, I recommend this book for other moms for no other reason than to know that you’re not alone, and for everyone else so they can understand these challenges before they judge us.
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes
Review: I do probably about 99% of my reading on screens. I prefer ebooks because I can take them anywhere, and I don’t have to carry around physical books, which means I can read more. It was very ironic then that I was reading this book on an e-reader as this book is mostly about the differences between reading paper books and reading on screens. Wolf is a professor and neuroscientist who researchers how the brain behaves when reading and learning to read, which is super cool. She talks about how learning to read changes the very structure of our brains and introduces new circuits that don’t exist in illiterate people. When we are deeply engaged with a text, or deep-reading, our brains literally act like we’re experiencing what we’re reading with the centers that control motion activating when we read about people running and the centers that produce fear activating when we read something scary. Just learning that alone is a great reason to read this book, but Wolf takes it a step further and explains how reading on screens differs from reading on paper. While more research is needed, preliminary findings indicate that when we read on a screen we’re more likely to skim for content and favor words that are left-aligned and/or bolded as compared to print reading. Wolf doesn’t demean screen-reading, but points out that more research is needed to understand how it may affect deep-reading particularly in children learning how to read. She talks about years of her own research and others that show the importance of the tactile experience of paper and ink when children learn how to read and proposes that we develop two different types of reading: one associated with screens that focuses more on quickly retaining information and one that focuses on print that focuses on dep reading and losing yourself in a story. Not only is the content of this book fascinating, but it probably has the best prose I’ve read in a nonfiction book in a long time. Wolf’s love for the written word is evident on every page, and she takes the time to craft complex and deep sentences that go beyond just explaining her research to helping you live it. This book also helped me realize that my reading focuses mostly on quantity, and I should perhaps choose texts that require a little more quality time to absorb and enjoy. Highly recommend for anyone who loves reading.
Unthinkable: What the World’s Most Extraordinary Brains Can Teach Us About Our Own by Helen Thomson
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, for all those interested in learning more about our brains in an approachable and interesting way
Review: This book felt like a female version of Stephen Fry was reading to me from a wing-backed chair in front of a fireplace on a cold winter night. Thomson is a British science reported who provides a world-class lesson in how our brains work by telling the stories of people with unique brains from around the world. This method of teaching is much more engaging and memorable as opposed to just a book that talks about different areas of the brain and how they interact. Thomson interviews people with various brain disorders such as a woman who is permanently lost even in her own home, a man who remembers everything that has ever happened to him, and another man who honestly thinks that he turns into a tiger. These and other fascinating case studies help reveal how our brains work by talking about what people experience when they don’t work. For example, I learned that mirror cells are cells in our brains that help us empathize with those around us and imagine what it would be like to experience another’s pain and emotions by reading about a man who has hyperactive mirror cells to the point that he can physically feel when another person touches their neck or is sick. It’s a great story-telling and teaching technique, and I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a good read and learning more about how our brains work.
The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1) by Katherine Arden
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, for those of you who enjoy a good fantasy with a strong female lead
Review: This was a recommendation from a BookTuber I follow for a cozy winter read, but I would say that this book has a few too many horror elements to be really cozy. It is, however, very atmospheric. The story is set in the remote woods of medieval Russia and focuses on a girl who has inherited her grandmother’s ability to see and interact with the nature spirits that live in her community. The pacing is a little slow for a lot of the book, and there are whole chapters that are just dedicated to creating a feeling and atmosphere of spookiness or tension. While the result might be a little slow for some readers, the time taken creates a vivid world that is easily imaginable. Arden focuses on themes including the role of women, the clash between religion and spiritualism, and finding your way in the world, and does some really great character work with our female protagonist. I do wish that she had mixed up some of the common tropes she used, especially in relation to the girl’s crazy stepmother and the priest who provides a complex but not surprising villain to our story. This is the first in a trilogy, and I plan on reading the others to learn more about this spooky and cold world that Arden has created. |
| We took the opportunity to give Lincoln a name and a blessing when our family was in town after Christmas. It was great to have tons of people who love and support us together and fun to get Lincoln dressed up all smart. Dan looked good too if I do say so. |
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| The girls had fun telling Santa what they want for Christmas and were very happy with the gifts they got from him and everyone else. |
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| Maya loves playing with Lincoln and Lincoln thinks that she's super entertaining. He's getting really good at smiling. |
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| We had fun a the Butterfly Pavilion with Great Grandma Honey and Uncle Troy. Chloe was excited when this butterfly perched on her shoulder. |
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| This was the picture that went with our Christmas card. It's still weird to think that there are 5 of us now. |
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| Uncle Troy came over for Christmas and helped the girls build a snowman. He's a fun uncle. Chloe's hat is still buried under snow in the backyard. |
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