Fall Reading List 2016

Comics/ Graphic Novels

Jonesy #2-7 ; Bee and Puppycat #1-7 by Natasha Allergri This fall I continued to read comic books with a girl power slant. Bee and Puppycat follows Bee- an unemployed girl who adopts a magical creature called Puppycat and together they complete tasks for a magical temp agency. It's very fun to read, and one issue is interactive- containing hyperlinks so you can listen along with the quest. You can see my write up for Jonesy in my previous post.

Fiction

The Girls by Emma Cline If you're familiar with Charles Manson, you'll recognize elements in this book. Nevertheless, this book is gripping and haunting.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Noll This book reads like a less-well-written version of Gone Girl. This author is an editor from Cosmo and SELF magazines and it shows. All of the characters were over-privileged and very unlikable. NEXT!

The Crystal Cup by Bram Stoker I was already familiar with Bram Stoker's Dracula, so I chose to read this short story for Halloween. Stoker's ghost story is heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe in a good way.

The Assasination of Margaret Thatcher by Hillary Mantel If you approach this book expecting it to be like Mantel's historical fiction series, Wolf Hall, you might be disappointed. This is a collection of short stories with more similarities to the television series, Black Mirror, than her historical fiction. This was a fine read during the Halloween season!

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Apparently I was really into ghost stories this fall, because this is another mystery/ suspense/ gothic horror/ ghost story. I loved this book and hope to check out more books by the author.

Non-Fiction

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristoff This book was chosen by the Our Shared Shelf Book Club. I have found that when I'm feeling stressed in my day-to-day, that I have a hard time watching shows, movies and reading books with difficult subject matters which played a factor here. Do you know those ASPCA PSA advertisements- the ones where Sarah McLachlan's Arms of the Angel song plays in the background (see here)? It kind of reminded me of that. At first I tried to read a paper copy of the book, but after reading a few chapters I could go no further so I put it down. About a month later, I tried again, pacing myself with audiobook version and got to the end. In conclusion, I'm glad I read it- I feel like I'm more aware of the struggles for women worldwide and I learned about a few new non-profits that I can support to do my part to support women worldwide.

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in my Head, Reduced Stress Without Loosing My Edge, and Found Self-Help that Actually Works-A True Story by Dan Harris This wasn't your typical self-help book. I liked the author's relaxed, non-preachy style which focused mainly on the author's own experiences with a sense of humor too. Thumbs up!