Rabbit Hole #37: The New York Times by the Book Tag

I stumbled across another fun book tag the other day on BookTube (I know; I'm addicted.) This one was created by Marie Berg, and you can watch her original video here: NY-Times By the Book Tag

The tag consists of ten questions, taken from a book of collected "By the Book" columns from The New York Times Book Review: 

1. What is currently on your nightstand? I currently have two books going: On Beauty by Zadie Smith and The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. I never used to be a serial book reader, but I've found it is a lot of fun, and actually increases the number of books I read. I usually save fiction for bedtime, and the nonfiction for after work/evening reading.

2. What was the last truly great book you read? I just finished Gloria Steinem's My Life on the Road, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I am so in awe at everything she has accomplished in her lifetime, both for herself and women.

3. If you could meet any writer, dead or alive, who would it be? And what would you want to know?
Alive: There's a tie between Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. I am in love with their words and wisdom. I wouldn't even necessarily need to ask them anything, just being in their presence would be enough. Dead: Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes, for the same reasons. I would also love to sit down with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and hear their stories from the 1920s.

4. What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves? People who know me know I read just about everything, so I don't really know if anything would be a surprise.

5. How do you organize your personal library? On my main bookcase I have a section for poetry, then autobiography/memoir, biography, and general nonfiction. I also have the bulk of my fiction books followed by fantasy series (LOTR, HP, and Narnia) and YA. I have a small bookshelf that holds my short story collections and New Orleans books; another bookshelf with my plays, ancient/medieval texts, graphic novels, comic collections, literary and feminist theory, and writing guidebooks. I also have a couple of shelves with environmental and self-improvement books.
I may have a problem...

6. What book have you always meant to read and haven't gotten around to yet? Anything you feel embarrassed to have never read? There's a lot of Margaret Atwood's backlist that I still want to read, but other things keep getting in the way (I've read The Handmaid's Tale and the Maddaddam trilogy, of course). Embarrassed? As an English teacher, I always feel there are gaps that I should feel ashamed of--I've never read Dostoevsky or Dumas or or several of Shakespeare's plays--but I feel I'm widely enough read to make up for it.

7. Disappointing, overrated, or just not good--what book did you feel you were supposed to like but just didn't? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing? The Magicians by Lev Grossman should have been the perfect book for me, but I just could not get into it. I didn't like the world building, the characters, or the writing style. The last book I put down without finishing is one I will come back to: The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I love Fitzgerald, but this is an odd compilation of essays, 200 pages of his notes, letters, etc. It's just not something you can really sit down and read a large chunk of. It's nice to dip in and out of, though.

8. What kind of stories are you drawn to? Any you steer clear of? I really like fairy tale retellings or reworkings, fantasy, paranormal, and books dealing with political and social themes. I tend to stay away from traditional science fiction, mystery/thriller, and romance; although I will try anything if a person I trust recommends it!

9. If you could require the President to read one book, what would it be? Since President Obama already reads a lot, and widely, I'm going to recommend our next President, whomever he or she may be, to read Citizen by Claudia Rankine and The Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward.

10. What do you plan to read next? I have a reread of Native Son by Richard Wright for my book club, Barbara Kingsolver's collection of essays, Small Wonder, and the final book in the Lunar Chronicles series, Winter, by Marissa Meyer.


There you have it--my By the Book Tag. Let me know what your answers would be!

Rabbit Hole #36: March Reading Update

This month...ugh. Reading was a struggle, and I have no idea why. I just could not motivate myself to sit down and read for any length of time.  I did manage to finish 5 books; 3 of which were relatively short, but...tomorrow's a new month!

PopSugar Challenge 2016 (Currently Completed: 13/41 challenges)

A book under 150 pages: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn; 139 pgs (3 stars)

A book written by a celebrity: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (4 stars)

A book translated to English: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; Portuguese (3 stars)

A political memoir: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem (5 stars)



Bustle Reading Challenge 2016 (Currently Completed: 4/20 challenges)

A contemporary collection of poetry: Bellocq's Ophelia by Natasha Trethewey (5 stars)




Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2016  (Currently Completed: 6/24 challenges)

I didn't complete any of the challenges on this list this month.

I may be a little overwhelmed by the challenges I set for myself . . . not giving up yet!!

Mardi Gras Mambo

Ok, so it's been just over a month since Mardi Gras Day, but it's taken a while to wrap my brain around this wonderful, crazy, unique marathon known as Carnival season here in New Orleans.

I've been trying to figure out a way to describe what actually happens during Carnival, but honestly, until you've actually experienced it, I don't think words are adequate. (I CAN say, however, that what you see on COPS and shows like that isn't really the Mardi Gras experience, unless you're a tourist who hasn't done their homework. You never have to do anything scandalous to get beads! And NEVER pick them up off the ground in the Quarter, especially on Bourbon Street. *shudder*) 

That being said, here are a few of my observations. (To my New Orleans family, please feel free to add or correct anything I've said--remember, this was our first Carnival season--and I'm sure I've made some mistakes!) 

1. King cakes: so much sugary goodness, it's probably a good thing they're limited to Carnival season.

2. Beads, beads, and more beads: I did keep a fair amount of beads from all of the parades. I have my favorites out, and we'll use the rest to decorate with next year, but I STILL donated a huge bag to charity (several schools/charities, particularly for special needs individuals, repackage and recycle the beads every year for use in other parades and purposes). 

3.  Not all beads/throws are created equal. You will invariably go home with a pile of generic beads after every parade, and those can be recycled/repurposed without any hesitation. Each krewe, however, usually has something signature that it throws, and those are so coveted that sometimes people go a bit crazy trying to get them (I'm looking at you, Nyx purse thieves!). The two all-female super krewes, Muses and Nyx, spend weeks decorating their signature throws (shoes and purses, respectively). Zulu, the traditionally African-American krewe started in response to segregation in the parades, throws (well, gently tosses) decorated coconuts. Rex, the oldest krewe, has a different signature bead for each of its floats, and some try to catch one from every float each year to have a complete set. Then there are the beautiful glass beads that are making a comeback, the doubloons, the stuffed animals, frisbees...well, you get the picture. (I didn't manage to catch a purse or shoe this year, but we did get two coconuts, so I was happy.)

4. Beads can hurt. Especially if you take a string to the eye when you're looking the other way. Carnival should be labeled a full-contact sport.

5. We actually marched in two parades with the 501st Legion, a Star Wars group that my husband is a part of. It was a lot of fun (even if your feet felt like they were going to fall off after walking seven miles!) and a completely different way to experience Mardi Gras. 

6. It is impossible to go to every parade. They're not just limited to New Orleans, either. There are parades all over the Greater New Orleans area, and Louisiana for that matter. I'm hoping next year, since there's a little longer Carnival season, we'll be able to go to a few more. With Lent starting so early this year, though, everything was squeezed into a few short weeks. And the last week...whew. I haven't been that tired in a long time. (It was all worth it, though!)

7. Mardi Gras Day is only one small piece of Carnival season. The smallest part, actually. It's the last day, and after the two morning parades, all you really want to do is go home and sleep!

8. Sadly, it's not all fun and games. Some people use this time to try to settle old disputes, fight over territory, and cause harm to those just wanting to have a good time. There are also remnants of segregation lingering over the fun, even now. Although technically the krewes are desegregated, and have been for years, there's still a sharp distinction between the old krewes and the newer ones in their rider make-up. Like a lot of things in this country, it's gotten better, but there's still so far to go.

9. At the end of the day, though, it's all about friends. To all of our friends who invited us to come watch parades with you, offered your hospitality (and bathrooms!), gave tips and parade watching advice, danced, laughed, and made this first Carnival season amazing: thank you, thank you, thank you. I've said it before, but it cannot be stressed enough, we are so lucky to have found all of you! Here's to many more!

I think the most common misconception about Mardi Gras is that once Lent starts, everything becomes very serious around here. Not. A. Chance. We just had the St. Patrick's Day parade here yesterday, St. Joseph's Day and Super Sunday are next weekend, and the spring festival season starts in earnest the first week in April! As we've said many times--if you're bored in New Orleans, it's your own fault!


**I'm hoping to upload my own pictures from Mardi Gras at some point, but we're having computer issues right now, and I'm lucky to get this posted!

Rabbit Hole #35: February Reading Update

February was a weird reading month. With Mardi Gras in the first week, and some other personal things going on, I wasn't reading as consistently as I have been. I still managed to complete 9 challenges, but really only because three were graphic novels/comic collections, and because Shonda Rhimes' amazing book was a quick read just over 100 pages.

That being said, I managed to read some really great books. I can't remember the last time I had three 5 star reads in one month! (Interestingly, they were all nonfiction books.)

Bustle Women/POC Reading Challenge (Currently completed: 3/20 challenges)

Book about an immigrant or refugee to America: Things I've Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi (5 stars)

A graphic novel written by a woman: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (4 stars)


PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Currently completed: 9/41 challenges)

A graphic novel: Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh (4 stars)

A self-improvement book: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes (5 stars)

A book that takes place on an island: Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique (4 stars)



Read Harder Challenge 2016  (Currently completed: 6/24 challenges)

A non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years: Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick, et al. (4 stars) 

A book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie: Which is better?: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt** (4 stars)

A book originally published in the decade you were born: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974) (3 stars)

A biography: The Notorious RBG: The Lives and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (5 stars)


**This is one of the few reading challenges that was a reread for me, as it was a book club choice. For me, it's a tie between the book and the movie. I really loved the movie, especially the portrayals of Minerva and Chablis (played by the Lady herself!). The book, however, gives a wider look at Savannah at the time and all of the city's secrets, a lot of which is left out of the movie.

Rabbit Hole #34: January Reading Update

Where in the world has January gone?!? Seems like we just ended 2015!

My January reading update follows. I'm trying to complete three reading challenges this year, so these are the tasks I've completed for each one, followed by other books that don't quite fit into any of the categories. To date, I've been able to complete all of the tasks with books I already own, helping to whittle down my TBR shelf.

Read Harder Challenge 2016: 
A middle grade novel: Esperanza Rising by Pam Nunoz Ryan
A book set in the Middle East: Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye


Bustle Women/People of Color Challenge: 
Written by a woman under 25: Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazar and Damien Lewis


PopSugar 2016 Challenge: 
Based on a fairy tale: Beauty by Sarah Pinborough
NY Times Bestseller: The Middleman and Other Stories by Bharati Mukherjee
Book of poetry: Dirty Pretty Things by Michael Faudet
A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: The Incarnations by Susan Barker
A book with a blue cover: Dryland by Sara Jaffe
The first book you see in a bookstore: After Alice by Gregory Maguire



Other books read: 
I also read The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo, Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell, and I FINALLY finished French Quarter: An Informal History of New Orleans' Underworld by Herbert Asbury. 

Rabbit Hole #33: Best Books I Read 2015

I'm back! January has been very busy so far, as the start of the new semester always is. Add to that the non-stop roller coaster that is our first Mardi Gras experience here in New Orleans, and time just has gotten away from me!

I read a lot of wonderful books last year, so it wasn't easy to narrow this down to my "favorite" reads of 2015. These are the ones that rose to the top, though, after a lot of consideration: 

Fiction: 

          Krik? Krak? by Edwidge Danticat

          A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
          The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

Nonfiction:

         On Immunity by Eula Biss

         Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

         So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and How It Lives On by Maureen Corrigan

         We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Poetry:

         Citizen by Claudia Rankine

         Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Graphic novels/comic collections:

         March Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis

         The Wicked and the Divine Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillan

YA:

         Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsen

         Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saénz

         Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

2016 is already shaping up to be another fantastic reading year, and I can't wait to continue sharing my reading journey with you!

Rabbit Hole #32: 2016 Reading Goals

2015 was an interesting reading year for me. Even though we had enormous changes in our lives, I managed to read 135 books, which is a tremendous increase over my normal 50 books per year. As I've said before, I really have no explanation for it, but I'm not complaining. I'm looking forward to a rewarding reading year this year, as well.

I'm not usually one for setting reading goals, but here are my top 5 for 2016:

1. Read 75 books this year. (I know I almost doubled that last year, but I think that was an anomaly.)

2. Read 50% books written by people of color and 50% books written by women.

3. Read 30% books from non-American/British authors. Reading more works in translation will also help with this.

4. Complete three reading challenges: Book Riot's Read Harder 2016 Challenge, PopSugar's 2016 Reading Challenge, and Bustle's Women and Persons of Color Reading Challenge. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of categories that overlap between the three, so this will be a lot of fun.

5. Purge my bookshelves at least once a quarter. I am a chronic book-hoarder, and I've noticed recently that while I love a large number of the books I own, there are also books on there that I either can't remember the plot of, or that I just didn't really like (I'm looking at you, American Psycho). I'm not talking about paring down to a minimalist look, just getting rid of those 5-10 books every few months that don't mean anything to me.

These should all be easy to accomplish, especially given last year's accomplishments, and guaranteed to introduce me to some incredible reads!

(I know this is Allie Brosh's work, but not sure where it came from.
Please let me know if you do!)