June Book Bracket

 June 2024 Book Bracket

Well, this is one of the most "productive" months of reading/listening I've had for a long time - 13 books completed. That's one of the joys of, audiobooks, quick books in children's lit series.

Searching for and Maintaining Peace, by Fr. Jacques Philippe

Great book. Talked about it before. No need to report again.

Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians, by Brandon Sanderson**

NOTE: I listened to all six books in the series this month. I'm going to list the next five titles below, but give a review of the first book individually, then the series as a whole.

A boy with the incredible ability to break just about anything (even chickens) finds that he actually has a family the known world is actually ruled by evil librarians, and the unknown world opposes librarian control.

Why I picked it up: I wanted to an audiobook. This title showed up on Audible, and I thought, eh, why not?

My impressions (specific to book one): As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that I don't go in for real fantasy books all that often, unless it's Tolkien or C. S. Lewis. Fairy tales and anthropomorphic animals, sure - but not really the magic-based, made up tales that are based in a well-developed, unfamiliar world. However. I gave this book a try, and while I originally thought it was too silly, I really was enjoying the first audiobook by the time I reached the end. The narrator is sarcastic and there's lots of silliness going on in the story, but somewhere around where the big baddy shows up, Alcatraz starts experiencing...character development. That was the turning point for me. A good adventure with fun characters and solid world-building/altering make this a book that I could see many upper elementary/middle school students enjoying, as well as those older readers like me who enjoy a fun, clean fantasy adventure.

Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians: The Scrivener's Bones**

Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians: The Knights of Crystallia**

Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians: The Shattered Lens**

Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians: The Dark Talent**

Bastille Vs. The Evil Librarians, by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson**

The rest of the series: I felt that there was really great building in the next several books. Sanderson fleshed out his world more as the books progressed, bringing in and explaining more of the elements that made the people in this version of Earth function in fantastic ways. He also does a pretty good job of connecting back to things he's said earlier, although I noticed that, after the third or fourth book, his idea of focusing on "information is key" fades out and isn't mentioned anymore. He does a nice job of bringing readers on an emotional ride, somewhat along the lines of a eucatastrophe. However, I found some elements of the ending less than satisfying - namely, his relationship with certain characters, who never found redemption. These characters might have ended as they did to show a bit more of a realistic turn (not everyone chooses virtue, or something like that), and to keep the ending from being to saccharine, so I'm still thinking about what I think about that. There are multiple instances of potty humor, a section where a character ends up naked, and a joke about not joking about religion that...well, still ended up not sitting well with me. While this series had more substance than I initially thought, I can't say that it's one that I would say I'm glad I invested so much time in. Yes, it was fun, but I still have a slight feeling that I could, perhaps, have found something more worthwhile to fill my listening minutes. It's not complete fluff, but it's not the sort of series that has me thinking much about higher things.

Stuart Little, by E. B. White

The younger son born to the Little family of NYC looks pretty much just like a mouse, and he goes off on adventures.

Why I picked it up: I'd never read this classic children's tale before, and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

My impressions: Whatever the fuss is about, I don't think much of it. Harsh, but I really didn't find the book that meaningful. No plot, no character development, all the untied strings left at the end. I don't get it. I might go and see what Wikipedia has to say about its enduring contribution to children's literature, but I didn't appreciate it. I suppose I can see how the whimsical stories might appeal to kids or jog their imaginations, but in my estimation, no need to read - you can skip this one. (My apologies to anyone who loved this book growing up - I'd love to hear about why you loved it.)

The Last Bookseller: A Life in the Rare Book Trade, by Gary Goodman**

A man who made his living selling secondhand books for 20 years recounts his experiences of buying a store - almost on a whim - and his career selling books through the highs of the 90s and the secondhand book crash brought on by the internet.

Why I picked it up: I saw this either recommended somewhere or had it come up in the "recommended" section on Audible after listening to something else (perhaps Lost Feast?).

My impressions: This book was a fun listen. As one of millions of people who has (not-so-secretly) desired to own a bookstore, it was an informative book to listen to, because it recounts the difficulties of selling books - specifically, second-hand books. It's not easy to keep a small business going in the age of the Internet. It was interesting to hear about some of the other booksellers Goodman met along the way, as well as some of the criminals, but I did skim through one crime spree that involved forged Mormon documents and murder - that one was making me a little uncomfortable. I have some nostalgia for the pre-Internet world after listening to this book, but since I know that the web isn't going away anytime soon, it does make me want to go and support my favorite local bookstore instead of heading straight to Amazon, even though the prices might be cheaper online. I'm a few weeks late writing this review, but due to the criminal activity and maybe some crudeness (I don't remember if there was or not), a high schooler would probably be fine reading this book, but I'm not sure. And go buy books locally!

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

A woman journals about her attempts to understand greater things through a year observing nature at Virginia's Tinker Creek.

Why I picked it up: This was the book my discussion group was to read for June.

My impressions: Dillard is a skilled writer and does a great job linking back up with ideas or motifs she's mentioned before. However, this book wasn't for me. She spent an awful lot of time talking about insects, and some of the stories were rather horrifying. I understand that Dillard is grappling with big things when she considers nature in this work - the created world, and perhaps through it, the God who made it - but she alludes to so many faith traditions and authors from different fields that I found her work a sort of patchwork of matching quotes with her experiences, with some reasoning, but not really a well-outlined philosophy. I'm not exactly sure what her conclusions were. Most telling to me was that, in her chapter on "Fecundity," Dillard explains that she could consider the propagation of life by a different name (birth, or something of that nature), but she chose "fecundity" instead - and it seemed rather a whim, brought on by the mood of the moment. Sure, it was a deliberate choice, but it seemed like it was determined by her frame of mind at that time. If her thoughts on these subjects is so arbitrary, what really is the point of this work? I think she struggles with these ideas, but the conclusion is uncertain. Perhaps it's meant to be that way. In any case, I thought a few parts really dragged, some parts were horrible and I wish I could forget them (bugs can be really gross), but Dillard also had a nice turn of phrase here and there - nothing I'd write down as a quote I wanted to remember, but phrases that showed that she saw the world in a very vibrant way, shaped as much by the literature she read as by her own observations. This isn't a book I'd hand to a high schooler, and it's not a book I'd recommend. Maybe a more patient reader would have enjoyed it more, but I was glad to be done.

Tolkien's Faith, by Holly Ordway

This academic work is a biography of sorts, but the focus is on Tolkien's life of faith; the author intends this book to fill in some gaps in previous Tolkien biographical works, insofar as she believes not enough time is spent considering his faith, which had an enormous impact on his creative work.

Why I picked it up: A friend and I agreed that we wanted to read this book - and, as some might know, not least because I follow the author's works.

My impressions: This is a solid book. The focus on Tolkien's spiritual life made me feel that, even though much of the information was familiar, there was a lot that I was learning about one of my favorite authors. I appreciate the depth of research Ordway completed for this project, finding a way to ask questions of Tolkien's daughter before she passed away, and referencing such documents as works regarding her subject that were written in other languages and surveys completed about the state of the faith of soldiers following the Great War. As with much of Ordway's work, I notice that she isn't afraid to draw some conclusions that are not explicitly stated, but it's also pretty easy to tell when she is surmising or making a case for something based on the given evidence. Ordway presents Tolkien not as a saint, but as someone who tried to love God, love his neighbor, and overcome his faults. I found this book more readable than her Tolkien's Modern Reading, but it's a hefty book that I started to push towards finishing so that I could get to other books on my list. I think Catholic fans of Tolkien especially could appreciate this work, but Ordway has descriptions of Catholic-specific practices that I hope non-Catholics could find helpful. I repeat that this is an academic work, and as such, it's kind of a project to take on rather than light reading, but it's good for the audience that's willing to put in the time to read it.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary

A hotel mouse befriends a boy staying there and has fun riding the motorcycle around.

Why I picked it up: My husband wanted to read this book out loud and share this favorite from his childhood!

My impressions: This is a great read aloud book, especially when my husband reads it! I've asked him to read it to all our future children. The book perfectly captures the appeal of a dangerous but exhilarating motorcycle obsession, and delves into the justifications that we make for ourselves when we're not supposed to do something, but really want to anyways. The story has a good plot, even if the big problem doesn't really hit until about halfway through; this is possible because underneath the big problem, there's the work of overcoming personal flaws. It's a charming tale, full of imagination, and (in my opinion) a much better read than Stuart Little. Any elementary school kid would be able to enjoy this book.

A Family of Saints: The Martins of Lisieux Saints Therese, Louis, and Zelie, by Stephane-Joseph Piat*

This is a biography about an entire family - St. Therese of Lisieux, her four sisters, and holy parents.

Why I picked it up: This book was available for free as an ebook on the Formed app and, being a big fan of Little T, I figured it was perfect to read.

My impressions: I started this book about three years ago and did not finish it until I forced myself to plow through. It's not that it was a bad story - it wasn't. It's just one of those books that requires lots of time to sit and read through a chunk of it. It is a well-researched work and I learned lots about the whole family. It's one thing to read a synopsis of a saint's life on a website, and another matter entirely to have someone explain what was happening after consulting family letters and accessing historical documents. I've also been reading through the letters of Sts. Louis and Zelie (again, very slowly), and some of the details that I miss due to the snapshot nature of letters was clarified in this work. The detail of this work is great. However, there were some aspects of this book that didn't quite work for me. There were descriptions of locations that were rather lengthy (skimmed through some of those), and, at times, a bit of a preachy tone. I felt inspired by the lives of these holy people, but also intimidated. Some aspects of their life seemed too - I don't know - saccharine? - and others rather terrifying, such as the sacrifices that they made of their lives. I don't know if the author was able to find the right balance for showing the rigors of their lives but also making it seem attractive, but there is no mistaking that this is a family that lived with God first in their minds and hearts. Their lives looked different from those around them, so perhaps it is just that I'm uncomfortable with feeling called out and called to something higher. I think this is a good book for people who are looking for a deep dive into the Martin family, but it wouldn't be a good light introduction, considering how hefty it is.

Bracket Play

Per usual, I had to remove Fr. Jacques Philippe's classic work from the bracket, which left me with an even 12 contenders. The first six slots were given to Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz Vs. The Evil Librarians series; to make it quick, I'll say that my favorite one to listen to was the second book, subtitled The Scrivener's Bones. The Last Bookseller beat Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, no contest; The Mouse and the Motorcycle also scored an easy victory over the other mouse classic, Stuart Little. Of the two biographies, I had to say I found Ordway's book far more enjoyable - and easy to finish - than A Family of Saints, although the latter work had some real merit. Tolkien's Faith couldn't defeat Cleary's book, however - this was probably the hardest battle of the bracket. The children's book was a great story with wonderful character development, and one that is more likely to be accessed and enjoyed by a greater number of people of all ages.

The Last Bookseller took the win over all of Sanderson's books, but fell in the end to The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  I felt like I went through a lot of fluff this month, and maybe not so many excellent books, but I was satisfied with reading and finishing some books that were on my "to read" list.