I'm using a pencil a lot with this one - to mark significant passages and new-to-me information, to note sections that recall the work of Audre Lorde and others, and to point out parallels to current events. It's like a discussion with myself.

Some of this is bringing me back to the Eugenic Feminism paper I wrote for Social Movements class in college. That was one of first times I discovered for myself the editing of history.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This is the first Ishiguro I have read, so I have no idea how it compares to his other work, but I was totally and pleasantly taken in by this novel. A lot is said about the human condition, about the difficult choices we make for the people we #love, and about the nature of love itself. All beautifully told through the lens of our non-human main character: Klara, the artificial friend.

What #Ishiguro should I read next?

⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this! But I wanted a little more from it.

I'm giving it a hesitant "Pick" status because I don't think "So-So" does the story justice.

Started #Outlawed today. It has quite a mixed bag of reviews! Have you read it?

The first couple pages gave me anxiety, but I have settled in a bit and am looking forward to the adventure ahead.

Next up!

#tonimorrison #onelessinmytbr #short #amercy #currentlyreading

Using today's extra hour to finally finally read this!

It's been a while, Litsy! Sadly I have not been reading much lately, for good and bad reasons.

The good? I've been on a few adventures. In July, my mom and I went on horseback safari in Kenya! It was incredible!

The bad? Work is taking up most of my time and energy. We're understaffed, like many places, and I come home feeling unable to do much other than watch TV. But I'm trying to combat that! I miss reading!

📸: On safari in the Masai Mara!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This was a beautiful novel that wove together multiple generations of women and the struggles they faced. Revolution, addiction, abuse, loss. How different and yet how similar the women are in their suffering and their fight. Set in Miami, Mexico, and Cuba.

Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wow. This was such a delightful, joyful, relatable, quirky, wonderful read. I laughed out loud on airplanes. I reminisced about my own first love and friendships. It made me fall in love with reading all over again, and I ordered the sequel immediately!

A few pages in and I'm already laughing! 😂

Also, are you normal or do you also take photos of sections of text because you want to remember them (because they are funny, educational, inspirational, well-written, etc)? My phone is full of photos like this and I'm pretty confident I hardly ever revisit them.

Layover reading!

I finished these over the weekend. I would classify them both as picks, both as 4⭐️

The Yellow House - Broom's memoir and family history centered in New Orleans. I recommend to everyone with a love of, or interest in, the city.

Uncomfortable Conversations - A very approachable primer to anti-racism and allyship. Much of the content was familiar to me, but I still found it worthwhile and I valued his unique perspective. A good place to start.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love Mandel's writing! It's so easy to become immersed in the worlds she creates. I'm not usually a fan of time travel, but I liked what she did here and how the characters and timelines collided. The Olive Llewellyn storyline (which was a bit of autofiction!) was so relatable – I kept thinking back to 2020.
There was much reflection on what matters and what it means to be human, regardless of the technology or time we have. (Cont.)

I can't help but wonder – how much is Olive Llewellyn's character/story based on Emily St. John Mandel's own experiences as an author? In the Llewellyn storyline, there is much reflection on balancing work as an author with being a mother. The internal struggle. The sexism and criticism. And of course, Llewellyn has written a post-apocalyptic pandemic novel just a handful of years before a real-life pandemic. (Continued in comments)

Took myself out to brunch today! Enjoying this so far - can't wait to see where it goes!

#SeaofTranquility #EmilyStJohnMandel #CurrentRead #TimeTravel #signededition

Four day trip to visit my parents. What on earth did I think I was doing? 😆 #toomanybooks
~
Currently reading the tagged book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½
~
This year I'm trying to pick up the books I've accidentally abandoned over the years. Those I DNF because life got in the way or a more exciting book came along.
I started this book about 12 years ago but didn't get very far before setting it down. I never got back to it...until today.
I am so so glad I picked it back up from the beginning! This was an incredible story about identity, surviving tragedy, and growing up. Highly recommend!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a great novel. I didn't think the mystery itself was the greatest, but the way it was packaged and the story it served was excellent.
~
With his job in jeopardy, a black Texas Ranger investigates the deaths of a black man & a white woman in East Texas, where tensions are high. Are they connected? What, if any, role did race play in their deaths? What will our Ranger learn & reveal about himself & his state during the investigation?

⭐⭐⭐
This collection of poems is largely about our relationship with the earth, climate change, and nature's beauty. However, it was the final section that moved me most. There, Rubin writes about the before and after of the pandemic and the little things we unknowingly took for granted but, hopefully, no longer will.

My photo is of "The Whale Had Swallowed Plastic," a searing poem about the pollution of our oceans and our apathy to their demise.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a marvelous and fascinating read! It made me want to rush out to the nearest aquarium to look at the octopuses (and all the creatures) with a new perspective! 🐙

Highly recommend!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Such a beautiful way to start a new year of reading!

In this retelling of The Snow Maiden (of Russian lore), Ivey takes us to the 1920s territory of Alaska. A childless couple has come here hoping to find a fresh start together and overcome their chasm of grief. They must also figure out how to survive the harsh landscape and unforgiving winters. One night they build a little girl out of snow and their lives are changed forever.

My 2021 Reading Roundup:
23 titles total
3 e-books
1 borrowed/returned
1 read/gifted

My Top Six:
1. Gods of the Upper Air by #CharlesKing (tagged)
2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by #TJKlune
3. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by #DanEgan
4. They Both Die at the End by #AdamSilvera
5. The Thursday Murder Club by #RichardOsman
6. How to Hide an Empire by #DanielImmerwahr

Honorary Mention:
Some Things I Still Can't Tell You by #MishaCollins

Belated review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ - Couldn't put it down! Fascinating! Horrifying! Enlightening!
~
I feel I received a pretty good education and had some incredible teachers and professors. However, classroom education is limited regardless of how esteemed the school is, how great the teachers are, and how uncensored the curriculum may be. Some books come along from time to time and remind us just how little we have learned. This is one such book!

Oh my, the early reviews of this have me so looking forward to April 5th!

Erin Morgenstern described it as "my very favorite" and "quite possibly a masterpiece" in her roundup of favorite reads of 2021. Ah!

It wasn't the cheeriest way to close out the year, but it was nevertheless beautiful.

Life in a small village at the edge of the world is not as dull as it would seem. It undulates, just like the sea. And the people who reside there burn bright with dreams, secrets, love, and loss.

⭐⭐⭐½ - Better than So-So. I'm feeling generous, so I'll hesitantly call it a Pick. It was quite pensive and at times playful. Might read it again one day.

Very fitting scenery for my final read of 2021!

My husband's view of me "helping" hang the icicle lights last night! ?

I just can't put this book down. I'm so struck by the information and history presented here that I'm even dreaming about it! Some of it is trivial (the US briefly considered making Iceland a state), much of it is horrific (years of medical experimentation in Puerto Rico), and, unsurprisingly, plenty is fueled by racism (delays to AK and HI statehood). 100 pages to go!

WWII in the Phillipines was, "...the most destructive event ever to take place on U.S. soil."
~
"This was a soldier who had taken a long journey across the Pacific. He'd been briefed on his mission, shown maps, told where to go and whom to shoot. Yet at no point had it dawned on him that he was preparing to save a U.S. colony and that the people [...] there were, just like him, U.S. nationals. He thought he was invading a foreign country." (p.212)

Half way through and I'm learning so much! Mark Twain the anti-imperialist, details of the Spanish-American War and Cuba, medical experimentation in Puerto Rico, Douglas MacArthur and the Phillipines, Japan's invasion of Alaska and the US internment of Alaskan peoples (both of which were heavily censored in the mainland).
~
Once again, I bought a book to gift someone and have found myself engrossed in it! Might have to buy a second copy!

I didn't LOVE it, hence the So-So.

Last year I read Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc. I felt echoes of that work here. The idea of reclaiming these old sexist and ableist tales is enticing. However, a Spindle Splintered just missed the mark for me. I almost think the brevity of it is what holds it back. I would have preferred the story and characters a bit more fleshed out. Beautiful cover and artwork. ⭐⭐⭐

I bought this as a gift for my step-mom, and decided to first flip through and read a bit at random to make sure it was worth giving.

Before I knew it, I'd read a full chapter (30+ pages). Then another chapter.

After a couple of hours, I realized I'd read the intro and the last 1/3 of the book! How could I not just go back and read everything in between?? So that's exactly what I did!

My favorite angel wrote a book of poems, and so far I'm quite touched! 💙

#poetry #spn #mishacollins

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Such a cute story about best friends who have spent every fall of their high school years working in the local pumpkin patch. It's senior year and their last night in the patch, so they have to make the time count!

It's a sweet reflection on friendship and what connects people. Loved the illustrations!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
I picked this specifically for my weekend travel, and to bring a bit of horror to my reading list just in time for Halloween.

The author has nicely wrapped up elements of classic Gothic fiction with "botanical horror" (a phrase I've just recently learned) and tucked them into the shadows of a crumbling mansion and abandoned mine.

I found it to be creepy and delightful, albeit not unpredictable. Would be excellent for a rainy day read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The collection of experiences in this book are so moving and so maddening to read. The hoops people have to jump through, the lies and abuse they endure, and the misconceptions and deception that exist around abortion are insane. The Catholic Church's takeover of hospitals and thus its interference in truly ethical care is horrifying.

After reading this, I have many questions for my mom – a Catholic-raised OB/GYN who is firmly pro-choice.

The first story, about a woman from Austin, includes much about the fight over abortion in TX. This book was published in 2020. Reading it now is tough. The author recounts the battles in TX, but remains hopeful for the future...I wonder what she would have to say now.

The introduction was filled with great information, science, and history surrounding abortion and sexual reproduction justice. Quite eye-opening, angering, and moving so far.

𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻.
𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚? 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱.
𝗬𝗲𝘀.
𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱.
~
Y'all, this charmed my socks off! The antichrist, a gnome, a wyvern, a forest sprite, a shifter, a child of unknown origin, the mysterious master of the house, beloved Ms. Chapelwhite, and a man used to a rainy routine. I came to love them all, and yes, I wish I was there! 💙💙💙

⚠️https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/southlake-texas-anti-racist-book-school-library-rcna2734

'“One of the questions we‘re supposed to ask is ‘Does the writer have a neutral stance on the topic?‘” the teacher said. “Well, if you are Toni Morrison, how can you have a neutral stance toward racism? Now history is being depicted through this rose-colored lens, and all of this is creating a chilling effect that‘s going to hurt our students.”'

I woke up before my alarm today, and decided to meet the morning head on rather than try to return to sleep.

I hadn't planned to start another book until I caught up on some of my other commitments, but while slipping on my sweats and house shoes, I decided it was high time to pull this out of my TBR stack.

#goodmorning #newread #socialscience #healthcare #abortion

From Charles King to Lily King. From a nonfiction about Margaret Mead (among others) to a fiction inspired by her fieldwork, romance, and madness in Papua New Guinea!

While reading Gods of the Upper Air, I stumbled upon Euphoria by accident and knew it had to come next - TBR pile be damned!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I highly recommend this! Such timely and important work!
~
𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘪𝘳 is about a small group of anthropologists, all inspired and anchored by Franz Boas, who worked passionately and tirelessly to ultimately dismantle what science and policy of the time held dear: that our worth and our abilities are defined by our race, our sex, and our nationality.

(Continued in comments)

Saw this and thought it was a good reminder.

For me, success and mental health rely heavily on making time to read. I find that when I go through "dry spells" of reading, I am more easily vexed, higher stressed, and less interested in socializing. This ultimately affects my attitude at work and at home. You can't pour from an empty cup!

I had an unexpected laugh this morning!

After discussing Edward Sapir's criticism of Margaret Mead (his former lover, who ultimately rejected him) via a "thinly veiled attack on 'free women' who failed to understand that jealousy was a universal human emotion", Charles King wrote:

"Mead responded in kind. Jealousy, she said in her own article on the subject, was in her experience frequently found among old men with small endowments." (p. 246) ?

What is it about a person eating alone and reading a book that says "talk to me about anything and everything"??

Took myself out to a late lunch, thinking I could squeeze in some reading (I am so into the tagged book) but NOOOOO...my waiter wants to talk to me about the Gabby Petito case!

I literally had my face in my book, and he came up and asked, "So are you following that girl's case?" ?

Photo of my fabulous Nutella & banana crepe.

"Every society trains itself to see categories. Whom you love, whom you hate, the kind of person you'd be disgusted to see your daughter marry—none of these problems follow universal rules of attraction or repulsion. They are instead notions fired in the crucible of culture. The mobilization of sham science to justify bigotry might be said to be a deep characteristic of only one culture: that of the developed West." (p. 179)

This book is right up my alley! My little world-traveling heart and anthropology minor self are loving it so far! Particularly the revelation of "Herzensbildung" being interpreted here as "the training of one's heart to see the humanity of another."

That is the main reason I so love to travel and to encourage others to do so. As King writes of Boas, "changing his place in the world had changed his perspective on it."

I finished this a month ago while visiting one of my favorite places on Earth: Northern Michigan, particularly Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. How appropriate.
~
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent and thrilling read about the history of the Great Lakes, of man's attempt to control them in the name of trade and travel, society's fight for ownership of and access to water, the threats to our lakes, and the resilience of nature.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½ - Wow. At first, I wasn't sure what I was reading. I had some doubts. But by the middle of the second chapter I was #hooked! I was so moved by everything from that point forward. The tenderness, love, sorrow, and joy expressed in these pages is enchanting.

Kawaguchi's tale explores relationships, regret, and the power of love and the human heart. His writing is as magical as the seat in which his characters travel through time. ❤

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wonderful! An easy read. Full of heart and hope, despite the darkness our young Adunni faces. A celebration of young women, friendship, and the power of education and perseverance. A lesson in speaking and seeking the truth, and knowing one's worth is not defined by one's class, sex, or past. Lovely writing. Definitely recommend!

"I tear to pieces the paper, and throw it to the floor. Then I swim deep inside the river of my soul, find the key from where it is sitting, full of rust, at the bottom of the river, and open the lock. I kneel down beside my bed, close my eyes, turn myself into a cup, and pour the memory out of me. [...] & when I finish writing, I feel weak, as if I just finished swimming a wide ocean with half of my body: one hand, one leg, one nostril." (p. 275)