Book #52 of 2018: Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff There are reasonable criticisms to be made about Michael Wolff’s inside account of the first six months of Donald Trump’s presidency, and I’m hesitant to trust any particular anecdote within. In general terms, however, the book paints a credible picture …
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Book #51 of 2018: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow This definitive biography of America’s controversial Founding Father is meticulously-researched, exhaustively-detailed, and above all engaging to read. It really brings the past to life, especially in relating the political struggles that took place after the Revolution as Alexander Hamilton and other patriots pursued different visions of …
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Book #50 of 2018: Page by Tamora Pierce (Protector of the Small #2) I like this book better than the first one, and it definitely has a more engaging climax, but I’m still finding this particular Tortall quartet to be a rather aimless bildungsroman. As likeable as the heroine is, there’s simply not much plot …
Book #49 of 2018: Out of Orange by Cleary Wolters The Netflix prison dramedy Orange Is the New Black began as an adaptation of a true-life memoir, with the character Alex Vause based on a figure from author Piper Kerman’s past. Out of Orange is that woman’s own account of her time as a smuggler-turned-prisoner, …
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Book #48 of 2018: Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #3) I’ve liked the first two books in this children’s fantasy series, but this third one is a misfire for me. Its issues might not trouble a younger reader, but the humor is way more slapstick than before, and the new …
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Movie #3 of 2018: Ocean’s Eleven (2001) We had some bad family news yesterday, and when I got home I needed a comfort watch. Enter this movie, which is near and dear to my heart despite its flaws (like Don Cheadle’s atrocious attempt at a cockney accent or Julia Roberts being literally the only woman …
Book #47 of 2018: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb (Liveship Traders #1) As always, I have mixed feelings about this book and its sequels. On the one hand, you couldn’t ask for better atmosphere in a fantasy yarn of pirates, sea serpents, and talking figureheads, and the rich worldbuilding wonderfully fleshes out an area …
Book #46 of 2018: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng This is a stunningly beautiful story that blossoms from a small family drama into a whirlwind of class and racial politics in a wealthy Cleveland suburb. The narrative darts here and there, fleshing out different characters’ perspectives and backstories so that even the most odious …
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Book #45 of 2018: How to Stop Time by Matt Haig There’s a lot of potential to this novel about a man aging at 1/15 the usual rate, but it’s sunk by certain elements that feel barely sketched in. Most glaring is the secret society of people with the narrator’s condition, of whom we only …
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Book #44 of 2018: Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray This prequel novel depicts sixteen-year-old Princess Leia coming of age alongside the fledgling rebellion against the corrupt empire that rules her world. Like author Claudia Gray’s earlier novel Lost Stars, it’s a great character-driven drama that asks some smart questions about reform …
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