I read this the first time in 11th grade and hated it! I thought it was so boring, and I have to admit that high-school me was not that far off the mark. There are some really great moments of action, and I found the Monster's tale particularly poignant. But the vast majority of this book is Frankenstein lamenting about how ANGUISHED, and WRETCHED, and deep in DESPAIR he is (using those 3 terms over and over and over again) and it got old fast.

Similar to The Road, this is yet another book that is a solid example of the dystopian genre but doesn't do anything groundbreaking or new. The pacing is off with entire decades passing between the very short chapters. The beginning was awful, and I almost put it down. It gets much better once the world as we know it ends. I'm happy to have read this science fiction classic that was written by a woman but I can't highly recommend it.

Unofficially participating in #booktubeathon (readthon for folks who make and/or watch videos about books on YouTube) I'm not taking part in any of the challenges this year. I just really want to make some dents in these books that I've been reading off and on for the past couple of months.
I'm only reading Frankenstein from the second book. If I finish it and Hunger and put a dent in the other books I will consider the week a success.

This book was really interesting primarily because of it's subject matter. I didn't know anything about the wealth of the Osage tribe and the Reign of Terror that violently took the lives of so many members of the tribe. Grann did a lot of research and he tells the story in a way that really helps characterize the main players in the events and keeps it interesting. Definitely worth picking up if you're into history or true crime.

This book wasn't bad but it wasn't particularly remarkable either. It's a great example of a post-apocalyptic novel but it doesn't really add much to the genre. The prose was really great though. I was interested in the question of whether or not there can be a such thing as good and evil in a world where civilization has fallen but this is a common trope in the genre and I have seen pieces explore it in more interesting ways.

One of the best ways to get through a reading slump is to re-read an old favorite. This book was amazing the second time around. The main character is trying to find who he is and how he fits into the world and he keeps getting pushed out by various facets of society. Ellison does a great job exploring The way that race complicates this existential journey. So many beautiful and painful moments in this novel. Highly recommend it.

My currently reading shelf is out of control. I want to read everything and nothing all at the same time. Currently prioritizing The Idiot by Elif Batuman because it's a library book with a due date which I hope will motivate me to complete it. #readingslump #bookdating #playingthefield

Using the readathon to finish up a bunch of books I've started this year. Just completed The Sound and the Fury. On to completing my re-read of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. #readathon

"As surely as my name is Magdalene, you are the line I will step across.... But I forgot that there are all kinds of ways to pee on people." Read him, Magdalene called Lena! Tell him off, honey! Her whole speech to Milkman is #epic

"I think friendships are the result of certain needs that can be completely hidden from both people, sometimes hidden forever."

#readsoullit Day #8: Anticipated New Releases I've read Ward before and really want to check out more of her work. Haven't read Percival Everett yet but I like the sound of this book that examines the price of being an artist. #catchup #blackhistorymonth #newreleases

#readsoullit Day 7 Underrated Authors- This one was a bit hard for me. I try to read authors that are flying under the radar, but I also have a hard time returning to the work of newly discovered authors, and I don't like vouching for authors if I haven't read a lot of their work. These are all authors I've read only one piece by, but they impressed me enough to trust that the rest of their work won't disappoint. Especially John Keene. #underrated

#readsoullit Day 5 & 6 I'm playing catch-up. I combined 5 Star Reads with Favs from 2016 since I gave all of these books five stars and read all of them last year except for The Bluest Eye. That one's just one of my faves of all time. #blackhistorymonth #fivestarreads

#readsoullit Day 4 Book that Made You Cry. So many of the characters' stories in both of these books deeply moved me. Baldwin in particular always does something to me. #blackhistorymonth

#readsoullit Day 3 A Book and a Drink: Toni Morrison, Raymond Chandler, and cheap wine. #fridayreads

#readsoullit Day 2 January Wrap-Up: These were the 3 books I started and finished in January. I also completed a few reads left over from 2016 that are not included. My #readsoullit reads that month were Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze and Detroit '67 by Dominique Morisseau. Highly recommend Detroit' 67 a play where a brother and sister take in a wounded white woman during the Detroit Riots.

#readsoullit is a month long photo and reading challenge encouraging others to read and promote work by black authors during Black History Month here in the US. @BrownGirlReading is also hosting a readalong of Bedrock Faith by Eric May. You should join us!

Day 1 #readsoullit TBR in honor of Black History Month. I was in the mood for some feminist literature. Also reading Bedrock Faith by Eric May (the #readsoullit readalong pick) and continuing my re-read of Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.

My first completed book during the #24in48 readathon and what a wonderful read it was. I'm so happy my theatre company is doing this piece. Set during the Detroit Riots of 1967 this play is about a brother and sister trying to get ahead in a world that is determined to keep them down. It's about people falling in love in a world that would rather tear them apart. It's about standing up to injustice and leaving your mark. Loved it!

Quote continued..."that you got, you and him ain't never gon' be the same." Chelle explaining to Caroline how her privilege provides her with a power that Sly will never have. #24in48

This quote really spoke to me today. We'll never see change if we don't step out of our comfort zones and do something about the injustice in the world. #24in48

The books I'll be choosing from this weekend. #24in48 #24in48readathon #tbr

You ever read a book that you actually enjoyed but you also couldn't wait to be over. That is this book. The storyline and the characters are actually quite interesting. It has a very Gothic feel to it. I like Marian Halcombe. She is smart, resourceful, and extremely valuable. But it goes on entirely too long. After who the woman in white is revealed, there's still 100 pages left in the story. It's a lot longer than it needs to be.

I finished this a while back and totally forgot to post about it. Wasn't crazy about this. I like the character of Holmes of course but I didn't find the mystery they were solving very interesting and the piece does contain some casual racism against indigenous people. Definitely found the perpetrator's story about how he obtained the treasure the most interesting part. I think I might prefer Doyle in the longer form. #sherlocked

So this book starts with Sherlock Holmes shooting up. 👀👀
Joining the #sherlocked readalong using the #serialreader app because a chapter a day is literally all the reading I seem to be able to commit to at the moment. #readingslump

Reading to my niecey-poo. #readsoullit

"There's the bizarre fact that queerness reads, even to some black gay men themselves, as a kind of whiteness." Hmmm....... #amreading #takingnotes #excusemyhandwriting

Everytime I open this book I discover a new writer, or movie director, or musician that sounds interesting to me. Anybody know anything about Bruce Nugent?

This had a wonderful creepy beginning that it failed to deliver on in the end. Everything is tied up a bit too neatly.