Space Station Mir

 My 2022 reading stats will not be as impressive as former years in overall numbers and also less impressive when I break it down, but I did do at least some diverse reading in 2022, which I hope I can significantly improve upon in 2023. I've modified my usual survey to just some basic stats that matter to me--it was originally taken from the sadly now discontinued blog, Boston Bibliophile . 2022 Reading Stats How many books read? 38 Fiction/nonfiction? 31 fiction, 3 nonfiction, 4 poetry Female/male/nonbinary author ratio? 32 female, 5 male, and 1 collection with mixed genders  Writers of Color/Minority Writers? At least 3 books by writers of color, at least 7 books by Jewish authors, at least 1 Muslim author, 1 collection with multiple writers of color and minorities, at least 2 LGBTQ writers Favorite book? Fresh Water for Flowers  by Valerie Perrin, about a French cemetery keeper finding joy after tragedy Longest and shortest books? Longest:   Fresh Water for ...

 Although I didn't read as many books as I normally do in 2022, I still read some incredible books that I continue to think about. I tried to stay on the lighter side in 2022, but some of the books I really loved featured characters who suffered from tough issues while they experienced new and bright beginnings. Some of my favorite books were also from debut authors, including one of my cousins. Without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in 2022. Favorite Books I Read in 2022 Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin--Beautiful evocative story about a French cemetery keeper and how she finds hope after tragedy The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab--What if you could live forever--but no one remembered you were there? One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel--the incredible hopeful story of three triplets grappling with the aftereffects of the polluted water in their town The Temple Scroll by Erez Hassul--Indiana Jones-style mystery thriller set in Israel; my re...

 I'm doing winter books this week, since I will be sharing my Hannukah wish list next week. Hannukah starts relatively late, on Dec. 18 this year, but ends on Dec. 25.  I haven't really been keeping up with my TBR list much lately, and now I have a bunch of books (ok, two) to review (whyyy do I look at all the LibraryThing and Goodreads giveaways whyyy), but here's the aspirational list. Books on My Winter TBR List I Bought My Husband's Mistress Lingerie by Stacey Freeman--I tend to find memoirs easy to read these days, and this one looked interesting despite the, er, provocative title. (LibraryThing review) Caribbean Competitors by Poppy Minnix--Childhood friends in the Caribbean--it made me click. (LibraryThing review) Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater--Saving this up for a rainy (snowy?) day. Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom by Carl Bernstein (Book club read) And, maybe I'll just stop there so I can catch up. What are you all reading?

 It's been a crazy month, and I don't tend to be a seasonal reader but publishers tend to put out their biggest books in the fall. So, happy fall and happy Rosh Hashanah next week (I won't be participating in TTT since it falls on the second day of Rosh Hashanah). Shana tova u'metuka--a sweet new year--to anyone else celebrating or anyone who just needs a fresh start. Happy 5783! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Books on My Fall 2022 TBR When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill--Did you see the title? Fair Play by Eve Rodsky (methods/card system fo r   chores ) The Cloisters by Katy Hays Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry--As a '90s kid, I think I'm obligated to read this. The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell--Intriguing review in WaPo on this fiction about a lesser known de Medici. Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott--I once went as Baba Yaga for Halloween. ...

I couldn't believe my luck that Tor was giving away a free ebook of Becky Chambers' A Psalm for the Wild-Built , just in time for my anniversary too! I also had an ebook for review, a great book club read, and another great poetry read, so a fantastic reading month to end off the semester and some time between jobs... Books Read This Month Ashes of the Firebird by Amy Kuivalainen--I received the ebook for review from LibraryThing, and I truly enjoyed this fast-paced supernatural romp. I also enjoy jumping right in the thick of things with the second book in a trilogy. I was able to pick up fine, although there is an enormous cast including at least six viewpoints, so you might want to make notes! That said, the author does an excellent job of weaving and innovating lore to create a unique cast of supernatural beings--definitely a lot of Slavic influence but also Classical and indigenous, and an Elven race that's actually from another planet?!? Lots of romantic tension too, ...

I'm looking forward to getting out of here--my husband and I are taking a little anniversary trip this week. The school year will wrap up next week, and then I'll be getting ready to teach summer classes. Hopefully, I can enjoy myself more this summer, which often means more reading! Books I Read This Month The Kings of Nowhere by C.G. Drews  --So glad to have the opportunity to get to read this on Patreon, and looking forward to buying the published book whenever that's possible. Drews has such a witty, whimsical way with words and her characters curl up in your heart and stay there.  The German House by Annette Hess (Book club)-Set during the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials in 1963, which I hadn't heard of before. The protagonist, Eva, is a translator in the court where SS officers are on trial. The book was translated from the German. Not a book I would have chosen, but an interesting perspective.  The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks--This pretty cover (and Spinning Sil...

Although the beginning of the semester is over, nothing is slowing down. Usually it feels like there's a moment to catch your breath before midterms, but not this year and they're already upon us. And my school is going to mask optional without a firm vaccination requirement for students, and...I have feelings. I don't necessarily think going mask optional is the wrong decision now, since rates have lowered significantly since the Omicron surge, it's just that I generally feel these decisions have been arbitrary and geared toward serving students in a customer service fashion rather than truly considering safety. I'm also not sure how comfortable I'm going to feel or when I'll feel comfortable taking my mask off, but I guess I'll have to figure that out. I want to be really clear: I'm not judging people for almost any decision in regard to masking because I don't think there *is* a right decision here (I absolutely judge people who could be vacci...

The school year definitely has me back in its grip. I did a lot more Netflixing than reading this month, and when I did read, I started or continued a bunch of books that I have going, but I did manage to finish a few. Books Read This Month The Temple Scroll by Erez Hassul--Read my review here The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser--recently divorced mid-40s heroine inherits a house full of fancy books in Scotland with the requisite grumpy bookstore owner down the street.  The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (book club)--a novel with a contemporary and historical storyline, centered around the story of a formerly enslaved woman and "The Book of Lost Friends," newspaper ads where African American people tried to find their lost friends and family members in the years after the Civil War

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! I'm a little late on this one, and in the past few years, I've been more focused on reading or rereading what I want instead of trying to catch up with all the NEWNEW stuff, but there are a few books coming out this year that I am excited for! Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2022 The Kings of Nowhere by C.G. Drews--one of my favorite bloggers is Paper Fury (a.k.a. C.G. Drews), and I loved her book The Boy Who Steals Houses  when it came out a few years ago. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to find a traditional publisher for the sequel, The Kings of Nowhere , but she just started publishing it in January (a.k.a. now!!) on her Patreon . Super excited to read all the chapters as they unfold! Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore-I mean, honestly, I am just so smitten by the title, and also this sounds like a queer, F/F linguistically-focused Ready Player One, so I'm definitely all kinds of intrigued. The unnamed third book in the Dreamers ...

  Here we are firmly ensconced in the 2020s, and I have to say, I thought the '20s were going to be much more fun, instead of just exciting in the way that you're always on edge and not sure what to expect. One thing I've always been able to count on, however, is books, and so I will look back over my cautious goals from 2021 and proceed to continue with the hope that, whatever else, the books will go on. 2021-Bookish Goal 1. Read 52 books. As always, I'll intentionally include books by BIPOC and Jewish authors, but I want to leave room for rereads, reading lulls, and whatever happens.-- I read 57 books (59 if we count the Grishaverse trilogy as three instead of one).  2021-Non-Bookish Goal 2. Intentionally practice self-care.-- I definitely did this, but could always do more. Although I do practice self-care most days, I don't have any consistent routines. I like that for now, but may want to change or at least have a dedicated time for self-care options in future....