Dear Fahrenheit 451: A Book about Books (could it get any better?)

    I have really been enjoying audiobooks lately. However, I'm super picky about what I listen to. It can't be anything too long or too complex--I will get distracted. And obviously, the narrator has to be bearable. I absolutely will stop listening to an audiobook if I can't handle the voice reading it. I also refuse to pay for audiobooks. My library has 3 really good services from which I can checkout and download free ebooks and audiobooks so that's what I stick to. It's been interesting because most of what's on my TBR is either not available in the digital collection as an audiobook, popular enough that I'd have to be put on a long waiting list, or too long that I'd rather read it than listen to it. This means I've been listening to things that aren't always high on my TBR list. It's fun to dive into some things that I haven't been anticipating like I often am for the print books I read.

    Annie Spence is a public librarian and Dear Fahrenheit 451 is her collection of letters to the various books she's crossed paths with during her life. Some of them are love letters to the books that have meant the most to her and some are break up notes to the old, offensive books she's weeding from her library's collection, plus, everything in between.

    I think my favorite part of this book though, are Spence's notes and commentary about working with the public. I laughed out loud because her stories as a librarian were so relatable.  Even if you don't work in a library, I think you'll find some humor here!

    There were lots of books Spence talked about that I either haven't read or haven't either heard about (...should I feel guilty about that..?) so I would kind of zone out sometimes. But it was really enjoyable to hear her thoughts on those book I have read or ones I haven't but have always meant to. It gave me some great ideas for doing reader's advisory at work! The last third or so of the book was mostly recommendations which probably would have been more useful had I stopped folding laundry and wrote them down, but we all know I don't really need more books on my TBR. I think if I had been reading the print version of the book, I probably would have skimmed through that last part and found the lists that looked most interesting ("Readin' Nerdy: Books about Librarians", heck ya!).

    Overall, a fun, quick listen. But stay away if you don't like to read books about books. However, if you don't like reading books about books, I don't know why you're reading a blog about a book about books ;) Happy Reading!

3/5 Stars

Artemis: Not the Heist I Was Hoping For

    This is not the review I was hoping to write when I picked up this ARC, and I'm afraid a lot of people are going to be disappointed, but I just had a really hard time getting through this book. I never read The Martian. The idea of a man stranded on Mars just didn't really grab me, but a heist on the moon? Oh yes. When I first heard about Artemis on a podcast this summer I immediately put it on my TBR. I can't say reading it made me want to rush to add The Martian to my TBR.

    Artemis is about a young woman named Jazz. She grew up in Artemis, the first city on the surface of the moon. What appears to be a marvel to tourists is just rock and glass to Jazz. Although her smarts and skills for mechanics and metal work could take her far, she has disappointed her father by choosing the life of a delivery porter, specializing in smuggling illegal goods into Artemis from Earth. Her goal: work as little as possible to pay her debts and live a modest life. But it's not going well for her. She once again fails the test to be an EVA master (someone who take tourists outside the city walls in special suits) and lives in a "coffin" where she can't even stand up straight. Things look up when a wealthy connection provides her with an opportunity she can't turn down. But it all takes a turn for the worst when she realizes there's more at stake than just money...control of Artemis itself.

    Maybe the summary will be enough to pull you in like it was for me, but all in all I was disappointed by this book. I really prefer character driven stories, and this book was mostly plot. Normally, I could get past this but I really did not like Jazz's character. It wasn't just her wasted potential but her cocky attitude and flippant personality. I'm all for flawed characters, but this one had few redeemable qualities for me. Honestly, she often came across as a teenage boy. I didn't feel like I had much of a chance to get to know the minor characters, which in turn left me feeling like there was a major hole in the story. Weir's writing, especially dialogue, felt really forced to me, particularly with the humor. There were a lot of "cringy" scenes and phrases, which sounds silly, but that's really the best way to describe how I felt. I'd be interested to know if this is how The Martian reads as well. Is this Weir's style or just how I felt about Artemis?

    I had high hopes for the heist aspect of the story, but it definitely fell flat for me. I was expecting something similar to Bardugo's Six of Crows for some reason...if anyone is familiar with that. But here, there just weren't any really exciting, gripping moments. Instead there was a lot of technical jargon weighing the story down. Every time something remotely interesting happened I felt like it was interrupted by a lesson on smelting. There are so many more interesting things Weir could have done with the world he created. Instead readers are subjected to paragraph after paragraph of welding explanations, air quality descriptions, and rock/dust composition.

    I don't know, perhaps my hopes for this were too high? I think Weir had some really great world building going for him, but unfortunately what it lacked in depth of character it overloaded with sarcasm and scientific lingo.

Artemis is released November 14, 2017. Thanks to Baker & Taylor for the ARC!

2.5/5 Stars