War, Scary Places, & Pretty Data

October was an interesting and unusual month of reading.  I read Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's much anticipated sequel, The War I Finally Won, and LOVED it.  But I didn't love the first book, so there was much inner turmoil - you mean I have to get excited about the first book so I can talk about the second book?  Jeepers!  I also finished an excellent book I've been reading since July.  It really should be included in my July, August, September and October favorite books lists, but what book needs that kind of ego?  And then there was Dear Data, which I read months ago, gave an ok rating, and dismissed it, only to find out that it planted the seeds of a thousand wildflowers in my imagination. Sneaky sneaky, wonderful books.    

Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton

Probably the best travel book I've ever read, although there are many places too terrifying to visit! My full review will be posted soon.

The War that Saved My Life & The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The first book in this series was good, and I enjoyed it immensely until its hurried and unrealistic ending. But it's still a good read, and it's necessary to read it before reading The War I Finally Won, which is a fantastic sequel. Though there was a bit of disjointed writing, the relationships, characters, and lessons that Ada learns on her journey to "win her war" are beautiful and easily outweigh the disjointed writing. My favorite moment is during Christmas, when Ada reflects about how much she has gained, even during wartime. "I'd been a crippled, ignorant prisoner looking out the window of a dingy London flat. Now I walked on two feet and rode and read and shared a bedroom and bookshelves with the daughter of a baron."

After the Fall by Dan Santat

Oh Humpty Dumpty, I love this fractured nursery rhyme because it paints you in such an inspirational light. Readers will connect with Humpty Dumpty's struggle to conquer his fear of climbing back up on the wall again. And the ending is so incredibly imaginative and heartwarming. My favorite part is the moment when Humpty Dumpty tells the reader "there were some parts that couldn't be healed with bandages and glue." Though it was a bit inappropriate to laugh at that moment, I couldn't help myself and guffawed loudly.

This is my favorite page from the book:

Dear Data by by Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi

"Dear Data is a year-long, analog data drawing project by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, two award-winning information designers living on different sides of the Atlantic.  By collecting and hand drawing their personal data and sending it to each other in the form of postcards, they became friends." This is a description from the Dear Data website.

The first time I read this I thought, "yay for another take on visual data."  I gave it three stars and returned it to the library.  But since then I can't stop thinking about it.  This book has snuck into my thoughts, positively impacted my art, and has completely dominated the chunk of my brain labeled 'joy.'  I finally bought the book because I can't live without it.  I know there's a website, but I'm a book gal, and there's something particularly wonderful about holding and reading this book because it's soft and bulky and quite lovable.

Here is an example of their oh-so-pretty data.  This is titled "A Week of General Complaints and Grumpiness."  Seriously!!