StarCraft: Evolution by Timothy Zahn
Nightwork by Nora Roberts
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The first time I read this story I was in 7th grade and it was an abridged version in our text books at school. It was the first time I got home from school excited about something I read. Reading comprehension was always a challenge for me as a kid. Books were just words on a page and I would be so focused on the words, by the time I got to the end of the book, I had forgotten what I had read in the beginning. Needless to say, connections I was supposed to make while reading certain books/stories never really happened. In fact, I did not actually find my way to reading for pleasure (and enjoy it) until I was an adult in college and got my first Kindle (a Kindle 2, to be exact).
This read through was the first time I have read this book as an adult. It's still as insanely depressing as the first time I read it, but the message is very different. In 7th grade, my take away was: ignorance is bliss. This was a very oversimplified way to describe it. Later in life during a sociology class, we were talking about people from a lower status obtaining a wealth and having that wealth taken from them. After having that taste of wealth and going back to the previous status is difficult for them. They have had a taste of what could be and what is now out of their reach. While this conversation ensued, what hit me was that this is what 7th grade me thought about Flowers for Algernon. It's better to not have a taste of the better and not know what you're missing than to experience it and know you'll never taste it again; hence, ignorance is bliss.
There was a movie made in 1968 called Charly based on this book. I don't recall how I got my hands on it, but I did. It made me more depressed than the book did, but it was good.
The older and (not so) wiser me now knows what the real message is. It's a commentary on how people with disabilities are treated. While the ideas the 7th grade me's ideas still stand, it goes much deeper than that (as I now know).
This book has haunted me almost all of my life (after the first reading). I'm glad I finally read it in its entirety.
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny by SadhguruThe last year and a half has been extremely stressful at work as I have had to manage the office alone. The job itself is stressful at time even with full staffing. On April 1st, Amazon launched a springtime reading challenge that will end on June 30. I opted to participate to help me get back into reading and with the hopes of finding a way to decompress each night. I know I am late in getting this posted, but better late than never.
Last year, I believe this was an invitation only challenge. This year, I cannot confirm if this was invitation only or if it is finally open to everyone. If you want to be sure go to the Kindle app on your phone. Click More, then Reading Insights. For me, the Spring Challenge is at the top of the page.
Achievements are tracked through the Amazon Kindle app. Reading can be done on most Kindle devices/apps as long as Whispersync is enabled. Books that count towards the achievements include: any Kindle eBook purchased or borrowed from Amazon.com, borrowed from Kindle Unlimited or Prime Reading, Kindle eBook borrowed from your public library, and Kindle Vella stories read in the Kindle App. Please note: Kindle Vella stories read via a browser will NOT count towards the achievements. Audiobooks, physical books, and non-Kindle eBooks will not be counted.
The achievement are broken into three categories: Days Read, Books Completed, Mystery.
Days Read:
✔ Bronze Reader - Unlock this achievement when you read for any 15 days during the Spring Challenge. Reading days don't have to be consecutive to count. Earned April 16, 2022
✔ Silver Reader - Unlock this achievement when you read for any 40 days during the Spring Challenge. Reading days don't have to be consecutive to count. Earned May 10, 2022
✔ Gold Reader - Unlock this achievement when you read for any 75 days during the Spring Challenge. Reading days don't have to be consecutive to count. Earned June 15, 2022
