A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

This is the third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Published: 2017

Genre: YA fantasy

Length: 703 pages

Setting: various locations around Prythian soon after the events of A Court of Mist and Fury

Summary: Short version: The Night Court rallies forces against King Hybern

The 99% Invisible City by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt

This book was written by the host of one of my favorite podcasts, 99% Invisible. My husband bought it for me for Christmas and I’ve been slowly making my way through the book since then.

Subtitle: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design

Published: 2020

Genre: nonfiction urban planning

Length: 355 pages of text, 384 pages with bibliography and index

Summary: Short version: The hidden bits of design incorporated into the spaces of a city

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

I decided to read this to the kids as a change of pace. It’s the start to a classic fantasy series I read as a teen. I’m wondering how well it’s held up.

Published: 1968

Genre: fantasy

Length: 309 pages

Setting: mostly Ruatha Hold and Benden Weyr on Pern, after a 400-Turn Interval, medieval tech

Summary: Short version: Lessa becomes Weyrwoman and bring back dragons to fight Thread

On Dreams by Sigmund Freud

This is one of Miss Adventure’s Great Books of the Modern Age for her freshman year of high school. She had originally chosen The Interpretation of Dreams, but that is a whopping 600+ pages of interpretation. So, when I found out Freud had published a condensed version of that book, we decided the shorter version would be a better choice. As usual, I read alongside Miss Adventure so we could discuss the book.

Published: originally in 1901; my edition in 1952

Genre: nonfiction psychology essay

Length: 76 pages of text, 107 pages with an introduction to Freud and index

Summary: Short version: Dreams are never what they appear

Redwall by Brian Jacques

I wanted a middle grade book for March’s monthly challenge. I chose this one off the Time top 100 Fantasy book list. It’s a classic that I’ve never read, even though I was a kid when it was first published.

Published: 1986

Genre: middle grade talking animal fantasy

Length: 351 pages

Setting: around Redwall Abbey in a medieval tech world

Summary: Short version: The inhabitants of Redwall Abbey must defend themselves from Cluny’s horde

Flooded by Ann E. Burg

I saw this book in the new book section of the library. I picked it up because of the (relatively) local setting. It was a book in verse, so I knew I’d be able to read it quickly.

Subtitle: Requiem for Johnstown

Published: 2020

Genre: YA historical fiction

Length: 321 pages

Font: Adobe Garamond Pro

Setting: Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1889

Summary: Short version: The dam above Johnstown fails, flooding the town

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

This is the second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Published: 2016

Genre: YA fantasy

Length: 626 pages

Setting: mostly the Night Court lands, right after the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses

Summary: Short version: Feyre allies with Rhysand to fight the King of Hybern

99% Invisible hosted by Roman Mars

Until I find myself another short story collection to review, I’m going back to reviewing some of the podcasts I listen to. 99% Invisible is book adjacent since they published a book last year (that I’ll be reviewing soon).

Brought to you by: Roman Mars; they are an independent podcast, but a member of the Radiotopia network of podcasts

Posting schedule: The podcast drops every Tuesday. If you want more 99pi in your life, you can also subscribe to their RSS feed and read their sporadic articles

Episode length: usually 30-45 minutes

Premise: At it’s heart, 99% Invisible is a design podcast. However, Mars focuses on the 99% of the design we tend not to notice. Generally, there will be an arc to whatever piece of design the episode is discussing in the first half of the show. (Recent episodes include such topics as the movie megaplex, license plates, and a bridge design that accidentally encouraged bat roosting.) After the big mid-episode commercial break, Roman Mars will come back with the editor that developed the episode for their favorite bit of information that didn’t fit the story.

My interest: This podcast is one of my favorites. It is full of moments that make me go “huh”, and then ask whoever is close by, “Did you know…” followed by whatever tidbit of information I just learned. I do have a penchant to learn how things work, and this is essentially how the design of everyday elements in our built environment works. Plus, Roman Mars has the best radio voice ever.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I heard Anne Bogel talk about Beartown on her podcast and blog. It’s about small town hockey, set in Sweden. Since I play hockey, I was interested in reading a book about it. Bonus, it’s set outside the U.S.

Published: 2016

Genre: fiction

Length: 432 pages, or 13 hours and 16 minutes on audio

Narrator: Marin Ireland

Setting: Beartown, a small town in northern Sweden, present day

Summary: Short version: The local hockey star rapes a girl, changing everyone’s lives.

Rise of the Halfling King by David Bowles

I saw this at the library and thought it looked interesting. I’m a sucker for a random graphic novel. Since I can generally read them in one sitting, I am willing to take a chance on whatever the library gets. Plus, I check them out in the hopes the library gets more.

Illustrator: Charlene Bowles

Published: 2020

Genre: mythological middle grade graphic novel

Length: 63 pages

Setting: around Uxmal, Mexico, when the Mayan civilization was still dominant on the Yucatan Peninsula

Summary: Short version: Sayam challenges the king of Uxmal to his throne