It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
Where does the time go?
Why is life so busy?
Why don’t bosses give days off for reading?
Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
I waffled between 3 and 4 stars, but since I was interested enough in this that I read it in, like, two days, I figured I’d go with four stars. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The real disappointing part was the ending, which felt incredibly rushed to me. Add to that a lackluster romance, a third point of view which felt detached from the overall main story and was more family drama than thriller, and a really squicky portrayal of a gay person, I definitely felt like I couldn’t give it five stars. This book was a joy to read, though! I was easily sucked in and just wanted to know what was going to happen. Jewell does a great job of foreshadowing and creating an eerie atmosphere. I really enjoyed the mystery of it, too, and discovering things along with the main character.
The Night the White Deer Died by Gary Paulsen
★★☆☆☆ || Goodreads
Gary Paulsen was one of my favorite authors growing up, so when I stumbled across this while straightening shelves, I decided to read it, since it was such a teensy book. Welp, sometimes that’s a bad thing. I never thought I’d give a Paulsen book two stars, but here we are. I understand what Paulsen was trying to do, but the romance in this was just … no, thank you. I was expecting maybe it’d be something like A Man Called Ove situation between the characters, but nope. The book was great for about 2/3 of the way through it. I was enjoying the characters, wanted to learn more about them and their connection, etc. The ending felt rushed and nonsensical. I was so confused about several parts of it, and then it just … ended. Most of the things were left open, with no resolution, and I just found it so abrupt and unsatisfying. Disappointed, to say the least.
Change is the Only Constant by Ben Orlin
Status: pg 147/287
Change is the Only Constant is an engaging and eloquent exploration of the intersection between calculus and daily life, complete with Orlin’s sly humor and memorably bad drawings. By spinning 28 engaging mathematical tales, Orlin shows us that calculus is simply another language to express the very things we humans grapple with every day — love, risk, time, and most importantly, change. Divided into two parts, “Moments” and “Eternities,” and drawing on everyone from Sherlock Holmes to Mark Twain to David Foster Wallace, Change is the Only Constant unearths connections between calculus, art, literature, and a beloved dog named Elvis. This is not just math for math’s sake; it’s math for the sake of becoming a wiser and more thoughtful human.
Are you surprised to still see this here?! No? Well … okay, that’s fair. I’m not really, either. While I am enjoying it, I’ve realized that I can’t read more than two to three chapters a day, or my brain just self-destructs for its own preservation. I’m aiming to finish it this week, though, and I should try to do it soon, because hubby was giving it that look last night, and I think when he finishes what he’s currently reading, he might steal it from me, whether I’m done with it or not. xD
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Status: pg 234/462
I had sort of hoped to be done with this one by now, too. It’s definitely picked up for me, and I love all these characters and enjoy hearing their backstories finally. I have this desperate need to pair people, for absolutely no reason other than they’re obviously perfect for each other and destined to be together. So, as such, I really want Kaz and Inej, Matthias and Nina, and Jesper and Wylan to be a thing, please and thank you. Someone go make that all happen. xD Not that characters need pairings in books, per se. But hey, when there’s something there, there’s something there. 😉
I’m going to change this up a bit, because unless Six of Crows ends on some wicked cliffhanger, I’m going to take a teensy break before reading Crooked Kingdom, because I’ve got a ton of library books to get back. I’ve already low-key started How to Become a Federal Criminal, but I refuse to add it to my currently reading list until I finish something, so I’m only allowing myself little dabbles in it.
I’ve been on the hold list for The Wicked Deep for freaking months, so I refuse to let this library book pass without reading it, since I made the mistake of throwing it back once, not realizing how long it would take to come around again. It’s relatively short-ish, so I think I shouldn’t have a problem squeezing it in.
Another library book, and part of Nonfiction November that I want to make sure to get to, is Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry. It’s a short book, and astrophysics, unlike math, isn’t that hard for my brain to get around. I love science, so long as it doesn’t involve mathy numbers, so I think this book and I will get along just fine. I’m actually sort of ashamed to admit that I’ve never read a Neil deGrasse Tyson book, and I’ve been wanting to, so this felt like a good place to start.
I liked The Family Upstairs too. Kind of stays with you a bit.
That it does. Especially those last few paragraphs! Talk about creepy. 😀
I’m so sorry to hear The Family Upstairs left you with such mixed feelings. I was really looking forward to that one as well. I’m usually not a fan of romance and I hate rushed endings so I’m not so sure anymore. Maybe it’s still worth it if it was compelling overall? I’m glad you’re liking Six of Crows, it was definitely one of my favorites from last year. I still have yet to read the sequel though.
I’d say give it a read anyway! It was a fun journey, even if there were some disappointing parts, and the very, very ending is chilling and brilliant.
Ooooh I have the wicked deep too- I found it SIGNED and unread in a charity shop about 30 mins away from me!!
(Really need to go second hand book hunting there again)
Sorry to hear about your disappointment, at least you’re enjoying the other books!!!
Really?! Oh my gosh, what a find! I love second-hand bookshops, because it seems like there’s always at least one really good find when you go into them. 😛
I’m very lucky that there are some very good charity shops near us that do books well and there are two excellent dedicated second hand bookshops near us that raise money for different charities so I always feel a bit less guilty about buying lots of books as it’s going to a good cause.
One of these days I’m going to sit down and read Six of Crows, I swear! I might be the last person left…
You for sure are not, I promise! But you definitely should read it. I’m having a lot of fun with it. 😀 Kaz is to die for.
Well it would have to be a great book for me to get my head around astrophysics!
That’s how I feel about mathematics. xD It’s a strange world when astrophysics feels easier than mathematics haha.
I totally understand prioritizing library books because when they take one back it is truly sad. Our library has recently gone to no fines (wonderful!) but that means that the timetables on returns are extremely odd and unpredictable.
If Tysons book indeed doesn’t have too much math then count me in! I want to learn more science but I really struggle with math.
Have a great week! Here is my WWW: https://silverbuttonbooks.com/2019/11/20/www-wednesday-november-20-2019/
Our library went to no fines, which is a move I totally supported! (Low income area and there’s enough barriers to reading as it is without a financial consequence). But at the same time, it’s been a struggle to actually get people to bring things back on time because of it, so … it’s definitely a double-edged sword, unfortunately.
I glanced through it, and I don’t think it does! It’s geared towards teens, so even if it does, I’m sure it’s a manageable sort of math lol.
i’m glad you’re enjoying six of crows more now! I really hope you will loved the wicked deep, which is one of my favourites!
I’m currently reading the demon world by sally green!
(www.evelynreads.com)
I’m glad to hear that! I’ve been meaning to read this book since it came out, so I’m really looking forward to it. It sounds like something I’m going to love, at least.
Glad Six of Crows is picking up for you! It had some issues for me, but I still loved it.
It feels like there’s some pacing issues for me. I LOVE the characters and the banter, but I find that I get easily distracted from it and have a hard time really getting into what’s going on. I’m not sure why. So I’ve decided to just take it slow and enjoy it. xD That seems to be working.
I *still* want to know why bosses don’t give us days off to read. Don’t they know it’s a self-improvement technique? Humph. 😉
I picked up Tyson’s Letters from an Astrophysicist from my library the other day, and I hope to get to read it soon. I have a lot on the go right now, though, so it might end up going back to the library before I can finish it.
I work at a library. I feel like this should be considered professional development.
I hope you enjoy it if you get to it! I’m going to squeeze it in, because it’s only, like, 150 pages and has lots of pictures. xD So I feel like that should be doable for me LOL. Wow, my bar is sooo low, you couldn’t even limbo under it. 😛
Exactly! Days off for reading when you work at a library should be a must. 🙂
I love love love the Six of Crows Duology!!! I cannot wait for the show!
My WWW:
http://megabunnyreads.home.blog/2019/11/20/www-wednesdays/
Oooh, yes! I’m so excited to see how they reimagine it for the show. What character are you most excited to see in the show?
So… you’ve not yet found out what the wisdom in calculus is?! I should be trying to encourage you to read that book right? I feel you when you say it’s not your jam coz it’s defo not mine as well 😂 BUT you can do it, you smart cookie!!!
That Neil deGrasse Tyson book looks really interesting though! And sounds simplified enough to understand (coz sometimes I’m also not so great with the science lol my mind likes simple things)! I’d be keen to pick that up 😍
Happy reading Sammie!
I’m really torn between being like, “Ew, math, get it away from me,” and also reading his anecdotes and being like, “Yeah, okay, that makes so much more sense. You should have a sit-down with my high school calculus teacher.” xD
I got the extra simplified version, because it’s for YA haha. I saw the one for adults and was like, maybe I should get that one? Nah. Keep it simple, stupid. 😛
Hahaha I would totally get the YA one for myself too. I mean, why make it more difficult for ourselves, eh? 😜
I laughed at your need to pair people when reading Six of Crows! I did the same thing! So many of the characters just go together. I did enjoy that series and can’t wait to check out the show.
Oh, thank goodness! I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one. xD They need to get over themselves and just realize that they clearly belong together, okay? Sheesh. I’m definitely interested to see what direction they take with the show and who they end up casting (I know some have been announced, but I don’t want to know until they release a trailer so I can actually see them in the role).
I love Lisa Jewell’s books and I’m hoping to get to The Family Upstairs really soon!
I hope you enjoy it when you’re able to read it!
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