May 2024 Reading Wrap-Up
A contemporary Daniel retelling, a 19th-century gothic novel, and reading through Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians
Somehow, I read thirteen books in May, despite it being a bit of a chaotic month. I liked every book I rated and rated all but one of them five stars. My genre breakdown for May was seven fantasy, three contemporary, two nonfiction, and one classic. It was a pretty good variety of things, and I got ahead of schedule on my reading goal for the year, bringing my total number of books read in 2024 up to 53 as of the end of May.
Blaze by Hope Bolinger
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When I first heard about the concept of this book, I knew I would love it. A young adult contemporary retelling of the book of Daniel? Sign me up! Daniel is my second favourite book of the Bible, so seeing it retold in a contemporary setting was very intriguing to me.
Danny is an American high schooler whose life gets upturned when his school burns down and he ends up going to another one with three of his friends, Michelle, Rayah, and Hannah. Their new school, King’s Academy, turns out to be a downright cultish and really messed-up place with a principal who is certainly an interesting character. In summary, Blaze is a wild ride that chronicles the story of Danny and his friends as they navigate high school and contains large servings of humour, arson, and biblical parallels.
I had such a fun time reading this book and found it delightful in almost every way. Although I am not the biggest fan of young adult contemporary novels, the Daniel aspect of this book was amazing and has so many hilarious moments that brought the story to a whole new level. The line about the principal Ned, who is the Nebuchadnezzar character, building a garden for his wife had me laughing out loud given that it is so obviously a reference to the story that may or may not be true about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Plus, Jeremy, the Jeremiah-type character was really funny too, and I loved that inclusion as Jeremiah is briefly mentioned in Daniel.
The one downside to this type of book is the fact that it will only appeal to a very specific audience. I would say it is primarily written for Bible and ancient history nerds in their teens to early twenties who grew up in a North American evangelical Christian context and love reading fiction that has a bit of a chaotic side. If you, like me, happen to fall into this category, then you should totally read the series. This is the fourth book by Hope Bolinger I have read, and I would love to read more from her in the future.
Den by Hope Bolinger
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Book two is even crazier than the first one. It was probably even more amazing. I had such a fun time seeing how the stories from Daniel 4-6 were worked into the story and all the biblical references were great. Den continues the story of Danny’s horrible high school experience with a series of mysterious deaths and near-death incidents. Plus, it even mentioned fun history stuff like the Code of Hammurabi and some of the characters have names taken from ancient Mesopotamian gods, which is super cool. One of my favourite things was seeing Danny take AP European History because that was one of my favourite classes from high school. I have been having a great time with this series so far and cannot wait to see what book three has in store. Just be aware that it has some more difficult topics, especially depression and suicide that play an important role in the plot, though these things are handled very well for a teen audience.
Vision by Hope Bolinger
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The third and final book in the Blaze trilogy certainly was not a disappointment. This one incorporates aspects of Daniel 7-12 in the story, which is one of my favourite sections of the Bible, so I loved seeing things from those chapters show up in the book. It takes place almost entirely in a psychiatric ward for teenagers where Danny has been taken to because of something I will not specify, as it spoils the ending of Den. I truly loved all three of these books so much, that I have decided to make Blaze my top favourite young adult contemporary series, although that does not say much since it is only the third series of this type I have read. One weird detail I thought was very cool was the repeated use of the number 616, which appears in some ancient manuscripts as a textual variant for the number of the beast in Revelation. These books are truly some of the most humorous ones I have read but also filled with biblical references and characters that feel realistic.
After 1177 B.C. by Eric H. Cline
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Anyone with an interest in the Late Bronze Age Collapse has probably heard of the book 1177 B.C. This one is a sort of continuation of that book which goes over what happened after those events, as the title implies. Each of the six chapters, excluding the last one, covers one to three nations or places in the ancient Near East. These are Egypt, Israel, and the Southern Levant, Assyria and Babylonia, Phoenicia and Cyprus, Anatolia and Northern Syria, and the Aegean Region. Like the previous one, I really enjoyed reading this book and found it very interesting and informative. It is a good book to get an introductory understanding of the ancient Near East in the Iron Age and what took place after the collapse.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
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Since I had not read a 19th-century book yet this year despite loving most of the books from that time I have read, I figured it was about time to pick one up again. I also got into reading gothic fiction quite a bit last year, so I decided on this 19th-century gothic novel. And it was amazing.
The Woman in White, published in 1859, is an epistolary novel composed of the writings of multiple narrators. It begins with the perspective of an artist named Walter Hartright who encounters a mysterious woman dressed all in white and he learns that she escaped from an asylum. This woman is terrified of a certain man who plays an important role in the story. It is a book with mysteries, villainous characters, a minor romance, death, secrets, and more.
If you happen to be the sort of person who enjoys books like this, please read it! This book was popular in its time and has never gone out of print — a testament to its enduring legacy well over a century later. There are certainly those who will find The Woman in White to be overly strange and much too lengthy, but since I love big old books with spooky gothic tropes, I had a great time with this one.
Celebrities for Jesus by
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I wanted to read this book because I have been reading the author’s Substack,
, for several months now and love how thoughtful and well-written her posts are. And I must say, the book was excellent.Celebrities for Jesus investigates the celebrity pastor phenomenon that pervades the contemporary evangelical landscape. The book describes some prominent features of these “celebrities for Jesus” such as having a large social media following, wearing absurdly expensive designer clothing, and having connections with those who have achieved an even higher level of fame. It digs deep into the issues that come along with having Christian celebrities like abuses of power, sexual misconduct, financial scandals, and other ways putting people on a pedestal is harmful.
I was captivated by this book from the beginning to the end — it is truly a fascinating and important read for Christians in the West. I certainly learned a lot reading this and would recommend it to anyone interested. Some things were very concerning and discouraging to read about but it ends on a positive note and does not resort to pessimism.
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
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Since I had not read much for middle-grade fantasy this year, I figured it was time to start another series from that genre. Additionally, I wanted a series with many books of a shorter length to help me get ahead on my 2024 reading challenge. The third reason I went for this series is that I made it one of my goals to really get into reading Brandon Sanderson’s books this year.
The book is narrated by a boy named Alcatraz Smedry who excels at breaking things — often without even trying to. He has been in many foster homes because of his troublemaking nature and is not a nice kid. One day, he receives a bag of sand in the mail only to have it stolen. A strange man claiming to be his grandpa shows up and he meets a girl his age named Bastille, both of whom tell Alcatraz about the evil librarians.
There are talking dinosaurs, magical glasses, and characters with the most peculiar powers in fantasy I have ever read. It feels like a combination of the action and techy aspect of Artemis Fowl, the humour of Percy Jackson, and the strangeness of A Series of Unfortunate Events all rolled into one, so any fans of those series will probably enjoy this one too.
I found it immensely hilarious and laughed at numerous points because of how wonderfully absurd this book is. Alcatraz’s comments in the narration give it an extra feeling of weirdness and humour which I enjoyed. It was not quite a five-star-read for me and I do think my enjoyment of the book would have been greater if I had read it as a child, though I have high hopes for the rest of the series.
The Scrivener’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson
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The second book of the Alcatraz series was another great book. Here, Alcatraz must go to the Library of Alexandria (which still exists; the rumours of its destruction are merely a conspiracy of the evil librarians) to rescue his grandfather. There is more intense action and loads of fun, and I do think it is better than the first book. Anyone who enjoys a good middle-grade fantasy series with some wacky moments should pick these books up.
The Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson
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Not much to say here except that it was another great book in the series!
The Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
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Things got even more crazy in book four… and you do not have to look further than the table of contents to see that! The one chapter where all the characters kept speaking in Shakespeare quotes was wild. Plus, Alcatraz kept inventing the strangest words.
The Dark Talent by Brandon Sanderson
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This book has one of the strangest endings I have read, and it finally explains why Alcatraz ended up on an altar of encyclopedias about to be sacrificed by a cult of evil librarians. Bastille was hardly in book five, but she narrates the next book, which I will be reading right away!
Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
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This final book in the series was a wonderful conclusion, and I read it in less than a day. I do not think I will ever stop loving middle-grade fantasy books, so I will absolutely be reading more this year. And guess what? I am now one book ahead of schedule for my reading challenge!
Beyond the Isle of the Lost by
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I am a fan of the Descendants series. In fact, I read the books without even knowing that they were based on movies and only ended up watching them years later. Additionally, my favourite classic children’s book is The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, so I was excited to hear about a fifth Descendants book inspired by a story so special to me.
Beyond the Isle of the Lost features an entirely new cast of characters and takes place in Wonderland. The protagonist is a girl named Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts who befriends two boys from school, Ace and Chester. Here, the laws of Wonderland are stringent and any misbehaviour is punished severely; even parties are not allowed (they all have to be un-parties). Red, Ace, and Chester decide to plan a party and invite the students from their school, but things do not go over so well. It is a fun story of adventure and friendship that did not disappoint!
And that is every book I read last month! None of these are super popular books, so I would guess that most of my readers have not read any of them, though I hope you would consider reading one or more of the books here that interest you. I am starting off June with a well-known adult historical fiction novel because I keep telling myself I need to read more adult fiction, so stick around to hear about that next month.
Always a joy to catch up with your reading Rachel. Allow me steal this Schriveners Bones and add it to my list too. I just heard about Alcatraz that reminded me that Alcatraz TV show I watched last year. I think I'll love this one too