Date Read: April 20
Author: Dante Alighieri
Genre: Classics
Another book for English class. Dante’s Divine Comedy continues, as Dante moves from Inferno to purgatory. While Inferno may be more widely known than Purgatorio, I still enjoyed reading Dante’s depiction of purgatory.
Date Read: April 20
Author: Nick Bantock
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Griffin and Sabine is a very short book, at only 46 pages long, but the story is intriguing, and it is told entirely through beautifully illustrated postcards and letters. The letters are impressive because each of them is separate from the book, able to be removed from their envelopes and read as a letter is supposed to be read. The book is worth reading just for the illustrations, but the story is mysterious and captivating as well.
Date Read: April 18
Author: Frederich Buechner
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Two families are brought together when the angel Raphael comes to help them. Lots of adventure, problems, and angelic intervention.
Date Read: April 18
Author: Peter Ackroyd
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
In the future, orator Plato has been chosen to speak about the past. His topics include the comedian Sigmeund Freud, as well as Charles Dickens, the author of On the Origin of Species. A funny and strange book.
I would rather despise the whole world than be out of harmony with myself. If others condemn me, then I will stand alone.
– The Plato Papers
Date Read: April 18
Author: Tochi Onyebuchi
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Ella and her younger brother, Kev, grow up surrounded by structural racism and violence. By the time Kev is eighteen he’s in prison, and Ella struggles to control and use her extraordinary powers. Riot Baby is extremely well-written, and definitely worth reading.
Date Read: April 17
Author: Jenn Reese
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
When eleven-year-old Sam and her sister Caitlin are sent to live with the aunt they’ve never met, all Sam wants to do is go home. Then she discovers “A Game of Fox and Squirrels,” a magical card game that becomes real when the fox comes to visit her. A Game of Fox and Squirrels is a book that is written masterfully, blending magic and reality.
Wishes were persnickety. They didn’t always do what you thought you wanted. Sometimes they looked into your soul and gave you what you really wanted instead.
– A Game of Fox and Squirrels
Date Read: April 17
Author: Matthew Cody
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Twelve-year-old Daniel is in a new town and at a new school, and he’s discovered that his new friends aren’t entirely normal. They’re superheroes, able to do everything from flying to controlling electricity. There’s just one downside: their powers, and memories of the powers, disappear when they turn thirteen. Powerless is a fun middle-grade novel, with fun characters and a fast-paced plot.
I don’t remember much from my childhood, but I do remember staring out that window and dreaming. I bet I had wonderful dreams.
– Powerless
Date Read: April 16
Author: Jo Walton
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
A world of dragons, with some changes from human society, but largely based off of and reflecting human society. Even the conflict between the “old” religion and the “accepted” religion is unclear, and largely based off of the practice of confession and absolution. Overall, the worldbuilding felt weak, and while the characters were well-written it was difficult to pay attention to anything other than the unrealistic society.
Wits I may have, but claws I am without, and while hands are useful for writing and fine work they are no use in a battle.
– Tooth and Claw
Date Read: April 15
Author: Dante Alighieri
Genre: Classics
In the English class I am taking, we are reading the entirety of the Divine Comedy. I hadn’t ever read Inferno before, and the poetry was more beautiful than I expected. Overall, the Inferno was better than I expected it to be, and I am looking forward to Purgatorio and Paradiso.
There is no greater sorrow than to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.
– Inferno
Date Read: April 14
Author: Ash Parsons
Genre: Horror
Rating: 5/5
When June gets dropped off at ZombieCon, she’s planning on a day of photo ops and panels of her favorite actors. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of an actual zombie apocalypse. This book actually came out today, and it was so good that I sat down and read it all at once. The characters are fun and likeable, and the zombies are, well, zombies. A must-read for anyone who enjoys zombies.
Zoey's Year in Books 2020