2016 Book Review: Top 10

Anyone who has been with me from the beginning of this blog knows that I am co-founder of a competitive book club. We've been going strong for 3 years now and this year I may actually win *ques evil laugh*. For those of you who have zero idea what I am talking about and do not want to dig through the archives, Competitive Book Club is where we read whatever we want to in a calendar year, meet monthly to discuss the books and whomever reads the most in the year wins and gets to assign a book to be read the next year.

This year, with the holidays looming, I feel safe calling it at 61 books for the year. I wanted to write about my favorite books that I read this year because obviously I haven't been able to talk enough about them. Some of these are series so I will only highlight the first of the series. But here are my favorite books I read in 2016 in no particular order:

1) Eragon by Christopher Paolini

This was the first series I read this year and I devoured these books. What is so fascinating is that the writer was in his teens and these were his first books he ever wrote. You can't quite understand how mind blowing this is until you read them. The story itself is captivating and is well written. I love Harry Potter, but the first couple of books, while the story is wonderful, the writing is not so much.
This series is about a boy, his dragon and a revolution. And unlike most other books on this list it is appropriate for younger kids, maybe 10 and up and still hella interesting if you're an adult. Eragon creates a full world that, at the end of the fourth book, you're not ready to let go of.

2) The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

I LOVE The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series and I was seriously upset when author Stieg Larsson died. No one can write like that man could and I was extremely nervous about someone else picking up the story. I read this book holding my breath the whole time. I liked the story, it definitely scratched that itch and stayed true to the characters. But the writing in some parts was predictable which was one thing Larsson's writing never was. Lagercrantz at one point hits you over the head with foreshadowing which pissed me off so much I remember it bitterly almost 6 months later. Other than that the book is a fantastic read and I will definitely be picking up the next book.

3+4)  Soulless and the Spin off Series Prudence by Gail Carriger 

Soulless I read as recommendation from a coworker and holy hell am I glad I listened. Basically the books are supernatural steampunk. It takes place in England and the first series follows around a woman, Alexia, who was born without a soul. Being soulless doesn't make her a bad person, just very frank. She also had the ability to neutralize any supernatural abilities and the books follow her and her circle of friends on their adventures. The second series follows Alexia's daughter, Rue. Rue has a special ability as well but what she does is when she touches someone who is supernatural she gains their ability until there is physical distance between them. This series is only on their second book which was released this year. Both series are fantastic and they show the different characters from two different perspectives Alexia's and then Rue's. If you're looking for some light fun reading, this is for you.


5) Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

When I originally heard of this book I thought it would be completely stupid and I was surprisingly wrong. The writing is engaging and at many points laugh-out-loud funny. And what surprised me the most is that the book was extremely well researched and because of it some things made A LOT of sense to the point where you're like "So this stuff about vampires makes more sense than what the history books say happened. Say what!" Let me be clear, I do not actually believe in vampires. But this is an extremely enjoyable read for anyone who likes a little humor with their supernatural stories.

6) The Best in the World At What I Have No Idea by Chris Jericho

That's right Jericho made MY list! Actually all of Jericho's books he has written up until this point, I read this year. But I am lumping them all in together with this one book. Jericho is a modern day renaissance man. For those who do not know, his books are autobiographical and follow his journey to becoming a wrestler/musician. He is someone who refuses to be put in a box or be told what he can and cannot do. His writing made me cry and it really resonated with me when he talks about losing his mom. Most of his writing though is extremely funny. The man is as funny in his writing as he is on the mic. If you enjoy reading wrestling books and you haven't read his books you are doing yourself a disservice. I think Jericho also is the only Canadian author to grace my list this year.

7) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

This was perhaps my favorite book of the year and it was actually assigned by the guy who read the most last year from my book club so big thumbs up to Mike! If you like stories about old New York, you will LOVE this book. Not only is this about old New York but it focuses on two different groups of people and shows how people from different cultures and life experiences can come together and that sometimes you find help in the least likely of places. I don't want to give anything away but if you love a good story that has a little bit of everything in it, this is your book. I feel like if I say anything else I won't be able to stop myself from giving away the plot. The writing is beautiful. +++
8) Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

This is another instance where I have read a couple different titles by this author and I love her work. Sarah Vowell writes what are essentially history books that are hilarious. If you are interested in history but can't get through a slow boring text, Sarah Vowell is the author for you. This particular book goes through all of the US Presidents who have been assassinated. Ms. Vowell goes to all of the historical sites and her experiences there too so if you're looking to check out some of these places you know where they are and if they're worth the effort.
**The only book of her by her that I did not enjoy was Unfamiliar Fishes. I like the subject matter and her but they just didn't connect for me.

9) She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

This was Wally Lamb's first book and I fell in love with the main character. I felt like she was my friend by the end of the book and I wasn't ready to let her go. The book follows the main character from the time she is a little girl to adulthood. We go through life with her and at some points when you know she's making the wrong choices you want to grab and shake the her. And when she is a shitty teenager you kind of want to strangle her. Her triumphs become yours and it's wonderful. Such a great book! Warning: there is some sexual violence so if you're triggered by that I do NOT suggest this book.

10) The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I think one of the weirdest things while reading this book was the realization that The Help was supposed to be taking place during my mother's lifetime. Alabama may be 18 hours away from PA but it was operating like an entirely different world. The book is not autobiographical but it does reflect the world at that time. I was disgusted at many points, in tears at others and some things were funny. The book changed perspective from character to character and I truly enjoyed that. The book was so much better than the movie and if you enjoyed the movie pick this book up and you will not be sorry.

I Found Feminists!

Post election day I was invited to a Facebook group by a coworker of mine who was surprised that I wasn't in it already. The group is for feminists in my area to talk to other feminists in the coal mining region about anything, politics, something someone said to you, the news or whatever. It is a space to come together, talk, listen and be respected. This is something I have been looking for since I moved back from graduate school. Upon joining the group I noticed several coworkers were in it as well whom I had no idea were rockin the feminist way of life. That alone was something wonderful especially since being an adult, it's a lot easier to make friends with coworkers because you see them 5 days a week. Perfect! Immediate reward for joining the group and since I am a millennial, I enjoy my instant gratification too. The group was very supportive of everyone's feelings and we helped each other from feeling complete despair at Trump's "win".

I was also luck enough to join before the holiday party! This, this is what I had so desperately wanted. A gathering of feminists where we could share ideas and meet new wonderful people. Not wanting to go alone I asked my new-found-feminist-coworker if she was going and if so if we could go together (I hate showing up places where I know no one by my lonesome). Luckily she has the same dislike and happily agreed. So after work we drove off to get to know each other and fellow feminists better. Settling down into the backroom of a restaurant, the wooden interior quickly reminded me of the restaurant my women's studies peeps and I would lurk in. After a few minutes of being there and doing an oh so fun ice breaker (which wasn't bad surprisingly) I started to feel like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer was being wrapped loving around me. Both cozy and warm. What was even better was seeing all of these women from different walks of life coming together, presenting their ideas and being met with thoughtful questions, respectful discussions and those moments of "OMG I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS THAT!?!?!?" That is what I wanted. Real live feminists in the flesh to help me stay sane. Oh and we got to stuff our faces which is a major plus to any social gathering. And we had a gift exchange. Yay presents!

I met so many AMAZING women that night that I never would have if not for this Facebook community. I feel so weird saying that. Like this must be how couples who meet on Tinder feel when they're asked "So how did you meet?" Only it's asking how you made this kickass friend instead of significant other. "We met through a facebook group". Even my eyes roll. There seems to be some sort of shame left over from AIM days where "geeks" could only make virtual friends. But this got me thinking: isn't this what social media is supposed to do? Allow us to see different sides of people we sorta, kinda know and meet new people who have similar interests as us? Am I in my late 20s now for the first time just using social media the way it was meant to be used? Mayhaps. But hey, it's never too late to learn something new.

Adventures in Home Ownership: Animal Edition

Years ago my Uncle took off the garage door with the intention of fixing it and putting it back up. My mom got sick and the fixing didn't end up happening. So this spring, I decided that I would assess the damage and see if it was savable. But first I had to FIND the garage door which was harder than you might think. Turned out to be propped against the side of the garage, folded up. When I tried to pull back the door to lay it out I saw something behind it come toddling at me. My first thought was "Oh bunny!!!!" followed very quickly by "Oh shit! POSSUM!!!!!!!!!" I then jumped backwards about 10-15 feet while screaming in a dignified manner. According to google possums do not like moth balls and I, luckily, happen to horde them. (I'm not a little old lady, I just don't like snakes). I then went back up my backyard armed with two boxes of moth balls and tried to do my best impersonation of  a person with good aim.

Several times this summer snakes decided to slither on by me and whenever this happened I screamed and ran away doing high knees. Why? Three reasons. 1) Harder to bite someone who is basically attempting to fly. 2) I cling to the delusion that my neighbors will not think I am some scaredy-cat but rather am enjoying a new, if not annoying, exercise trend.   3) As I found out the last time a snake slithered my way, my screams, scare them and they *sometimes* slither away like "oh hell no lady!" Side note: that snake is the only snake I have ever thought of fondly. I hope the snake is doing well, far, far away from me.

This summer squirrels managed to get into my attic. This is obviously bad news. Now you may be thinking "Hey don't you have three cats that you prattle on about all the time? Why not just release them into the attic and let them get their murder on? *DUN DUN DUN*" Well you my psychotic blood thirsty reader must understand that I have a great fear of my cats getting stuck in the walls, calling out to me with their sad little meows, as I struggle to find them and they die a sad, terrible death. Yes, I am that pet mom. Back off. After again googling I found that there were some things I could do fairly easily to get these suckers to leave. The most interesting idea was to spread predator urine around but seeing as it was July and I as a general rule of thumb don't want urine anywhere but it a toilet or a litter box, I tossed that idea straight away.  Fun fact though, you can buy predator urine on the internet. Makes it easier than going to your local coyote with a jar and saying "fill er up!" The option I did go with was taking apple cider vinegar and soaking rags in it and leaving them around the room. Google, in all of its wisdom, said to allow 48 hours for the squirrels to vacate and check. Now let me tell you, carrying that bucket of apple cider vinegar soaked rags up the stairs to the attic almost made me pass out and vomit at the same time so I can see why the squirrels decided on finding a new summer home. But heads up it worked and was super cheap!

And last but not least this annoying gem. As you should have surmised by now, I live in the woods. Deer wonder through my yard all the time, which I love. They are especially clingy this time of year since it is hunting season and it's Pennsylvania. This proves to me that they are intelligent creatures since they have figured out they can't be shot at around houses. But deer aren't the only large animals that like to peruse my yard and driveway. One morning, as I was about to walk out and go to work, I found my garbage can (which is on wheels due to its size) tipped over and garbage dragged halfway down my yard. Damn bears! Scurrying out to pick up the filth which I had hoped to never see again, I was glad to see the bears were smart enough to stop at the cat litter and left that bag and everything under it alone and in the trash. Since then, I always put the litter trash on top of the rest of it. No more bear mess since that.

That is all for now folks, I hope you have gleamed some slightly useful information and if not hopefully my terror at least gave you a chuckle.