The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker, Bernadette Dunne (Narrator)

This was such an interesting nonfiction book. A lot of nonfiction self help books are very individualistic while this one reinforces groups and doing things for the sake of the gathering. It had ideas that many gatherings overlook including what and whom to exclude, defining the true purposes of gatherings, when hosts should intercede, how to have a great gathering, and how to close gatherings. I actually dislike hosting and don’t like having people in my home. Being part of a gathering is almost universal as it is part of the connections and compassion of being human. I’ve hosted alumni gatherings and I work as a project manager. This book would be useful for many people. I am keeping the ebook for reference when I need reminders about good gatherings.

1.4x. Nov 6-11, 2024.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki, Polly Barton (Translator)

This novel was a lot. The cover said it’s a novel of food and murder. The murder part was actually a bit more open ended. I dislike open ended mysteries, but this book was not really about the mystery. It was more than food and crime. It’s about fat shaming, misogyny, gender, work, loneliness, self love, friendship, and found family. It was a bit long and overwritten in parts. There’s a side plot from the protagonist’s best friend perspective which was interesting, but may have been extraneous. I liked the characters. I loved the food writing. This kind of cross genre, reflective, and dark novel is not something I’ve seen much in western novels. The hardcover was about 450 pages and it took me longer than most novels to read. The book was written with depth and was very well translated. It’s not for most readers but I really enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing what the author has in store.

Nov 9-11, 2024.

Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke

A graphic novel with reflections and information about human loneliness. Like the author, I have experienced loneliness and know it well especially when my mental health was not good. However, I was a lonely child and my relationship with solitude ebbs and flows. I am in a good place with it. I do think western society is a lonely one. This book was a bit too somber and depressing for me at times. It had a lot of merits but it made me more lonely when I finished it since I could empathize. In any case, a good read but there were some dark themes too.

Nov 14, 2024.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 2 Volume 2, 3, 4 by Miya Kazuki (original author), Suzuka (Illustrator), Quof (Translator)

This series is so comforting. I usually read one at a time; however after a very busy and stressful two days due to my father’s surgery and work, I needed the escape of reading three in a row. It was nice to read a low conflict, but not low stakes fantasy fiction with wholesome characters. The art is great too. I recently made the decision to read the light novel series after I catch up to the available manga. This has re-affirmed my decision because I want to see the whole journey finished in 2025 before starting the anime.

Nov 15, 2024.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, Mike Chamberlain (Reading)

Had the hard cover and listened to it as my weekly nonfiction audiobook. I really liked this book until about the 40% mark and then it would not end. It explained how habits form in people, groups, businesses, and organizations. However, it had way too many anecdotes and examples. I liked the message of the book and it is summarized in the appendix, but it did not need to be that long. Narration was good though. It probably helped me finish the book as I got bored in the second half.

1.5x. Nov 12-16, 2024.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood (Translator), Hanako Footman (Narrator)

Audiobook for about 15%. This novel had a series of small mysteries where a father and daughter detective agency recreate food for patrons. It’s similar to the vignette series in other Japanese literature that I’ve read such as Before the Coffee Gets Cold and What You’re Looking For is in the Library. Each of the mystery chapters are very short and the mystery is quickly revealed after the introduction of each client. It’s a bit repetitive and boring as a result. There is not enough depth on the characters or anything else. The best thing about this book were the descriptions of Japanese cuisine. I actually like the care in which the dishes were described. I am actually tempted to read the next book for that alone, but everything else in this book was forgettable.

1.25x. Read on my new Kobo Clara BW. October 26-Nov 2, 2024.

All This & More by Peng Shepherd

This is an adult Choose your Adventure novel. Great concept, not the best execution. I read The Cartographers and while I didn’t love it, I found some nice moments in there. This novel on the other hand took me awhile to read and I dragged myself to finish it. I did go through most of the options and I skimmed most of the book. The characters were flat which was somewhat understandable with a more plot focussed novel, but I didn’t like them. I did not understand their motivations even if I got to choose it for them. The book was repetitive and there were too many things going on. At first it felt like that’s part of the concept of the story and the reality TV show plot, but then it becomes convoluted. The mystery was disjointed and I was too bored to care after awhile. This makes me hesitant to pick up another book by the author.

October 27-Nov 4, 2024.

Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! by Sasha Hamdani

Narrated by the author. A very straightforward book with a lot of tips and considerations for ADHD. I am liking these ADHD books as they are giving me ways to consider and reflect on my life. It’s a nice tool for my own self-development and thoughts.

1.25x. October 31-Nov 5, 2024.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao (Illustrator)

This was a nicely written middle grade novel based on a true story about a mall zoo. While the ending is uplifting, it was sad for most of the book that Ivan the gorilla and his friends were imprisoned in bad conditions.I doubt that I will read more from this series though.

Nov 6-8, 2024.

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez (Written by), Danica Brine (Illustrated by), Hank Jones (Colored by), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Lettered by)

Cute magical realism graphic novel.

Nov 7-8, 2024.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

This novel been in my digital Calibre TBR since 2011. I forgot about it and have not heard many people discuss it recently. A few months ago, a friend of ours heard I liked books and gifted to this to me not knowing that I knew about it. She also had not read it yet. This was very lovely Vintage Classics edition and I’m grateful to have it. This was probably one of the best Japanese novels that I’ve read this year and I have read more Japanese translated fiction this year than any others.

It is the story of a single mother who becomes a housekeepr to a math professor. The professor has a memory of only 80 mins due to a car accident. The housekeeper and her son soon become friends with the professor. It’s a found family story which is simple, pure and utterly lovely. I was moved and I did cry a little. There is a lot of math which went over my head, but other than that, wonderfully written. Great translation.

October 26, 2024.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay (Introduction), Martin Hammond (Translator), Richard Armitage (Narrator)

Recently, I have become interested in Stoicism. I have wanted to read Meditations for awhile and I found this audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage. I enjoyed most aspects of this work and I need to reread it in print to absorb some of the meditations. I liked it on the whole and will move onto other stoics.

1.3x. October 21-27, 2024.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Narrated by the author. This was funny and reflective. The author and I are different people except we are of similar age and were living in London in the late aughts. I did not party as much and have less life experiences in some way. I found this well written and engaging. The time flew by with the audiobook over a few days. She was relatable as she tried to navigate her mental health journey and therapy.

1.25x. October 28-30, 2024.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Jennifer Lim (narrator)

Audiobook for the first 37%. I’ve had a copy of this book on my shelf for at least five years if not more. Knowing that it was very popular, I had moderate expectations. I thought the novel had some well written elements. While most of the characters are not exactly likable, I was interested in their stories. The novel touched on themes of American identity, fertility, adoption, kidnapping, and racism. I think there were too many themes and plot lines. It could have been more tightly written especially as there was some interesting character work on the surface. The ending felt abrupt. It was unrealistic and not satisfying. I was curious about the TV adaptation and watched a bit of the first episode but then read they made some changes. I decided to cut my losses and stopped since I do not watch a lot of TV these days.

1.3x. October 18-20, 2024.

Your Brain’s Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD by Tamara Rosier

My family doctor recommended this book when I got diagnosed earlier this year. As this was my first ADHD book, I did not really know what to expect. It had a few symptoms and behaviours that I had not really seen much about online such as divergent thinking, the importance of boundaries, and perception of interest. I did not use the workbook elements. I got diagnosed to confirm things about myself and fortunately, have been able to manage well through trial and error, self-development, help from others, therapym and meditation. CBT-I actually made me explore the idea of diagnosis since even with all the meditation and sleep, I still felt my brain was a bit different. I found the idea that ADHDers have reversed sleep patterns interesting and thankfully, was not the case with me. This was the first of a collection of ADHD books I have on my TBR. I will read them intermittently to gain any more insight or ideas on how to manage life.

October 12-21, 2024 on Kobo Mini.

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

This was a fast and amusing novel all done in Slack messages. I used Slack once at a job over seven years ago. I do not miss it but I do love working from home.

Read on Kobo Libra 2 with my new 8bitdot micro remote. October 23, 2024.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 1 Volume 6 by Suzuka (Illustrator), Miya Kazuki, Quof (Translator)

The tone of this volume was more serious. While the chronic illness has been part of this story from the start, this would addressed the terminal aspect of it. It was heavier and quite well done. I learned about the anime as well this week and will try to seek it out once I finish the manga.

October 23, 2024.