The World's Common Tater

We are almost at the halfway point of the year, so I decided to take a look at my reading so far.

According to Goodreads, I have finished 25 books so far this year and I am 2 books behind schedule for my goal. I expect to catch up, but, if not, I can just change the goal.

I think reading for two book clubs slows me down. I need to read more this summer just for fun.

The Three Best Books I’ve Read So Far

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

In a future world with no disease, war, or death, scythes are the only ones who can end a life. They do so to keep the size of the population under control. A chance encounter with a scythe leads Citra and Rowan to be chosen as his apprentices. They must master the art of taking a life or risk losing their own.

It took me a bit to get into this one, but once I did I was hooked. Citra and Rown are good lead characters. The world is fascinating to me. There is discord amongst the scythes that drives the plot. I see why it was so popular when it was released.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

While Cassie is working at a bookstore one of her regular customers dies as she is preparing to close. He leaves behind a book for her, but it is no ordinary book. It is the Book of Doors and it allows you to travel anywhere you can envision if you have the book and open a door. Soon, she is approached by Drummond Fox who tells her she is in danger. Cassie finds herself fighting the people who would use her book, and others like it, for evil.

I liked this book a lot. There is time travel, with time travel rules that might annoy or confuse some people. It has adventure, magic, and romance. Something for everyone. I enjoyed all of the little parts that show how the actions of the characters affect the story throughout time. I would recommend it to any fantasy fan.

The Blood Years by Elana K Arnold

Arnold tells a fictionalized story of her grandmother’s experiences in Holocaust-era Romania. Frederieke and her sister Astra have lived with their mom and their grandfather since their dad left. We watch her grow up as war breaks out and Russia and then Germany take over their town and the lives of their Jewish community get harder and life becomes dangerous for them.

This is not a fun book. We watch Reike go from a girl who is worried about her sister falling in love with the wrong man to a girl who is forced into a ghetto, barely has food to eat, and gets sicker and sicker, while watching people she knows be murdered or shipped off on trains to unknown locations. I picked it up at the library after it won the Sydney Taylor Award and I see why it won. It is a very good book that does not shy away from the worst of the experiences of Jewish people in Romania at that time. I would recommend it to everyone.

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It was hard to pick three books. I have been underwhelmed with a lot of my reading this year. I think, again, that it is due to reading too much for book club and not enough for fun.

I don’t think there have been any books I haven’t finished yet.

It has been a subpar 6 months of reading. Here’s hoping that changes for the second half of the year.