Rabbit Hole #53: In/Out Sep. 18-24

Only one finished this week, but I'm ok with that. 

Recently Purchased

NONE! (I have mixed feelings about this...)


Recently Finished

Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunée (4 stars)

I really enjoyed this, but then, I'm a sucker for travel memoirs and soul-searches. (I unapologetically love Eat, Pray, Love and Under the Tuscan Sun.) This ticked all those boxes, plus having portions set in my beloved New Orleans and some amazing looking recipes, and it's no surprise that it was something I would find intriguing. Yes, it's self-indulgent and self-absorbed in places, but what memoir isn't?

Currently Reading

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

I do normally love historical fiction, but Mantel just isn't doing it for me. This is not one of those books I can't wait to pick up; I pick it up because I'm committed to finishing it (I never DNF--did not finish--a book. Some see this as a weakness, but I feel I can't truly judge something unless I've experienced it entirely, i. e., finishing the entire book). The story is fine; I'm just not thrilled with her writing. I also realize I'm in the minority here. 

Lady Susan, The Waltons, Sedition by Jane Austen

Three of Jane Austen's lesser known short novellas, some unfinished. Not too far into the first one, which is told in as an epistolary, so I'm interested to see how closely these align to her completed works.

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter

I really don't think I need to say more, do I?

Rabbit Hole #52: In/Out Sep. 11-17

As I said, nothing finished one week, and then this week--four finished! One of these days I'll figure out my reading habits.

Recently Purchased

 A Wrinkle in Time quintet by Madeline L'Engle

I really thought I still had this series; it was one of my favorites growing up. With Ava Duvernay's new movie version of A Wrinkle in Time coming next year, I knew I had to reread this one. (And the cast! Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling?!?! I am SO here for that!)

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Another post-apocalyptic novel, this time set in a futuristic Sudan, with magical elements thrown in. I'm looking forward to this one, as it's a combination of so many different genres.

Recently Finished

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Much like Jackson's classic short story "The Lottery," we're dropped into the middle of small-town America where ordinary people do horrific things to each other. The Blackwoods, or what's left of them anyway, are isolated in their ancestral home after an "incident" destroys everyone else in the household. It's wonderfully creepy and disturbing, everything Jackson is known for. 

March, Book Three by John Lewis,  Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

A beautiful conclusion to Lewis' story of the Civil Rights Movement, this book focuses on the bombing of the Birmingham church and the March to Selma. And the more we read, the more one realizes that the issues that Lewis and King and so many others were fighting for haven't gone away, they've just changed forms. There is still so much to do, and Lewis, with his sit-in of Congress this spring, is still leading the way. 

Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai

This was a charming, if predictable, middle-grade story about a young girl discovering her roots in Vietnam. There were hints of the Vietnam War and the impact it had, and is still having, on those involved, but it was primarily about a tween learning that the world is bigger than her little corner of Laguna Beach. I would recommend it for younger readers, though. 

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

This was a fun read and interesting enough that I might pick up the sequel. I wouldn't say there was anything particularly ground-breaking about it, though. As I said last week, it's a mash-up of Beauty and the Beast, the Hunger Games, and 1984, which isn't a bad combination; it just doesn't lend itself to stand out among other dystopian fictions. At some point, you would think this genre would wear itself out; I don't know how many more ways you can create a world gone awry.

Currently Reading

Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunée

A lot of the reviews of this criticize Sunée for being too shallow, too uncaring. But this is a memoir of her twenties, a time when most of us were shallow and uncaring toward those around us. Taken as such, this is an engaging read, coupled with recipes from New Orleans, Swedish and French cuisine. I'm enjoying it so far. 

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

This is the second in Mantel's series about Henry VIII's advisor Thomas Cromwell.  The story is interesting, but as with Wolf Hall, I'm just not finding her writing style very compelling. It's too much exposition and too many characters thrown into scenes. I'd like a little more dialogue--Twain's showing versus telling, if you will--without it, everything seems very detached. 

Rabbit Hole #51: In/Out Sep. 4-Sep. 10

I have gotten a lot of reading done this week, just haven't been able to finish anything. Next week will be much more interesting. I seem to go through phases--finish three books in one week, and then nothing, and then three the next. I can't figure it out.

Recently Purchased

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

This has been on my radar for a while, because who doesn't like good, creepy Gothic stories?!? It also happens to be my book club's pick for this month. I'm hoping I like it better than the last two.

Recently Finished

Currently Reading

March, Book Three by John Lewis,  Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

With all the controversy (ridiculous, if you ask me) over NFL players not standing for the National Anthem, this is the perfect book to be reading right now. 

Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai

I have to keep reminding myself that this is middle grade YA, so I shouldn't really be as critical of it as I'm being. It's good, but the repetition of how miserable the angsty tween is because she has to spend her summer with her grandmother in Vietnam is getting really old. I know the whininess is realistic, it's just not lending itself to much character development. Here's hoping the last 100 pages or so gets better. 

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Throw Beauty and the Beast, the Hunger Games, and 1984 together and you have The Bone Season. It's been a fun read so far, and a nice switch from the heavier literature I've been reading, but it's nothing spectacular. Probably won't continue with the series unless something truly unique happens in the last 150 pages.

Rabbit Hole #50: In/Out Aug. 28-Sep. 3

A lovely long weekend for reading=heaven. Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend!

Recently Purchased

Zero. I'm really trying to curb my book buying this year and focusing on reading the stack I have. It's been pretty successful so far, but I do miss picking up new books on a regular basis. 

Recently Finished

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

I am apparently in the minority on this one. Critics loved it, my book club overall loved it, I'm just. . . meh. It reminded me a lot of Villa America which I read a few weeks ago--filled with flat, stereotypical characters that I just didn't care about. I really had a problem with the female characters; they were just there as show pieces for the men in the novel and just didn't have much agency, even though one of them was the primary focus.  I have much higher hopes for this month's pick. 

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Time of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Yes, I've finally finished this. And it was amazing. And terrifying. And heartbreaking. And disturbing. Reading this you realize how little the general public knows about the Drug War and police policy and court cases that have put more people of color behind bars than were enslaved prior to the Civil War. We've allowed this to happen. Our courts have allowed the Fourth Amendment to become basically empty. And this is why we finally have Black Lives Matter. It's necessary. I have a lot more to say on this book, but I'll save it for another post. Just read it. Now. 

 Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

This book was a close-up of one Mississippi family in the days leading up to and the immediate aftermath of Katrina. It's filled with poverty and basketball and dog fighting and teen pregnancy and Greek mythology and hope and love and so many things rolled into one. Based loosely on Ward's own experiences during Katrina and her mother's during Hurricane Camille, it's a necessary perspective on what life was like for those most vulnerable. My only issue with the book was the dog fighting, but it was a part of Ward's life and those around her. She used what she knew, and it makes for a very successful read. 

Currently Reading

March, Book Three by John Lewis,  Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

I so wish I could afford (or my school district could afford) to buy copies of all of the books in this series for all of my students. It's such a powerful look at the Civil Rights Movement from the inside and shows readers there was a lot more to the Movement than Selma and I Have a Dream (even though those are powerful and necessary to remember as well). 

Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai

I am only about 30 pages into this so far, but it's a fun read so far. I think the best part about this is having my Vietnamese students help me pronounce the words and phrases. They find it interesting, and I'm learning something new!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Just started this last night, and from what I can tell, it's a dystopian future in London where people with special abilities such as telepathy are forced underground working for shadowy criminal elements. I don't know much more about it, other than it's supposedly the first in a planned seven book series. We'll see how this one goes before I decide to jump in further. 

In the Wings

Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunée

I don't anticipate March taking that long, so I will probably get to this memoir this week as well. 

Rabbit Hole #49: August Reading Update

Six books this month (Well, seven really, but Abby Cadabby is kinda tiny!) Not as much as I had hoped, but given I'm back at work this month, and things are always a little hectic getting back into the school year, I'm ok with it for this month. I'm slowly ticking off the challenge reads--only 24 left!! (I think I can, I think I can. . . )

Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 33/41)

A book from the library: Villa America by Liza Klausmann (3 stars)

A dystopian novel: The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson (3 stars)


Bustle Women/POC Challenge (Current Completion: 11/20)

A book set in the Middle East: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (4.5 stars)

Read a children's book aloud: Abby Cadabby's Rhyme Time by P. J. Shaw (no rating)


Read Harder Challenge 2016 (Current Completion: 17/24)

A book with a main character with mental illness: The Round House by Louise Erdrich (4.5 stars)

A book about politics, fiction or nonfiction: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (5 stars)




Non-challenge books completed: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (2 stars)



Check my weekly In/Out posts for more information on the completed reads!

The struggle is real, y'all!

Rabbit Hole #48: In/Out Aug. 21-27

Making progress, but only finished one this week. 

Recently Purchased

I am so excited for the third installment of Rep. John Lewis' graphic novel series about the Civil Rights movement. Lewis was a founding member of SNCC and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and most recently caught headlines for leading the Democratic sit-in of Congress to protest that body's refusal to address gun violence in this country. The man is a living legend, and his series is a must for history buffs, people interested in social justice, or people who just care about humans.

Recently Finished

The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson

A YA dystopian novel following 16 year old Scotch, a mixed race teen whose skin is being covered by an unremovable sticky black substance. Then her brother disappears in a bubble of light, and everyone in town starts changing. 

I had high hopes: Scotch's voice was incredible and the diversity of the characters was well-done, but the plot itself just seemed to fall apart in the second half. There were some interesting tie-ins; the legend of Baba Yaga showed up, as did the story of Brer Rabbit, but I would have preferred it if the Chaos never happened. There didn't seem to be anything clear as to the cause or resolution of the weird and devastating things that were happening. 
I do love Hopkinson's writing, though, and I definitely will be reading more of her work. 

Currently Reading

Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai

The story of a young Vietnamese-American girl who is, in her words, forced to accompany her father and grandmother back to Vietnam for the summer because a detective has told her grandmother that her husband, who was imprisoned during the war, is still alive. Only a few pages in, but the angsty tween voice is fun to read!

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The injustices in our legal system, from the local law enforcement all the way up to the Supreme Court are very, very real. 

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Putting this one on a small pause right now. Tomorrow's the anniversary of Katrina, and while I wasn't here, I had family and friends who were. Couple that with a possible tropical storm heading our way this week, and while I'm enjoying Ward's story and characters; I just am not in the right head space for this currently. 

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

I'm having a tough time getting into this one. I just haven't found anything to really hook me into the story yet. I will finish it (I only have 3 days until book club!), but so far it's leaving me...meh.

Rabbit Hole #47: In/Out Aug. 14-20

Much better this week!

Recently Purchased

Starting a little vacation dreaming/planning with this one. I was actually born in the Azores, but since I was so young when we moved back to the States, I don't really remember anything about it. I figured it was finally time to do something about that, so sometime in the next two years, we'll be heading across the Atlantic!

Recently Finished

The Round House by Louise Erdrich (4.5 stars)

This follows an Ojibwe woman in North Dakota who has been attacked and her 13 year old son who tries to unravel what happened. This is a very compelling read, diving into PTSD and how trauma affects not only the victim, but everyone around them. It also take a look at the difficulties Native peoples have in prosecuting such crimes, especially if they are committed by a white person. 

I thought this was an incredible read. The characters and the emotional upheaval they go through is well-drawn, and the impact is raw and heart-
breaking. I would recommend this as a good starting point into Erdrich's writing. It followed a more linear narrative than a lot of her work, and while it was centered around the same reservation life as her other novels, it isn't necessary to have read anything else by her to fall into this world. 


The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (4.5 stars)

What I appreciate most about this graphic novel is that Strapi presents herself honestly: the good, the bad, and the ugly. As I've said, it's a insightful look into Iran before, during, and after the Islamic Revolution of the 1970s, how it affected people, and how they coped with their rights being stripped away. In a time when people have seem to have a narrow view of people from the Middle East and of Islam, it's always good to read something from those people's perspective. I also highly recommend the film version. 

Currently Reading

The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson

A YA dystopian novel following 16 year old Scotch, a mixed race teen whose skin is being covered by an unremovable sticky black substance. Then her brother disappears in a bubble of light, and everyone in town starts changing. I'm not very far in, but I'm already loving Scotch's voice. Maybe it's because school has started again, but she seems a lot like my students. I'm looking forward to where this is going. 

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

I keep saying I'm going to finish this, and I will. It's just so full of crucial information that it's not something I want to rush through. 

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Esch and her family are preparing for an upcoming possible hurricane. Her brother Skeetah is focused on his pit bull and her puppies, her father is single-minded about the storm, her two other brothers are just trying to be kids, and Esch realizes she's pregnant. This culminates in Hurricane Katrina, which makes me a little hesitant to read this right now, especially with the devastation in Baton Rouge and other areas here in Louisiana, but the characters already have me hooked three chapters in. 

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Book club meets in 10 days, so I'd better start this one about an aging Hollywood actress, an almost love affair, and Italy. Doesn't really sound like me, but we'll see.