Scan barcode
factandfables's reviews
1149 reviews
The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber, David Wengrow
4.0
I didn't feel smart enough for this book, but really appreciated the authors' dedication to truly examining the underlying assumptions that we make, and found the first half in particular to be truly mind-blowing.
A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
4.0
Writing grief well is tough, but this book hits so many notes so perfectly.
There were parts of the plot of this book that didn’t ring totally true, and I think that is mostly because writing fully fledged character journeys for everyone in an ensemble book that only covers an eight month timespan is just impossible when you need to meet certain page limits.
But this book is more about emotions than it is about plot, and in that realm, this was perfect in its raw messy-ness and I loved it.
There were parts of the plot of this book that didn’t ring totally true, and I think that is mostly because writing fully fledged character journeys for everyone in an ensemble book that only covers an eight month timespan is just impossible when you need to meet certain page limits.
But this book is more about emotions than it is about plot, and in that realm, this was perfect in its raw messy-ness and I loved it.
2021 on Goodreads by
4.0
2021 was…..difficult. In many ways, this past year has been one of the more difficult years of my life, and my reading certainly showed it. While I read about the same number of books that I usually do, about 30% of these were re-reads of middle grade and YA fiction.
In 2021, instead of reading to go somewhere else and discover new things, I read and listened to books to stay sane, to focus on something other than my own thoughts, to fall asleep when I couldn’t turn my brain off.
In the process, I reread almost all of [a:Tamora Pierce|8596|Tamora Pierce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209044273p2/8596.jpg], most of the early [b:Redwall|7996|Redwall (Redwall, #1)|Brian Jacques|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327877368l/7996._SY75_.jpg|486980] series, a bunch of [b:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|236093|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)|L. Frank Baum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398003737l/236093._SY75_.jpg|1993810] books, and also reread the entire [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566425108l/33._SX50_.jpg|3462456] series.
I spent a few months not really tracking my reading, so I honestly don't know if I got everything into Goodreads, but from what is on Goodreads, I have included a few fun highlights, authors and fun:
1.) I discovered a new sub genre of a sub genre this year: “murder mysteries involving wolverine biologists”. This niche of a niche and I had so much fun with these and read all 4 (yes, there are 4!). They are:
- [b:Trapped|13538682|Trapped|April Christofferson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344316761l/13538682._SY75_.jpg|19101031] by [a:April Christofferson|842431|April Christofferson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Trappers and gun nuts in East Glacier, but I don't remember much about the plot. This book was a sequel to [b:Alpha Female|6520487|Alpha Female|April Christofferson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312059414l/6520487._SY75_.jpg|6712365], which is set in Yellowstone and better, but still ridiculous. I would recommend not reading this until you have read the first book!
- [b:No Place for Wolverines|36652592|No Place for Wolverines (A Jenny Willson Mystery #2)|Dave Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521046243l/36652592._SY75_.jpg|58426025] by [a:Dave Butler|16825811|Dave Butler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494167026p2/16825811.jpg]: A ski hill being built in Canada runs into issues with environmental assessments and a wolverine biologist is murdered. Also a sequel. Fine, although I wasn’t motivated to read any more in the series.
- [b:A Solitude of Wolverines|56197443|A Solitude of Wolverines|Alice Henderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627323766l/56197443._SY75_.jpg|73236182] by [a:Alice Henderson|169469|Alice Henderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513297209p2/169469.jpg]: A wolverine researcher staying in a Paradise Lodge/The Shining style hotel alone runs into some mysterious creatures on her camera traps. This is crazy, and there are ex boyfriends, high speed mountain chases and maybe even a gorilla!? Is it good? I’m not sure. Was it fun? Hell yes!
- [b:Mortal Fall|25987140|Mortal Fall (Glacier Mystery #2)|Christine Carbo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444927142l/25987140._SY75_.jpg|45899824] by [a:Christine Carbo|8433357|Christine Carbo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1421866931p2/8433357.jpg]: Glacier again, and this time a wolverine researcher falls to his death while checking his traps. Probably the best written and quality book of the four. This is a sequel to [b:The Wild Inside|22883411|The Wild Inside (Glacier Mystery #1)|Christine Carbo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407428817l/22883411._SY75_.jpg|42452474], but it stands alone just fine and I liked it better anyway.
2.) [a:Suzanne Simard|16171272|Suzanne Simard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1607070160p2/16171272.jpg] wrote a book called [b:Finding the Mother Tree|55643843|Finding the Mother Tree Discovering How the Forest Is Wired for Intelligence and Healing|Suzanne Simard|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|85755601]! It is the best, but you should read my review of it if you want to know more. The popularity of this review was the highlight of my Goodreads this year.
3.) [a:T.J. Klune|5073330|T.J. Klune|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1546275989p2/5073330.jpg] was a surprise discovery for me this year, and both [b:The House in the Cerulean Sea|45047384|The House in the Cerulean Sea|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569514209l/45047384._SY75_.jpg|62945242] and [b:Under the Whispering Door|53205888|Under the Whispering Door|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597281498l/53205888._SY75_.jpg|67745728] gave me all the feels. His stories manage to be cozy, hopeful and full of flawed and lovable characters without ever being saccharine or trite.
4.) I read all the [b:Miss Marple|16331|Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388386575l/16331._SX50_.jpg|2589654] books this year too, and was pretty amazed by how well [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589991473p2/123715.jpg] could both make and break the cozy mystery format! They never felt repetitive and I was always entertained.
5.) [a:Becky Chambers|8389735|Becky Chambers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562580587p2/8389735.jpg] deserves a shout-out here too! I discovered her books late in 2019 and ended up rereading them all this year because I loved them so much the first time. In a world that is increasingly at odds and so often hopeless, her version of humanity is so hopeful and compassionate, and I needed that.
Here’s to a 2022 where I can read for pleasure instead of sanity!!!
In 2021, instead of reading to go somewhere else and discover new things, I read and listened to books to stay sane, to focus on something other than my own thoughts, to fall asleep when I couldn’t turn my brain off.
In the process, I reread almost all of [a:Tamora Pierce|8596|Tamora Pierce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1209044273p2/8596.jpg], most of the early [b:Redwall|7996|Redwall (Redwall, #1)|Brian Jacques|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327877368l/7996._SY75_.jpg|486980] series, a bunch of [b:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|236093|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)|L. Frank Baum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398003737l/236093._SY75_.jpg|1993810] books, and also reread the entire [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566425108l/33._SX50_.jpg|3462456] series.
I spent a few months not really tracking my reading, so I honestly don't know if I got everything into Goodreads, but from what is on Goodreads, I have included a few fun highlights, authors and fun:
1.) I discovered a new sub genre of a sub genre this year: “murder mysteries involving wolverine biologists”. This niche of a niche and I had so much fun with these and read all 4 (yes, there are 4!). They are:
- [b:Trapped|13538682|Trapped|April Christofferson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344316761l/13538682._SY75_.jpg|19101031] by [a:April Christofferson|842431|April Christofferson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]: Trappers and gun nuts in East Glacier, but I don't remember much about the plot. This book was a sequel to [b:Alpha Female|6520487|Alpha Female|April Christofferson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312059414l/6520487._SY75_.jpg|6712365], which is set in Yellowstone and better, but still ridiculous. I would recommend not reading this until you have read the first book!
- [b:No Place for Wolverines|36652592|No Place for Wolverines (A Jenny Willson Mystery #2)|Dave Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521046243l/36652592._SY75_.jpg|58426025] by [a:Dave Butler|16825811|Dave Butler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494167026p2/16825811.jpg]: A ski hill being built in Canada runs into issues with environmental assessments and a wolverine biologist is murdered. Also a sequel. Fine, although I wasn’t motivated to read any more in the series.
- [b:A Solitude of Wolverines|56197443|A Solitude of Wolverines|Alice Henderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627323766l/56197443._SY75_.jpg|73236182] by [a:Alice Henderson|169469|Alice Henderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513297209p2/169469.jpg]: A wolverine researcher staying in a Paradise Lodge/The Shining style hotel alone runs into some mysterious creatures on her camera traps. This is crazy, and there are ex boyfriends, high speed mountain chases and maybe even a gorilla!? Is it good? I’m not sure. Was it fun? Hell yes!
- [b:Mortal Fall|25987140|Mortal Fall (Glacier Mystery #2)|Christine Carbo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444927142l/25987140._SY75_.jpg|45899824] by [a:Christine Carbo|8433357|Christine Carbo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1421866931p2/8433357.jpg]: Glacier again, and this time a wolverine researcher falls to his death while checking his traps. Probably the best written and quality book of the four. This is a sequel to [b:The Wild Inside|22883411|The Wild Inside (Glacier Mystery #1)|Christine Carbo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407428817l/22883411._SY75_.jpg|42452474], but it stands alone just fine and I liked it better anyway.
2.) [a:Suzanne Simard|16171272|Suzanne Simard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1607070160p2/16171272.jpg] wrote a book called [b:Finding the Mother Tree|55643843|Finding the Mother Tree Discovering How the Forest Is Wired for Intelligence and Healing|Suzanne Simard|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|85755601]! It is the best, but you should read my review of it if you want to know more. The popularity of this review was the highlight of my Goodreads this year.
3.) [a:T.J. Klune|5073330|T.J. Klune|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1546275989p2/5073330.jpg] was a surprise discovery for me this year, and both [b:The House in the Cerulean Sea|45047384|The House in the Cerulean Sea|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569514209l/45047384._SY75_.jpg|62945242] and [b:Under the Whispering Door|53205888|Under the Whispering Door|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597281498l/53205888._SY75_.jpg|67745728] gave me all the feels. His stories manage to be cozy, hopeful and full of flawed and lovable characters without ever being saccharine or trite.
4.) I read all the [b:Miss Marple|16331|Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388386575l/16331._SX50_.jpg|2589654] books this year too, and was pretty amazed by how well [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589991473p2/123715.jpg] could both make and break the cozy mystery format! They never felt repetitive and I was always entertained.
5.) [a:Becky Chambers|8389735|Becky Chambers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562580587p2/8389735.jpg] deserves a shout-out here too! I discovered her books late in 2019 and ended up rereading them all this year because I loved them so much the first time. In a world that is increasingly at odds and so often hopeless, her version of humanity is so hopeful and compassionate, and I needed that.
Here’s to a 2022 where I can read for pleasure instead of sanity!!!
The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill
4.0
I feel like I wanted more from this sweet story, and it makes me want to see if the follow up books explore more of the world I am interested in.
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
2.0
I read this book in a day and it was fun and I actually thought the main character was interesting. But I like thrillers with a little bit of mystery to them and this has none of that.
Also, if you care about a plot that makes any kind of sense, this book is not for you. There are plot holes and questions all over the place, so instead of feeling like I enjoyed a fun and easy read, I left with so many questions and irritations.
This is the second book I have read recently that felt like it needed 50 more pages (although there were holes that no amount of pages could have filled in this one). Is it possible that paper/supply issues are leaving publishers to have stricter page counts?
Also, if you care about a plot that makes any kind of sense, this book is not for you. There are plot holes and questions all over the place, so instead of feeling like I enjoyed a fun and easy read, I left with so many questions and irritations.
This is the second book I have read recently that felt like it needed 50 more pages (although there were holes that no amount of pages could have filled in this one). Is it possible that paper/supply issues are leaving publishers to have stricter page counts?
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
3.0
I’m having a hard time rating this book because while it is well written and I can see what makes it good, it just fell flat for me.
The good: The writing is good and the atmosphere is beautifully developed. The transition from normal to creepy and weird was fun. It was a quick read and started interesting throughout the book.
The bad: I never fully connected to the characters - they felt cardboard and I hated the internal monologues. Some of that was explained by the twist, but it still made for a lackluster reading experience. Also, I never could get a handle on where the story was going enough to really find it believable.
I would have liked this better had it been a fully dual timeline cutting between the “Maggie and Travis come to Pastoral” story and the one in the book, but as it was, I found it a beautifully written and readable book that didn’t leave a strong impression.
The good: The writing is good and the atmosphere is beautifully developed. The transition from normal to creepy and weird was fun. It was a quick read and started interesting throughout the book.
The bad: I never fully connected to the characters - they felt cardboard and I hated the internal monologues. Some of that was explained by the twist, but it still made for a lackluster reading experience. Also, I never could get a handle on where the story was going enough to really find it believable.
I would have liked this better had it been a fully dual timeline cutting between the “Maggie and Travis come to Pastoral” story and the one in the book, but as it was, I found it a beautifully written and readable book that didn’t leave a strong impression.