AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller

David Miller frustrated with his job as a computer programmer and the limitations of now 3 weeks paid vacation, drops everything, his job, his family and decided to go on a thru-hike of the Appalachian trail, or, as it's referred to: the AT.  Thankfully, his wife fully supports him, though his job does not grant his leave, and he resigns.

A thru-hike is where a person hikes by foot for the entire trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. There are different interpretations of this, which David goes into for the book. A "White Blazer" which sticks to the original trail and a "Blue Blazer" which has some short cuts. There are national parks along the way, with shelters, designated camping grounds as well as trail towns where hikers can go to resupply, pick up their posts and rest. 

It's refreshing to read a book about a man who essentially abandons the expectations of what a man in his 40s needs to do, and decides that life is about adventure. He repeatedly states that his wife supports him absolutely, and mentions that he wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for his wife's blessings.

Which is good, because this would have been a different book if it had ended with his wife divorcing him. I felt bad that the only time they hiked together, he decided to hike 20 miles with her, and of course she burned out. I would be so angry if my husband did that to me. Like, not only did she have to hold the fort down, the only time they ever hiked together, he did it to prove a point to her. Sure, he sort of apologized for it, but he seemed a bit dimwitted about it. Like, of course someone can't hike for 20 miles in one day.

He's very blunt about the woes of hiking and his mindset of nearly quitting a few times. He discusses the tolls it takes on his knees, ankles and feet, as well as his back from carrying the 35 pound  backpack. Even though he doesn't shy away from the pain of hiking, he does make it sound romantic, walking into the wilderness in order to get in touch with what really matters; what life is all about.

It makes me want to do it as well. However, I am realistic. I could probably never do the thru-hike. Josh would want to do it with me and the both of us couldn't just quit our jobs and hike for six months with no income. I'm also not sure if I could go that much time without a space to call my own.

David encounters many different hikers; some are thru-hiking like he is, and others are sections hikers (hike a section over several years) and others are weekend or day hikers. However, it's interesting that David actively keep to himself and even though he meets many people during the course of the trail, he doesn't stay with them, instead deciding to walk much of the trail by himself.

Even though I found the book fascinating, I couldn't relate to him walking the trail alone. I think it's a part of being a woman now, even though it's not correct at all, is being wary of traveling by herself. He also talks about hitchhiking, and going into random stranger's houses for a bed and a meal, something he chalks up to "trail magic." I don't know about all of that.

I would most likely would like to travel with someone anyway, I don't think I would have the luxury of traveling alone: no one to financially support me while I was away, along with not feeling safe enough alone on the trail.

It's a soothing book to listen too. I'm not sure if I would have felt the same way if I had read it, but listening to it felt like I could zone out, do some work, and come back to it, and feel like I have not missed anything. That might not be the best thing to admit but it was a good enough book to listen too during the work hours.

Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

This is... this is a piece of work. I wish I had read some goodreads reviews before getting the audiobook, but I don't usually like to do that. I do listen to the buzz surrounding books, and suggestions, but you never know what you're really going to get when you read reviews of it, because there are some books that the goodreads community HATES, but I absolutely adore, and vice versa.

I was first drawn to the half-off book sale on audible.com and I was intrigued by the interesting book title and the blurb. It was also 23 hours long, which, at the time, thought it would be a good way to pass a few days of work.

Boy was I wrong.

This book is absolutely terrible. At first, the reader is lured into the prospect of an exciting book. It's about a woman who is a legacy. Her family come from a long line of Salem witches, but Diana Bishop, however, refused her birthright after the death of her parents. After trial and error, with enormous power that she couldn't control, she abandons it to become a historian. The set up reeks of elitism, because she goes to Harvard, or Yale, and gets her doctorate and becomes a tenured professor... before she's 30, I presume.

The book opens up and she's at Oxford. Yes, for the summer, researching alchemy. I don't particularly care about what part of alchemy she's researching, because no one really "researches" alchemy anymore. However, that's not the part of the book that goes completely south. The set up, no matter how eye roll-y it is, doesn't hold a candle up to the shit show that happens after that.

And I don't mean shit show like it's exciting action. Literally NOTHING happens in this book.

So, she's researching alchemy, and she pulls up this manuscript. The amount of times they mention manuscript in this book is mind boggling, but apparently, since she has all the magic, she finds this special manuscript, which sets off the magic spell that was on it, and alerts all the magical beings. I don't know why all the magical beings wanted this manuscript, and maybe it would have been interesting to me if Harkness hadn't felt the need to concentrate on boring subjects like:

1. Everything Diana Bishop eats
2. Everything Diana Bishop wears
3. Diana's exercise regimen, including a 10 page description of a yoga session
4. How Diana and Matthew both smell at any given time

Now, before, Diana Bishop and the New England backstory was eye roll-y. Visiting Oxford to do research? Eye roll-y. But the appearance of Matthew... what's his last name? Crawford? L'estat? Who knows, but he's a vampire who felt the magic book and ran into Diana. At first, she is bothered by him and ignores him. But like all possessive vampire romance novels, it quickly turns into something cringe-y and repulsive. My blood ran cold as their relationship progresses, and Diana, someone who seems to be a smart, capable, Mary Sue, turns into a drooling toddler who can't think of herself. Some things that Matthew does:

1. Drug her because he thinks she needs to sleep and she doesn't want too
2. Holds her in his arms by her wrists despite her repeatedly telling him, "no" and to "let me go" and "stop it" 
3. They go horseback riding and she momentarily thinks about jumping the fence, and Matthew turns and tells her, "we will be done horseback riding if you had jumped the fence." 
4. Constantly corrects her but also tells her how flipping fantastic she is all the time
5. Stalks her 

At the horseback riding incident in France (yes, they are in France, not sure why), I had to stop this book. I realized a lot this year about the meaning of my time... and life is too short to hate listen to a an audio. At one point, I sped up the audio, and a lot of times, I zoned out to do various work things... and I didn't miss much. When the characters give you goose chills, it's time to stop. 

Don't get this book. It's the worst. 

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

I'm really glad that I didn't wait to read the final installment of the Magician's trilogy. It's interesting to read other's reviews of the books, especially on goodreads. I personally loved the snark of Quentin and co, simply because I'm full of snark and salt, and  I'm just getting saltier with age.

It starts off with Quentin 30 years old. That was a reality check for me, since I turned the big 2-9 this year, and staring down the face of 30. Whereas in the second book he's still dissatisfied with life (and despite all that he went through with the first book, has not learned a thing), he's finally humbled, and is at peace with how the events of the second book turned out. He goes back to Brakebill's and becomes a teacher, a choice where normally, I wouldn't agree with (education always seems to be the backup career) but he settles into it, and enjoys it. He is also finally given a discipline, "repair of small objects."

Meh. I'm not sure about all of that but I'm sure it'll come in handy later on.

A few other things happens that signals the change of life for Quentin: his father passed away, and Quentin, though matured, has a hope that his father was also a magician, and goes looking for this "final quest" in his office, searching for meaning. When he figures out that his father wasn't a magician, and his death was just a part of life, Quentin is distraught, but moves on and goes back to Brakebill's.

Until Alice. He rescues a student when she encounters Alice the Niffin when a prank goes wrong. Plum is expelled from Brakebills and Quentin is fired for not following teacher protocols. From there, they start their weird partnership, seeking out a job stealing a suitcase.

What is also different about this book is the perspective of Elliot and Janet. Elliot was a prominent figure in the second book, but Janet took to the sidelines when Julia became a main character. I was really intrigued by Janet's story, even though interestingly enough, Grossman didn't go back to the beginning and describe how she even got to Brakebill's, which I guess is a moot point now. Janet is unapologetic and capable, which makes her a fun read.

Elliot has definitely matured. Even though this is the first time we're able to read his perspective, he's mostly a main character, so I feel like I know him. He's thinking of Fillory, and the destruction of the world, and everyone in it. When leadership is thrust upon him, Elliot doesn't buckle and instead uses his kingship to try and solve the problem. I love their friendship, I love how they work together, and Janet is a BAMF.

There are a lot of strong opinions about this series, but I loved it. I loved the stupid, silly meta references and again, the snark has matured, but there is still lots of snark in there. I really liked the ending, and how Quentin found what he was looking for, despite losing everything in the second book.

Enjoyable read.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

I guess I wanted to see what the big deal was. The mystery of the first book was ruined for me since I saw the movie and the TV show before the book, so I figured before the second season aired, I should read the second book and see if... maybe my feelings had changed? Maybe it's actually a diamond in the rough and we had it all wrong with Cassandra Clare?

I've read some really great YA books, and I've read some really shitty YA books that I couldn't even finish. This... is in the middle. If someone were to ask me if they should read this series, I would shrug my shoulders. It's a "meh" book. If you want something easy to read while you're on the plane, and can pick it up whenever, this is the series for you.

It's YA fluff with action, fantasy, romance with some themes of friendship and resilience. It's a good set up with a protagonist who has a complicated family life (because who doesn't) and wants to learn about her past. Clary is her own person and makes silly decisions like other teens her age. There is a love triangle, but it's not really a triangle... it feels like a bunch of teenagers trying to navigate their feelings, which is more realistic than 2 guys vying over a girl. Jace turns out to be her brother, which has loads of weird, unusual feelings, and the Simon/Clary ship is mercifully finished by the end of the book, when Simon breaks up with Clary when he realizes that Clary doesn't feel the same way about him.

Magnus and Alec are dating and Clare gracefully navigates all the feelings of being in a  gay relationship or the first time. I wish I could say that "coming out" seemed a bit outdated, but in light of the Orlando shooting, it's not. I'm glad there is representation in the series.

Like the first book, the plot is contrived and instead of a Mortal Cup, there is a sword, and the evil Valentine is going to use the sword for... something, I'm not sure. I think an army to take down the Shadowhunters and then the rest of the Down world? The team has to get it back and Clare reveals that both Jace and Clary have special powers that Valentine has given them. Mmmmk. Sure. We'll go with it. Clare also foreshadows a big reveal about Valentine and Jace. We don't know what, but it's coming!

With my lukewarm reaction to the book, there were some notable things that I disliked about it.

I found it strange that Clary does not have any other female friends and in one part of the book, states that she is jealous of how another girl looks, and that is why she always had male friends. I'm not saying that it's not true to reality that sometimes girls don't have female friends. But that type of behavior is harmful and patriarchal. It's not good to not like your own gender, and though points for Clary to own up to not liking other women because she sees them as potential competition, it's also kind of weird. This thing about women not having female friends extends to all the other women in the novel, including the Isabelle's and Alec's mother, whose peer is the Inquisitor, a hostile angry woman who lost her son to Valentine. Kind of weird, Cassandra Clare.

Along that strain of disliking women, there is a scene, a very plot motivated scene where the Fairy Queen (yes, you've read that right) demands, through a riddle, that two in the group (Simon, Isabel, Jace and Clary) kiss because, I guess, love. The group goes through pairings, including the "hilarious" pairing of Simon and Jace. However, there is never any mention of Isabel and Clary kissing.

Weird, right? Cassandra Clare seems to reallly hates women. Women can't be friends and they most definitely can't kiss each other.

Also... Simon doesn't die? He turns into a vampire (soz, spoiler, but if you watched the show, it already happened) and after the big boss battle, he is trapped in the middle of the lake on a truck bed as the sun is going up. I thought it would have been a very bold move if he died, but instead, he is able to withstand the sunlight. It's a mystery for the next book and it's not romanticized at all but... I thought the twist was a bit lame.

Finally, the themes of the book also didn't resonate with me. It's a YA novel, so naturally, it's geared towards young adults, and I am no longer a young adult. So themes of "not letting your past define you" and "choosing your own family" are just moot points to me, but are valuable lessons for youngsters who are trying to navigate this little thing we like to call life. Clary, Jace and the others desperately try to do this, with varying results throughout the book, and undoubtedly, Clare will come back to it later in the series as they all get older and the plot develops.

Clare set herself up well with this universe and is starting to get her footing with this second book. Since Josh is now a regular at the library, I'm going to have him get the third book (I'm invested now, don't look at me) but not pay for it.



Rosemary,The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

It took me a couple of days, and a few post rewrites to finally figure out what was giving me pause about this book.

It's actually not about Rosemary.

Oh sure, her name and picture is on the title, and she is mentioned throughout the book, and there are events and memories that involve her, but it's never about her. 

It's impeccably researched, but the problem is that there isn't much about Rosemary's internal thoughts and experiences. Of course there isn't, because she undergoes a lobotomy in her early 20s and spends the next decades of her life hidden away. As well, before that, Joe and Rose do everything in their power to cover up Rosemary's shortcomings, and keep her letters under lock and key.

So instead, Larson uses Rosemary to promote her viewpoints. Instead of the book being about Rosemary (seriously, couldn't you have made up something in a fictionalized account?), it's about how The Kennedy's real triumph is through the passing of various state and federal disability legislation that promoted and protected disability rights.

If you are an able-bodied person that doesn't encounter those with disabilities in their daily life, this may be an eye opening book for you. However, I am very familiar with the disability narrative, because not only do I have a masters in special education, I am also a part of the tribe. (Though John Nagle and I declared a sub-tribe for just us two).

John Nagle and I clearly do have matching overalls. But Larson didn't tell me anything knew, and she went over at length to which I practiced my eye rolling skills.

Finally, the tone of the book was just... condescending? I write that with a question mark because I can't really put a finger on it. One moment she's lauding Rose for caring for Rosemary, the next minute she's chastising the Kennedys for believing in eugenics, and finally, she's showing the readers the horrors of institutions! It felt like she was all over the place, trying to put a place for each letter she read as well as put in her own thoughts and feelings.

Overall, this book blew. I'm sure there are better books out there and ones that treat Rosemary as a person instead of a mantel that the Kennedys had to carry.

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud



I think our friend Scott brought it over with Wicked and Divine, and it was just put in my book pile. So instead of reading some of the biographies or non-fiction books, I figured I would give this a shot. There is a quote by Neil Gaiman, and that's cool, right? 

However, when I went to pick it up, however, Josh looked at me, and just went
He has some strong hate feelings about Sculptor, which of course made it all the more interesting.

So... it's about this guy who lives in New York City who is an artist, a SCULPTOR to be exact.
-
We're off to a smashing start.

He's a sculptor, but he's a struggling artist, and hasn't sold any pieces. He use to have a patron, but he no longer funds him because the Sculptor,  David Smith, is a huge dick. And realistically, probably on the spectrum? Or maybe a bit emotionally disturbed? Or probably just has a big case of the fuccbois.

Whatever his problem is, he's running out of money and is failing miserably in the most expensive city ever: NYC. He has no idea what to do, but getting a job and maybe getting a roommate is out of the question, apparently.

So he's in this diner dive, and in walks his Uncle Harry. They have this conversation, and Uncle Harry talks about what would exactly happened if he just moved out of NYC, got a job, got married and essentially give up his dream.

"No!" Dick McGee cries, and says he has to make art! Then Uncle Harry, who is really Death who sometimes wears the skin of  deceased Uncle Harry, says that he will be given a gift to create, but will only have 200 days to live. He will receive his gift at sunrise.

Rick McDick takes it and when he walks home, an angel seemingly appears out of nowhere, kisses him and tells him he's going to be alright.

Well, Fuccboi Slickrick is in love and he's super happy.

Then some bullshit happens after this where this guy, who is Ron Ramrod's best friend, tells him that he needs to get out more and drags him to a party. Some more bullshit happens and Fuck Fuckstein realizes that the angel that came to him was part of a Flash mob. He feels tricked.

Apparently David Smith... or I'm sorry, Rick Schlong, isn't too bright either.

He also does this annoying thing where he makes "rules" and he has to abide by them. "I don't take charity!" is definitely a thing he does, and I HATE it when that's a thing... because it's never a good person that says that, right? They are always super annoying and I never understand the not taking charity deal. If people want to give it you, take it! What's the big deal?

Anyway, You all probably guess how I feel about this comic.  There is a Manic-Pixi-Dream-Girl who Slick Dick falls in loves with, who is the same girl that played the Angel in the beginning of the story, and there is a lot drama and emotions along with the countdown to his death date.

Somewhere in this story Blunt Bangs girl reveals she is bipolar. She also apparently hangs out with her ex boyfriends... which are her only defining characteristics. BTW, girls that "hangs" out with her ex-boyfriends means she's still sleeping with them.

So, she loves David and tells him she's preggers, so the horrifying vision of him moving to the suburbs and having a family suddenly becomes appealing because the grass is always greener when you have a pretty booby lady with zero personality traits who wants to move into a nice house with you.

WOOF. There is a dramatic ending that doesn't pull any heartstrings. Spoiler: he dies, which kudos for McCloud for pulling the trigger so there isn't a Sculptor Two: More Sculpting.


I'm so clever sometimes.

It says something that I finished the comic since I ragequit both Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne in a week, so it's at least an entertaining way to spend a few nights reading.

I think there is a message about following your dreams... or not flying so close to the sun... or maybe not make a deal with the devil... or happiness is least where you expect it... You know? I don't know.

So if you find the comic book in your house I like I did because a friend really wanted your husband to read it, read it. Otherwise, don't spend money on it. 

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Alright, the final book of the series. I remembered really enjoying the Percy Jackson series way back when. I thought they were fun and creative, and they were an easy way to kill a bit of time. (My relationship at the time was starting to go south, so books are an easy way to avoid that shit storm.)

Whereas I do admire Rick's ambition to include Roman deities with an interesting way of introducing them into the Percy Jackson universe, I couldn't keep everyone's story straight, which is odd, because I'm usually pretty good about that. However, I have a sneaking suspicion it's because it was a big gap between reading The Mark of Athena and House of Hades, and I just didn't have the energy to re-read or revisit the other books before jumping in and finishing them.

Naturally, as  I read the books,  when one of the characters (Which btw, is very GOT, Riordan) makes a reference to someone else or another book, I sometimes remember but sometimes I don't... Sometimes I care when I don't remember, and then... sometimes I don't... and skim over until it becomes interesting again.

There are things that Rick does very well. He can write action superbly and does a great job of using Greek and Roman Mythology to tell a story, as well as set up a story for future books with Apollo. However, the character development fell flat during these series of books. During the Lightening Thief series, the reader has time to connect to Percy and Annabeth but in these books, Rick introduced a slew of new characters, wrote in their points of view all within the same time frame as the Lightening Thief series...and just didn't build that same connection.

The strange thing is that I didn't notice it until this book, where Piper and Annabeth have to go on a mini quest to get something... for something... in order to beat Gaea, who, once she wakes, will destroy the world. They set off to do this, and then have a conversation about boyfriends. See, Annabeth is dating Percy and Piper is dating Jason. Normally I would protest about having weird inappropriate conversations in life or death crisis, but in YA, that's not anything new.

Besides, when else can you have an conversation about the guy your dating if not trying to save the world?

Now back to the conversation by which, having two girls talk about boys isn't a bad thing. Girls talk about boys often. In House of Hades, a lot of terrible things happen to both Percy and Annabeth, and Piper wants to support her friend by talking about it. But before this conversation, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time Piper and Annabeth talked about well... anything. So instead of showing a connection between the two characters where they learn from each other, it's a device to further the plot so we can end the series already. Boo.

At least Riordan acknowledges that 14-16 years old date, whereas JK Rowling threw teenage hormones and sexual curiosity all in one book. He does a good job of having sort of be together for a bit and then come to their sense and kick some butt. So there's that, I guess.

However, it's a shame when it's revealed that Nico is in fact, gay, and has a crush on Percy Jackson (and confused as hell about it),  it plays just like the conversation between Piper and Annabeth, reads like a device with a dash of



instead of anything with real meaning.

The ONLY relationship I was invested in was not even a real relationship: Leo and Calypso. I was really glad to see him find her again... but there was no epilogue! No 'several months' later sort of deal...

So, overall.. it's a good YA series and it's entertaining, once you accept the fact that it's aimed for the YA crowd and not for 20-somethings that wished one of their parents ended up being a Greek God.

...what? A girl can dream.