This week has been tricky for me. Monday (November 18) was the 6th anniversary of the day I lost my sweet mama, so the motivation to read has been severely lacking. I’ve been emotional, more so this year than the last couple of years, and I’m not quite sure why that is. I guess the easiest explanation is that grief is weird and no one totally understands why it comes and goes when it does. I just ride the waves and take it one day at a time.
I wrote a post about all the grief books I’ve read and hope to read…I hope you check it out!
What have you been reading (and loving) this week?
Last Week’s Reads:
*** 🎧/📖 The Grace Year by: Kim Liggett (Wednesday Books) – Pub Date: October 8, 2019
Holy wowzers…I love dystopian books and this made my head spin! When young girls reach the age of sixteen, they are shunned for a year from their patriarchal community in hopes that they will lose their “power”. This year is referred to as The Grace Year, and none of them have any idea what happens during their seclusion because it’s not something that’s ever talked about. Parts of this book really stood out to me. For example, it reminded me of The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Power all combined together. It’s just futuristic enough that I’m not nervous about it actually happening in real life (yet), and I admired the bravery that Tierney showed in her basic survival skills and knowledge of nature. I didn’t like the uneven timeline and wished it would have been spaced out more evenly. I also didn’t like the role of most of the girls or the poachers. I understand that they provided the antagonism for the storyline, but I thought they were poorly developed and lacked any credibility. The writing was excellent and I had a hard time putting the book down, but overall, I think the story fell a little flat and will (unfortunately) be a forgettable book for me.
In the Dream House by: Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press) – Pub Date: November 5. 2019
“But house idioms and their variants, in fact, often signify the opposite of safety and security. If something is a house of cards it is precarious, easily disrupted. If the writing is on the wall we can see the end of something long before it arrives. If we do not throw stones in glass houses, it is because the house is constructed of hypocrisy, readily shattered. All expressions of weakness, of the inevitability of failure. “Safe as houses” is something closer to “the house always wins.” Instead of a shared structure providing shelter, it means that the person in charge is secure; everyone else should be afraid.”
TW: This book is about domestic abuse in a queer relationship. Growing up, I lived in a very abusive home and Machado does an amazing job of capturing what it’s like to live within the four walls of a “home” terrorized by one person. I think this is an incredible addition to the abuse conversation, and encourage everyone to read – even if just to gain some understanding of how traumatizing and lasting domestic abuse can be.
I.could.not.put.this.book.down. So brilliant. So good. So heartbreaking. Will probably end up being my favorite memoir of the year. I doubt that any review I give would do it any justice, so just take my word for it: READ ASAP!
Currently Reading:
*** Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by: Jia Tolentino (Random House) – Pub Date: August 6, 2019
Still slogging through. I’m not going to lie…this is a hard one for me to want to pick up. I’ve thought about DNFing more times than I can count. It’s not that it’s good or not well done because it is. I just am not sure I’m smart enough to grasp what it’s saying. It’s well researched, but I feel like it’s all flying over my head. Has anyone else felt that way about this one?
🎧 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by: J.K. Rowling (Pottermore) – Pub Date: November 20, 2015
Meh. I’m just not into audiobooks right now. This isn’t due back to the library just yet, so I’m not throwing in the towel, but I’m not itching to listen either.
Happiest When Reading 
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