The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivery

I read this book in mid-June, which was nice because it helped me cool off on the really humid days. 

It was slow going for the first few chapters: until I met the snow child, but that's to be expected, I think, because the snow child is the main character here. 

Once the girl came in, it was a heartbreaking story, with just enough magic to make me see it as a novel, but enough reality to not make it too sappy or unrealistic. 

Ivey also brings up a lot of questions that I still don't have answers to. Where exactly did she come from? Is she real? Where did she go? and so on. But this is a good quality in a book because then I'm still thinking about it weeks later. Kudos to Ivey for making it stick with me. 

If you're stuck on the first part, keep going. It gets better, and you won't regret making it through that slow beginning. It picks up speed, and it might make you cry a bit (I think my eyes got a little watery).

Do I Make Myself Clear? by Harold Evans

I was told to read this book at my job, so I did. I was impressed with certain parts. I enjoyed how Evans told us something, and then provided examples of that thing he was trying to teach.

I was, however, unpleasantly surprised by the amount of politics in the book. Most of the examples (I'd say 75-80%) were political. I found myself skimming over those because I wouldn't understand them as an example and I just don't enjoy politics much.

I did gain a nice long list of words I need to use in the future from Evans, as well as a few quotes that I know I'll be keeping in the forefront of my mind from here on out.

This is a good read for writers and editors alike. Evans gives helpful advice for both. I also think it would be appropriate for college students to be reading this book, as it provides a lot of general guides on how to write well, even in simple terms.

Politics aside, it was a good read.

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

My English Prof recommended this book to me. I was on a Russian literature kick and had just finished reading Anna Karenina. He told me the book was a collection of short stories that seemed completely separate until the end. When I read through the first two stories, I didn't believe him at all. But as I kept reading, I was shocked by the connections. Marra did an excellent job weaving all of his events and characters together to create this intricately woven tale of love, techno, war, censorship, art...

I really enjoyed the settings in the story. The descriptions are subtle (which I've always liked because it enabled me to envision my own settings to a certain extent) but Marra gives you enough to start picturing the world he writes.

It did take me a while to really get into the story, and I think the only reason I kept going was because my prof gave me a copy and wanted me to let him know what I thought of it, so I had to keep going. I'm so glad I did.

I gained many quotes for my quote book, too, which is always a great indicator for me. When I have to grab a notebook and write something down, I know it's a winner, and I know I will be picking this book of my shelf again someday.