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

Slightly better reading week than last week, though still not as good as the week before! I managed to finish four books, and am part way through a couple more. I even really enjoyed them!

Just shelved:

              

I have been hearing great things about Aristotle and Dante for years, and even tried once to read it. I didn’t get into it then – I have no idea why, as I found it super easy to get into this time. But I’m so glad I finally read it. It’s gorgeous. I picked up The Fire This Time because I’ve been looking at it on my shelf and thinking I really need to get to it soon since reading The Fire Next Time last year. It’s a series of essays about racism in America today (and in the background the message being that it hasn’t really changed all that much). I loved it – its voices are varied, passionate and informative. I read Jonny Appleseed because it was the September book up for discussion on Storykeepers podcast. I’ve been meaning to read it for a while, and have heard Joshua Whitehead participate in a couple of Zoom author discussions and found him smart, personable and eloquent. I am so glad I finally got around to this book. It’s about a two spirit boy who grew up on a reservation in Manitoba. It mostly focuses on his relationships with the women in his life and how they have guided and impacted him, and his resilience in holding onto his sense of self and identity while working as a sex worker and navigating the complexities of his romantic relationship with one of his childhood friends. It’s insightful, tender but also explicit and violent. How Not to Get Shot is a humorous exploration of what it means to exist in America as a Black person, the many ways that affects everything from the clothes you wear to how you drive to your chances of getting called for a job interview. And it pokes at the ludicrous perception White people often have when confronted with the ways in which being Black in a country that has systematically tried to criminalize, remove rights from, ghettoize and underserve your race leaves you without options or basic rights and safety. The tendency of White people to try to apply their understanding of the world to the situations that Black people have to endure is problematic at best. But, when D.L. Hughley turns it on its head, it’s also hilarious, if infuriating.

Currently reading:

         

I’m reading Five Days at Memorial, partly because of the news coverage of Hurricane Ida reminding me that I have been meaning to. It’s not easy going. It’s really upsetting, there’s a lot of shocking information, and I know it’s just going to get harder. It’s also really long. So it’s slow going on all counts. I’m still sort of picking away at Happiness, which is good so far, just a bit of a slow burn so I keep sort of forgetting to go back to it. I just started Giovanni’s Room. I’ve been meaning to read more Baldwin – I read The Fire Next Time twice last year and was so moved by his writing style and his ability to see deeply what is happening in the world around him. My cousin Chris recommended both this one and If Beale Street Could Talk, so that’s where I’m starting (he introduced me to Adrian Mole when we were kids, so I will forever trust his recommendations). So far it’s already made me cry once, and is unsettlingly well written.

Up next:

I have no idea! I’m going to leave this one open this week. I have a bunch of books I want to read, a few I’ve started, but I’m not sure what I’ll actually pick up next. We’ll just have to wait and see!

That’s it for my week in books! I hope you guys had a good reading week! Let me know if you read any stand out books you’d like to share, or if you’ve read any of these!

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.