LINK-UP | IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 

I had a decent reading week this week. I finished a couple of books I’ve been working on for a while, and I really enjoyed one of this week’s reads in particular.

Just shelved:

              I loved Alone Together. It’s a selection of writings by various authors from the US from all kinds of backgrounds and writing genres discussing their experiences during the time of Covid-19. The passages are as varied as the authors themselves, and I connected to them in varying amounts. But the ones that grabbed me created an intense feeling of recognition and solidarity, and I think it was a really helpful thing to read as we head into yet another wave due to the combination of ridiculously few measures remaining and the Delta variant. I’m bracing myself, and terrified. I’ve never read anything by Jhumpa Lahiri before. Whereabouts is one she wrote in Italian and translated to English herself – and I don’t thing either of those languages are her first. I found it really interesting. It’s a look into the life and thoughts of a middle-aged woman as she observes the people around her, examines memories and connects to her surroundings. Not much happens in it, but if you enjoy character studies, this book’s for you. I read South and West on a whim. I’m not always a fan of Joan Didion, but she does have a wonderfully descriptive writing style that I can appreciate even when the content isn’t doing much for me. This book is two excerpts from her journals. The majority of it is from a trip she and her husband took through the American South in the 1970s. She explores the slow pace of life, the complexities of race and class and captures some fascinating exchanges with locals. I didn’t really find it that interesting, though there are passages I loved. I liked the more personal, shorter passage in which she writes about her home and childhood in California. But it still wasn’t anything stand-out for me. I’m not sure if I have enough to say about it to write a review, so this might be it. I just finished This Book Is Anti-Racist today. It’s meant for a much younger audience than me, but I was curious as I want to be planning ahead with books to have on my shelves for when my kid is old enough for them. Racism is, of course, a vital issue, so this one will be hanging out on the shelf for when it is needed.

Currently reading:

     

I started listening to The Sum of Us because my hold from the library came in, and my word, it is amazing. The basic premise of the book is the broadly White preoccupation with the concept that what is good for Black people will necessarily be bad for White people. She then explores examples of this mindset in play (large examples of cutting off of one’s nose to spite one’s face) in various parts of the US, and in government policy. It’s a fascinating angle, and has me nodding along amazed I didn’t see it in these terms before. Highly recommended so far. I’m listening to the audiobook, but think I will get the physical book because I really want to be able to highlight and copy out passages for later re-visiting. I have been meaning to read The Stonewall Reader for ages. I need to read more LGBTQ2IAP+ books, and this week is Pride in my town, so it seemed like a great time to pick it up. I’m still just at the beginning though, so thoughts to follow shortly.

Up next:

               

And, as always, I probably won’t get to any of these, and instead will randomly choose a book I haven’t mentioned or looked at in months. You know me!

 

That’s it for my week in reading! What did you guys get up to this week? Did you read any stand-out books? Have you read any of these? What did you think if you did?

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A weekly post that encourages bloggers to share what they have read in the past week, what they’re currently reading and books they’ve recently added to their TBRs. Originally started by Sheila at Book Journey, it is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.