Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Book 52 is the 4th book of the Agatha Raisin series - Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton.

This is my favourite in-the-middle series at the moment. It satisfies my Agatha Christie cravings in a very modern way.

The last book was lacking and that made me worry about persisting in this saga but this reaffirmed my enjoyment of this genre and author.

I can't tell you anything or I will spoil it. Read it but do read all the bits before.

4 fields of canola out of 5.

Should I read this? Yeah, it's fun.
What did I learn? Some people have far too much spare time.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Book 51 is Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.

Being set in Seattle, this book has been on my list and towards the top since I first heard of it. That was years ago now but I finally made it. It was such a good read that I regret not reading it sooner. The truth is, it may mean more now that I live in Seattle. All the references felt overdone but still so like home.

I understand the plight of Bernadette. I was once her. I would never want to be her again. At least not the pre-where-are-you-? time.

This book meant so much to me on so many different levels. I'm not sure it would to everyone but it did to me.

The writing is good. The reasons are good. The mystery is good. The daughter is amazing. The Microsoft bashing combined with the intersection rants are legendary.

5 way intersections out of 5.

Should I read this? If you have ever wanted to run away from you life then yes.
What did I learn? Some birds are not meant to be caged. Conformity is pain.

What Happened

Book 44 of 2017 is What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

It is rare that I read a book right after it is released but having stood in the middle of the storm that was the 2016 US elections as an outsider watching it unfold, I wanted to look behind the curtain.

There are two sides if not twenty to what happened in November 2016 but this was the one I wanted to understand. How did someone so qualified for the job lose to someone who wasn't? It made no sense to me.

On reading this, I have had some major realisations.

I respect Hillary Rodham Clinton for the strong woman she is and the inroads she has made for women all around the world.

Her politics are still too conservative for me but I put that down to her generation and age. She was born in a different time and a more conservative world than most people in America today. I have no doubt that was one reason people could not connect with her.

And lastly, women are losing well before they even start. To be the first at anything or the only woman in the race is harder than anyone can imagine. You are not judged equally because there are no women to compare you to. So instead, you are judged as not being a man. She articulates this much better than me.

The reason I recommend people read this book is because she gives hope where others use fear. She tries to stand back and work out what she owns in this journey but does not take all the blame. She gets angry and punches out and although it's not ladylike, it's awesome to see. Why must women bow out quietly when they weren't treated fairly in the situation.

You should read it.

4 insights out of 5.

Should I read this? If you lived through the election that Trump won and see it as the election that Hillary lost then yes, yes you should read this.
What did I learn? So much American political history from both sides of the fight.

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

Book 38 of 2017 is Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

This book was chosen because I friend mentioned it and we agreed to read it together. It was on my To Read list but not high in priority.

I wanted to like this book so much but I couldn't. It just felt like too hippy and motherly for me. The style was interesting with myths and the link to the authors ideas but it didn't use any data and I need data. It did make me feel ok for being a wild woman but that was about it.

This is not a book I would recommend.

2 wolf analogies out of 5.

Should I read this? Maybe if you are spiritual.
What did I learn? I am not spiritual.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Book 31 of 2017 is Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik.

My American friends have spoken about her so many times that I had to read something about this kick-ass female Supreme Court justice.

This was not what I expected. It wasn't a biased biography saying everything about her is perfect but instead a lot of facts, quotes and citations about a very smart woman.

It is great to have another strong, brilliant role model.

4 dissents out of 5.

Should I read this? Yes. Yes. Yes. She's a strong woman who lived a challenging life as she paved the way for women.
What did I learn? Times, they are a changin'.

The Handmaid's Tale

Book 26 of 2016 is The Handmaid's Tale by Margret. Atwood

There is not a more apt book that I woman could read while living in the centre of the maelstrom that is the United States of America with Trump as President Elect. There is a level of uncertainty described by Offred in the start of the book as society breaks down that feels a like what people are talking about here and now. Finishing this book in the week Trump was elected surrounded by gasps of shock and a realisation that we missed seeing this coming is perfectly terrifying.

This great piece on the relevance of this book in this time is worth the read and consequent analysis.

Atwood is one of the best writers I have read ever. She managed to tell the entire story without explaining the intricacies. You can work out what is going on and how everyone feels without it being listed out for you. Simply brilliant.

Five red dresses out of five.

Should I read this? Yes. Especially now that Trump is in power.
What did I learn? Great writing on society is always relevant.

The 5th Wave

Book 18 of 2016 is The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

This book has been on list of books to read since 2014. It was actually in my top ten reads and kept getting pushed down the list by other books because I always knew I'd read it one day. It only took two years to get there.

This is another Young Adult book, which is I genre I enjoy for the adventure and very easy reading.

This is another post apocalyptic tale with a strong female lead with a mission that will not be taken from her.

This is another sit down and read in two days book.

The main character Cassie is believable and likeable. There are moments when she says something very teenage girl and then snaps herself out of it. This gave truly gives away the fact that a man wrote her and not a woman. I say this because women can have multiple trains of thought going simultaneously without so deliberately halting a thought as silly and starting a new one. That other way is a very male way of thinking.

Through this book, all the major characters are fighting to save someone more innocent than themselves. It is as if when the world as they new it ended, they fought to hold on to their own innocence. This is repeated and honed as a well played metaphor in this story. Nicely original in many ways. Or at least originally presented.

Four waves out of five.

Should I read this? Yes, if you like sci-fi AND you like young adult fiction.
What did I learn? We protect in others what we lost in ourselves.

The Glass Magician

Book 11 of 2016 is The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. This is the second book in The Paper Magician series which I read last September.

The first book annoyed at how teenager whiney the first book was that I didn't want to finish the series. It was the reviews from Good Reads users who made me want to read the second book.

The second book is much better than the first and I went straight in to the third. This is mainly due to the female lead becoming less teenage infatuated girl and more grown up. Instead of courting her teacher, she goes out on missions to slay great magicians. This makes me happy.

Three broke mirrors and 14 years bad luck out of five.

Should I read this? Probably not. The first book is not easy to get through.
What did I learn? Competent woman are amazing.

Timebound

Book 9 of 2016 is Timebound by Rysa Walker.

This was another Kindle Unlimited book that I chose because it was free. Again, this was a great recommendation that I didn't expect much from. When will I learn that the one thing you can trust on Amazon is a book rating?

Another strong female lead who I want to read more about. In fact, all the important characters are women or respectful supportive males. Obviously written by another female. I didn't know that for sure until I checked while writing this. Female sci-fi fantasy authors are owning the genre in these modern times and thank goodness for that.

These are not only written for women but for everyone and quite well. Well worth the read.

4 disappearing photo IDs out of 5.

Should I read this?  Yes and possibly the whole series. It is so promising.
What did I learn? Recessive genes can really count against you.

Maisie Dobbs

Book 44 of 2015 is Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.

I've missed the BBC for a while now since leaving Australia and reading this was like reconnecting with a BBC crime drama.

This is well written and engaging. Maisie is loveable and tough. You can respect her and relate to her. At least as a woman.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series but it won't be straight away. I will wait a while to read this in a decent and considered way, just like Maisie would.


4 proper considerations out of 5.

Should I read this? Yes, it is worth the time if you like British drama.
What did I learn? I don't have to miss the BBC if I can read British fiction.

Salomé

Book 20 of 2015 is a book based on my favourite opera Salomé by Oscar Wilde.

To say I love everything Wilde has ever done is an understatement. He was an amazing mind and a broken soul and if that relates to anyone, it really does me.

Wilde's interpretation is different and brilliant.

It is a short read and of course, if our French is any good then it is wonderful. If you choose English then is is still fricken awesome.

3.5 heads out of 5.

Should I read this? If you love Wilde or you love this opera then yes.
What did I learn? Chicks be crazy when the guy looses his head first.

Eat Pray Love

Book three of 2015 is Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Some days, I wonder if I'm actually female because apparently this is the book of the decade that women most relate to. Like the protagonist, I have gone through a divorce, discovered who I am and gone on to be happier than I ever was before. Despite this, I for the life of me can not stand this book.

The whole thing feels self-indulgent. The main character Liz romanticises the countries she travels too and doesn't seem to get where the happiness in the lives of people in third world countries with nothing comes from. To me she misses the whole point.

I practice mindfulness and have since late 2009. The self and situational awareness that I would expect this woman to develop is never there or at least the writer doesn't manage to convey it to me.

And what pisses me off the most is that in the end it is a man and love that makes her happy again and not herself. It is intrinsic and I was expecting that to be the big revelation... I guess since it was for me.

Disappointment is not a strong enough word. Otherwise, the story is a story and I read the whole thing in two days so it's not the worst writing in the world.

Two meaningless searches for god out of five.

Should I read this? Maybe. It wasn't for me but I could see others searching for themselves finding this encouraging, if on the most superficial level I can imagine.
What did I learn? I must be missing the gene that makes me all girly and therefore like this.

A Room of One's Own

Book 19 of 2014 is Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.

I've only read a couple of Virginia Woolf books and I love the way she writes. She is a born story teller who paints pictures with words. Now I know that she writes like a "woman-manly." Or was it a "man-womanly"? Either way, it makes her voice unique in a crowd where she is a minority.

This book/essay/speech is one of the most relevant (yes, even now) books that I woman can read.

Of late, life has had me wondering where I belong and what the whole damn point of it is. Belonging is important but it is more than that. The feeling was more about how I belong in a world where I can not see anyone like me. That was my mistake.

There may not be people who look like me everywhere but there are people who think like me, both men and women. This book was like taking a giant sigh after a very long week ends. She said it perfectly.

It is only 112 pages and if you can't do that then at least read the last chapter. She is brilliant. Just that.

I give it 5 revelations without bitterness out of 5.

Should I read this? Women should. Secure men should. Others will not be impressed that someone let her out of the kitchen.
What did I learn? “I need not hate any man; he cannot hurt me. I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me.”