Cigars of the Pharaoh (Tintin #4)

This one is where it starts to feel more like the regular Tintin adventures. The pacing is still very fast as it is a comic book but it feels there is more breathing room. I still don’t think Tintin has much personality. Snowy has more but he can be a troll sometimes. I really do like the illustrations.

3.25/5 stars. October 7, 2023.

The Blue Lotus (Tintin #5)

I rewatched the animated cartoon version not too long ago so this story was fresh in my mind. I really enjoyed it because the pacing has gotten much less frenetic and Tintin developed more friendships and personality. I like Chang and the political tension of China, Japan, and other international powers in this time period.

3.5/5 stars. Nov 5, 2023.

The Broken Ear (Tintin #6)

The pacing to the plot is much better now. The art continues to be good too. I liked the mystery and the investigative nature of this one as well and the political commentary continues. It still had some issues. Tintin used blackface in this one.

3.25/5 stars. Nov 9, 2023.

Lab Girl by Hope Jaren

Narrated by the author. This was recommended a couple places and I found a trade paperback copy in a Little Library. As a way to spur me to read my TBR collection, I put a number of audiobook versions on hold on Libby. I thought I may switch but as sometimes the case, the narration by the author was so good I kept listening. This memoir is really well written. Often times, I felt like I was reading a novel. It’s not a surprise given how intelligent and well read Jaren is. I enjoyed her relationship with her lab partner and best friend Bill who himself could be a character in a novel. I liked how she narrated their adventures and struggles. In fact, the book had some heavy topics given the sexism of scientific academia and Jaren’s mental illness whether it was depression or bipolar disorder. It’s very reflective but so well narrated. She actually sounded emotional at certain parts which was effective. It was a slow narration so I went up to 1.75 reading speed but still great. I hope Jaren considers writing more prose or even fiction in the future.

4/5 stars. 1.75x. October 16-22, 2023.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Narrated by Michelle Williams. I listened off and on by audiobook and read half on ebook. I grew up with Britney Spears. I remember watching the “Baby One More Time” music video and the zeitgeist of Britney. Her era for more than ten years. Watching her being vilified in the media for so many things and go through the conservatorship was heart breaking. None of it ever added up in terms of how they demonized her. She always seemed like a nice person who was a talented performer. I do not usually read celeb memoirs because the writing is usually quite packaged and rote. The prose in this book was straightforward but I think it did capture her style. It delivered her story. I liked Williams’s narration but I switched the ebook after 55% or Chapter 26 because that’s when she lost custody of the children and the conservatorship started. The book has a lot of tough subjects including intergenerational trauma and emotional abuse. A lot of it reminded me that society really shapes our view on public figures and celebrities especially women. Famous people can have their narrative spun by themselves or others and how they can be taken advantage of. I don’t know this woman and this is her story, so I can’t say what she didn’t say or what she embellished. However, her family and the media did her wrong for decades. This book was tough and sad. I am glad I read it. I hope Britney can heal with space and find stability and joy in her life.

3.75/5 stars. 1.3x-2x. Read half on Kindle. October 24-25, 2023.

Botanical Folk Tales from Britain and Ireland by Lisa Schneidau

Narrated by Joan Walker. A series of short folk tales with botanical and plant themes. I gave up listening before bedtime. I listened to it in the mornings after I woke up. It was actually very cozy. Great narration. Some of the stories are too short and forgettable but there were classics which I enjoyed.

3.5/5 stars. Listened October 15-29, 2023.

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee

This has a very similar premise to Anya’s Ghost as it was also a middle grade graphic novel about middle graders struggling to grow up and becoming friends with a ghost. I enjoyed this one more for being more wholesome and gentler. It was also more relatable with its themes and the protagonist being Chinese. I really liked all the characters including the ghost Alexa. Very sweet.

4.25/5 stars. October 28-30, 2023.

Maid by Stephanie Land

Narrated by the author. I only listened to about one quarter of the book on audiobook. A friend who enjoyed this book lent it to me. I found the content morose for listening for long periods so I switched to the paperback. I could relate to things in this memoir. My mother was a cleaner. She was a janitor and a house cleaner. It was hard work for her but she enjoyed for the most part. I sometimes witnessed the strange relationships that often develop between people and their cleaners. As a result of my mother, I notice cleaning people a lot because they often ignored or worse, belittled. I could understand these stories. There were other things I could relate to including the anxiety of poverty. The author’s panic attacks and depression were difficult to read about as well. I felt sympathy for the author but I didn’t find myself moved or emotionally attached. I found the writing lacking in some ways, but I can’t explain why. I didn’t really care for the audiobook narration either. It was an okay memoir that I could even relate to but it didn’t hit the mark for me enough to say I liked it a lot.

3.25/5 stars. 1.5x. October 26-30, 2023.

All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life’s Work by Hayley Campbell

Narrated by the author. This took me awhile to listen to because most of the book’s subjects are very heavy. The heaviest death book I’ve read yet. I could have read it faster via an ebook but I really enjoyed the author’s narration. Due to the nature of the topics, the audio gave it more intimacy. This is a more personal look at death and the people who work in it. The author is not detached from her subjects which made it more emotional and human.

4.5/5 stars. 1.4x. Sept 18 – Oct 2, 2023.

The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter

This was my bedtime reading but over the last couple of months, I stopped reading it before bed. I use red lighting before bed now and that didn’t display the illustrations well. I was als too tired and would listen to a podcast and audiobook instead while knitting. At least I tried. I am more aware of what I can read before bed at least. I read the last 20% during the day.

When I was a child, I would remember vividly the tiny books set from my elementary school library. I read at least a couple of these as a kid. They were always so lovely. I also watched the animated series which was wonderful as well. This was a really cozy read as a result and it’s been lovely to spend time with them again.

4.5/5 stars. July 4-Oct 4 2023

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Another Little Library find. This is a surprisingly dark middle grade graphic novel. The twist was creepy. The protagonist Anya was annoying at times because she was an outcast and unhappy like a lot of teens. I did like it as there was strong character development in the end and I could relate to Anya’s experiences as an immigrant child.

3.5/5 stars. October 5, 2023.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Narrated by the author. I like Gilbert but have not read much in the way of her fiction. I primarily listened to this book because I like her voice and it was short. I hesitate to call myself a creative person because I often compare myself to actual working creatives whom I admire or even friends. I am creative in the sense that I craft and have more hobbies that I know what to do with. I wish I could write fiction or produce visual arts. The book itself was not really helpful to me but it was nice to listen to Gilbert talk about creativity and writing. Ann Patchett, an author I really like, was mentioned too.

3.5/5 stars. 1.4x. October 2-8, 2023.

The second book in the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology. I have had this book for many weeks from the library and they kept allowing me to renew it. I wanted to start it many times. It took me two non consecutive Saturdays before I could finish it since it’s just shy of 500 pages and I wanted to give it time and full attention.