The Round House

#994
Title: The Round House
Author: Louise Erdrich
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2012
321 pages

A wonderful novel that, though not lacking in action, is ultimately psychological. It's not necessary to have read Erdrich's other novels to enjoy this one.

The Book of Genesis

#993
Title: The Book of Genesis
Author: Anonymous
Illustrator: R. Crumb
Publisher: Norton
Year: 2009
224 pages

     Through his illustrations, Crumb draws attention to parts of Genesis we might otherwise elide over or interpret differently. The amount of pagan worship apparently engaged in by our protagonists is highlights by, for example, the number of times oil is poured over just-erected standing stones. The visual approach showcases the weirdness of some of the stories, and the dual narrative structure of Genesis as well.

Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh

#992
Title: Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh
Author: Anne Elizabeth Moore
Publisher: CantankerousTitles.com
Year: 2011
96 pages

This reads something like a blog, and recounts some of the author's experiences teaching young women in Phnom Penh to make zines.

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race around the World

#991
Title: Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race around the World
Author: Matthew Goodman
Publisher: Ballantine
Year: 2013
480 pages

Nellie Bly, a sort of proto-Plympton journalist, convinces her editor to send her around the world in better than 80 days. Not to be outdone, a rival editor sent Elizabeth Bisland on the same journey, in the opposite direction. Eighty Days tells each woman's story as well as her trip around the world. I didn't know that Bly had pulled off journalistic feats such as getting herself committed and writing about the experience, so now I have more reading to do. Goodman brings both a contemporaneous perspective and a contemporary commentary to both women's adventures.

The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)

#990
Title: The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)
Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books
Year: 1993/1994
179 pages

This YA dystopian novel was better than I was expecting. Lowry has written sequels, but I may stop with this one, which seemed sufficient for the story it told.

Fyre (Septimus Heap #7)

#989
Title: Fyre (Septimus Heap #7)
Author: Angie Sage
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Year: 2013
720 pages

     The last of the 7-book series, and a satisfying wrap up of most of the hanging story points. Like the others, it moved along quickly and propelled the characters into and out of interesting situations. Sage resists the urge to pair everyone off at the end, for which I'm grateful.

God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

#988
Title: God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Author: Christopher Hitchens
Publisher: Twelve
Year: 2007
307 pages

I read this because Dawkins recommended it. I thought it was interesting and I enjoyed reading it, but on the whole prefer Dawkins because of the ways he uses biology to support his arguments. Hitchens made me laugh more, though, with his arch asides.