July was another good reading month. I averaged three books a week, which is kind of crazy, actually. I never thought I would be reading that much, and that's coming from someone who can't ever remember not having a book in her hand. (And I only read three graphic novels this month, so most of those were 250+ page reads.)
I used to read one book at a time, not moving on until I had finished a book. However, I've become a polygamist reader lately. I usually have one nonfiction book, one YA, and one literary fiction book that are being read at the same time. I will also throw in short stories, poetry or graphic novels if the mood hits. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep this up once school resumes, but we shall see!
Now, for the month's reading highlights (if you'd like to see everything I read this month, check out Rabbit Hole #17 for the full list).
YA magic--I read three amazing YA novels this month: Daniel José Older's Shadowshaper, Nnedi Okorafor's Zarah the Windseeker, and Benjamin Alire Sáenz's Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe. All three of these have phenomenal protagonists and dive into the struggles of growing up, even if you do discover you have magical abilities (Zarah and Shadowshaper). We need more books with diverse characters by diverse authors, especially for young people, and these are great places to start if you haven't started to broaden your reading.
Geek love--Clive Thompson's Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Lives for the Better is a smart, insightful look at our tech-dominated lives. He argues that, contrary to popular belief, all of this technology is actually good for us. He talks about education, the tech field, the average user, and a host of other topics. Thompson has a very accessible writing style, and I highly recommend this book to everyone. On the other side of the technology discussion, Margaret Atwood's MADDADDAM, the last book in her Oryx and Crake trilogy, warns us about the abuses of tampering with genetics and the eternal "just because we can, doesn't mean we should" question. This is a terrific dystopian series, and well worth the read.
Contemporary Issues: Jesmyn Ward's Men We Reaped is a powerful look at life growing up black in Mississippi. Ward discusses five young men she lost in the span of only a few years, the social, racial, and economic issues that contributed both to their lives and deaths, and how the black community in particular tries to cope with the loss of a generation. Last month I said read Claudia Rankine's Citizen; this is this month's must read.
Dystopian Circus Version of Waterworld: Except it's so much better than that movie. Kirsty Logan's The Gracekeepers is a beautiful fairy tale of a world in the future where humanity is divided between the landlockers, who live on what little land is left, and the damplings, who spend their lives traveling the oceans. It's a lovely tale of the need to belong and feel love, with discussions on humanity, disability, gender, and societal conflict. And it has bears!! The end is a bit rushed, but it is definitely worth a read (It's been compared to Night Circus meets Station Eleven; so if you've read either of those, you'll probably like this one).
In case you haven't noticed by now, I have an extremely eclectic taste in reading. If you have any recommendations for me, please let me know!
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