For some reason, I thought this was a book of essays from multiple queer contributors. Rather, it‘s trans woman Allen‘s tale of traveling to different red state places that have been important in her life and exploring the queer oases present there. It‘s such a positive, hopeful book. I just loved it.

Lyle is the chief scientist at a cosmetics company searching for a great anti-aging lotion. He ends up with something a bit different, discovering in tests that it has a major impact on the user‘s DNA. This is a faintly ludicrous book (but doesn‘t claim to be anything else), but it‘s really entertaining with some good social commentary. I give it a soft pick.

Alexis and her friends can do magic, but then something goes very wrong and the attempts to fix it aren‘t much better. This is a fun story and a nice look at female friendships in young (high school) women. I like Gailey‘s adult novels a bit better than this one, but still really enjoyed it.

This book does a blow-by-blow of 2020, throws in a bit of history, then talks about the various factions within the left and the right, all while clearly speaking only to the left. Then firmly presses the point about how each side is not going to simply go away, but then says the socialist democrat agenda will save us all! I agree with a lot of his politics, but this book is a complete mess! Don‘t waste your time.

My hold FINALLY came in for the #DrZ buddy read and my library system thinks this book is…YA?!? 😯 Uh, ok. 😂 Based on the reactions I‘m seeing, I‘m not sure how far I‘m going to get in this one, but I‘m going to try!

This is a fantastic look at bias, blending numerous social science research studies that reveal how bias develops and real world programs intended to reduce bias, showing what has and hasn‘t worked. I found myself nodding through a lot of it. I think it would be a great tool in many settings (um, like for juries, maybe?), and it‘s a terrific read.

I had no interest in this book, but then heard Emily on a podcast and was curious. She is thoughtful in her examination of the co-opting of women‘s bodies, especially her own, to be used by and for men. She acknowledges her changing understanding of this since she started modeling. I‘m glad to see someone known for their body providing this kind of commentary. I think this will be especially good for young women to read.

I have finished reading the 2021 NBA fiction longlist and starred the five books I would have put on the shortlist (the five upper ones are the actual shortlist). If I could pick 6, Abundance would be in there as well. I think Matrix would be my winner, but I‘m delighted Hell of a Book won. I have no idea what Zorrie and The Souvenir Museum are doing on this list. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I know there are people who love McCracken, but I am just not one of them. This is my second go at her, and only because this was on the NBA longlist for fiction, and she is just not for me. And it doesn‘t help that the audio is terrible! I thought the collection I just finished from Te-Ping Chen was SO much better.

And that‘s a wrap! I have officially completed #ReadingAsia2021! 🥳🎉🍾 I included a few of my standout reads for the challenge in the pic, but there were so many books I really enjoyed. I learned a lot about Asia, and I‘m glad I did. I‘m so excited to head to Africa in 2022!

Erika Fatland traveled through the Central Asian former Soviet Stans and relates here her travels, some history, and current events in the area. I thought this was fascinating. She did a good job of varying the information so it didn‘t get bogged down. This was a great book to wrap up #ReadingAsia2021. #Tajikistan

This one is the latest in the Stephanie Plum series, now veering away from using the number titles. (Exciting development!) Diesel returns in this one and Lula has some great lines, as usual. It‘s typical for the series, so fun but a bit repetitive.

Right now seems like a good time to focus on bias. For, you know, reasons.

Single dad Henry is trying to make a better life for himself and his young son, but they are living out of his truck and scraping for the money just to eat each day. We see his struggles alongside a second storyline that shows us how this came to be. This is really well done but brutal. I recommend it but suggest having something light to turn to afterward.

I sometimes struggle with short story collections, but not this one! Each story explores some aspect of Chinese culture, and that thematic linkage really worked for me. Plus, many of the story endings are unsettling in a good way, making them stick with you. Fabulous debut!

(#Literati gives you a sort of confetti each time you finish a book! This was Malala‘s pick for November.)

I listened to the first 20% of this and I‘m just not at all engaged in it, so back it goes to the library! I really don‘t know if it‘s me or the book. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Am I the only one who can only think of Spies Like Us when I see Dushanbe? 😂

Chloe has been recruited to attend her college to be part of a study about psychopaths. And, she just happens to be plotting to kill someone. Because of this somewhat absurd premise, I struggled to get into this initially, but what I liked about it is that when things start getting hairy, Chloe responds in true psychopath fashion, which was fun. A soft pick for me.

This book is well titled: it is literally a collection of speeches and writings from RBG, related to her work and life. I just loved it, though of course it was bittersweet. RIP, RBG. We REALLY miss you! 😢

On a jungle island in SE Asia, people are suddenly dying violently, killed by an unknown force. This is a self-published book, put forward in novella-length installments, with no editing (and it shows). There‘s a decent base here for a book, but it needs a lot more drafts and polishing. I read half the installments and that was plenty for me.

#ReadingAsia2021 #Brunei

In Range, David Epstein makes the case that we are actually better served casting our net wide rather than super-specializing in a field. He uses real world examples of how super-specialization can lead to worse outcomes and dissatisfaction. I love social science books, and I really enjoyed this one. I definitely recommend it.

This book is Nichole Perkins‘ memoir in essays. She has a wonderful voice and is frank about her love of sex without being prurient. It‘s so well balanced and she really had me wanting to keep reading. And I have two words for you: panty liner. (You have to read it and find out what I mean. It‘s quite a 😲😳😂 moment!)

High school senior Mira is trying to get home for Christmas, but a blizzard closes down the airport. Her seat mate on her prior flight and a group of friends are renting a car, so Mira decides to go with them. Only, turns out they don‘t know each other at all. Then things get scary. There‘s some great tension building here, and well-written vehicular scares, but it hinges on a premise I didn‘t buy and the red herrings are poorly done.

In the late 1800s, Dr Thomas Cream murdered people, mainly women and mainly by poisoning, successively in Canada, the US, and England. This book tells the story of his crimes and his fate. It‘s told in a nonlinear fashion, which is a little odd, but it didn‘t diminish my enjoyment of the tale and it was easy to follow.

What a fantastic book! This tome weaves a more modern story, mainly following one character and her family, with a more sweeping history focusing on one particular piece of now Georgia. It somehow manages to write large the reality of white oppression of both indigenous and African people in the US and be an intimate personal story. Do not let the length put you off. I didn‘t want it to end.

I‘m back home and discovered the post office did not hold our mail as we had asked. 😑 The up side? We were able to peel my books out of the PO Box, so now I have them a day sooner than I expected! 🥳 I‘ve really been enjoying #literati, especially since there are so many nonfiction picks and the discussions overall are good. Can‘t wait to get started on these, the tagged one first!

Felix is trans and still learning more about his gender identity while trying to fit into his school and wanting desperately to be loved. There‘s some great stuff in here about identity and being ok with not having it all figured out. I really enjoyed this.

Look at this gorgeous edition I spotted today. It can be yours for a mere $75! 😳

I feel like I read a different book from all the glowing reviews. This is a coming of age story advanced by prurience and soaked in misogyny. If it had been a self-aware look at the misogyny of the 1970s, that would be great, but it‘s not. Plus, all the female characters are one-note caricatures. Deeply disappointing for a book published in 2016. 😫

Here‘s my #bookhaul from Powell‘s! There may also be some gifts I bought that aren‘t pictured. 🤫 What a good day! ☺️

I‘m so happy to report I was back at Mecca today! (Ok, Powell‘s, but they‘re synonyms.) I spent a couple happy hours browsing. 🥰 Bookhaul to come later!

In 1722 near Philadelphia, two colonists beat an Indian to death. This book details, with deep research, the response of the white and Indian communities. It shows a lot about the mindsets of each group of people and gives insight we don‘t always bother with into a group of indigenous Americans. For me, the details bogged down the story a bit, but for other readers I think they will make this narrative richer.

I walked over to the Cannon Beach Book Company today and picked up this haul! If you‘re ever in town, it‘s a great indie.

This is a fun, if a bit dated in places (questions about cassette tape recorders, anyone?) book of questions and answers that tries to be funny in places and sometimes succeeds. It‘s not one I would say run out and buy, but if you happen to see it in a LFL, it‘s worth picking up. (And, spoiler alert, yes, they do! 🐧)

Here‘s my haul from Beach Books! I‘m very excited to finally have one of their t-shirts. And the socks say “Hate will fucking Lose.” And the book? This is why I love bookstores! I hadn‘t heard of this one at all and it looks absolutely fascinating. 🤓

I stopped by my former local bookstore and look at this! That‘s my review! 🥳 So now I know I‘m in the store even when I‘m not there! That gives me warm fuzzies. ☺️

Small haul in next post. 📚

This one sounded really interesting to me, exploring the beliefs and practices of Plains Indian women. But I‘m finding it reeeeaaaalllllllllyyyyyyy dry. So, no thanks!

Headstrong provides micro-bios of kickass historical women in science. I liked how it looks across disciplines, though these are virtually all white, Western women. Oh, and there‘s a lot of no on will hire or pay them and getting one‘s work stolen by a man kind of garbage across these stories, natch.

Here‘s my final #bookspinbingo board for October! 🥳🍁🎃 One bingo and a couple close! I‘m sitting out November and plan to continue working on this board, but I‘ll be back in December!

A young man signs up to be a fishing guide for a fancy, private mountain lodge, but something seems not quite right. This is a slow build to the conclusion, which is needed, as a faster lead-up would have been hard to believe. I enjoyed it other than the message that it‘s a good idea to carry a concealed weapon. There are spoilers in here for The River, though you do not have to have read that book to enjoy this one.

This book is weird. It follows 3 women (girls?) who are abused and possibly gaslit their entire lives by their parents as they live in isolation at a weird hotel. I think it‘s trying to explore misogyny and abuse, but it‘s just a little too opaque.

In 2003, a team of thieves carried out the largest diamond heist in history, stealing an estimated over 400 million euro in gems. Flawless puts together how the planning and execution of the heist occurred as well as the investigation. Plus there‘s some interesting info on how the diamond business works. This is fascinating! If you‘re looking for non-murdery true crime, this is a great choice.

Helena lives in isolation with her parents in the marsh and eventually learns her father kidnapped her mother. Her childhood life goes back and forth with her current life, where her father has just escaped from prison. This is well done but a deeply disturbing look at the human psyche.

I loved Red Clocks, so I thought I would give this backlist title a try, and it‘s a hard no. The writing is bizarre to the point of nonsensical. What it does tell me, though, is to give an author a second chance, since every book is different.

The Sum of Us is an exquisitely researched book that shows how racist policies and behaviors have hurt everyone. Plus, McGhee imparts hope into the book by showing successful changes in some communities, giving us a path forward. I think that balance and offering solutions is vital. This book is phenomenal and I hope it ends up widely read.

My husband is just wrapping up putting down new laminate in my office (also my nonfiction room), so I took the opportunity of having to move all my NF books to do some organizing. I‘ve pulled all my Africa-associated books, both fiction and non, and put them here on my closet shelves to start prepping for #ReadingAfrica2022!

Grace has just achieved her PhD in astronomy but is flailing, which manifests in her drunkenly marrying a stranger in Vegas. This book is billed as a romance, and while there‘s that element, it‘s really about those moments in life when we are lost and just don‘t know what to do next. I found this extremely relatable. I just loved it!

Ava is a single mom in 2017, struggling after job loss, when her wealthy white grandmother asks for her help as she suffers dementia (and her racism starts becoming more visible). Ava‘s ancestor Josephine is born into slavery then later runs a successful farm. We follow both their stories as they work hard to live within their times and race. This is really good. And I think the cover is gorgeous! (And the pic is thanks to a power outage.)

In 1909, a group of men set off on an expedition to search out the Ark of the Covenant, the location of which they believed they had determined by using a cipher hidden in the Bible. I won‘t tell you what they found, but it‘s a fun story. I‘m giving it a soft pick because I do think it could have been written/organized better, but I enjoyed it.

This is what book awards lists are all about. I‘ve heard of but never read Groff, and I was uninterested in this book because the life of a 12th century nun? Um, no thanks. But I‘m reading the NBA lists and I really enjoyed this! It‘s a great story with some “hell yeah!” feminist moments that I really got invested in. And the audio is so well done. This one gets my vote for the prize!