May Reading Roundup

The Telomere Effect: The New Science of Living Younger by Elizabeth Blackburn, Elissa Epel

I knew what Telomere’s were and that they were involved in aging before I picked this up, but the vast majority of the information it contains was new to me. Written by two pioneers in the field it translates their research into comprehensible, plain English. It is a bit repetitive. The basic theme is that shorter Telomere’s are linked to aging and a whole host of things can cause Telomere’s to shorten. However, it puts behaviors that are already known to put our health at risk – not sleeping enough, eating lots of fat and sugar, being subjected to lots of stress (although it can be argued that this is not something one chooses to do) – in a new light. Not only do they put our health at risk, but they make us age faster. While the link between those two things might seem obvious, it drove the point home for me. This is a great book for anyone interested in health and science.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

I had no idea of what to expect when I started this. All I got from the description was that it appeared to be an adaptation of beauty and the beast, but it is so much more. The thing I liked best about it was the protagonist’s, Feyre, journey. It starts in a dark place and watching her transform over the course of the book was a masterclass in character creation and story arc. I didn’t like her in the beginning but by the end I was absolutely rooting for her. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes fantasy fiction with strong heroines.

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J Maas

After loving the first book I was dying to read more about Feyre’s world. The second book did not disappoint. In fact, I think it is the best in the series. What happens when your body has been restored but your soul is broken? When the future you fought for may no longer fit who you are. The world of Prythian really opens up. There is more of everything that I loved about A Court of Thorns and Roses, plus a bunch of new characters. It also has a plot twist that was completely unexpected, but masterfully done. It is a book to be savored, although I raced through it.

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J Maas

After greedily devouring the second book I was convinced that the third one could never top it. It didn’t. But it came close. With Feyre having come into her own the story shifts to the massive conflict that has been brewing since the beginning of book one. With a large cast of characters it would have been easy to drop some of their story threads. But I was satisfied with the conclusion. It answered enough questions while leaving a few openings to continue the story in a new direction. I will definitely reread this entire series again.

Story by Robert McKee

A dense book full of wisdom. This was the first time I think I’ve ever found myself copying down quotes into my notebook for inspiration. It is not the kind of book that you devour in large chunks. It took me a while to finish. I found the first third to be rather dry, but I think that was because I was trying to read it too quickly. Once I slowed down, reading 10-15 pages at a sitting, I found myself more absorbed. Although McKee talks about how to write a screenplay his advice translates very well to any kind of fiction writing. McKee's knowledge of film is extensive. There is a long list of the films he references throughout the book at the back. Although I did not know many of the films, he illustrates each of the story elements he talks about with one or more film examples, making them more concrete. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys story telling.

Foxglove Summer (Peter Grant, #5) by Ben Aaronovitch

What happens when you send a London detective who is also a wizard to investigate a missing persons’ cases involving two children to the countryside? You get Foxglove Summer. The fifth Peter Grant book has all the hallmarks that I love about the series - sarcastic sense of humor, inventive plot, historical details – in a new setting. It opens the mythology up quite a bit as well, which is my only complaint. I want more answers about the people and creatures we’ve already met at this point, before posing more questions. I will definitely keep reading, but I'm hoping for more answers in the next one.