5 Year Anniversary!
I’m a month late, but I’m thankful for 5 years running Reading is my Superpower. I’ve read 900 books in that time!
All posts by Superfast Reader
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, Book 3)
Synopsis: With the power of Ruin unleashed and the power of Preservation nowhere in sight, fearless allomancer Vin and the remains of her thieving crew are the ones who must save the world. Review: While I have been continually disappointed by the cardboard characters and flat dialogue in the Mistborn trilogy, I was thoroughly satisfied by the mindblowing revelations in the final book, The Hero of Ages. The action is incredible, the world-building up to the highest standards, and there’s even some fascinating theological angles.…
Girls on the Edge: The Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls by Leonard Sax
Synopsis: An examination of the challenges facing parents and educators of girls, from endocrine disruptors in our plastics to texting and the internet. Review: Just as he did in Why Gender Matters, Dr. Leonard Sax brings science and biology to bear on the unique challenges facing girls. His is not an approach that patly accepts culturally constructed notions of gender. Rather, in Girls on the Edge, he shows how the biological differences between girls and boys affect their participation in sports and the classroom, as…
Ascent by Amy Kinzer (The Party Series, Book 1)
Synopsis: Three teens are recruited for an elite leadership training program that will allow them to go back in time and change the moments they regret the most. Review: Wow, Ascent is a fantastic deal–only 99 cents for Kindle! You’d think that such a low price would indicate low quality, but that’s hardly the case. Amy Kinzer‘s writing can certainly compete with traditionally published authors of YA dystopian fiction. I hope she’s working on the next book, because I am a big fan!
The Secret Lives of Hoarders: True Stories of Tackling Extreme Clutter by Matt Paxton and Phaedra Hise
Synopsis: A&E’s “Extreme Cleaning Expert” Matt Paxton shares all he’s learned in the years he’s been working with hoarders. Review: I puffy heart Matt Paxton. Not only does he tackle cleaning jobs nobody else can handle, he genuinely cares about the people he works with. I loved The Secret Lives of Hoarders and hope he writes another one! Oh, and check out his podcast, Five Decisions Away. It’s only just started but already I love it.
Girl Over the Edge by Amy Kinzer
Synopsis: When two best friends take topless pictures at themselves at a party, they become social pariahs at school, their friendship fractures, and both of them begin to self-destruct. Review: Girl Over the Edge is a great bargain at only 99 cents for the Kindle. The writing is accomplished, though a tad bit vague in a few places. I was sucked into Beckett and Chloe’s dilemma. I did wonder why it was easier for Beckett than for Chloe, and that was never fully explained to…
The Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
Synopsis: A beautifully written meditation on eating simply and well. Review: Oh, how I loved The Everlasting Meal! I will be referring to this book for countless years to come. Tamar Adler is a protege of Alice Waters an believes in eating locally and seasonally, a philosophy I very much agree with. She’s also a proponent of using everything, eating meat that has lived well, and that anything, no matter how humble, can make a delicious and nourishing meal. Her chapters touch on simple things…
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Synopsis: A semiotics-enthralled English major falls for a manic depressive scientific researcher, while being loved unrequitedly by a religious studies major for whom Mother Teresa is his last hope in a fruitless quest to find faith. Review: The best thing about The Marriage Plot is that it’s a fantastic story with characters that I connected with on a very deep level. Jeffrey Eugenides’s other two novels were good but didn’t fire up my emotions the way that this one did. Now that I’ve gotten that…
World Without End by Ken Follett
Synopsis: The intertwined lives of the inhabitants of the Kingsbridge priory and town, through the stories of four children who become keepers of a terrible secret. Review: I almost gave up on World Without End about halfway through. Ken Follett’s plotting is so mathematical that I felt like I could predict how all the story lines would resolve themselves. I am glad that a friend encouraged me to stick with it, because even though everything did tie itself up pretty neatly, I did find a…
The Adults by Alison Espach
Synopsis: After witnessing an awful tragedy, a young woman becomes obsessed with a teacher at her school and never quite gets her life where she thinks it needs to be. Review: Listen, you don’t pick up a book like The Adults because of the plot synopsis. You pick it up because you’re hoping that the author has figured out a new way to say old things. And in the case of Alison Espach, you would be absolutely correct. The title is a deliberately misleading one.…