What I'm reading this week (4/25/16)

I promised to let you know how my month of reading library books went, and I have to say it was a smashing success. A couple of the books (A Man Called Ove, and 99 Poems) even ended up on my Books to Buy list. The others, I'm glad to have read, and I'm happy to have saved a bit of money.

Last week I finished:

The Soul of an Octopus was promising, but I had a hard time staying interested. As enthusiastic and knowledgeable as Montgomery was, I just couldn't get excited for octopuses. Still, to anyone who likes to read about animals and nature, it's a winner.

Harriet the Spy had me all the way until the end, and then it sort of fizzled out. There were moments where it was heartbreaking--kids being mean to other kids brings up unpleasant feelings from the past--but the ending didn't satisfy me. Although the main characters made up, and one lesson was learned (when you're mean--even if you're just being honest--apologize), Harriet ends up writing her mean things for the school paper. Honest observations, fine, but calling people stupid seems pointless. She's not called out on it. I'm a little puzzled over the authors choice here.

Have you seen Seven Brief Lessons on Physics all over too? I stumbled upon it months ago while perusing Amazon's Coming Soon listings and thought the library should own a copy. Then I decided that, being married to a former physics student, I could read 80 pages of physics to have something to talk about. Is it understandable to the average reader? Yes. Is it engaging? Yes. Are the lessons brief? Yes, perhaps too brief. I found many of the lessons over before I really learned them. Perhaps I'll need to read it second time.

Last week I began:

 

Ms. Marvel 2: Generation Why is as much fun as the first. Being the reality dork that I am, though, I enjoy the real-life parts more than the superhero parts.

 

I also started Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends. This was swapped for Presence, which I meant to read this month but lost interest in. I really wanted to end the month with something fun and a little less demanding. I'm enjoying the book so far. Man, this guy was blessed with meeting the right (and famous) people. Wow. If you like name-dropping, this is your books

I'm almost finished with:

I've really enjoyed my "re-read" of Kathleen Flinn's The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry. I remember very few of the specifics of the book from my earlier reading, so it was like experiencing it anew. If you're interested in cooking memoirs, Flinn if your gal. If you want the inside scoop on Le Cordon Bleu, this is your book.

When all of these books are done, I'll be moving on to my May reading list, to be posted soon.

Also, this week I'll be posting my interview with Brady Carlson, author of one of my favorite reads of the year so far, Dead Presidents. Please come back for that!