Book Report

 Wow, okay it has been a long time since I’ve posted a book report. It’s the usual situation: when I’m very into fanfic, I’m not reading too many actual books. I have written over 85,000 words in the past couple months. But I haven't read much.

 

Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear – This was a very nice book about how to get into good habits and break bad ones. I read something similar not too long ago, but this was a good reminder. Grade: 7

 

The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree by Nice Leng’ete – A memoir. Leng’ete is of the Maasai people in Kenya. She does not have it easy, as both of her parents die of AIDS and her uncle takes the money that had been set aside for her schooling. And she is determined to avoid undergoing the cut – she and her sister even hid in a fig tree before they make their escape. Leng’ete has to fight with everything she can to stay in school, to scrape together odd jobs to pay for it, and to convince her grandfather to let her avoid the cut and marriage. It was a very inspiring read. One sobering note she reminds us of: the number of women alive today estimated to have gotten the cut is more than all the women in the US, and more than all the women in Western Europe. Grade: 8

 

Skyhunter by Marie Lu – “In a world broken by war, a team of young warriors is willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love.” God, I wish I could get into books like this. It had it all. (Well, it had some strong points). A female lead who is a fighter in every sense of the word. A great set-up – an evil empire which is taking over the realm, with this team of warriors fighting back. The lead is even an outsider since she is a refugee from one of the lands that the empire took over. There’s even a gay male couple in a small supporting role! But what was lacking was a compelling plot. I just couldn’t stay engaged, or get engaged. I wanted to. I’m sorry. Maybe make this into a TV show? Grade: 3

 

Imaginable by Jane McGonigal – Wow, this was GOOD! I wish I even had the right words for it. Basically the author is a futurist and she wrote the helpful and brilliant “SuperBetter”. This book talks about imagining the future, and how spending some time thinking of scenarios and the ways you might deal with them can actually help you. She takes you through lots of exercises and scenarios. She even writes about how a game she created 20 years ago included having participants imagine life during a pandemic, and that people who played it years ago coped with COVID better when it hit. I won’t be lazy and paste from another review, so I’ll just say – it’s excellent. Grade: 8

 

Breaking the Age Code by Becca Levy -  My head exploded a bit. Well at least it expanded. The book is all about age and ageism, backed up by research. Bottom line – your attitudes about ageing can impact how well you age. They can have a measurable impact on the quality and length of your life. Cultures where old people are respected find that older people live longer and better. Grade: 8