Space Station Mir

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts are hosted at Bookishly Boisterous 1. Just when I was feeling like I couldn't get into anything, I read two amazing, mindblowing (for very different reasons) books right in a row: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney and The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley. Random library browsing ftw. 2. When I read amazing books like that, I have an urge to dig deep and write a thoughtful review. However, I have another urge that I've been giving into more lately--read more, read more, don't stop. I was giving in because I didn't want to force myself to write reviews and take the fun out of it. But I'm missing out on reflection, and maybe relying too much on reading for stress relief (weirdly, I'm not stressed out about anything in my personal life so much as the state of the country/world in general). 3. On that note, I had a(n international) student tell me recently, "If we lose America, we don't have any more Ame...

Just Finished: I've been doing most of my reading in the car lately. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency caught my eye since I've enjoyed episodes of the TV show in the past. I mostly like learning about Botswana. Currently Reading: Now listening to in the car, and mostly enjoying learning about Scotland. Otherwise...I'm not even sure what this is about and I'm halfway through. Picked this up at the library, although I was actually looking for a different book with a similar name. Just started, and enjoying the argot so far. Next Up: Other library finds. Figure I might give another Kameron Hurley book a shot, and I've been wanting to read Jacqueline Woodson.

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts are hosted at Bookishly Boisterous . 1. I fractured my foot a week or so ago and have to wear a boot for the next several weeks. The fracture isn't fun, however, as someone who is often in invisible pain, it's interesting to experience what it's like to have a visible disability. It's a topic of conversation that other people naturally bring up, which I actually like (re: part of the reason I dyed my hair purple in college), since I'm often at a loss as to how to start a conversation. However, I can certainly imagine other people in similar situations who don't appreciate it. 2. On the other hand, I should perhaps be more intentional about improving my social and conversational skills. It's something that's bothered me about myself for, well, most of my life, and when I was recently training to be a supervisor, I feel like I learned and started practicing all kinds of "common sense" emotional skills t...

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! Top Ten Books I Lost Interest In I already mentioned some in Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Read , but I've been keeping a TBR list for over a decade, so here are ten more! 1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3. On the Road by Jack Kerouac 4. Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie 5. The Ambassadors by Henry James 6. Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak 7. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 8. The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen 9. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma 10. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! Top Ten Books That Taught Me About Love Books taught me a lot about love. As Cat Valente wrote "It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else." 1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle What saves Meg in A Wrinkle in Time is her love, and the love of those around her. Meg's love for her father starts her on a journey across the universe to save him. Mrs. Whatsit's and Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who's love for Meg helps her find her strength. Meg's love for Charles Wallace saves him from IT, in a scene that I replayed over and over in my head ( What have I got that IT hasn't got? Love!...She couldn't love IT, but she could love her brother ). 2. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle Similarly, A Swiftly Tilting Planet features Meg's love for Charles Wallace, and her mother-in-law, Mrs. O'Keefe's, love for her brother, and Mrs. O'K...

Just Finished: Currently Reading: Sadly, I am almost done :-( As others have said, the story and characters are reminiscent of Firefly , although in a less hostile universe and with alien species fully developed on a Star Trek level (at least). There are more viewpoint characters and more, larger political and other conflict than in A Closed and Common Orbit , which is technically the sequel, but I'm glad I read first and might like a tiny bit better. A Closed and Common Orbit delves further into the two viewpoint characters, and I was especially drawn to the story of Jane/Pepper's traumatic childhood and unusual upbringing, which   TLWSAP gives away in a quick gloss that I'm glad I missed. Next Up:

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! Top Ten Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven't Read I've kept a TBR list for a long time, longer than I've had this blog. And some of the books that I used to be interested in aren't my cup of tea right now. On the other hand, there are still books I've been kicking myself for decades for not reading. Here are ten: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest, But I'm Not Especially Interested In Anymore 1. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin 2. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle 3. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller 4. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I'm  Going to Get To, I Swear 5. Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear 6. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin 7. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 8. Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner 9. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton 10. Killing Rage: Ending Racism by bell hooks