Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda by Roald Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the great insults from Trunchbull. Quentin Blake's illustrations are still massively unappealing to me, but otherwise it was fun.

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The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was fun to be in the middle of a book when its author is selected for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Anyway, I enjoyed reading it, though toward the end I was in a hurry to be finished. I was most distracted by the images of Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson on the cover. I preferred to imagine Alan Rickman as the narrator.

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My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story is delightful! A wonderful coming of age story.

I loved following all the characters and the fun discoveries along the way. I didn't pay such close attention to the fairy tale details at the beginning, and regretted it later. But even if you totally ignore all that, it's still completely enjoyable.

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Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed it so much I am currently reading it again. Is it my favorite Austen novel? I don't think so, though I do like it quite a bit. Maybe because we don't get to know Captain Wentworth so well, so it's hard to fall in love with him as a reader.

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Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So fun -- i forgot how hilarious the Catherine character is. It's a pleasant change from Austen's heroine being the very intelligent but put-upon one.

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The Wangs vs. The World by Jade Chang

The Wangs vs The World by Jade Chang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story a lot, even though so much of it was foreign territory to me -- wealthy southern Californians, Chinese immigrants to the U.S., Taiwanese immigrants to the U.S., boarding school, stand up comedy, upstate New York, New Orleans, and that is just part of it. Chang presents you with a whole family of characters to resent and hate (the entitlement! the selfishness!), then gradually makes you root for them.

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The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the story, and I have stayed up way too late this week reading. There are of course a lot of predictable plot lines, but that's part of the enjoyment.

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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting read, especially for an American. I'm married to an introvert and also have an introvert child, so I find the concrete tips near the end of the book to be the most helpful.

There are a lot of chapters preceding that really beat the point home about introverts' value (yes, introverts are not stupid. yes, introverts have a lot to offer if you just stop and listen), and that gets a bit tedious to read.

But that last chapter about parenting an introvert is great! She mentions some things that I learned the hard way about the way to approach a new daycare or school. My oldest kid will be starting actual school soon and I found myself scribbling down notes from this chapter so I can better help her during the transition.

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The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

fascinating and horrific.
i read it in the evenings after i put the kids to bed and even though i stayed up way too late a couple nights reading it, i had to soothe myself with some well-loved kidlit (harry potter #1 in this case) before i could sleep.

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A Short History of Finland by Fred Singleton

A Short History of Finland by Fred Singleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although it wouldn't be particularly scintillating otherwise, I feel like this was good prep work for my move back to Finland.

The language issues were particularly interesting. I think it has helped my understanding of swedish-speaking Finns a bit more.

And I was delighted to learn that Finlayson wasn't Finnish at all -- he came from Glasgow!

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