I love reading, and have finished more books in the last three months than I thought I could with my busy life. I used Buzzbee's The Magic of Books kit, and Special Elite font.
Journaling reads:
The Avalon Ladies' Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee
I was excited to participate in this month’s choice for the GingerScraps Book Club. The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee was a fun read. While there were a lot of characters, and some of them were quite relatable, there were several characters that made choices that I felt were not realistic or quite believable in their situation. That being said, the plot was entertaining and had some funny moments, especially when multiple characters unexpectantly met in the police station.
Red Rising, Morning Star, Golden Son by Pierce Brown
This trilogy of books is a dystopian story where humanity has moved to the planets and organized itself into a color-based caste system. The story is told by a man who was one of the best miners in the lowest caste of society (slave caste Red) and transformed into the highest ruling caste (Gold) known for their cruelty, violence, and dominance. This intense story navigates trauma, grief, loss, deception, violence, war, and love.
Murderbot by Martha Wells
This story was about a self-aware construct of a subservient human clone and robot whose specific skill was security and violence. Written from the perspective of “Murderbot” as it calls itself, it would rather watch TV than have to deal with humans and their problems. The robot helps a scientific group stay safe after an expedition goes wrong and protects them from a hostile party on the uninhabited planet. When the leader later purchases the robot, she sets him free as a citizen, where he passes as a human augment and leaves the establishment.
A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon
This was also the book choice for the GS Book Club. I was surprised at some of the choices that the main character made, but the author did a wonderful job making that era come alive. I was expecting the ending to be different, specifically Deborah Samson’s marriage to the general, as the records show she married someone else, not John Paterson, but it worked well for the story. The relationships between the characters were believable, the tragedies were heartbreaking, and the character growth was fun. Her background and perspective played a major part in her decisions, and it was a delight to read. I might look into more Revolutionary War era books to celebrate America's 250th anniversary of independence this summer.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A story of a Swedish (highly suspect to be autistic) widower who navigates grief, change, and second chances as he faces change in his neighborhood and the relationships he builds with those around him. This book felt like I was reading a version of my grandfather in his perception of the world, how things must be “just so,” and a strong preference for a specific automobile brand.
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (in progress)
I had read this before in high school, but not since I’ve seen the movies and Amazon series Rings of Power. The chapter on the Hobbits’ origins was quite enlightening on the possibilities that the new Amazon show could bring for the upcoming season.
