I just left NYC after a lovely experience in the Strand Book Store. I have set a goal to read 200 books before I write my own. Right now – including … my … last … posts – I’m at 78.
Excited for reading this year – last year, I read only about half of what I had hoped (28/50), but going forward, I will try to prioritize it.
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Deepak Chopra
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY AUTHOR AUTHOR 4⁄5
I found this book to be extremely helpful and am looking forward to employing the skills I’ve learned to develop a more compassionate form of communication. I read this book in preparation for encounters I would have with my family members, and was actually able to diffuse several conversations about politics by using some of its tools. The most important thing I learned was the Four Part Nonviolent Communication Model [PDF]: Observe situation – explain Feelings – address Needs – make specific Requests then to have this repeated back, and hear the perspective of the other person.
I took a lot of notes on this book, so that if it was ever necessary I could run a workshop on the contents – and I wish I would have known about many of its contents earlier in life.
The Invasion (The Call, book 2) by Peadar Ó Guilín
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY AUTHOR 4⁄5
**SPOILER ALERT** It was very pleasant to be back in the horrifying world of Ireland, in the black and white fae world as The Invasion threatened the “many colored world.” Ahh, this series. I love how willing the author was to be horrific and gorey with their imagination.
This book was fast paced and captivating, just like the first one. The only thing I didn’t like about was the character Liz Sweeney. It didn’t seem like her continuous bullying presence added much to the story except to remind the reader that these characters were teens and – therefore – needed to behave in a juvenile, frustrating way.
In contrast, I enjoyed that Aoife MacMurrough was prominently featured as a character. I remembered appreciating that in the first book we got to read about her overcoming devastating loss and here we get the chance to see her survive the wreckage of her life and be brave. =) As for The Sidhe, I appreciated how the author made their victims so disgustingly human – with the centaur apologizing as he hurt the children, as the small leprechaun fae begged to be killed, the whole thing escalated epically and the fact it included huge flesh golems made of over 100 bodies was epic. Overall, I loved this series and appreciated the macabre horror a lot.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY AUTHOR AUTHOR 4⁄5
A pleasurable and amusing read. I keep enjoying the ideas Neil Gaiman seems to have about demons.
The characters in this book were extremely numerous and the book itself didn’t take itself too seriously, but I liked the idea within that a person could choose to behave how he thought was right instead of going long with a destiny written up or poorly recorded by celestial agents. It spoke a lot about one’s ability to make choices while they are live that make other people’s lives better instead of getting hung up on the afterlife. I also rather enjoyed the narrative about the Device family and the witches. It was quite eclectic and silly as was the relationship between Crowley and his angel counterpart.
The Book of Atrus (Myst, #1) by Rand Miller, Robyn Miller, David Wingrove
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY AUTHOR AUTHOR AUTHOR 4⁄5 (this a 3.5 but I am rounding it up instead of down)
**SPOILER ALERT** What I enjoyed most about this book was the descriptions of the worlds that Atrus and his father encountered. It was lovely to hear about the places they visited and to think about how they could create such places with just words. It was a neat way to introduce myself to the Myst series, since I had not played the game but knew they were precious to several friends of mine. I thought parts of the plot were really engaging and that the villain was particularly well done – watching him try to control and grab power was an interesting struggle.
I also really appreciated the character of Anna and the way she brought her crafting to things. Her embellishing and decorating of everything she could was really charming to me. It was lovely how she taught Atrus to see, and to observe with a questioning heart.
I would rate it a 3.5 because I did not particular jam with the protagonist – I found him to be somewhat basic.
Horseradish by Lemony Snicket
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY AUTHOR 3⁄5
This was an amusing collection of aphorisms from Lemony Snicket. I remember voraciously reading his books as a child, and it seems like some of these quotes came from his series. Overall it was interesting and a quick read which reminded me of Snicket’s sardonic and uniquely dour voice when writing.
Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY AUTHOR AUTHOR 5/5
Beautiful and elegant, this story weaves together myth and reality in a delightful and enticing way. So few books have held the narrative power this one does and I loved it to pieces. Especially the character of the Faun. The details in this story were so poignant and I wanted there to be so much more than there was. The underlying story pulled my heartstrings, especially the tale of the king and the clockmaker. I was incredibly lucky to have this book read aloud to me, which enhanced it greatly. Weirdly enough, this book also suffered water damage- which seemed appropriate to the story of the drowned witch.
It’s hard to review something that I find as enchanted as I found this, like trying to classify myths. It was a beautiful, heartbreaking story that brought me more to life to read.
Kill 6 Billion Demons, Vols. 1 + 2 by Tom Parkinson-Morgan
FIND IN LIBRARY BUY BUY AUTHOR 4⁄5
I am constantly impressed with the level of character design, detail in world building and narrative interest this story has been crafting. Super awesome!
So at Strand, I found more for my reading list :
Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) by Tamsyn Muir
The Umbrella Academy (Apocalypse Suite #1) by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá
Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
What the Hell Did I Just Read (John Dies at the End #3) by David Wong
If you have any really strong reading recommendations let me know. And if you’re around Berlin on the 1st of February, please inquire as to my homecoming party.
—carnelian king
Flommist Carnelian King is a performing artist, product designer, toy maker and nonbinary clown currently living in Berlin. Copyright © 2020 Carnelian King.
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