Mid-year Faves

Looks like it's that time of year where everyone posts about their faves so far. I usually haven't done that but this year seems like a good year to start. Especially in the midst of world-wide pandemic and social unrest, it seems right to take an accounting halfway through the year... I feel like this year has a whole decade packed into it. I sometimes feel like I've aged that much over the last six months...

I've actually read more this year than last year at this time... it was slow-going during the initial shut-down back in March and April but I've found a groove.

I've read 54 books so far with 29 from male authors, 24 female, and 1 gender non-conforming author.

21 were non-fiction, with 31 being fiction.

20 of my reads were by non-white authors.

I gravitated towards a few pandemic books in April and May. Memoirs are still a favorite, mysteries, and horror, and juvenile fiction and young adult are always at the top. I read a lot with my son so I get those middle grade books read as well.

Mid-year Faves

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

I read this one out loud with my son and it was poignant and informative. This should be a must-read in schools.

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey

This is part of the Expanse series. Excellent.

In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado

A harrowing story of abuse. But the way she tells it is unlike any memoir I've read before.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Fantastic story. A truly unique storyline and characters.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

I read this one along with my son. We both loved this story on Black folklore and African mythology. I love that Rick Riordan is sponsoring authors to write about the myths and stories they grew up with so a whole new audience can enjoy.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow

This was a rough book to read. But so important. Farrow is a fantastic storyteller.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

It was very surreal to read this during the early stages of the pandemic...it's a must-read.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

If you grew up in the 80s, this one is for you! Or even if you just enjoy a humorous horror with a new take on demon possession. Loved it!

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English by John McWhorter

There were some new ideas I did not know and I'm a linguistics major who took history of the English language in college. It was fascinating!

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

I loved this memoir on Johnson's experience of being a gay black man. He especially writes for other gay boys and gives some good sex advice. It's another must-read. 

New Kid by Jerry Craft

This is an excellent graphic novel on a black kid's experience in a mostly white private school. My son and I were able to have great discussions about racism and microaggressions.

Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams

Yes to Stacey Abrams. She gives us a rundown of voter suppression, past and present and what we need to do to get a fair America. She has my vote.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

I love everything by Attica Locke. Her writing is gorgeous and her characters are real. She writes thinky crime/mystery books. The best kind.

Cat Thursday-- Hot Summer

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Other than a nice cool day yesterday, it has been nothing but hot. We are definitely in the throws of summer!

Cat Thursday--Outdoor Kitties!

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Caught my cats Shadow and Nala chilling on the porch during their outdoor time and Shadow loves my son's window and will put her little paw arm up on the sill and watch the birdies outside. So cute.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

Published: September 10th, 2017 by Mulholland Books

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction

Format: Kindle, 320 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher's Summary:

When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules--a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home.

When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders--a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman--have stirred up a hornet's nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes--and save himself in the process--before Lark's long-simmering racial fault lines erupt.

A rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas, Bluebird, Bluebird is an exhilarating, timely novel about the collision of race and justice in America.

My Thoughts:

I truly felt immersed in the heat and the long highway of the eastern Texas town of Lark. It's a place you can look up on Google Maps and travel along the highway to the small farm roads and small-town oppression. Darren Matthews, a Black Texas Ranger must wage his way through race and justice.

From the murders of an out-of-town Black northerner and a local White woman Locke interweaves the tug and pull of systemic racism and criminal justice in America. It's a slow-burn. We get to know Darren and why he's picked being a Ranger rather a lawyer. How his marriage is one the verge of collapse because he's chosen police work. He joins because of his Uncle William who pretty much raised him like a father. According to him "...the law would save us by protecting us--by prosecuting crimes against us as zealously as it prosecutes crimes against whites." But his other uncle Clayton, the defense lawyer, said: "the law is a lie black folks need protection from--a set of rules that were written against us from the time ink was first set to parchment."

The mystery of who Michael was and why he came down from Chicago to see Geneva in her tiny cafe off the side of the highway and how the murdered white woman Missy comes into is fantastic. Locke is able to weave a true history of race relations in that could be in any small southern town; systemic racism that cuts through generations.

Here are some quotes just to get a feel of what kind of writer Locke is:

"Most black folks living in Lark came from sharecropping families, trading their physical enslavement for the crushing debt that came with tenant farming, a leap from the frying pan into the fire, from the certainty of hell to the slow, hot torture of hope."

"Maybe justice was messier than Darren realized when he'd first pinned a badge to his chest; it was no better or worse than a sieve, a cheap net, a catch-as-catch-can system that gave the illusion of righteousness when really the need for tidy resolution trumped sloppy uncertainty any day."

If you love mystery, noir, crime fiction, and a realistic world of race and justice in America, Locke's books are absolutely must-reads.

Week-in-Review: We Got Outside!

I don't know what I was thinking but I tried to get my family and I out on a trail to hike on the 4th of July. It was pandemonium! No parking anywhere, people everywhere and no one was wearing a mask! Needlesstosay, we headed home; but we took the long road home to see the beautiful mountains.

We enjoyed a very low-key 4th just eating chicken kebabs and drinking mojitos and playing in the field with the kiddie pool and staying cool. In the evening we enjoyed watching fireworks with some neighbors. Though, we did see a fire start on the mountain right by us but the fire department put it out quickly. I could tell people spent a lot on fireworks because I have never seen so many go off for so long with hardly any breaks in between. It was a consistent show for about two hours all around us. Thankfully, our area was in a no fireworks zone so we could just relax and watch everyone else's.

But I still wanted to get out for a hike with the family so we picked a time mid-week and headed back up into the mountains! It was a lot better. Hardly anyone was there so we just enjoyed Nature. My son only complained on the way back because he got his shoes and socks wet at the waterfall...I knew it would be miserable to hike back with wet feet and socks.

A beautiful morning up Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon!

Three Good Things:

I'm trying to be better with this... Some days it's tough right now.

1. I made zucchini bread and it was amazing!

2. Getting out for a hike was just what I needed last week. I'm grateful we live relatively close to some gorgeous mountains for some gorgeous hikes when we can.

3. I'm grateful we were able to make time for family this weekend. We played Rock Band on the Xbox and watched some great movies. We needed it!

Reading:

I have finished 3 books since my last update: Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams, Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, and Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. I'll get these reviews up soon. All were really fantastic!

I'm still reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi,  Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, The Mothers by Brit Bennett, and with Gabe I'm reading the third book in the His Dark Materials series The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

I'm still hoping to finish off the Xenogenesis series this month by Octavia Butler and start the End of Policing by Alex S Vitale. But I have a couple others on my radar too that just got into my hands. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Watching: 

The Vote on PBS was fantastic. It's a two-part series on the STRUGGLE for women's rights to vote. I loved the way they brought in diverse voices. It didn't just tell the perspective of White women. We learned about Black suffragists and their struggle to be heard by the movement. It took over 70 years to get the vote and even that was by a vote or two or it would've been even longer...

Movies:

My favorite has been Hamilton on Disney+. Such fantastic music. We watched Wonder Park on Hulu with Gabe last week. It was cute. Me and the hubsters watchedon Palm Springs (Hulu) and The Old Guard (Netflix) over the weekend. And for my horror fix I watched a surprisingly fun gem Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (Netflix). It's a Basque film and it was a fun one. Just what I needed last week.

TV:

Netflix has a Japanese series called Ju-on: Origins. It only has six episodes about 30 minutes each so I was able to get it done relatively quickly. It was silly with a few jump scares. If you're a fan of Japanese horror and specifically The Grudge or Ju-on, I'd definitely recommend this one. And I finally finished up season 4 of Insecure on HBO, which was fantastic as always. I just started Stateless on Netflix. It's a short season so I'll be finishing it up this week.

This week: This week we'll be picking up our second farm CSA fruits and veggie basket. I think we're getting corn, potatoes, beets/carrots, and some peaches, and zucchini. We picked up our first basket two weeks ago and it was fantastic. We got cherries, which Gabe and the DH devoured quickly. We got beets, lettuce, radishes, and zucchini. I've never had beets before or much in the way of radishes! We've eaten a lot of salads and I learned how to roast beets and radishes and make up interesting cucumber salads. I love getting new things; it forces me to try new recipes and get more veggies into our diet. Roasting corn is happening later this week! Zucchini bread was also made this weekend. Yum.

Our local second-hand store is taking donations again so we're getting stuff together and cleaning out items, books, and clothes and giving them a new home, finally.

Looking forward getting a haircut on Tuesday, picking up our fresh veggies from the farm, and picking up more books from my library later this week. And Saturday I'm social distancing with a friend at the park with coffee. That's always a plus!

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon

Mini Book Reviews: New Kid, A Wolf Called Wonder

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Published: February 5th, 2019 by Quill Tree Books

Genre: Graphic Novel, Coming-of-age

Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages, Library

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

Middle Schooler Jordan Banks just wants to go to art school but instead his parents send him to a prestigious private school so he can get the best education possible. But he soon realizes there aren't a lot of kids who look like him.

Jerry Craft writes a beautiful and funny story. Jordan experiences tiny racist moments from people who would call him a friend to teachers he should feel safe with. One annoying kid is always asking inappropriate things about his home life like if his dad's in prison or about drugs in his neighborhood. One teacher keeps calling another Black kid in class another name; someone who attended a previous year and she had a hard time with him. She ends up expecting him to do worse in class and behave badly. 

He expertly crafts classism in here as well as it comes up whether there are people there at the school who have financial aid and scholarships. Does the teacher handle that information well? And what about expectations from other Black teachers at the school? Do they expect more or worse of other Black students at the school?

It's all handled with thought and humor. My son and I both read this separately and had great conversations. I think this is a must-read for anyone in middle school and their parents. Overall, it's a fantastic story that talks about the many experiences Black kids and kids of color experience in schools with a White majority.

Guts by Reina Telgemeier

Published: September 17th, 2019 by Scholastic

Genre: Graphic Novel, Coming-of-age, Memoir

Format: Paperback, 144 Pages, Own

Rating: 4 stars

My Thoughts:

Raina Telgemeier writes a mini memoir about her anxiety in middle school. The way she is able to bring the issue to the forefront with humor and realness is a compliment to her fantastic writing skills that speak to both adults and kids. My son loves every one of her books and this one was no different. We both struggle with anxiety and recognized many of the same things she writes about. Great job to Telgemeier for being open about her experiences and helping kids and adults alike grappling with stress and anxiety. This makes it a lot easier to talk about and get more people talking about it.

The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet by Joseph Bruchac

Published: September 28th, 1988 by Puffin Books

Genre: Poetry

Format: Paperback, 32 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

The poems are beautiful and the illustrations are too. Bruchac introduces various Native American poems from many Nations through a story of Sky Bear. My son and I both loved it.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

Published: May 7th, 2019 by Greenwillow Books

Genre: Historical Fiction, Nature

Format: Kindle, 243 Pages, Own

Rating: 5 stars

My Thoughts:

This book is based on the travels of an actual wolf in Oregon, OR-7, who left his pack and traveled from his home more than a thousand miles through eastern and southern Oregon and up through northern California. Parry has created a beautiful and empathic journey for us to take with Swift/Wander. What does a wolf think about a road with cars on it that speed so quickly or about men with guns? What is the relationship between crows and wolves? What makes mountains to enticing for wolf packs? Her world-building is phenomenal. We see and hear and taste Swift/Wander meander and survive through deserts and hills and forests and even a fire. One truly feels like they're a wolf wandering for survival and trying to find a new place to call home. I can't recommend this book enough. This is one I read out loud with my son.

Sci-fi Summer Readathon Wrap-up

I read one book! Yah! It was a really good one and I look forward to finishing off the series this summer. Thanks to Michelle at Seasons of Reading for hosting!

Here's a link to my review of Dawn by Octavia Butler.

This series has been around for awhile so I decided to share some interesting covers for her book.

Also, back in February Ava DuVernay said she has plans to make the Xenogenesis series into a TV show with Amazon. Whether that is still happening and when is probably a bit up in the air with the pandemic but I hope eventually it gets made along with Butler's Earthseed series!

This is my favorite!

Notice how Lilith is white? WTF?

Cat Thursday-- Manny the Selfie Cat

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Bored Panda put out a little article on a stray cat Manny, who figured out how to use a GO Pro camera in the park and has been an internet sensation ever since!

Where Did June Go?

I live in a state where the numbers are rising and outbreaks are happening. It's not good. At all. June has been a huge ball of stress. I mean all the months have been since March but..I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago. I had plans to celebrate it right before the pandemic hit. So I'll admit it was tough to turn 40 this year. I'm hoping I can really celebrate my introduction into my 4th decade right next year... Maybe? Fingers are crossed.

Everyone has stayed healthy. G did two online space camps in June. It was one too many. But he survived and ended up having a great time overall. Despite the one or two breakdowns...

I celebrated my birthday going out to eat. I wanted to get sushi from my fave sushi place but they are still not allowing sit-in dining. So we headed over to a brewery nearby called Straptank. It was a pleasant evening and the staff there was super friendly. We tipped extra big since I know times are tough and they're risking their health and the health of their families to work at a restaurant which probably does not pay extremely well. It was disheartening to hear, though, while we were waiting outside for a table, a group of friends/family walked out complaining that they had never been treated so horribly...the restaurant asked them to leave after they had been there for an hour (the restaurants are trying to keep the virus from spreading and they have 50% decrease in capacity so family groups can social distance from other patrons...so they want to get people into their seats...I don't think an hour is bad to ask people to leave. We are in the middle of a pandemic!) It was very disheartening to hear people say stuff like that. I'm venting.

Image Source

We also have fires popping up all over Utah. There were evacuation alerts for the area about 5 miles from us. We're keeping an eye. Yikes. We had rain and cooler temps last night, so I'm hoping that curbs some of the current fires.

Wear your masks in public! Fight the spread and take care of your neighbors.

Monthly Pics:

Here's my bday and G enjoying his online camps and a hike! My friends even dropped off a fun margarita birthday basket. And a couple of friends from out of state sent a box of Crumbl cookies and birthday quarantine box. Friends are fabulous!

G made a model Mars science habitat, we attended a Black Lives Matter protest, and enjoyed a socially distanced picnic for Father's Day with my parents.

G and I got out for a hike with our neighbors, who also practice great social distancing and mask-wearing while in public. So we both felt very safe doing this hike together.

And we finished the hardest puzzle ever! DH did most of it while I did the easy parts! Ha! And Nala and Shadow being cute and doing their kitty things.

Reading:

I finished 4 books this month. Not my best, but 4 isn't terrible! All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson, New Kid by Jerry Craft, A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Perry, and Dawn by Octavia Butler.

I'm reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (reading this one out loud with G; we are having some great discussions), Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi.

There is also a read-along happening online for Stamped and Stamped From the Beginning.

I'm listening to Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams. I am loving this. I'm gaining new insights into voter suppression laws, the census, gerrymandering, etc. Sometimes I have to take breaks but I love Stacey Abrams. She has my vote.

I'm planning on starting Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, the second book in Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale, and Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin over the next week or so.

Watching: 

For movies I saw the documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am you can watch either on Hulu or PBS. Fantastic documentary on Morrison. So much I didn't know about her and her life and how the literary community accepted her work and books as they were published. I can't wait to read through all of her books and writings.

We also watched Artemis Fowl on Disney+... Wow, that was a terrible movie. Terrible! Even my DH who is less critical of movies in general found it rather nauseating and silly.

Disappearance at Clifton Hill on Hulu. This was an interesting mystery indie noir. Also, if you are a fan of body horror like Videocrome and Scanners David Cronenberg stars as well.

Swiss Family Robinson on Disney+... The animal abuse in that movie... wow. I had a hard time watching that one. Overall, one of the better old Disney movies but I will never watch that one again.

DH and I watched Rocketman finally last week. It was really well done! I could see Elton John's story becoming a Broadway musical one day. That's how this movie felt. I really enjoyed how they pulled his songs into his biography. And I had no idea he had long-time friend who is his lyricist. Fantastic story and movie.

And last night I watched Lost Child on Amazon Prime about a young woman who has come back from Afghanistan to her childhood home in the Ozarks. She's trying to deal with her PTSD and trying to reconcile with her brother. And all the while she finds a boy in the woods who seems almost supernatural. She must separate fact from local myth and folklore to find out who the boy is and ultimately find herself. I really liked this one. 

For TV I finally finished up to the third season of The Good Place on Netflix with DH. I was surprised at what a funny and smart show it is. I love a whole show on moral philosophy and ethics for the little gal. And done in such a way to make sense and be entertaining!

Never Have I Ever on Netflix was a great teen show about an Indian American dealing with the death of her father, getting along with her mother, and figuring out life as a teenager. Poignant and funny. Can't wait for the next season.

This week: Just looking forward to picking up our fruits and veggies, getting some library books, and some family time. DH has taken some time off this week and we plan on doing some game nights and a hike this week. And hopefully we will get some things done around the house like washing the windows, and cleaning up the basement, and donating some books and clothes to our local second-hand store. I'm also still working on our coronavirus quarantine time capsule and a blanket for my great-niece.

Oh, and this weekend I finally planted the rest of my flowers til Fall and laid down the rest of the mulch! Whew. Gardening is tough work.

Looking forward to relaxing a little more this week and enjoying some extra family time!

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week and holiday this weekend!

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon