Wednesday, October 13, 2021

The Rest Of My September Reading And 3/4 Through The Year Update

This post covers not only the last of my September reading but, at the end, I share some stats and favourite books about being 3/4 of the way through the year. And let's not talk about how there are only two and a half months left in 2021. What the what?!?!?!?

That Camden Summer

This was another comfort read and it didn't let me down. One of the things I love about this book is how independent the main character is and how great of a parent she is. I love both of those things about her.

Firekeeper's Daughter

I thought this book was so good. I loved how it was true to First Nations' culture and talked about the divide between the white community and the First Nations community. In some ways this was a murder-mystery book but it was also so much more. I would recommend this book to everyone.

The Bletchley Girls
I loved how this book gave me yet more insight into Bletchley Park but also showed how, for some of its workers, Bletchley was really just a period of time in their lives and it wasn't awesome, but it wasn't horrible, and they are more than the six years of the war they spent there. I also loved reading about all the different jobs which women had as a part of Bletchley Park. Yes, my fascination with this place continues :)
 
Hostage
I read the first half of this book in one go, then I put it down, and couldn't really get back into it for about two to three weeks. I don't know why. I just wasn't compelled to get back to it. This was a great thriller, and the premise was slightly terrifying, but for some reason, it just didn't grab me. It could have been the space I was in for most of September, so don't skip this book just because I felt lukewarm about it.
 
Extraordinary Canadians: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation
I enjoyed this book so much, I told Dave he needed to read it. It's a nonfiction book about interesting things regular Canadians have done. I loved almost all of the stories (I'm not a huge fan of the army so there was one story which didn't resonate with me). My only criticism is that the author didn't have any stories from people living in our three territories. I feel like it would have been a really powerful book if he had picked one person from each province and territory to write about.

I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends
I picked this book up because I love Friends. After reading this book, I think I love the series even more. I didn't expect this book to be so political but I thought the author did an excellent job of putting Friends in the context of the time it was representing, but also shining a light on its flaws and what it could have done better. It just made me want to watch the whole series again. This book may have a niche audience but it is so good.

The Dating Playbook (The Boyfriend Project, #2)
I thought this book was fun but it didn't grab my attention. I didn't read it in one sitting and I put it down for days at a time. It was okay but I thought the ending was really abrupt. However, I will still check out the third book in the series so take that for what it's worth :)
 
Since this post takes us to 3/4 of the way through my 2021 reading, it's time for a look at my reading stats thus far:
 
Total books read: 161

Books written by BIPOC authors: 54

Non-fiction books: 39

Favourite books from this quarter of reading. Please note, these books are in the order I read them, not in order of favourite.

With The Fire On High -- Elizabeth Acevedo

Lady Clementine -- Marie Benedict

The Rose Code -- Kate Quinn

Think Again: The Power Of Knowing What You Don't Know -- Adam Grant

Firekeeper's Daughter -- Angeline Boulley

I'll Be There For You: The One About Friends -- Kelsey Miller

Do you have any books that I have to read before 2021 ends? Have I inspired you to pick up any of these books? Did you watch Friends and are you intrigued enough to check out that book? Tell me below.

10 comments:

  1. Oh I need to grab that Friends book- I think I will really like it too! Have you watched the reunion? It had me laughing AND crying!

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  2. OMG, Lavyrle Spencer, that takes me back to high school. I'm pretty sure I read That Camden Summer (and many more). You know I'm a fan of Peter Mansbridge, I loved reading those stories. He is a big supporter of Northern rights, and recommended a few books by Inuit authors but I can't find the names of them now. When I track them down, I will pass them along.

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    1. Definitely let me know if you remember the names of the books he recommended. I would be really interested in reading them.

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    2. I emailed him and he got back to me (eek!) and he said the best book for him was "What I Remember, What I Know" by Larry Audlaluk. It's about the people who were relocated to the high arctic. https://www.cbc.ca/books/what-i-remember-what-i-know-1.5453158

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    3. Oh my goodness!!! He emailed you back?!?!?! That's exciting!!! I just put this book on hold so thank you!

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  3. I hadnt heard of any of these books - putting some on my list - especially the Friends one!

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  4. The Friends books sounds cool!

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  5. Would I relate to "Extraordinary Canadians" not being Canadian myself? Sometimes books require a great deal of context and are lost on outside readers. I do love Canada though and very much so would like to move there! (Maybe I'll retire there? I always say I'm retiring to Alaska but maybe I'll just go to Canada.)

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  6. MUST read the Friends book!!! I liked Farrah Rochon's first book in this series - especially as it was set in Austin and specifically referenced the town I grew up in!

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