Reading Wrap Up: July to September 2017

What a reading quarter! My July to September selection wasn't as varied as I'd like it to be but it was a good selection. I have set a reading goal of 75 books this year, and by the looks of it, the goal is manageable. Removing most graphic novels aside, that is usually the amount of books I get to read per year, so I am on track with that goal.  I have read 27 books this quarter, and it was a mixed bag. There are a couple of good ones, but nothing that I am obsessing over. With that, here are 4 of the selections that I've read.

We Should All Be Feminists, and Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (essays)

I've decided to combine these two essays under one entry because both talk about feminism and changing the perception of what it is to be a woman, and that there needs to be a shift on how society views women. The depth of feminism varies from place to place, but her essays show that all women suffer the prejudices associated with their gender. Both are good pieces and are well-written. It is because of the writing that I have picked up her fictional work. 

One by Sarah Crossan (contemporary, young adult)

This book isn't written in the usual paragraph-type narrative. Rather, the whole book is written in verse, which makes it a quick read. This is about conjoined twins who enter high school for the first time. Not only will they learn how to navigate in an environment who isn't used to people like them, but they also have to make a difficult decision when a situation arises and affects their lives. Reading the synopsis alone would already lay the foundation of the story, so nothing unpredictable there. However, it was beautifully written, and still heartbreaking. 

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (fantasy, young adult)

In no way this is a perfect book. Its ideas need fleshing out, it lacks any character and intense plot development. There are so many things about this book that the author has stuffed in a small amount of page numbers. This is one of those books that needed to be longer, and whose characters deserve a series that is set in that situation. The book is about a home for children/teenagers who have gone into one of those "fairy tale" lands (the book has explanations on how the worlds are classified, and even that needed more explanation) and have come back to the real world. This home is to teach these children how to move on from their adventure, and to settle back into the real world. It focuses on Nancy, the new member of the house, and introduces characters from different worlds. This also has a crime mystery factor in the center of it. Everything happens here so fast that there's barely any time to know the characters or immerse one's self into the setting. The author is releasing prequels narrating the different worlds that some of the characters have lived in, but I wanted more from the first book, in that setting. The book ended in a way that it is impossible to have a sequel.