The Night Stand | 06/17

The Night Stand | 06/17

What’s on my night stand? (Or my audible player?):


Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me

by Ian Morgan Cron

I’m listening to this “memoir…of sorts” via my library’s Hoopla app. I read Cron’s novel Chasing Francis in graduate school, so I was already a little bit familiar with Cron and had heard good things about his non-fiction memoir. While some aspects of this book are certainly hard (an alcoholic father), I’m thoroughly enjoying hearing about Cron’s Irish Catholic upbringing in the 60s and 70s. Not entirely told chronologically, I’m also appreciating the essay-like structure of it and the author’s way of allowing the reader to make connections and draw conclusions themselves without always having to explicitly state what his experiences have meant to him. Not a light read, but humorous and worthwhile.


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The Night Stand

The Night Stand

What’s on my night stand? (Or my audible player?):


Attachments

Attachments by Rainbow Rowellby Rainbow Rowell

I snagged the Kindle version of this book after having read and enjoyed Eleanor and Park. While Rowell’s use of profanity irks me a bit (and feels unnecessary), her quirky, unique writing style is thoroughly enjoyable. Like Eleanor and Park, her characters are anything but trite. They are often deeply flawed, but lovable — and believable — people just like you or me. No incredible heroes or impossible heroines, but people you think, “Yeah, I could be friends with you.” Attachments was also a fun look back at the turn of Y2K!
 
 
 


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The Night Stand

The Night Stand

What’s on my night stand? (Or my audible player?):


I Am Malala

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzaiby Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai

This has been on my TBR list since it first came out, but I never seem to make time for non-fiction. I have found my rhythm though, and as I commute an hour into work every morning, I listen to a podcast or non-fic selection. This is the latest on my Audible player. Malala became a household name when she was shot in the head at just 16 years old for standing up for the right of girls to access education in Pakistan. Today, she is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and an advocate for girls education around the world. Both her passion and her personal story piqued my interest. I’m enjoying hearing more about her culture, her home in the Swat Valley, her close relationship with her father, and her passion for education. Definitely recommend this one, and the audio version is great!


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The Night Stand

The Night Stand

What’s on my night stand? (Or my audible player?):


Unequal Affections

Unequal Affections by Lara S. Ormistonby Lara S. Ormiston

I’m usually NOT a fan of fan fiction. In my opinion, it never really lives up to expectations set by the original. That said, I read such great reviews about Unequal Affections that I had to give it a try. Granted, Pride and Prejudice is my all time favorite book, so it has some big shoes to fill. This novel, a retelling of the second half of P&P told as if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first proposal, does not meet the caliber of Austen’s original writing (but really, how could it?). It is however, delightful. I am finding myself thoroughly enjoying this foray into what-if.
 
 


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The Night Stand

The Night Stand

What’s on my night stand? (Or my audible player?):


A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towlesby Amor Towles

I am thoroughly enjoying making my way slowly through this tome. It’s a long one, and I’m a slow reader, but it is well worth savoring. I love how this NPR book review put it: “All of the verbal excess, the gently funny mock-epic digressions, the small capers and cast of colorful characters, add up to something undeniably mannered but also undeniably pleasant.” It may take me a few months to finish this one, but I know I will tackle his first novel, Rules of Civility, once I’m done.
 
 
 


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The Night Stand

The Night Stand

What’s on my night stand? (Or my audible player?):


 

The Brutal Telling

by Louise PennyThe Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

I am absolutely loving the Inspector Gamache series, but I am trying to make it last all fall and at least up to the holidays. (Props to me if I can make it last all winter!) The Brutal Telling is the fifth in the Gamache series and at this point I love that I am getting to know all of the characters, including the best character of all — the town of Three Pines itself — a little more with each story. They are believable, enjoyable, engrossing mysteries. But it’s about so much more than murder, it’s about humans and emotions and real life. Penny’s writing has caused me to pause and think about my own life in new ways.


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One Thing: A Season of Stories

One Thing: A Season of Stories

Season of StoriesOne Thing: Where I share one thing that is making my life better or bringing me joy.

So I’m super excited about this opportunity for readers. Crown Publishing and Penguin Random House are hosting a free “Season of Stories”: an incredible collection of short stories featuring writers who have won the National Book Award and topped the New York Times Bestseller list. A bit of culture and truly good writing all the way through the end of 2016? Sign me up!

Starting October 11, for a limited time we’ll be emailing eleven fiction tales directly to readers, all written in the first person. Dive into a great story when you need a quick escape from daily stresses.

Lean more about Season of Stories.

Sign up here!

(Please note this caveat from the publishers: “Some of these stories contain mature themes and are more suited to an adult reader.”)

One Thing: The Library

One Thing: The Library

Historic Chuckatuck Virginia libraryOne Thing: Where I share one thing that is making my life better or bringing me joy.

I love our library. Just a few miles from our house (2.1 to be exact), I have dreams of me and Fiona biking down to the library to five into books or story time or star gazing nights.

Just one of the branches of the Suffolk Public Library, Chuckatuck is easily the smallest permanent library I’ve ever seen, just 2,000 sq ft. And the cutest. The building was formerly the cafeteria of Chuckatuck High School (the building that is now Sauders Supply) and in 1989 it was given new life as a library.

It has everything a library needs: books, a librarian, a few computers, WiFi access, and a children’s section where littles like Fiona are invited to stay a while. Mondays (not every Monday, but maybe once or twice a month) are now my library day. The library is generally only open during working hours on weekdays, but it is also open on Monday evenings. Read more

Yarn Along – Marshmallow Fluff Cowl

Yarn Along – Marshmallow Fluff Cowl

What I’m knitting, and what I’m reading

Yarn Along Dauntless and a Cowl

I’m preparing to start a new cowl with this Marshmallow Fluff pattern, probably my last of the season as Spring has officially sprung and it’s time to move on to outdoor projects. But one last knit is always a good idea. Also, I’m reading Dauntless by Dina L. Sleiman. This is my first book from this author and I’m still not quite sure what I think of it, check back soon for a review!

Joining Ginny at Small Things.