A Wandering WeyrCat...

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read this book for the 2016 Goodreads Read Harder Challenge: Read a book by a Southeast Asian author. Just looking for an author that satisfied that category, I learned I didn't even know what countries were considered "Southeast Asian". This book is yet another example of a war I knew nothing about. I'd heard the name "Pol Pot" and heard he was "worse than Hitler*", but that's all. This first person account of the genocide of the Cambodian people was, skillfully written, beautifully narrated, and heartbreaking to read. What violence there is isn't any worse than any fiction novel I've read, but the true accounts of hunger, sadness, loneliness, helplessness... it's terrible. Loung Ung was five when the war started, and ten when it ended for her. Though she was so young, the author inserts history a...

Frankenstein by the National Theatre Live,  starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller (from Hackers!). Filmed live, the result is simulcast to movie theaters. I missed seeing it last year, since the closest theater showing it was 100 miles away. This year, the NTLive newsletter from June told me it would be playing at my local theater and I bought a ticket that day. The play is based on the book, so many might not have really known what was going to be in it.  In fact, on the way oyt I heard an older man asked if it was bad on the book,  after an older woman said it wasn't what she expected and didn't like it. I assured him they did a very good job. It was condensed, as it would have to be, and done in such a way that the disjointed, jarring nature played well with the grotesque and tragic acting, set, and direction. It was fantastic.

East To The Dawn: The Life Of Amelia Earhart by Susan Butler My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read this book two two reasons: Secondly, I was tasked with a biography for the 2016 Goodreads Read Harder Challenge; Firstly, I own "The Sound of Wings" by Mary Lovell but haven't been able to convince myself to continue it, though I really liked it when I started it in May 2014. "East to Dawn" is interesting, providing a wide view lens on Amelia and her life, motivations, and background. Some of the technical details made the reading dry at times, and I was thankful to be reading it by audiobook, though the calm and not-quite-monotone voice of the narrator didn't help in those dry spots. (She did have good enthusiasm at times, but what altogether reserved.) This book has me curious to read Eleanor Roosevelt's autobiography (due to their relationship in the book). I also wonder if the The International Group for Historic Aircraft Re...

Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo My rating: 0 of 5 stars I read this book for the 2016 Goodreads Read Harder challenge, and I'm so glad I did. I never would have picked it up otherwise. "A FOOD memoir? Ugh." Honestly I had a moment where I wondered how to get around the requirement, but it stuck out at me from the "recommended books in this genre" list. You can read the accolades and summary for yourself, but know I agree with them. Annia's form of storytelling is one of my favorites: a coherent timeline dotted with memories and stories and various interruptions. It sometimes can make things a little awkward to follow, especially in an audiobook, but I feel like more soul comes through that way. She tucks in little quotes from the people she met or other relevant sources. "What makes us civilized? .... We are the only creatures who share food with strangers, people not from our family or...

Arab in America by Toufic El Rassi My rating: 5 of 5 stars I saw this weathered graphic novel sitting on the "New Books" rack at the library and picked it up. I'm currently reading Day of Honey by Annia Ciezadlo, and her experiences in the Middle East have made me curious about the experiences of Arabs and Muslims in regards to the last two decades of warfare. The graphic-novel-meets-memoir is well written and well drawn. This graphic novel presents an American view of Arabs and Muslims that surprises me at the same time that it doesn't. It isn't, because seeing it I realize it's always been there, and yet having it pointed out to me all at the same time makes me realize just how much of it there is. I'm not a fan of war movies; my mom watched a lot of them when I was growing up, so I feel well-versed in the Anti-Asian sentiments of the older generations, and I took for granted that "the war" would cause a lot ...

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling My rating: 4 of 5 stars Really enjoyed this. It's like a bit of Fan Fiction that let's us replay material from the originals, with a neat (but not hinted at) twist. Some people had trouble reading the format of a script, but I read a lot of Shakespeare in my youth and found I could jump right into the style without issue. It's not a terribly DEEP book, but does touch on the troubles of parents (living vicariously and overprotection) while telling a good short story. A quick, nostalgic read. View all my reviews

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink My rating: 3 of 5 stars (Note, I have not heard the podcast at the time of this reading.) I listened to the audiobook, which I've heard was easier to digest than the paperback. I think I'd prefer the audiobook too, because some eerie music and creative narration really lent depth to the story (and weirdness of Night Vale). It was a WEIRD a heartwarming story that, while failing Beschdel, managed to present strong independent women at very different stages of their life, while being both amusing and a little creepy. Though this book was proposed to me as a Horror, I don't feel it really this that category. In fact, I read it to satisfy the Horror category in the Goodreads.com 2016 Read Harder challenge and now need to decide if I should read another, scarier, horror novel. I'm glad I read it, and might pop in to the podcast, but it's definitely not something for everyone. Some nifty things I tho...