Deepsix, Jack McDevitt

Deepsix, Jack McDevitt

A Bookcrossing friend sent me this sci-fi adventure to put in my Little Free Library. I set it in Mt. TBR first, and I am glad I did. I like sci-fi, but often it becomes predictable. You know who is going to die or get eaten. You know what the disaster is going to be and what "twists" lie ahead if you read enough or watch enough movies. You figure out who the survivor is going to be or what the underlying plot is. However, with this book, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have it all figured out. The author wrote it in a way that kept it moving and exciting the whole time. I was really happy with it and except for the tiny print on my 40-something eyes that require readers now, I had a hard time putting it down.

It's about a life-bearing planet that was discovered some 20 years earlier and was going to be explored, but it was found that the wildlife was very hostile and so the mission was aborted. Fast forward, and there's a rogue moon that is heading for the planet and it's about to be obliterated. Scans show a building on the planet, so a crew is sent to explore it before the moon hits. Disaster happens, and the crew must figure out a way to get off the planet in a hurry, while trekking across a continent making interesting discoveries and trying to survive the hostile and deadly creatures that live there.

Like I said, it was interesting the whole way through, and there was a lot that I did not expect. I liked that. 

I did not realize it, but this is #2 in The Academy series, the first being Engines of God. I have just found a bunch of his books on paperbackswap.com and have ordered them.

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Assistant to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Assistant to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This was loaned and recommended to me by my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. She really enjoyed it, and she thought I would, too. She was right. 

This is the story of a young woman who is seeking employment so she can take care of her ill father and her young sister, and as she is out walking in the woods, she meets a mysterious man, who has the king's guards chasing him. He ends up hiring her as his assistant, and we discover he is known as The Villain. 

We learn what it's like  being morally gray and working for a villain who hangs the heads of his enemies from the ceiling, and tortures people in his dungeon. We read the story from Evie's perspective, and also from the Villain's perspective, and  eventually learn what made him the way he is, as their lives become intertwined and they discover some twists and turns in their reality while trying to uncover a traitor in their midst. 

This book gives me kind of an Ella Enchanted (the movie) vibe. It's a fun fantasy read and one can really come to love the characters in it. It's easy to read, easy to understand what's going on, but not so simple that it becomes boring. My daughter and I found a lot to discuss about this book and some of the complexities that we discovered in it. 

There's supposed to be a sequel out later this year. I look forward to reading it. This is an enjoyable read and although it's the first book I have read by this author, I like her style and would gladly read more from her.

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Madame Sadayakko, The Geisha Who Seduced the West, by Lesley Downer

Madame Sadayakko, Lesley Downer

I have always been interested in Japanese culture, especially the aspect of Geisha. I was delighted to find this book through Paperbackswap.com and it did not disappoint. This is a biography of the life of Sada Kawakami, sold into the Geisha life at a young age, she quickly rose to become one of the most sought after Geisha in Tokyo in her youth. Eventually, she met an actor, Otojiro Kawakami, and married him. Together, they put together an acting troupe that traveled to America. They struggled and some of their troupe even died in the tough times. They never gave up, though, and found stardom, with Sadayakko as their shining star. This tells their story, the ups and downs, successes and failures.

I had never heard of Sadayakko before, but apparently she was famous like Isadora Duncan and Eleanora Duse in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She and her husband developed a bridge between Japanese Kabuki-style theater and Western drama, forever changing the world of acting in Japan; and Sadayakko was the first female actor--before, all women's parts were played by men in drag. 

It's a very good read, and not only talks about the historical aspect but also the cultural aspect of relationships--man had a wife, but it was expected that for pleasure, he would visit Geisha or have a few mistresses on the side. That was just accepted as normal...although not all wives accepted it. Also, and I already knew this, but Geisha, though not considered prostitutes in Japan, have their virginity sold to the highest bidder, usually a wealthy man of influence. He is her first, and then other men may pay for her sexual services. Although this, too is considered normal, even a Geisha of the highest order is considered one of the lowest class when it comes to being able to marry--Geisha, once retired, were allowed to marry within their class, which could be an actor (also considered low class). Rarely did a Geisha marry someone above her class or get rid of that stigma.

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1519 All-Natural All-Amazing Gardening Secrets, Readers Digest

Gardening Secrets, Reader's Digest

Does anybody here read through reference books just for fun? Anyone? No? I guess it's just me then. OK. I can't just sit down and read through a book like this, there's too much to take in and think about. So I just did one small section at a time and it took me months to get through it, but I think I know a little more about garden maintenance now than I did before, and have a few ideas of things to implement in my yard and garden. It covers just about every gardening topic you can think of from where to plant, to pest control, to building a deck and how to pick out a mower. All pretty easy to understand, written for the person, like me, who needs to have such things spelled out for them.

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck 

 

The Egypt Game, Zilpha Keatley Snyder

 The Egypt Game, Zilpha Keatley Snyder

My daughter bought a box of books and this was accidentally added to it, or maybe added as a bonus. She was not interested in reading it, so she gave it to me.

This is a children's book, and has been given the Newbery Honor. It's about a girl who is obsessed with learning about Egypt, and role plays Ancient Egypt, and her friends join in. There's a murder in the neighborhood, and nobody is sure who did it. Is is the old junk shop owner who owns the property where the kids secretly play their Egypt game, or could it be someone else? The kids are not seeking to solve a mystery, but become involved. 

This book is about role play, pretend play, and having fun while not in front of a screen. It's about interacting with friends, using your imagination, and some hard life situations, and drawing closer to those around you.

It was an okay read, but definitely for a younger audience. It was originally published in 1995 and it kind of felt like it was made in the age before computer and phone screens took over lives of the young. 

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck 

Books I have read in 2024

This is my third year of keeping track of my book reading, and writing summaries of them. I used to read 80-100 books a year but it's been difficult for me to get back to that level of reading. My goal is not quantity, but just to make sure I read as close to daily as possible.

JANUARY

The Egypt Game, Zilpha Keatley Snyder

1519 All Natural All Amazing Gardening Secrets, Reader's Digest

FEBRUARY

Madame Sadayakko The Geisha Who Seduced the West, Lesley Downer

Assistant to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Deepsix, Jack McDevitt

How to Make Money Using Etsy, Timothy Adam

The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham

APRIL

Unveiled, Cherry Mosteshar

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Lisa See

The German Heiress, Anika Scott

The Synthetic Man, Theodore Sturgeon

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna Weaver

MAY

EntreLeadership, Dave Ramsey

Art Stories Book Two, Whitford, Liek, Gray

The Roald Dahl Omnibus, Roald Dahl

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Dr. Seuss

JUNE

Trouble with Lichen, John Wyndham

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

Making a Living: How to Craft Your Business, Sophie Rochester

Saving Fish From Drowning, Amy Tan

JULY

Lowe's Complete Home Improvement and Repair

AUGUST

All Together In One Place, Jane Kirkpatrick

Your Fully Charged  Life, Meaghan B. Murphy

The Repurposed Library, Lisa Occhipinti

Outlaw, Ted Dekker

Shortcake + Me, Muriel Juneberry Fahrion

SEPTEMBER

Peter and Peggy, Arthur Gates and Miriam Huber

The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner

Powerless, Lauren Roberts

Powerful, Lauren Roberts

Reckless, Lauren Roberts

OCTOBER

Sisters of the Resistance, Christine Wells

2024 total books read: 32

2023 total books read: 30

2022 total books read: 36

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck 

The Memory Weaver. Jane Kirkpatrick

The Memory Weaver, Jane Kirkpatrick

I am a big fan of Jane Kirkpatrick, author from Bend, Oregon. Her historical novels are created with a lot of research, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail, and this story was no different. This is the story of Eliza Spalding Warren, survivor of the Waiilatpu massacre that took the lives of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and many others, over near Walla Walla and Touchet, Washington, where my grandparents came from, and a lot of distant relatives live. I have been to Waiilatpu and the historical center there, so to read this story which relates to a place I know about, made it all the more real to me.

Eliza is the daughter of Henry and Eliza Spalding, also survivors of the massacre. This story, however, takes place a few years afterward, and focuses on Eliza the daughter, after the loss of her mother to illness, and the PTSD she is still dealing with. She has flashback episodes, where a sound or perhaps the sight of blood will take her back to the days she was a hostage and what she dealt with. Even though she was just a child, she judges herself for not doing more in the situation to help the other hostages/victims. 

She meets a dashing young man that her father disapproves of, and begins secretly courting him, and eventually marrying him. He decides to move their family over to Touchet so their cattle will have room to spread out and feed. Touchet is very close to Waiilatpu, and it terrifies her, the thought of being over so near to it. But she finds that sometimes, we have to return to what brought us fear and trauma to see and understand what the truth actually is, overcome that fear, and begin healing.

This was a great story, with lines of redemption and restoration, not just regarding Eliza's PTSD, but also for other members of her family. 

I highly recommend this book, especially if you like historical fiction.

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck