TBR - Pi Day

I know I'm a couple days late, but I couldn't let Pi Day pass without some kind of fanfare. To celebrate, today's Tuesday Book Recs are all in some way math-related (and excellent reads). 

(Descriptions adapted from Goodreads)

1. Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

This historical fiction honors the invaluable role the Navajo Code Talkers played in World War II and  highlights the danger these brave individuals put themselves in and the sacrifices they made even after the brutal and cruel treatment their people had received at the hands of US colonizers.

2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone thrives on patterns and rules, so the murder of his neighbor's dog, Wellington, disrupts his world in such a way that he can't help but investigate the murder, following in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes, his favorite detective.

3. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

In this trilogy, Lyra discovers that the world (or worlds, as the case may be) is much larger than she had previously imagined and finds herself a central player in a fierce battle between multiple sides. (Fun fact: my dog is named after this Lyra!)

4. The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Of course the day Kady decides to break up with her boyfriend is the day their remote planet, Kerenza, is attacked by BeiTech Industries. Now she, Ezra, and the rest of the survivors are on the run in a trio of ships, desperate to reach the Heimdall Waypoint and the help of the United Terran Authority before BeiTech's remaining ship, the Lincoln, catches up with them and kills them all. But with resources in short supply, a damaged AI system, and a mysterious illness making its way through the crew of the Copernicus, the Lincoln may be the least of the refugees' worries...

5. Little Gods by Meng Jin

This book pieces together the mysterious life of Liya's mother, Su Lan, through Liya's memories and experiences, the reflections of the father Liya never met, and the reminiscence of Su Lan's former neighbor, Zhu Wen. I wish I could say more about it, because I feel like that might not sound the most enticing, but it's so strange and fascinating. Trust - it's a great read.

6. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

Since being struck by lightning as a child, Lucy Callahan has had synesthesia, seeing numbers as colors, and has a genius-level affinity for math. She has been homeschooled since it happened and is perfectly content with her life, but her grandma keeps pushing for her to try just one year at the local middle school. Lucy isn't sure what middle school is going to be able to teach her that homeschooling and her online math friends have not, but she agrees to give it a try...maybe she'll learn more than she bargained for. 

And, as a bonus, a couple of pie books!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows

From Goodreads: "January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb..." This book has been on my list for quite some time, and I was almost tempted to watch the Netflix movie a couple days ago, but I feel like I have to read the book first so the movie can properly ruin it. 😉 If any of you decide to read it, let me know and we can read it together!

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman

Ok, yes, this is a picture book. Don't scoff! It is amazing and hilarious and one of my favorites. On Monday, Llama comes across a pile of cake. Now, Llama loves cake, so of course, he eats it all. Little does he know that by Friday this innocent action will result in the destruction of the world...but what will happen when he comes across a mountain of pie? (Spoiler alert: NOT the alpacalypse...that comes later.)

This Story is a Lie - Tom Pollock

My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"A YA thriller described as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time meets John le Carré, about a teen math prodigy with an extreme anxiety disorder who finds himself caught in a web of lies and conspiracies after an assassination attempt on his mother.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a math genius who suffers from an extreme anxiety disorder, one that subjects him to intense panic attacks. He only manages to get through his daily life with the constant help of his scientist mom and his beloved twin sister, Bel. But when their mother is nearly assassinated in front of their eyes--during a major awards ceremony in her honor--Pete finds himself separated from Bel, alone, and on the run. 

Dragged into a strange world where state and family secrets intertwine, Pete has to use his extraordinary analytical skills to find his missing sister, uncover the mystery of his mother's life's work, and track down the people who attacked her--all the while fighting to keep a grip on the fear response that threatens to overwhelm him. Weaving back and forth between his past and present, the novel is an extraodinary testimonial from a protagonist who is brilliant, broken, and trying to be brave."

I wanted to love this, but it was a struggle. The first chapter was jarring, it was frustrating to follow, and from the beginning I couldn't get into it. Nearly halfway through the book, there didn't seem to be any driving force behind the story beyond the hazy "my mom is a spy" twist and "I have severe anxiety/paranoid delusions/who knows wtf else." It felt like a concept for a story being forced into becoming an entire plot. There wasn't any real character development, no opportunity to connect to anyone in the story, and the "assassination attempt" and ensuing drama felt forced.

I know it's a psychological thriller, and it may have been by design that it was never clear what was going on--after all, that's how the main character feels a lot of the time, so why not put your readers in his shoes. I can appreciate the attempt, but I'm not a fan of spending an entire book in the dark like that. Then there was the inclusion of his father as a looming threat, even after it became clear the dad had nothing to do with what was happening. At first I wondered whether he might crop up, but it seemed in the end to be nothing more than a way to incorporate punishing domestic violence perpetrators into the story, I guess so Bel could be a monster but not that much of a monster. Again, it felt forced. Ultimately, while I find the concept for this story intriguing, the execution was a bit too hazy for my tastes.