2020

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

It feels weird that Hanukkah is over already, while everyone else is still gearing up for Christmas. Still, I have some days off coming up, which I’m really thankful for. It’ll be good to unwind and not check my work emails for a few days!

What did I read during the last week?

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: 5 stars! Such a wonderful book. My review is here.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins: I hadn’t had any intention of reading this book until a family member gave me a copy as a gift. I couldn’t put it down, but that doesn’t mean it was actually good. My review is here.

The Queen of Nothing and The Lost Sisters by Holly Black: I finished my audiobook re-read of the Folk of the Air trilogy (plus a related novella). Such wonderful stories and characters!

My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith: This was my book group’s pick for December — very sweet and light. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I finally finished my obsessed binge-watch of the three Starz series adapted from Philippa Gregory novels. For the most part, I loved them, despite some occasional weird choices and unfortunate facial hair. Overall, these were super watchable and kept me hooked.

I’ve been at a bit of a loss since finished The Spanish Princess. For the sake of looking for light entertainment, I decided to give Sweet Magnolias (Netflix) a try. It’s… okay. Perfectly fine for background watching while doing other things.

Meanwhile, I can’t wait to start season 5 of The Expanse (except I promised my son I wouldn’t watch it without him, and our schedules haven’t been in sync this past week). And hey, it’s almost time for Bridgerton!

Puzzle of the week:

Once again, I didn’t do any puzzles, but I did get one more as a gift from my amazing daughter, and it’s perfect!

Fresh Catch:

A new book ordered from Subterranean Press arrived this week, and I’m looking forward to starting it:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I finished a book Sunday afternoon, and haven’t quite settled on what to start next. One of these, for sure! Maybe I’ll even get to all three, if the reading gods favor me with lots of quality time with my books this week.

Now playing via audiobook:

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman: Just getting started. I’ve been wanting to listen to this audiobook ever since finishing Beartown last year.

Ongoing reads:

Outlander Book Club is re-reading Outlander! We’re reading and discussing one chapter per week. This week: Chapter 28, “Kisses and Drawers”.

Our current classic read is part 2 of Don Quixote. My book group is reading and discussing three chapters per week. I’m sticking with it, but barely.

So many books, so little time…

16Dec2020

Shelf Control #247: Cool Gray City of Love by Gary Kamiya

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

Title: Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco
Author: Gary Kamiya
Published: 2013
Length: 400 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

Cool, Gray City of Love brings together an exuberant combination of personal insight, deeply researched history, in-depth reporting, and lyrical prose to create an unparalleled portrait of San Francisco. Each of its 49 chapters explores a specific site or intersection in the city, from the mighty Golden Gate Bridge to the raunchy Tenderloin to the soaring sea cliffs at Land’s End.
This unique approach captures the exhilarating experience of walking through San Francisco’s sublime terrain, while at the same time tying that experience to a history as rollicking and unpredictable as the city herself. From her absurd beginnings as the most distant and moth-eaten outpost of the world’s most extensive empire, to her instantaneous fame during the Gold Rush, from her apocalyptic destruction by earthquake and fire to her perennial embrace of rebels, dreamers, hedonists and misfits of all stripes, the City by the Bay has always followed a trajectory as wildly independent as the untrammeled natural forces that created her.
This ambitious, eclectic, and beautifully written book draws on everything from on-the-ground reporting to obscure academic papers to the author’s 40-year life in San Francisco to create a rich and insightful portrait of a magical corner of the world. Complete with hand-drawn maps of the 49 locations, this handsome package will sit comfortably on the short shelf of enduring books about places, alongside E. B. White’s Here is New York, Jose Saramago’s Journey to Portugal, or Alfred Kazin’s A Walker in the City.

How and when I got it:

I bought a copy last year.

Why I want to read it:

I came to San Francisco in my 20s, and while I love my adopted city, I always feel like there’s more for me to learn and explore. I’ve been familiar with this author for a while now, thanks to the weekly column he writes for the San Francisco Chronicle, Portals to the Past, in which he highlights different stories from SF’s history. They’re always surprising, sometimes very funny and/or weird, and never fail to entertain.

I first heard of this book a few years ago, and I finally decided to treat myself to a copy last year, but sadly, haven’t actually taken it off the shelf to read yet. I think this is one that could be read in small bites, maybe just a chapter here and there in between other books.

What do you think? Would you read this book?

Please share your thoughts!

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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link in the comments or link back from your own post, so I can add you to the participant list.
Check out other posts, and…

Have fun!

14Dec2020

The Monday Check-In ~ 12/14/2020

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Life.

We’re halfway through Hanukkah, and despite COVID restrictions, so far it’s been a good one! We’ve had delicious latkes, played dreydel, and have done some creative family Zooming so we could light candles with our loved ones around the country.

Looking forward to being able to celebrate in person together next year!

What did I read during the last week?

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones: Powerful, unique horror. My review is here.

The Wicked King by Holly Black: Finished book #2 in the Folk of the Air trilogy (an audiobook re-read). Just as great the second time around!

West End Girls by Jenny Colgan: Fun, light contemporary fiction. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I binge-watched all of season 1 and most of season 2 of The Spanish Princess this week, and got completely hooked. For the most part, I’m loving it — despite the ridiculous maternity armor. And also, isn’t maternity armor kind of awesome?

Puzzle of the week:

I didn’t actually work on any puzzles this week, but a terrific family member who apparently really gets me gave me a puzzle and a puzzle mat for Hanukkah!

Fresh Catch:

A couple of weeks ago, I attended an online event featuring Rachel Bloom and Yael Grobglas, and this week, the book that came with the ticket arrived:

I’m so excited! Can’t wait to start reading this!

(And PS – it was an awesome event! Here’s a screenshot, which doesn’t nearly capture how much fun it was to hear these two actors in conversation):

What will I be reading during the coming week?