Space Station Mir

I'm mostly focusing on books I already have or am reading for book clubs, but there are a few latter 2020 releases I'm excited about, whether or not I get to read them this year! Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Most Anticipated Book Releases for the Second Half of 2020 1. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini I enjoyed the Eragon series as a whole, and I'm eager to see how his writing has developed. 2. The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart I read and enjoyed an excerpt, so I'm interested in this story of a female heir to a magical kingdom. 3. Burning Roses by S.L. Huang I'm intrigued by a story about an adult Red Riding Hood . 4. The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich History + magic. I'm in. 5. The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus This just came out, but I'm counting it. Two girls, one from Trinidad, one from the American MidWest, falling in love. Happy Pride!

What I'm Reading Still reading Middlemarch by George Eliot, three quarters of the way through and still loving her metaphors and turns of phrase.  Reread You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero--it's very woo-woo, and I don't agree with everything, but it's definitely an inspirational, feel-good read.  Reread Diving Into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich--still rereading my poetry collection--I love some of these and don't get others, but I noticed it was blurbed by some of my favorites like Margaret Atwood and Marge Piercy, very fierce '70s feminism.  What I Watched This Week 1. Queer Eye for the feels! I'm doling out the fifth season to make it last as long as possible. I just love the happiness and "emotional intelligence," as my friend put it. And Karamo's shirts. 2. When this whole pandemic began, I started binging Charmed, which I had never watched before, and now I'm on the last (ninth) season. I watch this when I'm in the moo...

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! Like many of us, I've been adding TONS of books to my TBR lately with all the anti-racism reading lists. I also broke my own book buying rules for the year for a good cause and bought So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo from Mahogany Books  because I thought it was important to buy from a Black-owned bookstore local to me. I also bought The Untelling by Tayari Jones on Kindle, because I wanted to read it, she happens to be a Black author, and  Kindle is cheaper/doesn't take up space. Here's the charge, if you're interested (and c'mon this is an excuse to BUY BOOKS): Books On My Summer 2020 TBR So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo The Untelling by Tayari Jones Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (book club pick) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (other book club pick) By Sea & Sky by Antoine Bandele (preordered this on Kindle because sky pi...

Since I've enjoyed doing monthly wrap-ups for a couple of years now , and I have more free time this summer, I'm going to try out weekly wrap-ups. The format may change or I may stop if they get too repetitive. Let me know what you think! What I'm Reading This Week I'm still reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. I'm a little more than halfway through. It's been a while since I read a nineteenth century novel, so it's a bit slow-going, but I'm loving it! It's got the omniscient, occasionally snarky narrator that I love from classic nineteenth century novels. While most of her characters are landed gentry like in Jane Austen novels, she's also got some characters in more precarious or lower class financial situations (ugh, trade!). There's also some discussion of agricultural labor reform that reminds me of Elizabeth Gaskell's focus on industrial labor reform, though at least so far, it's not as central. What I love the most abo...

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl ! I'm constantly adding to my TBR, but if I take a moment to reread the summary, I usually remember why I've added a particular book, whether it's the latest YA fantasy, corresponding to my interests in food history, or lately, joining the national work on anti-racism. So, here, I'm listing some books that have been on my TBR a while and I don't immediately know why from the titles. Please let me know if you've read any of these and would recommend them! Books I've Added to My TBR and Forgotten Why The Bachelorette Party by Karen Lutz Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis StarCrossed by Elizabeth Bunce You Don't Look Your Age: And Other Fairy Tales by Sheila Nevins You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard Quietus by Tristan Palmgren The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen Don't Tell Me...

These strange past few months, I've embraced a slower reading pace than in the past several years. Instead of  just blasting through fast-paced sci fi, YA fantasy, or contemporaries, I've added a group of slower reads that I now have the time, perhaps need, to process. This does mean that I'm again reading multiple books at the same time--which I have the bandwidth for again, like I did back when I was in school. Sometimes, I need to read about mindfulness before bed, practice a meditation, and journal my thoughts about it. Other times, I want to be reminded of what's happening in the world and what I can do about it as a writer, in a constructive way. Other times, I need to think about this world and my place in it, or experience what it was like for some nineteenth century women. Here are my current, ongoing, "slow reads," some of which I've been reading for months. Let me know what you think! Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn Middl...

As a person with white privilege, I support my Black brothers and sisters' right to live freely and free of life-threatening prejudice from police and others. Plenty of people are posting links to activism and places to donate who know much more about that than I do (though I am listening and learning), but I do know about books, and I've been making a point to read more books by Black writers and writers of color in the last several years. All that's done is opened me up to even more awesome books! Here are some of my favorites by Black authors and I'd love to hear yours in the comments: Favorite Books by Black Authors The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Dawn by Octavia Butler Kindred by Octavia Butler The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord The Good Lord Bird by James McBride The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The Color of Love by Marra B. Gad Purple Hibiscus ...

I've been reading slower than usual these past couple months, so although I only finished a few books in May, two of them for book clubs, rest assured I've been doing a lot more reading! I have an upcoming post on some of the slower reading I've been doing soon. Books I Finished This Month Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Inheritance by Dani Shapiro The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson Favorite Books This Month This was an emotionally tough read. I feel like everybody's been talking about it, which is why I was so taken aback when it was totally not what I was expecting. Based on the description of Eleanor's quirks, I thought this would be about a woman who was on the spectrum or otherwise just socially awkward. Instead, I was blindsided when it turned out to be a story about trauma and PTSD, which although I loved the book, I wish I had known ahead, because it was deeply triggering for me. Eleanor's story is a beautiful but pain...

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! It's hard to believe it's already summer, but it certainly feels like it over here! There's plenty of new and old books giving off those warm, summery, sunscreen-y vibes. Books That Give Off Summer Vibes Beach Read by Emily Henry Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner Summer Sisters by Judy Blume Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Whiskey in a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand Strangers and Cousins by Leah Hager Cohen (a summer wedding) Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl ( I read this sitting by the pool last summer) Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri A good few of these I haven't read, but I feel like everybody's talking about these as we gear up for summer reading. Summer Sisters , which I read for the first time recently, certainly fits the bill, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a summer oldie but goodie.