Reading This Week- I finished So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, which I bought from the Black-owned Mahogany Books in D.C. during the #BestsellerBlackout. Highly recommend as a helpful guidebook to racial issues in the United States. Chapters cover definitions of racism, intersectionality, privilege, police brutality, cultural appropriation, and more. I was familiar with the concepts, but Oluo explains them fully, illustrating with her lived experience as well as research. This is definitely the kind of book that makes me feel like I need to learn more though, kind of like bell hooks' Feminism is for Everybody.
- This week, I also got the third magazine that I subscribed to in a deal with magazines.com, Martha Stewart Living. I've never been a Martha Stewart fan (or hater), but it seemed like the kind of comforting content I would appreciate these days, and I was absolutely right. Plus, it has a surprising number of book recommendations!
Watching This Week
- Netflix's new dark feminist Arthurian legend show, Cursed, centers around the character of Nimue. It reminds me of what Amazon's Carnival Row would have been if it had focused on the assault on the Fey lands. I've been a fan of Arthurian legends and retellings for a long time, and I really appreciate this reinterpretation, which does some completely new things with characters like Arthur, Morgana, and Merlin, but also riffs on certain aspects of their characters, for example, emphasizing the fey/magical/Druid aspects of Merlin and Nimue. Furthermore, this show absolutely shines on female friendships. There's a scene where two men argue over escorting Nimue on a quest, so she asks a female escort! And then, THREE WOMEN GO ON A QUEST. That's it. Just the women. None of the male characters come. It's not perfect, but I really enjoyed it and look forward to a second season.
- I also watched Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. The modern Indian matchmaking system has long been a source of interest to me, and I enjoyed the show and getting a "behind the scenes" look, but I know some people of Indian heritage have criticized it for being dramatized and also of course people have huge problems with the premises and values of the system itself, which as evidenced in the show, can be antiquated or superficial...but in some ways, refreshingly honest? I mean, not every culture may care about horoscopes or caste, but plenty of cultures and religions want their children to marry within the fold or within their class, and plenty of individuals also are looking for conventionally attractive, "fair," and/or wealthy partners. Not everyone, of course, and lots of people abandon those ideals when they meet someone they actually like, but this is by no means unique to South Asian culture. If we want to change it, we have to face it.
Writing This Week
- Now that I've finished my first draft of my NaNoWriMo 2019 novel, I put in a few hours of revisions this week. I need to continue this and spend time on it while I can!
Comments
I really thought hard about subscribing to some magazines during the pandemic. I was afraid that I might forget to unsubscribe to those I was not interested in, though. Still I may take another look now that I hear how much you are enjoying yours.
Have a good week and take care.
Have a good week.
Wishing you a great reading week