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rockislandadultreads · 1 year ago

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Nonfiction Thursday: New Book Picks

Daughters of Latin America edited by Sandra Guzmán

Daughters of Latin America collects the intergenerational voices of Latine women across time and space, capturing the power, strength, and creativity of these visionary writers, leaders, scholars, and activists—including 24 Indigenous voices. Several authors featured are translated into English for the first time. Grammy, National Book Award, Cervantes, and Pulitzer Prize winners as well as a Nobel Laureate and the next generation of literary voices are among the stars of this essential collection, women whose work inspires and transforms us.

An eclectic and inclusive time capsule spanning centuries, genres, and geographical and linguistic diversity, Daughters of Latin America is divided into 13 parts representing the 13 Mayan Moons, each cycle honoring a different theme. Within its pages are poems from U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and celebrated Cervantes Prize–winner Dulce María Loynaz; lyric essays from New York Times bestselling author Naima Coster, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Guggenheim Fellow Maryse Condé; rousing speeches from U.S. Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and Lencan Indigenous land and water protector Berta Caceres; and a transcendent Mazatec chant from shaman and poet María Sabina testifying to the power of language as a cure, which opens the book.

He/She/They by Schuyler Bailar

Go‑to expert on gender identity, Schuyler Bailar, offers an essential, urgent guide that changes the conversation. Anti-transgender legislation is being introduced in state governments around the United States in record-breaking numbers. Trans people are under attack in sports, healthcare, school curriculum, bathrooms, bars, and nearly every walk of life. He/She/They clearly and compassionately addresses fundamental topics, from why being transgender is not a choice and why pronouns are important, to more complex issues including how gender-affirming healthcare can be lifesaving and why allowing trans youth to play sports is good for all kids. With a relatable narrative rooted in facts, science, and history, Schuyler helps restore common sense and humanity to a discussion that continues to be divisively coopted and deceptively politicized.

Schuyler Bailar didn’t set out to be an activist, but his very public transition to the Harvard men’s swim team put him in the spotlight. His choice to be open about his transition and share his experience has touched people around the world. His plain-spoken education has evolved into tireless advocacy for inclusion and collective liberation. In He/She/They, Schuyler uses storytelling and the art of conversation to give us the essential language and context of gender, meeting everyone where they are and paving the way for understanding, acceptance, and, most of all, connection.

The Golden Girls by Bernadette Giacomazzo

Over the course of seven years and 180 episodes, The Golden Girls altered the television landscape. For the first time in history, Americans (and, later, the rest of the world) were watching sexagenarians - and one octogenarian - leading active, vital lives. These were older women who had careers, families, lovers, and adventures, far from the matronly television characters of the past.

In The Golden Girls: A Cultural History, Bernadette Giacomazzo shows why this iconic sitcom is more than just comedy gold. She examines how, between all the laughs and the tales of St. Olaf, these women tackled tough issues of the time--issues that continue to resonate in the twenty-first century. From sexual harassment, ageism, and PTSD to AIDS, inter-racial relationships, and homosexuality, Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia weren't afraid to take on topics which were once considered taboo.

The Last Two by Boštjan Videmšek

Meet Najin and Fatu—the last of the northern white rhinos—as well as the scientists, conservationists, and rangers who are fighting for the species’ survival. The last two remaining northern white rhinos, an already functionally extinct species, are kept behind three electrical fences and protected by a squad of rangers at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Both are descended from the last male northern white rhino, Sudan. Najin is his daughter, while Fatu is his granddaughter. Along with Sudan and another male named Suni, they were transferred to Kenya in 2009, in the hope that returning them to their natural habitat might help them regain their zest for life and reproduction.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan. With the deaths of Sudan and Suni, the northern white rhinos’ destiny is now in the hands of their Kenyan caretakers and a team of scientists at the BioRescue international consortium, which is developing and using several different techniques to resurrect the species, including assisted reproduction and stem cell technologies. Will science prevail, or is it too late?

Journalists Boštjan Videmšek and Maja Prijatelj Videmšek explore this question by taking readers on a journey through the history of the northern white rhinos. They introduce the rangers, conservationists, and scientists fighting for the future of the northern white rhinos and dissect what led the species to the brink of extinction, from wars and climate change to poaching and the black market. The Last Two offers hope for the future of the environment and the fight to save the many species that call Earth home.

#nonfiction #new books #library books #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recommendations #book recs #tbr #tbr pile #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog #readers advisory

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bookaddict24-7 · 1 year ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

This is going to be just ONE review because of the length.

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212. Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed by Various--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My biggest regret with this collection of essays is that I didn't read it earlier (I have an ARC that the publisher kindly sent me back in 2021...oops). I listened to the audiobook, so I had the pleasure of hearing each author read out their essays or poem and it was ✨magical✨.

Before I start reviewing each essay (because they all offered their own message and importance), I want to say that very few audiobooks have held me as captive as this one. I remember sitting very still while listening to one of my favourites and just...living in it. It was so beautiful. As a Latina, so much resonated with me!

Long review up ahead. I ran out of characters LOL.

Essay breakdowns and reviews:

1. Eres Un Pocho by Mark Oshiro

I will admit that when I started listening to this I wasn't fully invested in the book yet. I didn't know how much I would relate, or be impacted by the essays. So, some of the beginning is lost in the ether for me, BUT Oshiro was also the one that really got me into this book with their commentary on the stereotypes that the Latine community may encounter (especially in North American countries and sometimes even in the countries that are meant to be our home countries.) Oshiro had to relearn their identity as a child and even into their adult years. This reminded me a lot of families who have immigrated with children and in order to "fully incorporate" into their new home, they sometimes let their kids forget a language or the culture they come from. I related to this a bit because I was almost one of those kids, but thankfully my parents walked back this notion that in order to belong, you had to erase your "otherness". The bullying, racism, and stereotypes of what a "proper" Latine or Hispanic person should look like, sound like, or act like can wreak havoc on a child whose identity isn't as clear as society would prefer.

2. The Price of Admission by Naima Coster

I didn't connect with this one as much, however, it does deal with a very real issue in today's world with immigrants: the devastating reality of families separated by Government laws and how the stereotype of "one of the good ones" can easily be applied to Latine & Hispanic people as well--especially when it comes to who has a fighting chance at not being deported, and who just doesn't seem to offer enough for the country to not deport them.

3. Caution Song by Natasha Diaz

This one was a poem (song?) and it was a powerful depiction of stereotypes, assumptions, and expectations. One of my favourite lines from it are at the very end: "Because if you call me spicy/you should expect me to bite your tongue". Bam.

4. The Mark of a Good Man by Meg Medina

This was one of the pieces I related to the most because it was a Cuban experience essay. It dealt with the struggle of getting your family out of a birth country that makes it very, very difficult to live. It's about chasing the dream of a better life in a world unknown and taking that risk because anything has to be better than the hell you might be experiencing in your birth country.

It tackles the difficult and often-times heartbreaking familial relationships that can shape us and how they can leave us less than put together when those people leave or die. It also explores the complex gender stereotypes and norms found in Cuban communities. One of the quotes is "If only we had our men, life would be easier" and it reminded me so much of the times where I was reprimanded as a teen for doing something a man should have done for me. Finally, one of the topics that isn't explored enough in books but is brought up here is that of how many men immigrate for or with their wives or girlfriends, only to turn around and either immigrate to another country with a different partner, or find themselves a new partner in the new country (in their misguided and asshole search of the better life/dream.) I've seen this so many times and it is also a warning for any woman who falls in love with a Cuban man. I'm not saying all Cuban men are like this, but I've seen my fair share of it happening that I think it's worth mentioning in books like this one.

5. #Julian4spiderman by Julian Randall

My absolute favourite essay from the collection. It had me completely hooked and I couldn't pull myself away. The approach of using Miles Morales as a sort of template for this essay was genius. He's always been my favourite Spidey, so it was a nice surprise! It was such a powerful essay and I think it'll resonate with a lot of young Black Latine readers.

From the mention of having to correct others on how to pronounce a name (very relatable), to the fact that a teacher had Randall argue in favour of Slavery (which is fucked up), this essay had so much meaning and heart. It also had a lot of punching quotes, like "[A]merica taught us we were invisible, and the only way for the invisible to punish those who refuse to see us is to first punish ourselves", or "Afro-Latinx life is this in so many ways, to be taught that you are dangerous, and shameful and difficult to imagine." We read about the love of a father for their child, like Miles Morales's own father, and what it means to be a mixed-race Latine person whose identity is constantly questioned, despite the fact that characters like Miles never question who they are, even though if he were real, he sure as hell would be. It was a powerful essay and it left me thinking long after it was over. It was also the essay that made me want to digest the rest of the book even more.

6. Half In, Half Out: Orbiting a World Full of People of Color by Saraciea J. Fennell

I'm always intrigued when I hear stories of a Latine Indigenous person, mainly because as a Cuban, we don't have many of those stories. As my mom tells it, many if not all of Cuba's indigenous citizens were murdered during the creation of Cuba as a country. So, seeing these stories is always eye-opening and makes me wish we still had that in my country. Fennell speaks of her experience as a child taken into the foster system and put into a home with a white couple, as a result she and her sister were out in a school full of white children. Being able to see the difference between yourself and the rest of your classmates is an interesting sort of hell--you love your culture and the way that you look, but you also question it because you know it makes you different from the rest of them.

Fennell dealt with familial abandonment, finding solace in a friendship with one of the other Black girls in her classroom, and (relatable) the reality of being confused for her friends because they shared a skin colour. The amount of times I've had to tell people that I know I look like someone they know, but as Fennell writes "[N]ow that I'm older, I know that it was just white people confusing us." The final topic I'll touch on from this essay was how Fennell explores the racism that causes such a disconnection for a person from their identity. If a child looks "too white" or "too Black", they might not fit a white person's perception of what their ethnicity "should" be. I'll end with this particular quote: "The way Western culture, and, especially, American culture, shames us for being non-white is heartbreaking" and this quote is relating to the things non-white people do to make their appearance more palatable for white people (i.e. the styling of hair).

7. Haitian Sensation by Ibi Zoboi

One of the definite themes explored in this collection is that of stereotypes and how damaging they can be. Zoboi's essay is the embodiment of that and the dangers of how the proximity to whiteness can affect the way one views themselves, or others around them. I will admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Zoboi--her fictional writing doesn't resonate as much with me. BUT this isn't to say that her essay isn't powerful.

When speaking on how American culture can sometimes override a person's identity, she comments that "[It] didn't last, of course, because identity has a way of calling you back to your true self," and honestly, I found this to be incredibly important, especially for any reader who might be torn between the identity offered to them in their society and the one they have forged from family, culture, and language. There is, of course more important quotes found sprinkled in her essay, especially ones touching on the topic of being Afro-Latine (which I have seen people actively deny this identity on celebrities that are both Black and Latine--they argue this term like they're on a political grand stage, finding fun in debating someone's identity so it fits their idea of what a group(s) of people should look like) but I will end my review of her essay with this quote I loved: "I am proud to be a part of a movement that recognizes and honors the part of ourselves that colonialism tried so hard to eradicate."

8. The Land, The Ghosts, and Me by Cristina Arreola

This one had a theme worthy of the Halloween season. While Arreola explores the topic of literal ghosts and the power of lore and mysticism in Latine cultures, she also speaks on the loss of identity in a world obsessed with labelling humans in a certain way. As she states, "I wanted this ghost gone, yet I feared the void. Who was I without ghosts? They were an essential part of my being. They were the thing that made me feel whole and real and connected in some small way to the place that birthed me and made me who I am." An absolutely stunning quote and metaphoric exploration of identity and what it means to feel that ever-present threat of losing the thing that haunts those who don't fit certain societal expectations--especially when you carry a culture with you that is always under threat of being erased or forgotten.

Her final quote that I highlighted captured this notion wholly and while the essay is scary and probably the most metaphoric of all the essays in the collection, it holds a haunting power of its own: "My whole life, I've been trying on different versions of myself, haunted by the weight of the expectations of who I'm meant to be. How strange and wonderful it is, I think now, that the ghosts don't know who they are either. The ghosts are haunted, too." Simply gorgeous.

9. Paraiso Negro by Kahlil Haywood

Haywood starts his essay with an already powerful quote: "When people think about a Spanish speaker they don't necessarily rush to think about someone who looks like me." What follows is a recounting of something I myself experienced growing up--going back to my family's birth country (and my own), where I spent summers with my cousin and friends, both learning more about my culture, my family, and my first language. The misadventures, the way things change over time, and the unforgettable memories of a childhood spent somewhere other than Canada and the US was like a projector in my mind, showcasing images of a childhood never to be forgotten. As Haywood says about getting to have these experiences without realizing how we were privy to moments in history and lives forever changed, "It's something that you could easily take for granted as a kid."

Of all the stories, this one held the most nostalgia. This essay also spoke on the important topic of how diverse Latine cultures can be. I think, as the daughter of an interracial couple who had to argue that me being a mixed Latina IS an actual thing to another Latine person, that this topic is incredibly important. At one point, Haywood even mentions a situation he's been in when he's been forced to ask himself "How Latino am I? How Black am I?" This is something most Afro-Latine people may be asking themselves, especially when they live in a world that barely recognizes the term.

10. Cuban Impostor Syndrome by Zakiya N. Jamal

I found this essay interesting and such a great commentary on how Americans and Canadians handle the topic of being Latine and race. Being someone who has been back to Cuba many times since we immigrated to Canada when I was seven, I've been privy to seeing how Cubans treat diverse people. There is definitely racism--Cuba is an incredibly diverse country--but it reminds me of when I made a comment about what mixed people like me were called in Cuba to a Black American once and how offended she was. It is definitely a case of different cultures/countries=different perceptions of race.

With that being said, Jamal's experience as the Black granddaughter of a Cuban who didn't teach her children Spanish (a big part of Latine identity because not having the language might feel like you're missing a piece of yourself) is both heartbreaking and eye-opening. Her starting her essay by sharing an experience where one Cuban didn't fully internalize that she was saying she's Cuban sets the tone for the rest of her essay. She does not meet an expectation and it is devastating. Another example of the consequences of denying the identity a child seeks during their formative years is that her mom didn't even ask her if she wanted a quinceañera, which must have further thrown her off when she saw her Latine friends having their own fifteenth birthdays being celebrated.

But I think that while it is important to note that though "[f]rom a young age, my mom made sure I knew that Black was beautiful and that our culture and history were meant to be celebrated, always" it shows, yet again, the dichotomy of celebrating one aspect of a person over another, rather than letting them co-habit to form an identity. This is, along the stereotypes explored, one of the most consistent topics explored in this collection--that internal and societal power struggle between two warring identities. And this, of course, is the beautiful body of the "Cuban Impostor Syndrome" essay.

11. More than Nervios by Lilliam Rivera

Telling my Latina mother I have anxiety, or that she herself has anxious thoughts is like nails on a chalkboard. "Solamente estoy nerviosa!" Rivera's essay hits home with how much mental health is downplayed in Latine communities. As she says, "Depression is a word never uttered in my family. It simply doesn't exist." This is so incredibly dangerous, especially as the world changes and awareness grows.

Another quote, "America is built on the belief if you are a modern woman and you work hard enough, you can have it all," serves to show how much further North America pushes this narrative that if you have everything, there's no way you can be depressed. Not only is your mental health non-existent in many Latine families, the portrayal of hard work and achieving certain life "goals" is further proof that silly you, there's no way you're depressed.

This essay could be super triggering, so be ready for a very frank conversation about Rivera's mental health. But I think it's incredibly important, especially if you can relate to her and her familial experience. Her quote, "the cycle to present pain as weakness ends with me" when referencing her daughters and how open she will be with them about mental health, is something I hope comes to fruition. Rivera is presenting the breaking of a cycle that I'm hopeful future generations will adopt.

12. Alaiyo by Jasmine Mendez

Probably the most creative essay of all, Mendez's essay speaks of taking back the power in spaces that refuse to open up for Black, Indigenous, and Latine people. But throughout the essay, we see the reoccurring theme of others dictating the kind of space one can take up. One of the biggest and toughest pills to swallow is when you can read the racist levels in a comment, like in this quote: "'You don't fit the part' is just theatre teacher code for "you are not the right skin color." When I tell you that I've had a similar conversation like this back when I was in high school, and I'm sure as hell that we're not the only ones who've experienced this--whether it's as a child, or as an adult.

Her quote: "My Black friends always said I wasn't Black or at least not 'Black enough,'" is incredibly relatable to me because as someone who is mixed and always struggled with whether I felt too Black to be white, or too white to be Black, or having been raised as a Latina, rather than a mixed Black and white person, I couldn't relate to the experience of Black Canadians. This is a constant internal battle--even one I had to battle with some of my old friends back before I had a better grasp on my identity. A lot of people who don't struggle with a sense of dual identity can't truly understand how disorientating it can be to simply exist in a world that is constantly trying to pull you in one direction or another.

There's also a creepy instance where a white teacher hella acts inappropriate with her and it gave me the biggest ick.

13. Invisible by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

While I didn't highlight as much in this essay, I found it to be the most timely. Across the world, people are arguing and discussing political beliefs, human rights, and the treatment of others. Contreras is a very (rightfully so) angry woman who refuses to be kept quiet by her in-laws. This is a classic story of policing one's anger and the incredible power of ignorance.

"The United States of America was then and is now living through a time that makes whiteness visible, even to those who lived their whole lies willingly ignoring what it entails." Although this essay collection came out a couple of years ago, the disparity between how white people are treated in comparison to people of other races grows. We see it in the media, in the justice system, in history, and in politics. And the policing of those who refuse to accept the status quo is very, very real. At one point, even Contreras's husband comments that she is "fucking scary when [she's] mad. [...] [Does she] think [his] parents are going to want to talk to [her]?" Just, ugh.

I'll finish my commentary on this essay with this powerful quote: "Violence begins with language or lack of it. If you insist that something doesn't exist, it is in that darkness that calamity slips in."

14. Abuela's Greatest Gift by Janel Martinez

While Martinez's essay brings up the importance of family and tradition, it brings further attention to Blackness and how "There's no room for Blackness within Hispanidad or Latinidad." This was an important essay and exploration of identity, but I am running out of characters.

15. A Mi Orden: A Meditation of Dichos by Elizabeth Acevedo

This essay explores the expectations of purity, family, & the sexism of parenting boys vs. girls in Latine cultures (as lived by your's truly, as well). Also important, but no more characters. Welp.

I super recommend this book!

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Have you read this collection? Would you recommend it?

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Happy reading!

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jxrm · 2 months ago

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book log - 2021

party of two by jasmine guillory

the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins

one to watch by kate stayman-london

the boy at the door by alex dahl

little cruelties by liz nugent

followers by megan angelo

the three mrs. wrights by linda keir

those other women by nicola moriarty

the affair by sheryl browne

influence by sara shepard

this won't end well by camille pagan

slay by brittney morris

the midnight library by matt haig

pretty little wife by darby kane

love & gelato by jenna evans welch

the prenup by lauren layne

firefly lane by kristin hannah

when you disappeared by john marrs

one year of ugly by caroline mackenzie

when no one is watching by alyssa cole

providence by caroline kepnes

the other couple by cathryn grant

musical chairs by amy poeppel

by the book by amanda sellet

all the good parts by loretta nyhan

the end of her by shari lapena

simmer down by sarah smith

there's something about sweetie by sandhya menon

over my dead husband's body by etta faire

what if? by shari low

the accidental beauty queen by teri wilson

searching for coach taylor by mindy kaling

bridal boot camp by meg cabot

the tenant by katrine engberg

meddling kids by edgar cantero

kind of hindu by mindy kaling

the last time i saw you by elizabeth berg

unscripted by nicole kronzer

dial a for aunties by jesse q. sutanto

lila by naima coster

big shot by mindy kaling

single asiactic male seeks ride or die chick by eddie huang

within these wicked walls by lauren blackwood

five total strangers by natalie d. richards

help is on the way by mindy kaling

love & estrogen by samantha allen

a touch of jen by beth morgan

instamom by cahntel guertin

second first impressions by sally thorne

the minders by john marrs

where the grass is green and the girls are pretty by lauren weisberger

undercover bromance by lyssa kay adams

the last mrs. parrishby liv constantine

if the fates allow by rainbow rowell

sweet virgina by caroline kepnes

less by andrew sean greer

the soulmate equation by christina lauren

crazy stupid bromance by lyssa kay adams

watermelon by marian keyes

graceful burdens by roxane gay

the last flight by julie clark

fly away by kristin hannah

isn't it bromantic? by lyssa kay adams

the rest of the story by sarah dessen

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haveacupofjohanny · 3 months ago

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Friday Feature: Celebrating Celeste Ng – Master of Complex Characters and Human Drama

🔥 Friday Feature Alert! 🔥 Discover the brilliance of Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You. Her complex characters and layered stories are a must-read! Check out the feature on www.haveacupofjohanny.com #booklover

Photo Credit: Kieran Kesner I’m excited to feature Celeste Ng in this week’s Friday Feature. Celeste Ng is a powerhouse in the literary world, renowned for her ability to craft stories with characters as complex and layered as real-life humans. Like Naima Coster, Celeste’s work resonates deeply with me, as she delves into the intricate dramas that arise from human relationships. Her storytelling…

#AsianAmericanAuthors #BookSpotlight #CelesteNg #ContemporaryFiction #DiverseReads #FamilyDrama #LittleFiresEverywhere

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musingsofabookworm1 · 1 year ago

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Whats Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

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blogbibliophilia · 2 years ago

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Book Review: What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

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Book Length: 368 pages

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My Review: I wanted so badly to love this book. There were a couple of times throughout where I contemplated not finishing it, but I hung in there until the end. I only liked Gee and the dog named Jenkins. Gee had such a compelling life story and Jenkins the dog was just more lovable than his owners. The rest of the characters weren’t doing it for me. I just couldn’t connect with them. Majority of the storyline was just not cohesive to me. It felt scattered. There were more parts that were hard to keep up with than parts that I actually could follow.

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foreverlostinliterature · 3 years ago

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8/4 Book Deals

Hello and good morning, everyone! I hope you’re all having a wonderful week-we’re halfway through! First, apologies for the lack of posting in general over the past week, things got really busy and I’m trying out a new freelance situation for part-time work until I can find a better full-time job, so that took a little bit of adjusting to get used to a new schedule. But regardless, how are you all doing!? Hanging in there? Things have just been so crazy again lately where I am, and I really just want everyone to be safe and healthy, so I hope you all have been able to be okay and healthy and doing well for whatever situation you’re in. :)

Now, on to the books! Today there were a bunch of deals for some middle grade/YA and biographical type works (both historical and modern), so there’s definitely a little bit of variety in there. There’s The Book Thief, Holes, some Anthony Bourdain, and even a writing book from Kurt Vonnegut. Be sure to have a look if you are in need of some new reading material. :)

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic day--stay safe, and happy reading!

Today’s Deals:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - https://amzn.to/37hk7Tq

Holes by Louis Sachar - https://amzn.to/3CdOicv

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - https://amzn.to/2TTR5Gl

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) by Lois Lowry - https://amzn.to/37hvwCz

The River by Gary Paulsen - https://amzn.to/2Vp6rTH

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston - https://amzn.to/3A9DMkx

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow - https://amzn.to/37jGGa5

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson - https://amzn.to/3yptJrf

Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster - https://amzn.to/3rT4NFU

Victories Greater than Death by Charlie Jane Anders - https://amzn.to/3rQS078

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts - https://amzn.to/3yrkTsO

Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond - https://amzn.to/3ypjFyq

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner - https://amzn.to/3rUStFl

Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises by Lesley M. M. Blume - https://amzn.to/3jjExRu

Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome - https://amzn.to/2VtDSoi

No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox - https://amzn.to/2VyN0rq

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers by Andy Greenberg - https://amzn.to/3yokJ5v

A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Melburg - https://amzn.to/3imOX3m

The Six Wives of Henry VII by Alison Weir - https://amzn.to/3CeViWm

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain - https://amzn.to/3lAWygV

Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style by Kurt Vonnegut - https://amzn.to/3A6QiRS

Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan - https://amzn.to/3A9QRum

The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs - https://amzn.to/3fveS72

The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain - https://amzn.to/3rSXxKk

The Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman - https://amzn.to/3CfJsLO

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma - https://amzn.to/3CprZAP

Somebody to Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury by Matt Richards & Mark Langthorne - https://amzn.to/3A4sa2e

Before Her (The One) by Jacqueline Woodson - https://amzn.to/3il2jgA

Lila (The One) by Naima Coster - https://amzn.to/2VpHhVp

Edison by Edmund Morris - https://amzn.to/3AaCeXz

Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness - https://amzn.to/3fvlz9h

NOTE: I am categorizing these book deals posts under the tag #bookdeals, so if you don’t want to see them then just block that tag and you should be good. I am an Amazon affiliate in addition to a Book Depository affiliate and will receive a small (but very much needed!) commission on any purchase made through these links.

#bookdeals #booksale #books #biography #ya #middle grade #fiction #nonfiction #fantasy #alison weir #kurt vonnegut #anthony bourdain #jacqueline woodson #naima coster #markus zusak #louis sachar #lois lowry

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poetsandwriters · 7 years ago

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My favorite endings in fiction are the ones that bring us to a precipice. We feel keenly that we have reached some edge in the character’s life, and we know the story will continue on without us....When I write, I imagine a particular precipice and then work backwards. I ask myself: What kind of journey would find its meaningful end here? Who would find herself in such a place? It might seem counterintuitive to start with the end, but it’s a good trick to keep working. The ending becomes a thing to earn.

Naima Coster, in this week’s Writers Recommend (Poets & Writers, 2018)

#Naima Coster #Writers Recommend #Poets & Writers #on writing #true for writing #reading and writing #storytelling #fiction #story endings #characterization #why we write #writing tips #writing advice #lit #literature #quote #quotes

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anicarissi · 7 years ago

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Currently reading

(a 20-something failed artist returns to her gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood to deal with the mess her father has become and reckon with her past and future)

#halsey street #naima coster #booklr #book #reading #currently reading #book worm #book lover

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self-made-cages · 4 months ago

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thoughts on the four winds and what’s mine and yours? (i’ve read those within the last few years and i’m curious)

Oh boy… I have a bone to pick with Kristin Hannah…

I love that she’s made women in history a focal point of mainstream fiction. I loath her writing style and her methods of simplification— she doesn’t challenge readers at all, imo. Having her narrators know things they have no business knowing (when Frankie sees the helicopters flying low and is like “oh they’re spraying agent orange, that’s bad” in The Women) in service of scoring history knowledge points is lazy and a disservice to her readers. She could also benefit from shorter, tighter timelines: we don’t have to see the entire war/depression through, there is enough drama and heart in a shorter span to tell a commercial fiction story (and everyone knows how the big picture ends).

I wanted to love The Four Winds. I’m a big Steinbeck fan and was probably too ambitious to expect an updated, female-centered version of the Grapes of Wrath. This was NOT it. The prose was too shallow to develop any real connection to the characters, and yet it still felt like historical trauma porn. “Look at this strong woman! She’s suffering! Oops she’s a figurehead and oops her children are one-dimensional and OOPS now she’s [redacted]”

I’m only like 45 minutes out from finishing What’s Mine and Yours so still digesting. Naima Coster does not have Kristin’s shallow prose problem; the words themselves are lovely. Story-wise, though, I kept waiting for more drama, more connection, more depth. I didn’t care for anyone and the stakes felt extremely low.

#morgan reads #friends in my asks #tw spoilers #the four winds

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bigtickhk · 4 years ago

Link

What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster https://amzn.to/2O2vfgY

https://bookshop.org/a/17891/9781538702345

#Naima Coster #What's Mine and Yours #books #book review #novel #fiction

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rockislandadultreads · 1 year ago

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Read-Alike Friday: The Poet's House by Jean Thompson

The Poet's House by Jean Thompson

Carla is stuck. In her twenties and working for a landscaper, she’s been told she’s on the wrong path by everyone—from her mom, who wants her to work at the hospital, to her boyfriend, who is dropping not-so-subtle hints that she should be doing something that matters.

Then she is hired for a job at the home of Viridian, a lauded and lovely aging poet who introduces Carla to an eccentric circle of writers. At first she is perplexed by their predilection for reciting lines in conversation, the stories of their many liaisons, their endless wine-soaked nights. Soon, though, she becomes enamored with this entire world: with Viridian, whose reputation has been defined by her infamous affair with a male poet, Mathias; with Viridian’s circle; and especially with the power of words, the “ache and hunger that can both be awakened and soothed by a poem,” a hunger that Carla feels sharply. When a fight emerges over a vital cache of poems that Mathias wrote about Viridian, Carla gets drawn in. But how much will she sacrifice for a group that may or may not see her as one of their own?

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

In the run-up to the 2016 election, Owen Callahan, an aspiring writer, moves back to Kentucky to live with his Trump-supporting uncle and grandfather. Eager to clean up his act after wasting time and potential in his early twenties, he takes a job as a groundskeeper at a small local college, in exchange for which he is permitted to take a writing course.

Here he meets Alma Hazdic, a writer in residence who seems to have everything Owen lacks--a prestigious position, an Ivy League education, success as a writer. They begin a secret relationship, and as they grow closer, Alma--who comes from a liberal family of Bosnian immigrants--struggles to understand Owen's fraught relationship with family and home.

Halsey Street by Naima Coster

Penelope Grand has scrapped her failed career as an artist in Pittsburgh and moved back to Brooklyn to keep an eye on her ailing father. She’s accepted that her future won’t be what she’d dreamed, but now, as gentrification has completely reshaped her old neighborhood, even her past is unrecognizable. Old haunts have been razed, and wealthy white strangers have replaced every familiar face in Bed-Stuy. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic. That took courage. It’s also unforgivable.

When Penelope moves into the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she thinks she’s found a semblance of family—and maybe even love. But her world is upended again when she receives a postcard from Mirella asking for reconciliation. As old wounds are reopened, and secrets revealed, a journey across an ocean of sacrifice and self-discovery begins.

Costalegre by Courtney Maum

It is 1937, and Europe is on the brink of war. In the haute-bohemian circles of Austria, Germany, and Paris, Hitler is circulating a most-wanted list of “cultural degenerates”—artists, writers, and thinkers whose work is deemed antithetical to the new regime. To prevent the destruction of her favorite art (and artists), the impetuous American heiress and modern art collector, Leonora Calaway, begins chartering boats and planes for an elite group of surrealists to Costalegre, a mysterious resort in the Mexican jungle, where she has a home.

The story of what happens to these artists when they reach their destination is told from the point of view of Lara, Leonora’s neglected 15-year-old daughter, who has been pulled out of school to follow her mother to Mexico. Forced from a young age to cohabit with her mother’s eccentric whims, tortured lovers, and entourage of gold-diggers, Lara suffers from emotional, educational, and geographical instability that a Mexican sojourn with surrealists isn’t going to help. But when she meets the outcast Dadaist sculptor Jack Klinger, a much older man who has already been living in Costalegre for some time, Lara thinks she might have found the love and understanding she so badly craves.

#literary fiction #coming of age #fiction #readalikes #library books #book recommendations #book recs #reading recommendations #reading recs #tbrpile #tbr #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog

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