I tried, I really did. 6 weeks and 3 library renewals, but ultimately I just ended up skimming through the last half, flipping through and reading bits about certain authors.
I was hoping for something more anecdotal, but this book is much denser and much more targeted at people who take literature Seriously. The writing is dryer than I like and almost academic.
The book deserves a higher rating; it's obvious the author is passionate about his subject, I'm just not the proper audience for it.
The postman got a break from me this week, but one of my locals and my library, did not.
Between my library system getting a few upgrades and my taking the time to dig around their website a bit more, I'm figuring out how to get more out of it than I have up until now. They have a user list function, so I've been creating a list of books as I come across interesting titles. As you can see, it's working well so far.
My library haul includes Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. This is going to be my Science Fiction read for Summer Book Bingo. I dislike dystopian settings, but I dislike space and AI fiction more - and I love Fforde's other work so I'm totally willing to give this a go for the humour alone.
I also picked up a couple of titles I found in an article on LitHub that recommended books about books: A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan and The Book of Lost Books by Stuart Kelly. Sitting next to The Book of Lost Books was Book by John Agard, which looked cute and short.
The library haul was rounded off with Picnic in Provence by Elizabeth Bard and Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley because I've seen so many good things said about both here on BookLikes.
Two of the three bookshop buys were impulses from shelf browsing; I had just read about The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe by Kelli Ann Morgan mere hours before seeing it on the shelves, so that felt like karma. The Clasp by Sloane Crosley looks funny and I've read her essays - they're hysterical. The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman because it's birds, science and look at that cover!
Total new books: 9
Total books read this week: 9
Total physical books on TBR: 227
I hope everyone has had or is having (depending on which side of the dateline you're on) a fabulous weekend!
America Invades is a very fun read about all of the countries that America has been militarily involved with. I have to admit, it amazed me. It appears that we (America) have managed to get into military affairs in every country on the planet, with the exception of three (Andorra, Bhutan and Liechtenstein). Besides blowing my mind, I found it very disturbing! The authors write with a easily digestible manner (reminds me of the Uncle John Bathroom Readers), never overwhelming you with minute details. The book is laid out with each country in alphabetical order, most entries only a couple pages long. It would be a great book to have sitting next to your favorite chair, where you could pick it up during commercials and quickly read a country's entry. Highly recommended, especially if you want to impress your friends/coworkers!
Completed On: June 7, 2015
An easy four stars for the She-Hulk and Captain Marvel issues, but only two stars for the Deadpool ones, so three overall.
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