I’ve been away on a sort of blogging vacation, toning down some online work to re-center some gravity (which I do every August). But I’ve been reading a boatload of books, and instead of a review for every book, I figured I would just create six word reviews (making it challenging for me but perhaps easier on you).
Read Aloud Books with my Son
Literally, magical adventure on every page.
Creepy tale. No one is safe.
Friendship and perseverance conquers bad magic.
Playing with language makes fun story.
My Own Reading
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Modern Pop
Fast-moving, engaging history of cultural soundtracks.
Deeply reflective, but light on humor.
Book I Abandoned
Too much of nothing going on.
I realize none of these reviews do fair justice to the books. I would highly recommend The Night Gardener for its writing and depth (and expect it to see in some book award lists), and The Emerald Atlas for its action and adventure (we are now reading the second book in the series). Yeah Yeah Yeah! is a phenomenal look at pop music over time but the book is huge and reads at a quick pace, and I need to revisit it in the future to keep absorbing pop culture in waves. The Magician did nothing for me, even though I enjoy the writer in other venues and I know the series is getting high marks (so it must be me). I wanted to like it but could not.
Peace (in the pages),
Kevin