Sara Sinclair did a wonderful job in collecting a diverse range of people to interview, each adding their own piece of the larger story of the effects of colonialism, of racism, of broken treaties, of residential/boarding schools and the sixties scoop, of the crisis of MMIWG. These oral stories relayed pain and injustice, and they held hope and love in abundance. #bookblanket

The thrift store was very kind to me today. 😃

I kept seeing this book classified as a thriller, and I think that threw my expectations off a bit. I definitely enjoyed it even if it had a different feel than I anticipated. Yes, there was some mystery and some tense moments. But its true strength was the characters—their authenticity, their family relationships, and the way they each seemed to grow in their ability to see themselves and their relationships with more truth. #bookblanket

One of the items on my “things I keep meaning to do” list was read something by T. Kingfisher. Damn—glad I finally got around to it! I could not have loved this creepy retelling of Poe‘s The Fall of the House of Usher more! Is it sacrilege to say I enjoyed it way more than the original? T. Kingfisher‘s writing is an absolute delight! (And since that item from the list worked out so well, next I think I‘ll be hitting the tattoo parlor…)

The first 20 or 30 pages of this book felt very middle grade-ish. Not that I mind middle grade books, but it had been shelved in the adult graphic novel section at the library so I was thrown. But it definitely picked up for me after human extinction. Lol. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. And the art—utterly gorgeous!!

I loved everything about this book. Ed Yong is a supreme science writer, making the complex understandable and doing it with wonderful but not overpowering sense of humor. I learned so much from this book, but even more it was one of those extremely rare books that changed the way I view the world.

Darcie Little Badger again showcases her wonderful storytelling skills in this sad, hopeful, love-filled, and painful tale. It features Nina, a Lipan Apache teenage girl and Oli, a cottonmouth boy from the Reflecting World. It beautifully tells the story of how their lives connect in an effort to save Oli‘s friend, Ami, a toad whose Earth-equivalent species is facing extinction on Earth. #bookblanket

Holly Gibney is one of my favorite fictional characters, so I was excited for this book. But Holly wasn‘t quite Holly. She just felt off. I didn‘t hate this book—I loved spending more time with beloved characters Jerome, Barbara, and Holly, and it was interesting to have the comparison of how differently fame can affect people with the contrast of Kate and Sista Bessie. So not my favorite Stephen King book, but they all can‘t be favorites…

“The mushroom‘s gills were the deep-red color of severed muscle, the almost-violet shade that contrasts so dreadfully with the pale pink of viscera.”
First line and I‘m sold.

Wonderful fast-paced thriller. Examines the way that social media influencers and true crime amateur sleuths can affect the way the public looks at crime. And the way race plays an enormous role, both from a victim‘s and an accused‘s standpoint. Definitely loved this one. #bookblanket

I shall never look at spirals the same ever again. My youngest has long been a huge fan of Junji Ito, so I‘ve been meaning to read something of his for a while. When I asked Max which I should try, he didn‘t hesitate to recommend Uzumaki. And holy crap, am I glad he did! This was one weird and wild ride! I honestly think it‘s a masterpiece of body horror. Creepy with continually building tension. Seriously loved this one. #bookblanket

Second book in a row that I honestly can‘t decide how I feel about. *sigh* On the plus side: the beautiful writing, the magical realism, the authentic-feeling flow of Nadia‘s and Saeed‘s relationship. But on the other hand, I never felt compelled to pick it up once I‘d started despite the fact that it‘s a very short book. That said, I am glad I read it.

Ugh, I had such a hard time rating this book. I knew right where this story was going the whole time (possibly the author‘s intent?). I found the characters rather annoying (though unlikeabley characters don‘t ruin a book for me). It felt a little like an old Criminal Minds episode with more background and more sex (which I guess is neither good nor bad for me). Ended up giving it a pick as I could not put it down!

Searching around for some local authors, I came across Sejal Shah and her collection of essays. Thank you, Internet! There‘s so much in these essays, identity and community, food and travel, weddings and dancing, joy and sorrow. And I do admit all the Rochester mentions—from the Lake to Cobb‘s Hill to Monroe Ave—well, there‘s just something so fun about hearing mentions of the places that are part of your world, isn‘t there?

While I wouldn‘t say these books completely knocked my socks off, they were sweet and cute and charming. I mean, come on, vegetable people! 😍 And the art—utterly adorable! #bookblanket

I‘m certainly not the intended audience for this book, and because of that fact I hate giving it a thumbs down. Not sure I would have loved it when I was young, but I likely wouldn‘t have rolled my eyes a dozen times either. I read it because I needed a book with a character named Nancy and a book published between 1900 and 1950 for reading prompts. I can say I‘m happy to have at last read a Nancy Drew book, but I can‘t see ever reading another.

Honestly don‘t know how to do this book justice. Interesting setting—Argentina in the 80‘s and 90‘s. Historical, social, supernatural, and body horror. A freaking creepy cult with a couple of evil old ladies at the helm. Friendship. The lengths a parent will go to protect one‘s child. And the ease with which another parent would throw their child away. Very long, but worth it.

Latest four reads added to my #bookblanket

Written back in the mid-60‘s during the Cold War era, but still quite relevant today. Quite relevant indeed. It‘s a very short story about how easy it is to mold the thoughts of others, especially from a position of power. The reason I rated it as so-so instead of a pick is simply that it felt too short. Yes, it made its point, but I feel it could have been even more effective had it been fleshed out a bit more.

What a gem of a poetry collection! It had never occurred to me that one could write sci-fi poetry. (My imagination apparently needs work.) The language is so visual, and every poem shone with importance. There are two poems included that I think will stick with me forever — “Forever Elusive” and “Lobster-in-Chief”

Creepy, unnerving. Ghosts and a haunted house. But the real horrors are the inter-generational trauma, colonialism, and racism. There‘s also strained family relationships, the loss of a best friend, coming out, and more. It sounds like maybe too much…but it honestly wasn‘t in the adept hands/brain of Trang Thanh Tran.

“I‘m lost for words over the million little ways we can still hurt for family we hardly know.”

Forest Euphoria was a balm to my bruised and battered soul. Rarely has a book spoken to my heart in a way that made me feel so understood. I‘m already looking forward to rereading this beautiful memoir, this love letter to the earth and all its inhabitants.