Mid-Year Book Freak Out
Since the civil unrest started several weeks ago, I've been listening more to Black voices via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. This includes BookTube, which I consume but don't contribute to. (I'm too old and ugly to put my face out there for public consumption, which is why I blog.) One of the BT channels I have found is Ash at Bookish Realm. Ash is a Black woman and a librarian, and I really enjoy her content. She posted a video today on a "Mid-Year Freak Out," which is a thing I hadn't heard of ... but I love to talk about myself, so I will answer the questions below the link to her video.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tm36IZ4pNl0
I've only finished 34 books so far, so there may be some books that answer more than one question.
1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020
I'm not 100% sure on this one because I've read a number of really good books, but I'm going to say Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This multigenerational story of a Korean family living in Japan is sad and hopeful in equal measures, and the game of Pachinko is both a literal pastime and a metaphor for the survival of this family. It isn't easy to read, but so, so good.
2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2020
The only sequel I've read so far is Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire). This is a reread, and I highly recommend both books in this killer mermaids series. This ain't Ariel here, folks; this is some scary stuff, and I love it.
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
I looked at the cover of Kaitlyn Davis's The Raven and the Dove and gasped at how beautiful it is. It also immediately brought to mind my favorite (relation)ship in the Harry Potter fandom, which is Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. My second thought was Aziriphale and Crowley from Good Omens, whose friendship/relationship I love reading about in fanfiction, too.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
Top three for this one, because I really cannot choose:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson, and The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert.
Susanna Clarke wrote Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which is my favorite book I have ever read.
Bloggers and BookTubers have been abuzz since ARCs of Grown have come out. People who have read it say there is important discussion of how American society treats Black women, and it's important to read difficult things.
I read Brandy Colbert's first novel, The Only Black Girls in Town, when an author friend mentioned it. I was utterly enchanted by it, so I'm eager to read her next book.
5. Biggest disappointment.
I'm not enjoying Stephen Fry's Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold as much as I'd anticipated. I adore him as a personality, but I keep forgetting he isn't a favorite author.
6. Biggest surprise.
I enjoy The Try Guys' videos, so I thought I would enjoy The Hidden Power of F*cking Up a lot more ... very meh. I expected more self help and less memoir.
7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
N. K. Jemisin. I'm reading her short story collection, How Long 'Til Black Future Month?, right now, and it is amazing. The one that takes place in steampunk New Orleans is my favorite so far, though a close second centers around a chef and a challenge. Now I'm looking at my finances and deciding if I can eat ramen for a month so I can buy her Broken Earth trilogy, or should I be patient and ask for it for Christmas/birthday?
8. Newest fictional crush.
Probably Jessamyn and Eugenie in the steampunk New Orleans short story I just mentioned. Vibes of James Bond and Q, and they fall hard for each other.
9. Newest favourite character.
Aster from The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis. OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS. Aster takes an opportunity and not only runs with it, she takes her sister, two friends, and an enemy along for the ride. She makes mistakes, but she is smart and has courage, she has an unwavering moral compass, and she is unfailingly loyal. She doesn't take the easy route, and I can't wait to read more about her.
10. Book that made you cry.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. One of my guilty pleasures is wallowing in the woes of a woobie -- a character who suffers at the hands of those who should care for them -- and I cried even more here than I did on my first reading of Jane Eyre. As portrayed here, Mary takes her queues from her family and tries to mold herself into what she thinks they want her to be, but she is aware that she simply isn't, and the shame plus her awkwardness make for difficult situations.
(At least some of the tears were not so much a result of the book, but a result of stress from family, joblessness and a lack of responses as I hunt for work, and a general sorrow at the state of the world and feeling helpless. I can't cry at that, but it's okay to let some of the stress from that out when someone small, like a book, starts the waterworks.)
11. Book that made you happy.
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore. It is raunchy, there's loads of swearing and some adult content, and mental illness is treated poorly. Not for the easily offended. After a really crappy Christmas, I needed something to make me laugh.
12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
The vast majority of the books I have acquired this year have been ebooks. Only one is a graphic novel, so I'm going for Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo. It is a modern retelling of Little Women, which I didn't read until 2015 but fell in love with and reread yearly now (as well as watching numerous adaptations).
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Oh, so many. I'm doing three reading challenges in 2020. The Goodreads Challenge is just a quota: set a number of books to read in 2020 and reach that number. I started with 52 (one a week), and thanks to self-isolation and the fruitless-as-yet job hunt, I am well ahead of schedule. I listen to the Reading Glasses podcast, and they have a 2020 Reading Challenge you can find here. I found the Professional Book Nerds podcast via Reading Glasses, and you can find their challenge here.
So now that I've made a short story long, I'll name some I want to read for those challenges:
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
A Groundling's Guide to Shakespeare's Hamlet by Hilary K. Justice
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Plus there's just a bunch I want to read because they look good, or they've been on my TBR list forever, or someone whose taste aligns with mine is enthusiastic.
Here's my Goodreads profile page, if anyone is interested:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/38060115-trina-dubya
Happy Saturday, y'all.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tm36IZ4pNl0
I've only finished 34 books so far, so there may be some books that answer more than one question.
1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020
I'm not 100% sure on this one because I've read a number of really good books, but I'm going to say Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This multigenerational story of a Korean family living in Japan is sad and hopeful in equal measures, and the game of Pachinko is both a literal pastime and a metaphor for the survival of this family. It isn't easy to read, but so, so good.
2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2020
The only sequel I've read so far is Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire). This is a reread, and I highly recommend both books in this killer mermaids series. This ain't Ariel here, folks; this is some scary stuff, and I love it.
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
I looked at the cover of Kaitlyn Davis's The Raven and the Dove and gasped at how beautiful it is. It also immediately brought to mind my favorite (relation)ship in the Harry Potter fandom, which is Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. My second thought was Aziriphale and Crowley from Good Omens, whose friendship/relationship I love reading about in fanfiction, too.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
Top three for this one, because I really cannot choose:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson, and The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert.
Susanna Clarke wrote Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which is my favorite book I have ever read.
Bloggers and BookTubers have been abuzz since ARCs of Grown have come out. People who have read it say there is important discussion of how American society treats Black women, and it's important to read difficult things.
I read Brandy Colbert's first novel, The Only Black Girls in Town, when an author friend mentioned it. I was utterly enchanted by it, so I'm eager to read her next book.
5. Biggest disappointment.
I'm not enjoying Stephen Fry's Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold as much as I'd anticipated. I adore him as a personality, but I keep forgetting he isn't a favorite author.
6. Biggest surprise.
I enjoy The Try Guys' videos, so I thought I would enjoy The Hidden Power of F*cking Up a lot more ... very meh. I expected more self help and less memoir.
7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
N. K. Jemisin. I'm reading her short story collection, How Long 'Til Black Future Month?, right now, and it is amazing. The one that takes place in steampunk New Orleans is my favorite so far, though a close second centers around a chef and a challenge. Now I'm looking at my finances and deciding if I can eat ramen for a month so I can buy her Broken Earth trilogy, or should I be patient and ask for it for Christmas/birthday?
8. Newest fictional crush.
Probably Jessamyn and Eugenie in the steampunk New Orleans short story I just mentioned. Vibes of James Bond and Q, and they fall hard for each other.
9. Newest favourite character.
Aster from The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis. OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS. Aster takes an opportunity and not only runs with it, she takes her sister, two friends, and an enemy along for the ride. She makes mistakes, but she is smart and has courage, she has an unwavering moral compass, and she is unfailingly loyal. She doesn't take the easy route, and I can't wait to read more about her.
10. Book that made you cry.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. One of my guilty pleasures is wallowing in the woes of a woobie -- a character who suffers at the hands of those who should care for them -- and I cried even more here than I did on my first reading of Jane Eyre. As portrayed here, Mary takes her queues from her family and tries to mold herself into what she thinks they want her to be, but she is aware that she simply isn't, and the shame plus her awkwardness make for difficult situations.
(At least some of the tears were not so much a result of the book, but a result of stress from family, joblessness and a lack of responses as I hunt for work, and a general sorrow at the state of the world and feeling helpless. I can't cry at that, but it's okay to let some of the stress from that out when someone small, like a book, starts the waterworks.)
11. Book that made you happy.
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore. It is raunchy, there's loads of swearing and some adult content, and mental illness is treated poorly. Not for the easily offended. After a really crappy Christmas, I needed something to make me laugh.
12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
The vast majority of the books I have acquired this year have been ebooks. Only one is a graphic novel, so I'm going for Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo. It is a modern retelling of Little Women, which I didn't read until 2015 but fell in love with and reread yearly now (as well as watching numerous adaptations).
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Oh, so many. I'm doing three reading challenges in 2020. The Goodreads Challenge is just a quota: set a number of books to read in 2020 and reach that number. I started with 52 (one a week), and thanks to self-isolation and the fruitless-as-yet job hunt, I am well ahead of schedule. I listen to the Reading Glasses podcast, and they have a 2020 Reading Challenge you can find here. I found the Professional Book Nerds podcast via Reading Glasses, and you can find their challenge here.
So now that I've made a short story long, I'll name some I want to read for those challenges:
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
A Groundling's Guide to Shakespeare's Hamlet by Hilary K. Justice
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Plus there's just a bunch I want to read because they look good, or they've been on my TBR list forever, or someone whose taste aligns with mine is enthusiastic.
Here's my Goodreads profile page, if anyone is interested:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/38060115-trina-dubya
Happy Saturday, y'all.
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