Book Meme
I was tagged by @girlwithakiwi (truly, honored (and a little gooped)). Oh God, here we go...
The Last Book I Read: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I'm doing a re-read of the series since I hadn't done once since the show ended and that was when I was in high school. I have a much stronger literary grasp now. Suffice to say, I'm enjoying them so much more now.
A Book I'd Recommend: I've got a great little called Songs of Love and Death with original short stories from the big names of fantasy and sci-fi circa 2009. It's a great way to get a taste for an author before fully committing to them. It introduced me to Jacqueline Carey and Robin Hobb, who I will be diving into the minute I get the funds. If early YA is your beat, The Thousandth Floor by Katherine McGee is pretty solid! She does that Pretty Little Liars type teen suspense really well and the world building is really strong. I would also recommend her the first two books of her American Royals series (American Royals and Majesty) the other two fell flat for me. They introduce some really great ideas about gender (and you can tell she almost wants to critique monarchy) but never develops them or takes a stance and it gets grating at times. (Okay, rant over.) The Handmaid's Tale (obvi) but only the first one. I think any of the sequals/spinoffs expand the world too much and ruin what's great about the first. (and I think they're cash grabs.) Who said that?
A Book I Couldn't Put Down: God, the last book I remember being utterly enthralled with was Jon Proctor Is The Villain by Kimberly Belflower. Yes, it's a play. Semantics. Teenage girls navigating sex, feminism, and friendship while sex scandal after sex scandal unfolds in their southern town. Not to mention the big class project on The Crucible due by the end of the production. The end, while definitely meant to be experienced live, still left me breathless and teary-eyed.
A Book I've Read Twice or More: Definitely The Luxe series by Anna Godberson. It's a YA series that has surprisingly aged well. If it came otu today, it'd probably be New Adult. Solid characters and plot. Oh, and There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury.
A Book on my TBR: Diamonds are Forever by Ian Flemming. Classic. I've been wanting to try my hand at spy/detective novels... and I'm doing a bit of research for the 1960s-1980s spy fic coming up). The Irish Cottage Murders by Dicey Deere. Rian Johnson's Knives Out series made me crave more mysteries in my life. I picked this one up at random so no clue if it'll be worth it's salt. The Great Works of Willa Cather. Also picked up at random. I caught a snippet of her prose and was intrigued.
A Book I've Put Down: Too. Fucking. Many. Got about three or four chapters into ACOTAR and knew it wasn't for me. Grady Lake by J L. Hyde. A mystery novel by a local indie author I was hoping would be good. The protagonist was trying too hard to be relatable but she was just annoying. Undercover Kitty by Sophie Ryan. I wanted something a bit grittier, I think. Another protag that was annoying and not enough suspense/mystery to keep me interested.
A Book On My Wish List: A copy of Anastasia by Marcelle Maurette (the play that inspired the Ingrid Bergman flick and later the animated movie and stage musical). I could literally go on for hours about how much I love Anastasia as a character and concept. Also... I need monologues and scenes for my reel.
A favorite book from childhood: My Disney Princess Phonics Books. You laugh! You laugh! But the children can't sound things out and I look back quite fondly at them in these distressing times. Oh, The Faeire Path by Allan Frewin Jones but I only read the first two books cause that's all my dinky school library had. That was one of my first "Oh, books can be this impactful" moments because the imagery has stuck with me for years. And definitely ahead of my maturity level but I tested at a high school reading level in sixth grade and so I was allowed to check out whatever I wanted. (There's actually a very funny story about this involving My Spanish Vacation. I'll have to tell it one day lol.)
A Book I'd give to a friend: I've been trying to get the people in my life to read the A Song of Ice and Fire series since I picked it up way back when. Or Maybe one of my Zone 3 Literary Journals. They, funnily enough, introduced me to prose when I was desperate for it but had no clue it existed. I think everyone who's looking for something meaty (words and metaphors wise, at least) should look into a literary journal.
A Book of Poetry or Lyrics that I Own: ... I have Taylor Swift's Reputation album magazine booklet thingy. You know, I'm not a big poetry person. As much as I love prose, I find poetry a little self-indulgent. Like, some poets take themselves too seriously and are trying too hard to be poetic when they just need to be sincere. There are poems and poets that I like (e.e. cummings, Sarah Kay, Charles Anthony Silvestri) but none that I'm like "I need to own a book of that".
A non-fiction book that I own: Do actor theory books count? (Sorry, not a big non-fiction girl.) I have the Artist's Way, a hundred and one pamphlets and novels about improv, directing, Stanislavsky, Meisner, Alexander technique, Somatic work, Feldenkrais, tips on actor marketing... the lost goes on.
What I'm Currently reading: A Clash of Kings by GRRM for my very advantageous re-read of ASoIaF. And I'm still trying to get through The Vampire Lestat. Sam Reid charmed me but Rice's voice as Lestat is so strong and compelling that I can't read more than a few sentences before I'm like, seeing the world around me through Lestat's eyes, it's very neat and a little creepy. But my God, would it kill this woman to be concise? There's action happening but it's so lost in trying to be surreal and otherworldy that I have no clue what's going on.
What I'm planning on reading next: A Storm of Swords by GRRM (of course), Diamonds are Forever by Ian Flemming so I can get spy stuff under my belt. and maybe starting The Irish Cottage Murders by Dicey Deere in as my fall funsies read.
