Rainy Day Reads

I decided to read this book because I’ve heard so many good things about Adichie’s writing. And I happened to find this book in my used book store, so I picked it up, and after a spell on my TBR shelf I finally got around to reading it.  I didn’t really have any idea what this book was about, but it turns out it was an interesting topic. The book follows a number of main protagonists living in Nigeria in the 1960s. This is the time when part of Nigeria broke free to form the independant republic of Biafra. Biafra was short-lived however, as war broke out with Nigeria and the enthusiasm of the Biafran people could just not make up for a lack of an army or international trade connections.  The book follows an extended family including two sisters, their lovers/husbands and a houseboy. It starts off with the houseboy, Ugwu, coming to work for Odenigbo. We see the life lived by the intellectuals in what will eventually become Biafra in the 1960s, and we see how Od...

A trip to Japan is all about cherry blossoms, geisha spotting and zen gardens and you can get almost all of that in Kyoto. We spent a few days in the city and used it as a head quarters for day trips around the area too.  Kyoto abounds in temples and old houses and if you want to shop and experience the culture, Kyoto is the place to be, as it is the centre for old crafts like woodcarvings, silks, lacquer and paper goods. Kyoto used to be the home of the imperial court and this of course meant that the city blossomed and was the centre of religion, music, theatre and dance, as well. The city experienced its heyday in the Muromachi period in 1334-1568 AD. Entire neighborhoods became dedicated to a single craft, the craftsmen delivering goods to the court and the feudal lords. The workshops of their descendants can still be found today in the back alleys of the old part of town.  Supposedly Kyoto is the home of 20% of all of Japan’s national treasures, such as mor...

I hear amazing things about Jay Kristoff all the time and this book has been sitting on my shelf for a while. When I went on vacation a little while ago I decided it was finally time to tuck into what appeared to be an epic fantasy.  I got settled in on my beach chair and started reading. I found it very slow going, but figured I was just distracted by the heat, the view and the sea calling out for me to jump in and cool off. But I have found out that others have had the same problem with the start of this book. I think it is such slow going at the start because of the intricate world building and the explaining of a bunch of Japanese terms.  Speaking of Japanese terms I think that was a little overdone. There were a multitude of clothing items and weapons, especially, that each had a specific term, and I could never remember which was which. Once I finished the book I realized there is a glossary at the back…But even if I had known about it, I hate flipping b...

I have just written a glowing review of this book as I thoroughly enjoyed it. But as I went to check out the website and possibly make a donation, I found that this book and its subject, Greg Mortenson, has been the subject of controversy involving lies and misappropriation of charity funds.   I read 2 or 3 articles and the main points can be found in this one by Jon Krakauer.  I read this book as part of my bingo reading challenge for the year, i.e. reading a non-fiction book. I have read other non-fiction books this year, but I haven’t really had too much to say about them or otherwise they have been part of other reading lists/challenges.  This book chronicles the work of Greg Mortenson, an American who almost accidentally starts a charity to build schools in Pakistan’s rural parts.  As it turns out the starting point of this tale of bravery and hard work is a complete lie. The book begins with Mortenson, weak and tired, stumbling down th...

This was the latest pick from out of my TBR Jar, and while I did mostly enjoy it, it is another one of those books that ended up on my TBR list, without a “proper” reason. For a while I had one of those “read this next” books that list a number of books for different topics and I added a whole lot of those books to my TBR, even though they maybe weren’t what I would normally go for. But I am all for reading out of my comfort zone, so for most of the books I want to give them a try, even though they might not be my first choice. This was definitely one of those books.   This book takes place in ancient Athens at the time of Socrates. The main protagonist is a young man named Alexias, who is part of the wealthier population of the city. We hear about him training to become an athlete and the troubles he has with his family. He meets Lysis, a young man who takes him under his wings and they become lovers. The Peloponnesian war is still going strong and Alexias is called t...

Everyone raved about this new Western book so I decided to pick it up. I soon realized that everyone hadn’t really specified the plot too much, as I thought it was set in modern day with a Western spin. But it turned out to be an actual Western set in Frontier America in the late 1800s.  The story revolves around a girl whose father is murdered by a gang. She sets out to hunt them down and take revenge and during the hunt she soon finds out, that the murder was not a random act of violence. The gang was after something her father had been hiding from her since her childhood. I can’t really say too much more without spoiling the plot, so I won’t.  The writing style tried to imitate an old-timey Western dialect, which is always a gamble. Sometimes it works well, and other times it really doesn’t. For this book I think it was alright. The author would use enough vernacular to make it realistic without overdoing it. I feel like the book was based more on plot than...

I decided to read this as part of my Bingo Chart Reading Challenge for the year, because it featured vampires.   I have mixed feelings about this book. Obviously I have decided to DNF it, but I actually kind of enjoyed reading it. For the most part it had a good flow and interesting characters and I made it 500 pages in before I finally decided that my problems were larger than my enjoyment. The book is about 700 pages long, so I almost made it through and I debated whether to just push through and finish it. But in keeping with my attempt to DNF books I am not enjoying, despite my major FOMO, and due to the fact that this is the first book in a trilogy, I decided to call it quits! The book is about Diana, a witch, who is currently at Oxford in England doing research on alchemy. Due to various events she has renounced her witchy powers and tries to lead a non-magical life. One day she receives a book from the library where she is studying, that turns out to be magical. S...