Rabbit Hole #20--Read Harder Challenge Update 2015--September

Continuing through the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015...

Here's my list so far:  
(This month's reads are in blue.)

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

3. A collection of short stories:

Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQIA: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Zarah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas
Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity and the Women Who Made America Modern 
by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II 
by Denise Kiernan
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants 
by Robert Sullivan

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodsen

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Neuromancer by William Gibson
MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood

13. A romance novel: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice

The Queen's Lover by Francine Du Plessix Gray

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from last decade:

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)
ODY-C Vol. 1: Off to Far Ithicaa by Matt Fraction (The Odyssey)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once by Alice Walker
Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful by Alice Walker
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vols. 1 & 2 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1; Who Holds the Hammer, Vol. 2 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Griffin and Sabine: Book 1 by Nick Bantock
Sabine's Notebook: Book 2 by Nick Bantock
March: Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis
Dominique Laveau, Voodoo Child: Requiem by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1 by Ryan North
Fables, Vol 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

21. A guilty pleasure: 

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

22. A book published before 1850: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup (actually 1853, but close)

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb.)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (May)
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I also read: Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley

Rabbit Hole #19: Read Harder Challenge 2015 Update--August

Continuing through the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015...

Here's my list so far:  
(This month's reads are in blue.)

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

3. A collection of short stories:

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Zarah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: 

Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas

 Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: 

Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity 
and the Women Who Made America Modern by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women 
Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Neuromancer by William Gibson
MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood

13. A romance novel: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from last decade:

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once by Alice Walker
Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful by Alice Walker

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Garcia Gabriel Marquez (Spanish)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Sandman, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman
Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Griffin and Sabine: Book 1 by Nick Bantock
Sabine's Notebook: Book 2 by Nick Bantock
March: Books 1-2 by Rep. John Lewis

21. A guilty pleasure: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 

22. A book published before 1850: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup (actually 1853, but close)

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb.)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (May)
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I also read: Divided Lives: American Women in the Twentieth Century by Rosalind Rosenberg, Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile, and The Coldest Winter: A Stringer in Liberated Europe by Paula Fox. 

My Darlin' New Orleans

Today the sky is a brilliant blue, a far cry from that day ten years ago. I watched in horror as my second home, the city I had fallen in love with, who had bewitched me from the first day I laid eyes on it when I was fourteen, was torn apart by wind, rain, and negligence. I watched from afar, but many I love were here, or in the process of evacuating.

Things are still fragile here, no matter what you may see or hear from the politicians and media pundits: the city is, the land is, the people are. There is still a lot to be done, people to bring home, problems to be fixed.

But today, I want to say I love you, and wrap each and every one of you in a hug as the healing and work continues. 

Rabbit Hole #18: July Reading Wrap-up

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!

Rabbit Hole #17: Read Harder Challenge 2015 Update--July

Continuing through the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015...

Here's my list so far:  
(This month's reads are in blue.)

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

3. A collection of short stories:

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Zarah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: 

Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas

 Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: 

Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity 
and the Women Who Made America Modern by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women 
Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Neuromancer by William Gibson
MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood

13. A romance novel:

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from last decade:

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once by Alice Walker

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Sandman, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman
Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
Griffin and Sabine: Book 1 by Nick Bantock
Sabine's Notebook: Book 2 by Nick Bantock

21. A guilty pleasure: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (mainly because I didn't know where else to put this, and some people see Gilbert as fluff)

22. A book published before 1850:

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. 2015 release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb. 2015 release date)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (May 2015 release date)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I also read: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Lives for the Better by Clive Thompson, and Men We Reap by Jesmyn Ward. 

Rabbit Hole #16: June Reading Wrap-up

If you read my June Read Harder update, you'll know that while May was a rather lack-luster reading month for me, I finally came out of my reading slump in June. (Too be fair, I did move halfway across the country in May!)

I ended up reading 14 books last month, 5 of which were graphic novels/comic collections, which is a new avenue for me. I'm really enjoying Ms. Marvel, Thor: Goddess of Thunder and Saga. I also read one of the most disturbing graphic novels (or stories, period) I've read in a while in Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann. Think Pixar's Inside Out with a Stephen King flavor. Yep, that twisted.

A few other highlights from this month: (obviously I read more, these just rose to the top)

Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older: This is a fun urban fantasy novel. If you like mysteries mixed with the paranormal and a whole lot of sass, definitely pick this up. The main character is a partially resurrected human being who is basically a gun-for-hire for the ghost world, keeping the dead from interfering too much with the living. Older does a great job with world building, and his characters are smart and funny, with the requisite melancholy. This is the book that pulled me out of my reading slump; I highly recommend it.


All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: This novel follows two young children throughout World War II. One is a young blind French girl who becomes part of the Resistance; the other is a young German boy with a gift for electronics, radios in particular, who is trained by the Nazis to search out and destroy the underground networks. This shows a very human side to the war, and how even the young were pulled in to the conflict.


Citizen by Claudia Rankine: Read this. This is probably the most important book about our society and race relations that I have read in a long time. Rankine uses prose poetry, essays, and scripts from videos she and her husband produced to create a very real picture of how far we still need to come in this country. It's not an easy read by any means given the subject matter, but it is a necessary one.


The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige: This is the second in Paige's YA reworking of the Wizard of Oz. In this novel, Amy has to regroup after failing to kill Dorothy. She has lost the other members of the Wicked, and finds herself being drawn into the dark side of magic. Paige adds to the Oz legend without compromising the original mythos, creating a fun, quick read.

If you want to know more about these or any of the other books I read, let me know--I'm more than happy to chat about them!

Rabbit Hole #15: Read Harder Challenge 2015 Update-June

Continuing through the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015...

Here's my list so far:  
(This month's reads are in blue.)

1. A book written by someone when they were under 25: 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65: 

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

3. A collection of short stories:

4. A book published by an indie press: 

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Open Roads Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (Grey Wolf Press)

5. A book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ: 

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres

6. A book by someone of a different gender than you: 

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy 

by Paul Thomas Murphy 
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older

7. A book that takes place in Asia: 

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

8. A book by an author from Africa:

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

9. A book by or about someone from an indigenous culture: 

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

10. A microhistory: 

Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: 

Tourism, Race and Historical Memory by Lynnell L. Thomas

 Liar, Temptress, Soldier Spy: 

Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

 Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity 
and the Women Who Made America Modern by Joshua Zeitz

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women 
Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan

11. A YA novel: 

Paper Towns by John Green
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Page

12. A sci-fi novel: 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

13. A romance novel:

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer from last decade:

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story: 

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (retelling of Snow White)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (The Jungle Book)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella)

16. An audiobook: 

Voices and Poetry of Ireland (a collection)

17. A collection of poetry: 

Once by Alice Walker

18. A book that someone else recommended to you: 

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber

19. A book originally published in another language:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann (French)

20. A graphic novel, memoir or collection of comics: 

Captain Marvel, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick

Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman

Batgirl, Vol. 1 by Gail Simone

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore

Sandman, Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman
Nevermore: A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 by G. Willow Wilson
Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1 by Jason Aaron
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

21. A guilty pleasure: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (mainly because I didn't know where else to put this, and some people see Gilbert as fluff)

22. A book published before 1850:

23. A book published this year: 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Jan. 2015 release date)

 Find Me by Laura van den Berg (Feb. 2015 release date)

24. A self-improvement book: 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I also read The City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Twelve Little Cakes by Dominika Dery, and Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. There just really weren't any good categories to pop those in to. I think it's safe to safe I'm over the reading slump I had in May, which I attribute to the end of the school year and the absolute craziness of moving! I'll publish a post later this week on a few of mytop favorites from this month.