August 2020 – The Geeky Jock

Progress Notes

So, not a great month for reading.

A great month in other ways. My major accomplishment: I finished writing my dissertation yesterday, and have submitted it to my committee for initial review. It’s about the same length as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban … but with more statistical tables and fewer wizards. If anyone out there is looking for an enthralling read, might I suggest The Bear and the Nightingale or Sorcery of Thorns or Strange the Dreamer instead?

In other news, I’ve moved back to the city and have settled into my new apartment. It’s a bright and lovely historical building, with lots of built-in bookcases. My postdoc has officially ended, though I’ll be staying on for part-time/volunteer work throughout the fall.

And, residency starts tomorrow morning, 9:00AM.

Grade 27, here I come.

My book of the month: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I swear: this snarky, secretly-a-softie, TV-loving robot is the AI version of my sister. And the story? Fast-paced and fun, and filled with edge-of-you-seat whodunnit feels. Would definitely recommend.

What else did I read this month?

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – ★★★★★
Red Rising by Pierce Brown – ★★★★★
Sleeping Giants by Slyvian Neuvel – ★★★☆☆
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig – ★★★★☆

What’s happening next month?

September is going to be split between settling into residency and making changes to my dissertation — so, once again, it’s going to be busy. BUT, I have a three-week reprieve as my committee edits, and a 2-hour daily commute. I’m so, so excited to be able to read again. (And to chat with all you lovely folks!)

Books on my September-let’s-see-where-my-mood-takes-me-TBR include:

Books

Review | Red Rising by Pierce Brown

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 Em @ The Geeky Jock

Red Rising fan art: Darrow | Red rising, Throne of glass, Red

Apparently, this is my summer of sci-fi reads …

Aurora Rising
Illuminae
Sleeping Giants
The Lost Gate
… and now back to Red Rising.

Not bad for a girl who’s new to the genre.

It’s good to try new things.

I listened to the Red Rising audiobook back in April, and absolutely fell in love with Darrow and Mars … It’s a brutal story, but one that carries a lot of weight. Actions have repercussions; plans don’t work out; characters grow and fall; scars are earned. It’s all very human.

This time around, I read the physical book — which was an entirely different experience, and one I’m glad for. While my thoughts about the book haven’t changed all that much, the written text brought a new level of meaning to the story. Things like spelling and paragraph structure really do add up …

(Though, 100% do listen to the audiobook. The narrator is fabulous, and the accents are spectacular.)

On to Golden Son …

The Details:

The Book: Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Published: 2014, Del Rey
My Copy: Personal copy
Read date: August 10-15, 2020
Rating/5: ⛏️⛏️⛏️⛏️⛏️

Books

T10T | Mini-Series

August 18, 2020August 19, 2020 Em @ The Geeky Jock

[Q’d] Happy Top 10 Tuesday, y’all! Today’s prompt is ten books that should be adapted to a mini-series.

1. The Ghost Bride – A magic-filled adventure into the Chinese-Malay afterlife? Yes, please. (Needs: 8 to 10 episodes.)

2. The Winternight Trilogy – Ice. Deep forests. Medieval cities. Bells. The Winternight Trilogy has ALL THE AESTHETICS plus a kick-ass heroine, stoic love interest, and cute lil’ folklore beasties. (Needs: 10 to 12 episodes per book.)

3. City of Ghosts – This would be a fun one, as the books follow Cassidy as she travels around the world while her parents shoot a TV show. You could even have two series airing alongside each other … Cassidy’s own adventure, running parallel with actual episodes of The Inspecters. (Needs: 6 to 8 episodes per book.)

4. A Court of Thorns and Roses – LOOK! I FOUND MY RHYS! (Needs: 10 to 12 [Rhys-filled] episodes per book.)

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5. Jackaby – I think you could style this one up as a Sherlock-like series. (Needs: 6 to 8 episodes per book.)

6. Aurora Rising – Rumour has it, the Aurora Rising TV series is in the works. I see it as Brooklyn-99 meets Star Trek, with a dash of Galaxy Quest self-awareness. (Needs: 8 to 10 episodes per book.)

7. Sabriel – This could be great. Like, legit. Imagine the aesthetics of Downton Abbey (south of the wall) mashed up with Game of Thrones (north of the wall) with lots of zombie action. (Needs: 10 to 12 episodes per book.)

8. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – It would be a mind-boggling and ridiculously fun series to film. (Needs: 8 to 10 episodes.)

9. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – I’m not sure if I would watch this if it was converted to television, but its story and characters would transfer over beautifully. (Needs: 6 to 8 episodes.)

10. The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty – Cue: Magic, djinn, and some amazing sets. (Needs: 10 to 12 episodes per book.)

Books

T10T | Review-less

August 11, 2020August 11, 2020 Em @ The Geeky Jock

[Q’d] Happy Top 10 Tuesday, y’all! Today’s prompt is ten books that I loved, but have never reviewed.

This is a bit of a throwback because — with very few exceptions — I’ve made a point to write a review for every book I’ve read since starting this blog … even if it’s a very fast OMG I LOVED IT! So, welcome to my pre-2018 reading habits.

1. The Angelus Trilogy by Jon Steele – If earth-bound holy warriors with PTSD sounds like your thing, then you really need to read this trilogy.

2. The Undertaker Trilogy by Ari Berk – Creepy, in the way Neil Gaiman is creepy.

3. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker – A golem and a genie become friends in early 1900s New York. It’s as amazing as it sounds.

4. Die and Stay Dead by Nicholas Kaufmann – Trent has a problems. For one, he can’t die. For two, he has no memories of his past life. Warning! The final book in this trilogy has never been published on account of low sales.

5. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh – You can also read the blog here.

6. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North – One of my favourite books ever.

7. The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky – I read the first book a few years back, and absolutely loved it … Greek gods in modern day New York. I really need to finish the serieis.

8. Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey – In a word: amazing. A WWI retelling of Cinderella, based in a world where people can magically control the four elements. (The others books in the series? Disappointing. Just read this one.)

9. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – A woman on death row opts to become a food taster.

10. Doppler by Erlend Loe – Pub book club read. Equal parts ridiculous and philosophical … AKA: a fun, one sitting read.

Books

Review | Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

August 8, 2020August 6, 2020 Em @ The Geeky Jock

The Aurora Burning audiobook became available at my library last week.

… and, apparently, I’m a sucker for punishment.

My thoughts on the book haven’t changed all that much since I posted my original review last week. But I will say this: the audiobook — which features a full cast recording AND sound effects — was amazing. Would 10/10 recommend.