One of these weeks I’ll have exactly seven… Hopefully I’ll catch up soon!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – 3/22/20
5 stars
(Trying to find a cover for this book that wasn’t tiny / compressed to heck / super pixelated was a CHORE.) Strange and excellently fun, The Hitchhiker’s Guide was exactly what I needed this week. It tells the story of one of the last of Earth’s humans and his journey across space with an eccentric group of people. I watched its surprisingly faithful film adaptation first and the book was still great to read. It’s a series, too, so maybe in time…
Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin – 3/24/20
4 stars
This collection of short stories reads like an exercise in worldbuilding. Though there is a frame in which all these tales are being told, it is not really that important. The main focus of the book are the stories; tales of other worlds that sometimes read like first hand accounts and other times read like an impartial cultural account. I love science fiction and worldbuilding, if I hadn’t made that obvious by now, and so I thought this was excellent. I think it would be fun to read one story a day, though in true Suzi fashion I read this in one sitting.
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin – 3/24/20
4 stars
This is the second book in The Broken Earth trilogy. I talked about the first book in another WIR post. This book continues the story of Essun and her daughter Nassun as they try and survive, battling both the harsh climate of the Season and people’s hatred of them as orogenes. I loved getting to know Nassun as a character in her own right, as she was only mentioned in the first book. This was an exciting sequel and again, highly recommended for science fantasy fans.
The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan – 3/25/20
4 stars
A pick for a POPSUGAR challenge prompt, this book tells the story of two brothers who work on a cacao farm on the Ivory Coast. They were only supposed to work there for a bit, but they have been there for two years without seeing any pay and are treated brutally by the men who run the farm. When the first girl arrives at the farm, she and the two brothers become allies in trying to get home. This book was brutal and knowing that is inspired by true events makes it a lot more difficult to read, but also more important to read.
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson – 3/26/20
4 stars
An urban fantasy book with elements of magical realism, Brown Girl in the Ring is infused with Afro-Caribbean culture as it tells the story of Ti-Jeanne, who must use the power of spiritualism that her grandmother taught her to defeat the crime lord that effectively runs the abandoned city of Ontario. Afrofuturistic books have been a large part of my reading list this year and they have been some of my absolute favorites. I know I threw a lot of literary terms and genres at you in this paragraph, but I highly recommend you read this for a magical experience rooted in rich and interesting folklore.
Be sure to check my 2019-in-2020 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge and 2020 Books posts for updates on how I’m doing on those fronts!
Blind Bookworm 