this month i read:
white fragility, by robin diangelo (i listened to the audiobook of this, along with the rest of white liberal america, i'm sure. she's doing a digital speaking event in pittsburgh in september, which i have a ticket to, and i'm eager to hear her speak. this was helpful and reinforcing of other DEI work that i've done, and parts were "aha" moments for me, but others just reinforced what i already thought or was trying to do. i'd definitely recommend it for people interested in the work!)
the ballad of songbirds and snakes, by suzanne collins (a prequel to the hunger games trilogy, and worth reading even if the only character they share is president snow - in this book, an 18 year old, in the hunger games, in his 80s. if you're a fan of the series, i would recommend this!)
year of wonders, by geraldine brooks (this is a re-read - i first read it in july 2011, when i wrote this: fictional portrayal of a real life event - in 1665 in rural england, the
plague came to a small town and the local pastor convinced everyone in
the town to quarantine themselves by staying in the town - thus not
spreading the plague, but killing more than half of the town's
inhabitants. the story is told from the viewpoint of the pastor's maid.
some of the fictional plot lines within this larger story were a
little improbable, i thought, but overall i really enjoyed it! - i will say that re-reading it during the pandemic gave me a slightly different appreciation for it, which is why i picked it back up. i'd definitely still recommend it to you all!)
the vanishing half, by brit benett (i loved this book, about passing in the black community, about truth vs. lies, about how much the past impacts the present, about families. so nuanced and so good. i talked about it a lot while i was reading it, which is always a good sign!)
the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse, by charlie mackery (such a sweet book that my mom got me for christmas and i finally read, in one sitting. would be a great read-aloud book for an elementary school aged kid, but equally great for an adult!)
the happy ever after playlist, by abby jimenez (this book is cheesy and ridiculous and also i kind of loved it, which i will deny if ever asked in smart-people company.)
