First book of 2019! Over a year ago, I had to set this one aside; living in the DC metro area means I'm saturated by the current political climate already, and I couldn't bear to spend my leisure hours swimming in it too. (Even now, the "Election Night" chapter brought me to tears.) But finishing Michelle Obama's book primed me to pick up Hillary Clinton's again, at long last, and let my heart break a little at what could have been.

Happy new year, Litsy! While I didn't quite finish all the #ReadHarder2018 tasks (and had to use a couple of books for two tasks as I got down to the wire), I did much better than 2017. I'm taking a break from the challenge this year, but participating in 2018 did just what I hoped it would: it helped me get my reading groove back. I broke 30 books for the first time in YEARS - maybe I'll break 40 or 50 in 2019? 🤔

With just over seven hours left in the year, I wrapped up one last #ReadHarder2018 challenge: an Oprah's Book Club pick. Spending my day reading this with a cat on my lap was the perfect way to send off 2018 -- now on to the parties!

#ReadHarder2018: a comic written or drawn by a person of color. I agree with other reviews that Marvel shouldn't have marketed this as an entry point for new readers who came to the comics from the movie -- it's a nuanced, thoughtful dive into Wakandan politics and leadership that goes deeper than a newbie might be prepared to go. But for folks who know their comics lore, it's a great read.

#ReadHarder2018: a comic written and drawn by the same person. One of my favorite things about this challenge is how it encourages me to tackle the dusty corners of my TBR backlog; this book has sat on my shelf unread for four years, but no longer. 🎉 Sometimes all you need is a little nudge!

#ReadHarder2018: a children's classic published before 1980. Can you believe I'd never read this before? I would have ADORED Turtle Wexler as a kid.

#ReadHarder2018: a book of colonial or post-colonial lit. I deliberately picked this from my TBR pile after finishing my Read Harder pick for a western ("True Grit"), as I expect reading them back-to-back will be an illuminating experience.

This was the exact moment I almost broke into gulping, chest-heaving sobs on my lunch break; the sobs of hearing someone finally speak a bone-deep truth you've carried, unarticulated, your whole life.

The perfect Saturday morning breakfast: coffee, eggs, potatoes (topped with plenty of Old Bay, of course), and a good book.

So many books set in DC refuse to stretch beyond the Capitol or the White House; it was so refreshing to read a book where DC felt like a CITY, a real place where people actually live and grow and breathe. More than that, I loved seeing DCPL get a chance to shine - I originally picked this up because some friends who work at DCPL know the librarian Anna was based on. Mysteries aren't usually my jam, but I plan to seek out more of Pelecanos' stuff.

It's always fun to read something written by a DC native and go, "Hey! That's the shelter where I adopted my cat nine years ago!" #localfiction

I've been on a morbid podcast binge lately (shout-out to any #murderinos lurking around Litsy), so I figured I'd tackle another #ReadHarder2018 challenge while I'm at it: a book of true crime. I have a love-hate relationship with the genre -- if I'm not in the right mood, I can't deal with it -- so we'll see if I get it done before the mood passes. 😬

#ReadHarder2018: the first book in a new-to-you YA series

What a book. Aside from the excellent West African-based worldbuilding, what I loved most was its sympathetic female protagonist who's allowed to be harsh, hurting, and wrathful without losing a drop of that sympathy. It's a familiar trope for male protagonists, but women still get short shrift there; the instant we raise our voices, we're often decried as ugly and hysterical. Not so here.

A busy few weeks + an expiring library loan = my Kindle is staying in airplane mode for the duration. Shh. Don't tell. 🤫

When you're in a house full of Dragon Age fans and jet lag has you awake at 7 AM, you pick up Varric Tethras's masterpiece. (Seriously, this book has no right to be as entertaining as it was. #greatestboatinthehistoryofboats)

Switched to my Kindle & polished off "Authority" on a long flight west!

I agree that it has a "marking time" feel to it - except for the last quarter, which took off at a sprint - and it doesn't fully share Annihilation's eerie, dreamlike quality that I loved so much. But VanderMeer's writing still gets under my skin, & there were plenty of unsettling moments to keep my brain occupied for a while. (Whitby. WHITBY.)

Off to place a hold on book 3!

Sure, the ABRACA-FUCK-YOU panel was iconic (and so was the last page, which I almost posted before erring on the side of not spoiling new readers/listeners), and Johann's character design was simultaneously not at all how I pictured him and 100% perfect -- but for my money, you can't beat literally every face poor Killian makes when she talks to these boys.

When I walked into work this morning, my coworker said, "Hey, I have a present for you!" Turns out his wife ended up with two copies of the TAZ graphic novel, so now, thanks to her generosity, one of them is mine ? Considering how much trouble I've had trying to find it in the local shops, I am THRILLED.

My battered library copy of Authority says, "Hello, Litsy!" #firstpost