This is a really thoughtful, moving novel about a Chinese family that is torn apart in the United States. Peilan grows up in China in a small village but dreams of exploring the world, so she travels to New York for factory work at better wages. She has Deming while still very young herself, and … Continue reading
This week’s Top Ten topic, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is books that are unique. What makes a book unique? Some books are told in a unique way, like Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life or David Nicholls’ One Day. Some books have spawned lots of copies, but were original when first published (Harry … Continue reading
My reading was thematic this month. I started with 1984 and then moved to a book about rural America, Strangers in Their Own Land. I read Diane Guerrero’s book about her parents’ immigration to America and their deportation back to Columbia. I read The Daily Show, which turned out to be as much about U.S. … Continue reading
This week’s Top Ten topic, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is books on my spring To Be Read list. Right now this list is about a mile long, and I’m in the middle of three books at once. What’s the point of a TBR list? For me it’s a way to organize my … Continue reading
I’ve looked at graphic novels before, but never really sat down and read one. I figured it’s a very different way of reading. Your eyes have to jump around all over the place, and it’s hard to know what order to read things in. I suppose I like the calm repetition of reading lines across the … Continue reading
Cathy from 746 Books has started a series called The Books that Built the Blogger, and the idea is to talk about the books that have most influenced you. I spent a few days thinking, but these are ones that immediately came to mind. Childhood: The Oz series by L. Frank Baum Recently I wrote … Continue reading
Today’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is the Top Ten 2016 releases I wanted to read but didn’t get to. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Ghana) Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood The Wonder by Emma Donoghue (Ireland) Today will be Different by Maria Semple Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (South Africa) … Continue reading
I’m hoping 2017 will be the year I immerse myself in this blog and see where it can go. I’ve been puttering along for a little while now, keeping it up but taking the time for other (needed) things. In 2017 I want to return to some of the blogging activities I love, plus expand … Continue reading
Bidding a not-so-fond farewell to 2016, here’s what I read in December: Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch Before the Fall by Noah Hawley All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain What I’m reading now: What’s Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi. What’s up next: my library … Continue reading
Before I get back to the business of writing book reviews, I wanted to take a minute for one more post-election post. It feels like everyone’s talking about what to do next. A lot of it’s noise to me. I’m worried about my job and honestly not feeling like I can make much of a … Continue reading
Dear Readers, It’s been a couple of days since the election, and it’s still the nightmare we can’t wake up from. You’re not going to hear me being upbeat and saying let’s all love each other, let’s work together and give more and do more. I’m wallowing. It’s not the right thing to do, but … Continue reading
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. I love reading scary books, and I’m clearly not alone in that. What makes horror so attractive? People who study children’s literature say that scaring ourselves is a way to process what’s truly scary in life. It’s non-threatening because it’s not real. That makes … Continue reading
