Why did I wait to read this? What a fantastic quick read that I will want to revisit over and over.

I mainly agree with Ketchum. I think the land should be protected and sustained. I am an atheist who lived in Oregon and was furious about what happened at Malheur.
But Ketchum does not use these 400 pages to make an argument, or tell a history lesson. He rants and raves and swears. All to the choir. No one will be swayed by the book. If anything they will be turned off and listen even less.

I feel like there is going to be a language barrier for me to get over on this one.

If nothing else pick this one up for the history. I learned so much about people like Pablo Neruda and Elizabeth Eidenbenz, Allende's own Godfather is in this - I had no idea he was once a Chilean president that the US government helped overthrow.

December reading goals!

November Reads Roundup

A few favorites this month _
Me by Elton John
The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

I do not have any Chilean history knowledge. And am facinated to learn how much Pablo Neruda had to do with helping so many Spaniards who were displaced by the terror of Franco.
This book is interesting, easily read, and explores a history not many talk about.

I have gushed beyond belief about this book to any human who will listen to me.
Funny, sad, heartwarming, extravagant, wild. It is all in here and all of it is incredible.
Bonus is that you hear his music the entire time you read the book.

Getting to the end and just adoring this read.

This is one of the best biographies I gave read in years. It is funny, and sad, and somehow through all the debauchery if feels almost wholesome.

I have read some mixed reviews of this. Mostly it seems by people who are invested in the TV show, or people who have put a lot of pressure on this because of an award it won.
I went in expecting nothing more then a return to Gilead and a good sit down with Atwood. And I enjoyed this immensely. Her style of writing is easy to get into but not unintelligently written.

"This place is weird as fuck". But this book is excellent!

Someone at the library put the cover on upside down and backwards 😂

It was insanity, but it sounded romantic.

Lines that stopped me in my track. That was Sally Rooney's Normal People.
This book is not for everyone. But ai wanted to climb right into it. Loved the language and the courage of the story telling.

The irony that I am loving this book for the language and quotes like this - "literature fetishised for it's ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys"

Image from: https://whatnownat.com/my-summer-2019-reading-list/

My monthly reading goals:
1 LGBTQAI+
1 Author of Color
1 Non Fiction
1 500+ pager
1 Non-ABC (not American, British, Canadian - the countries I read the most of)

Thinking one book can check off no more then 2 categories in a month, but would like to read one of each a month if possible.

I have always thought the Franco war is one that authors do not explore as much as they should.

Matching the nails with my reads!

#bookhaul after the PDX book festival makes me excited and anxious! So many new books to read, my TBR list is OUT of control.

I was unsure about this book. But only a few hours into the audio and I am so glad I picked it up. I am loving the mood and the language.

What is more then a Listy pick? A shove? Because I am going to shove this book at everyone. I hate that I have to wait months for it to be released! I love it. The writing is wonderful to the point of being magical. The story is interesting and masterfully woven. Nothing but good things to say.

Here we go! I hear audio is the best way to get into this story.

I am so glad I listened to this. The writing and story are so dreamy and the narrator's voice was perfect for the mood.

This book is fine. Which is a bummer. I really like Akilah Hughes. I enjoy when she is on pods and I follow her on Twitter.
Not everyone needs an aubiography. I really wish she would have gotten a stand-up special instead.

My yearly geek out at the Portland Book Festival. Mayhem cat helping plan the day

50 pages in and really getting the vibe. I gave read a lot of disappointing ARCs lately and I was scared to pick this up, but it is so far as good as I could hope.

"We were like wanderers in a desert, blessed with a rare downpour, but unable to store the rain."
I am loving Karen Thompson Walkers writing.

The protagonist is a ship? I can get down with that. Imaginative and thought provoking.

Not going to lie, I got a bit teary eyed with this one. Imagining what these children went through, it is beyond me. This is a fictionalized account, but with Georgia Tann stealing five thousand children and trafficking them, no doubt with the research Wingate has done it is a happier story then many of Tann's victims had.
Well worth the read and the research.

Starting The Dreamers on audio, what better way to listen then hiking through the forest!

The ideas and World that Solomon has created here is very interesting. I just struggled with the language. The choppy sentences, the coldness if the characters (and their way of speaking). Unhelpful too was the way the story line often jumped and made me feel a bit lost.
But if you are looking for a hard sci fi book with a different take this is one to give a shot to.

*image from NY public Library*
I listened to this on audio after many people recommend that medium, and it did not disappoint. Michelle reads the book which is important for me with autobiographies. I did not realize at the time the work she did with the military families. I also appreciate the honesty she gave throughout the book on how some things were just plain hard.
The only critique I have is that the ending felt a bit rushed.

I can already tell this one will end with me doing a lot of research on.

Finally getting to this inspiration.

Run fast, run away. Wow was this a struggle, and in the end completely not worth it. The writing is bad, the characters are boring, every other chapter is a different story and not in an interesting way. I dreaded having to pick it up to finish it.

October book club read

Patrick Rothfuss recommend.

I am so glad to be one of those people who can DNF a book. In the middle of two I am struggling with and this one is not worth the struggle.
I love the cover though 😍

I have to admit 140 pages in and I am struggling.

This was fun! I fully believe October is for Magic, Monsters and Murder. If you can get some humor in there too - what a bonus.
This book is well written. If came out in 2011, very close to when the iZombie GN came out. There are a lot of similarities, but enough difference that it still feels new and a bit unpredictable.

"You've a good heart. Sometimes that's enough to see you safe wherever you go. But mostly, it's not"

Slow start on this. Hoping for the best I enjoyed the movie but found it a bit to "white saviour" Want a bit more from the book

Almost done. This book is so much fun!

I always want to love Okorafor. But in the end I usually am more confused with a bunch of questions then I am happy and entertained. There is no denying that her imagination and creativity is out of this world I personally need more story and depth to her works to really enjoy them.

Continuing my Women and Diversity in Space September reads.

The 50's style lingo felt a bit forced. I also did not enjoy what felt like a flow between the story telling, a diary entry and a loosing of the 4th wall. The writing style was a total miss for me while the story was almost too close to reality and the characters were interesting and diverse. So in all the book was a mixed bag for me.

"Never let it be said I'm not an equal opportunity insubordinate: I ignore my own advice as often as I ignore anyone else's"

Excellent and necessary. But not easy.

This was a beast of a book. 900 pages - 40 audio hours. I knew before going in that my American history is incredibly bad. But the thing I learned went far beyond Douglass' life.
Some of the criticism (especially of the women in his life) I found potentially problematic. I felt a lot of the authors opinions might have been better left out. But it did bring an extra layer of interest to the book. And a real reason to do more research.