The "Non-Fiction November" Tag

It's hard to believe that November is drawing to a close, and with it the reading challenge of Non-Fiction November.  As you'll see later this week, November wasn't a particularly prolific reading month, with holiday preparations and other life commitments taking up more of my allocated reading time than so far this year, but I did finish a few non-fiction books.  As a way to reflect back on reading non-fiction as a whole, I present you my responses to the Non-Fiction November Tag.

Why do you read non-fiction?

I read non-fiction because I love learning about the world around me.  It's not that you can't learn from fiction/poetry/etc. but the scholarship involved in non-fiction has a special place in my heart and my reading life.

Where in your home do you read most?

As I read quite equally between physical and digital books, I read most anywhere.  When my partner and I have joint reading time, we usually occupy the reclining sofa in our living room; put on some relaxing music in the background and curl up under some blankets and it's just heavenly.

Share a non-fiction book that is set in -or- is about your home country...

Not just in my home country, but in my home area of Pennsylvania is Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania by Cooper H. Wingert.  It discusses the presence of slavery in America up until the American Civil War, as well as the function of and prominent people involved in the Underground Railroad, the secret organization that spirited enslaved peoples to freedom in the North.

What book on your Non-Fiction November 2017 TBR related to the word "home" are you most excited about?

I had two books on my TBR - Patience and Fortitude: Power, Real Estate, and the Fight to Save a Public Library by Scott Sherman; and Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson - neither of which did I read in November.  I'm still excited to read them...eventually.

What books do you love to read the most within non-fiction?

I've found my favorite niche of non-fiction are books about food and wine.  I'm no chef or sommelier, but I enjoy reading books written by them.  If the writing is well-crafted, you can't help but be moved by their passion for their craft.

Give a non-fiction recommendation related to the challenge word "love"...

I would really recommend either of the two books on my TBR for the challenge of "love", both of which I finished in November - Devotion by Patti Smith and Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living edited by Manjula Martin.  If you love Patti Smith's previous works and are interested in her creative process, Devotion is a must-read.  If you're interested in peeking behind the curtain to the real world concerns of authors, and why they love what they do, then Scratch should be on your TBR.

Non-fiction is a great way to introduce us to people who inspire us to be better.  Name a person of substance that you've enjoyed reading about...

I absolutely adore Toni Morrison, and find her to be absolutely compelling and brilliant.  In fact, I'm toying with the idea of working my way through her oeuvre in 2018.  I had her recently-published lectures The Origin of Others on my Non-Fiction November TBR, but I don't expect that I'll finish it before the month comes to a close.

What non-fiction book would you recommend that has a lot of substance to it?

There's only one I can think of that fits this description - Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.  This is an almost-600 page tome that tackles the ways that racism have pervaded the culture and society of America from long before it's founding.  Dr. Kendi has indeed written a book with tremendous amounts of substance to it.

What book related to the word "substance" are you most excited for on your non-fiction TBR?

Unfortunately I don't expect that I'll read either of the two books on my TBR - The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison and The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo.  Thankfully, they'll live on my shelves until it's the right time to read them.

Non-fiction can teach us a lot.  What subject or topic have you learned a lot of because of your reading?

In the past two years, I've made it my mission to expand my understanding of the ways that America has (and, more appropriately, has not) dealt with race.  While there are innumerable fiction and poetry works that accomplish this well, I've found a lot of non-fiction books that have been tremendously valuable in opening my eyes.

What non-fiction book would you recommend that teaches something well?

Jolie Kerr's My Boyfriend Barfed in my Handbag...and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha will teach you step-by-step how to deal with real-world messes and keeping your home/clothes/etc. clean.

What book related to the word "scholarship" are you most excited about reading this Non-Fiction November?

I had two books on my Scholarship TBR, and have read one of them - Cork Dork: A Wine Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker.  Therefore I'd say I'm most excited to read the other TBR selection - Seeing Power: Art and Activism in the 21st Century by Nato Thompson.



So I didn't get to all of the great non-fiction books that I wanted to during November, but that's okay.  Non-fiction isn't just for November...it's for every month!  I try to include some non-fiction reading every month, and I've spent time with some great ones thus far in 2017.  If you're participating in Non-Fiction November, or are curious about reading more non-fiction and want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged.



Librorum annis,

The "Guilty Reader" Tag

As people who read books, and who others identify as readers, we are sometimes expected to behave in certain ways.  Maybe it's the about the books you tell people that you've read (whether you have or not), how you treat your physical books, or not reading certain types of books...it's all things that can make us readers feel a little guilty.  The questions in the "Guilty Reader" tag get at these kinds of things.  Honestly I feel no guilt whatsoever about my reading...I read what I like and what I'm interested in reading.  Simple as that.  Here are the questions!

Have you ever re-gifted a book that you were given?

Absolutely.  A few years ago, I had purchased a copy of Delicious Foods by James Hannaham after hearing about it on NPR. It's an amazing book about a young boy named Eddie, his drug addicted mother Darlene, and the Southern farm to where she is absconded and given alcohol and drugs in exchange for work.  This tale of family, race, and slavery features a unique character - Scotty, the fast talking, devilish voice to represent the crack cocaine to which Darlene is so addicted.  It's creative, hard hitting, but still funny.

I must have talked about it a bunch, because I was gifted a copy from a friend for the holidays that same year.  Because I had two copies, I had no problems re-gifting it to someone else who I thought would also enjoy it.  Otherwise, I can't remember re-gifting a book, probably because I'm picky when it comes to the editions and specific books that I want.  If someone's giving me a book, there's a pretty good chance I'll like it.

Have you ever said you have read a book, when in fact you hadn't?

I think this comes down to social/peer pressure of things you "should" do or "should" know.  I hate those "shoulds".  But, alas, I have been guilty of occasionally telling someone that I had read a book when I hadn't.  Many are from the Western Cannon.  Thinking about it now, honestly now I'm less wrapped up in feelings of commitment to reading The Cannon than I had been just a few years ago.  So, I'm less likely to feel I should lie about what I've read.  So here are just a few books that I haven't read:

Have you ever told someone you haven't read a book when you have?

I can't say that I've ever felt embarrassed/uncomfortable/shy about something that I've read, so that I wouldn't admit to it publicly.  However, our society definitely (and unfortunately) looks down on certain genres of books - romance, science fiction, and mystery among others - so that some readers may feel like they have to hide their reading from others.  I am hopeful that this is changing, albeit slowly.

Have you ever borrowed a book and not returned it?

Never!  And my deep concern about not getting back a book is why I don't loan out books, unless I'm 100% ok with not getting them back.

Have you ever read a book series out of order?

I honestly can't remember the last time I read a book series, in or out of order.

Have you ever spoiled a book for someone?

I try to be careful about this, and will make regular use of the "spoiler alert" warning when talking about a book with a major plot twist or a surprise ending.  I did, however, inadvertently ruin the ending of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, when talking about the forthcoming movie adaptation.

Have you ever dog-eared a book?

I'm a sticky-tab or bookmark reader, not a dog-ear reader.

Have you ever told someone you don't own a book when you do?

Nope.

Have you ever skipped a chapter/section of a book?

If I find myself doing this, it usually means that I'm not enjoying the book.  Once I realize that I've read a few pages, but don't remember anything about them, then I have to ask myself "why" and if I really want to keep reading the book.

Have you ever bad-mouthed a book you actually liked?

No!  I'm guessing that you might be inclined to do this if you were embarrassed about what you're reading, but you shouldn't!



That's it!  I guess I'm not such of a guilty reader after all, or at least I choose not to feel guilty when it comes to reading.



Librorum annis,

The "Finally Fall" Book Tag

Now that we're almost a full month into autumn, the weather in my area is finally starting to accurately reflect the season.  This time last month, it felt more like midsummer (highs in the low 90's F and very humid) and I am so excited for the cool-down.  That's why I was so pleased to find the "Finally Fall" book tag, because it does finally feel like fall.  Let's get to it, shall we?

In autumn, the air is crisp and clear.  Name a book with a vivid setting.

I read Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller this summer, and was completely engrossed in the British seaside town that played host to the events in the novel.  In fact, there were times where I could almost taste the salty air and feel the mists on my skin, even though I live hours away from any such coastline.  It was a transformative reading experience, to say the least.

Nature is beautiful...but also dying.  Name a book that is beautifully written but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief.

I believe that one the most exciting writers in American literature today is Jesmyn Ward.  All of her books are very hard-hitting, whether a memoir about losing men in her life to whom she was very close (Men We Reaped), the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf area (Salvage the Bones), or drug abuse and family ties (Sing, Unburied, Sing).  The way that she writes about these difficult themes and events is with such clarity, beauty, and hope that it's almost impossible to put her books down.

Autumn is back-to-school season.  Share a non-fiction book that taught you something new.

I just reviewed it here, but my most recent experience of reading a non-fiction book that totally refocused and  my worldview and gave me an education was Ibram X. Kendi's masterful work of scholarship, Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas In America.  In it, he tracks instances of racism from humanity's earliest encounters with diverse peoples, through to the modern day.  It'll challenge all your assumptions and expectations about how racist ideas exist and flourish, and may open your eyes to ways that you hold onto racist ideas - without even knowing it.

In order to keep warm, it's good to spend some time with the people we love.  Name a fictional family/household/friend-group of which you'd like to be a part.

A few years ago, I might have chosen the March family from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, because of how tight-knit and loving they were.  However, as my reading experiences have broadened and changed, I think I would be less enthralled with being a Little Woman.  Instead, I'd prefer something a little more messy and interesting.  In fact, I think I'd like to be a part of the Pea family, living on the island of Nollop and having to get bizarrely creative with language in Mark Dunn's Ella Minnow Pea. 

The colorful leaves are piling up on the ground.  Show us a pile of autumn-colored spines.

Autumn is the perfect time for storytelling by the fireside.  Share a book wherein someone is telling a story.

One of the most prolific stories-within-a-story is the tale that Elena tells of her long-lasting friendship with Lina in the Neapolitan Quartet, by Elena Ferrante.  The four-volume set, spanning almost 1700 pages, is the character of Elena writing the story of her friendship, in the wake of Lina's disappearance from Naples.  To tell this story around a fire, you'd need a forest's worth of wood to keep it going.  If you haven't read the novels yet - My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child - don't let the page count frighten you.  If you allow yourself to relax and settle into Elena's writing, you'll fly through the books without even realizing it.

The nights are getting darker; share a dark, creepy read.

One of the creepiest books on my shelves is Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes.  It's a suspenseful, really intense novel about a serial killer, the cop who's trying to catch him, and a possibly-supernatural force.  It's really good to read, but it's even more intense if you listen on audiobook, because of the narration and the really compelling voices that the narrators use.

The days are getting colder; name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody's cold and rainy day.

A truly heartwarming novella is Parnassus On Wheels by Christopher Morley.  A man wants to sell his mobile bookstore, called Parnassus, to a newly-famous author.  However, it's the author's spinster sister who sets out on a bookish adventure.  Sweet, charming, and full of book love.

Autumn returns every year.  Name an old, favorite book that you'd like to return to soon.

I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to get back to it, but I'd love to revisit the short stories of Mollie Panter-Downes.  I discovered her through my first ever visit to the Persephone Books bookshop when I was last in London, and she quickly became one of my favorite authors.  I especially loved her collection of stories illustrating the British societal changes after the end of WW2, called Minnie's Room: The Peacetime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes. 

Autumn is the perfect time for cozy reading nights.  Share your favorite cozy reading "accessories".

I can't have a cozy reading night without a blanket and a beverage. 



That's it for the "Finally Fall" book tag.  I'm fully invested in autumnal reading, and had a blast answering these questions.  If you're interested in doing so, consider yourself tagged.



Librorum annis,

This & That Book Tag

As you know by now, I love a good book tag.  I really enjoy a chance to think about books in a new way, and tag questions encourage me to do just that.  Recently, I encountered the "This and That" book tag, via Booktuber

Which is your oldest book and your newest?

I wish I could say that I've saved a beloved book from my childhood, but sadly that isn't the case.  Between moves, storage space disasters, and outgrowing things, I don't have any books of old, emotional value.  The oldest (by publication date) books on my shelves are a two-volume set of The Life of Abraham Lincoln, written by Ida Tarbell.  These books were published in 1900, and were a very thoughtful gift from a family member.

As for newest books, there are quite a few 2017 releases on my shelves, but the newest is Five Carat Soul by James McBride, which was released on September 26, 2017.

Which is your biggest book (size, not page length) and the smallest?

Measuring at a whopping 2 1/4" thick, Haymarket Books' hardcopy, centennial re-release of Leon Trotsky's The History of the Russian Revolution is the biggest book on my shelves.  The smallest book is a thin collection of essays called Black Writers Redefine the Struggle: A Tribute to James Baldwin, edited by Jules Chametzky, just weighing coming in at 1/4" thick.

Which are the longest book you own and the shortest?

By pure page numbers, the longest single book on my shelves is the Complete Poems of Christina Rossetti, which tops out at 1312.  The shortest book is definitely Toni Morrison's The Nobel Lecture in Literature, at 40 pages.

Which is your most expensive book and which was the best bargain?

I'm such an omnivorous book purchaser, that it's hard to keep track (and I don't keep a record of dollar amounts spent on individual books - partly for my own sanity) of which books hurt my wallet the most.  So, I have absolutely no idea which of my books is the most expensive.  The biggest bargains are those books that I get at library book sales, where any book is usually between $1-3.  There are too many for me to select one to share here; I'd wager that at least 30% of my books came from library book sales.

What are, in your opinion, the most beautiful cover on your shelves and the ugliest?

I talked about pretty books not that long ago, and I chose the omnibus of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy as the most beautiful book.  However, as I've been thinking about it today, I think I'm going to pick the naked hardback Envelope Poems by Emily Dickinson, beautifully published by indie press New Directions.  It's a lovely light shade of blue, and seems more like an artifact than a book you'd find in the New Releases section of a bookstore.

I don't like calling a book cover ugly, because what "ugly" looks like can change radically from year to year.  A design that I don't care for in 2017 might have been really desirable when the book was published.  One exception to this are "movie/TV covers" for books, which I never think are particularly beautiful.  One example of this is my edition of Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, which I picked up at a library book sale for $1.  Although the story and the movie on which it was based are beautiful, this tie-in cover is not my favorite.

What is your favorite book and what's one that you really disliked?

I couldn't possibly pick a single book that's my "favorite", but these five are among the ones I like best:

Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Moby-Dick or The Whale, by Herman Melville
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

I don't care for discussing books I really didn't like, so I'm going to skip the second part of this question.

Name a book that made you cry, and one that made you laugh.

The most recent book that made me shed tears was Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir of the 2016 presidential election cycle, What Happened.  There were such evocative moments that took place just after the unbelievable results of the election; they brought me right back to the head-space I was in at that time, which brought forth tears now just as I experienced then.

As for laughter, I can always count on David Sedaris' wry observations and dark comedy to make me giggle.  My favorites of his collections are Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

What book warmed your heart, and which one made you shiver?

There's an assertion, that I hear here and there throughout the bookish community, that there aren't any "happy" books being published anymore.  I disagree! I read and loved Robin Sloan's Sourdough last month, and I found it to be a heartwarming read about a young woman, a magical sourdough culture starter, and their journey of self-discovery through food and technology.  There's nothing especially sinister in the story, and it has quite a happy ending.

On the other end of the spectrum, the shiver-inducing books I've read recently are non-fiction accounts of the horrors that befall many Americans every day - racism, sexism, undue targeting by governmental and law enforcement officials, and bodily violence. Tears We Cannot Stop, by Michael Eric Dyson; Men We Reaped, by Jesmyn Ward; and Between the World and Me. by Ta-Nehisi Coates. They are scary because they are true.

What's one book you can't wait to read, and one that you've been putting off?

When I buy books, I'm always excited to get to reading them...until other new books compete for attention.  The exception is any book I borrow from my local libraries, which have an expiration date.  So, the one book I CANNOT wait to read is usually the one that I most recently added to my shelves, or the one that's due back to the library the soonest.  Right now, that is We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Recommend a book that you would like more people to read, and anti-recommend a book that wasn't as good as you expected.

In general, I'd love to see more people reading poetry.  Many of us have bad associations with poetry from studying it in school, and never go back to it later in life.  As a gateway between reading prose and poetry, I'd highly recommend Matthew Zapruder's Why Poetry.  You can check out my full review here, but it's a great resource to use if you're interested in reading poetry but aren't sure how to go about it.  Once you've read that, I have a few diverse poetry collections to recommend:

1. I Shall Not Be Moved, by Maya Angelou (easy to read structure but hard-hitting topics)
2. My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter, by Aja Monet (pertinent topics and lots of compelling imagery)
3. Cold Pastoral, by Rebecca Dunham (environmental poetry esp. human impact on the environment)
4. In Spite of Everything, by Curtis Robbins (deaf experience of living in the hearing world)
5. City Lights Pocket Poets Anthology, edited by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (huge collection of poems that were originally published by City Lights Publishers in San Francisco - heavy on the "Beat era")

As with previous question, I'm not going to down-talk a book, so there won't be any anti-recommendations here.

What is the next book you plan to acquire, and one that might be purged from your shelves soon?

I'm really excited for a book called Beyond the Rice Fields, written by Madagascan author Naivoharisoa Patrick Ramamonjisoa (pen name Naivo) which is being published in the US on October 31.  It's the very first Madagascar novel being published in English, and I'm hoping to pick up a copy on its release day.

I did a purge of my shelves a few months ago: Taking some books to my workplace lending library, some to a local library for its book sales, and others I sold to my local secondhand bookshop for store credit.  Therefore, I don't expect to get rid of any books for quite awhile.



And that's the "This & That" book tag!  If you're interested in answering these questions, consider yourself tagged!



Librorum annis,

The "Autumn Reading" Tag

Tomorrow is the first day of autumn, so it seemed like just the right time to contemplate some seasonal reading with the Autumn Reading Tag.  I did this same tag last year, as one of the very first posts on this blog, so I'm excited to see how my responses differ this year from last.  The tag was created by UK Booktuber Amy Jane Reads, and you can watch her video here.  Let's jump into a pile of leaves the tag questions!

Are there any books you plan on reading over the autumn season?

I recently picked up a copy of Jesmyn Ward's new novel, Sing Unburied Sing, which I am very excited to read.  Other than that, I'm going to let the spirit of my bookshelves direct me to what I read next!

September brings back-to-school memories.  What book did you most enjoy studying?  What were your most/least favorite school subjects?

It's been a hot minute since I was last in school, so it's hard to remember exactly what my favorite subject were.  I know that I liked psychology, English, history, and music classes.  I went on to study psychology in university, and used those skills in my master's degree in Adult Education.  I never had much talent for math, so that was definitely a least favorite.

October means Halloween.  Do you enjoy scary books and films?  If so, what are some of your favorites?

I'm not much of a fan of being scared in general, but I find that between the two I prefer scary books.  That way, I can use my mind's eye to create something as scary as I want, rather than being forced to see whatever the filmmakers decide I should see.  I haven't read any recently, but there are some horror books on my TBR, that I'm planning to read around Halloween time: Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix, His Bloody Project by Graeme Burnet, Mischling by Affinity Konar, and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

With November, it's time for bonfire night and fireworks displays.  What's the most exciting book you've read that really kept you gripped?

Sadly, the US doesn't have any pyrotechnic-forward holidays in autumn. Although. a celebration called Bonfire Night sounds like something I could get behind! I guess I'll have to get my excitement from books.  A lot of the "excitement" recently has come from poetry books like Mother Was a Freedom Fighter by Aja Monet, Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis, and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay - poets who break the heart and enliven the spirit with their work.

What book is your favorite cozy, comfort read?

I love revisiting favorite classics like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, but also more modern books including Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield, and Parnassus On Wheels by Christopher Morley.

Curled up with a good book, what is your hot drink of choice?

I'm a hot drink aficionado, and what I choose to drink depends slightly on the weather and mostly on my mood.  I'm also not terribly sensitive to caffeine, so I can drink coffee/tea any time of day or night and have no issues with sleeping.

Early in the morning, it's usually either a cappuccino from my Nespresso machine, or steamed milk with Earl Grey tea (London Fog) or with stovetop espresso from my Moka pot. In the afternoon and evening, I generally reach for tea (masala chai and cream earl grey are my favorites, with just a splash of milk) or French Press coffee. A hot drink in the evening might be hot (spiced) apple cider, herbal tea, or (if I'm having an exciting night in) a hot toddy like warmed whisky or hot buttered rum.  Mmmmmm....

What plans are you looking forward to over the next few months?

Next month, my partner and I will be spending our 6th wedding anniversary in California - San Francisco and wine country - which is very exciting!  He's not much of a reader, but is good-natured about my love of bookstore tourism.  I'm hoping to visit City Lights when we're in the city, and one of the Copperfield's bookstores when we're up in Napa/Sonoma/Russian River Valley.


And that's it for the Autumn Reading tag.  If you'd like to do this one, consider yourself tagged!  Happy autumn, everyone!



Librorum annis,

The "Book Buying" Tag

As I'm sure you could tell, from all the book hauls I've shared, I'm no stranger to the buying of books.  That's what I'm such a great candidate to do the Book Buying Tag, which was originally a Booktube video tag, created by Megan Olivier.  You can watch her video here.  Without further ado, let's explore my book buying...

Where do you buy your books?

I'm a bit of an omnivore when it comes to book buying.  I have a Kindle (and the Kindle app on my phone), so I buy/download many of those books directly from Amazon.  I will also, on occasion, buy books from Amazon, but I prefer to go elsewhere whenever possible.  I have a Barnes & Noble membership, and will purchase from them, especially when they send out coupons that can be used on top of whatever other discounts they have going.  I also am big into bookstore tourism, so if I'm visiting a new city I will seek out indie bookstores and (almost always) buy books from them.   However, my absolute favorite place to buy books is at my local indie, The Midtown Scholar, which you can take a little tour of here.

I also regularly buy remaindered and secondhand/used books.  The Midtown Scholar has a great assortment of used books in just about any topic you can think of.  I get remaindered books for super-cheapsies via BookOutlet, and they often have sales where you can get even more discounts.  I also keep track of when my local libraries have their book sales.  I have no qualms about buying books that way, not only because the prices are usually less than $5 per book, but also because that money goes directly to the library.  And I absolutely love my libraries!

Do you ever pre-order books?  If so, how do you do it?

It's really rare that I feel compelled to pre-order books.  Even if there's an author whose work I've loved in the past, I can't be guaranteed that I'll love her/his new releases.  Honestly, I don't find value in pre-ordering unless there's something extra in the bargain.  Barnes & Noble has a robust selection of signed books, so I will pre-order some books there.  Most recently, I pre-ordered a signed copy of David Sedaris' published diaries Theft By Finding, which was signed by the author.

In addition to signed copies, sometimes bookstore will offer extra goodies if you pre-order a book by a certain date.  This was the case with the bookstore Politics and Prose in Washington, DC.  When Zadie Smith's novel Swing Time was announced, P&P had a promotional offer that, if you pre-ordered the book by a certain date, you would also receive a matching tote bag.  Because Zadie Smith was doing an event in town right around the time of the release, the bookstore was graciously willing to have my copy of Swing Time signed and mailed to me, along with the tote bag.  This made me a very happy reader indeed!

On average, how many books do you buy per month?

This entirely depends on what I'm up to in a given month.  If there's a library book sale going on, BookOutlet is having a sale, or if I'm traveling to a place where I might visit new bookstores, then there's a good chance that I'll buy quite a few books.  Otherwise, I might buy one or even no books.

Do you use your local library?

Yes!  I use it very frequently, almost weekly.  I'm such a regular user that I have my library patron number memorized.  Because of where I live and work, I'm able to be a member of three different library systems, which opens up the possibilities of what books are available to me.  If there's a new release, or even an older book, chances are good that at least one of the three libraries will have a copy for me to request.

How many books can/do you borrow from the library at a time?

I've never checked out enough books to encounter a borrowing limit, but I think the maximum is somewhere around 15-20.

What is your opinion on library books?

I. Love. Library. Books.  I love libraries, which is why I visit mine so frequently.  The only time I don't like library books are when the book I'm looking for has been damaged or lost.  That happened to me recently - the book was listed as being on the "hold" shelf, ready for me to pick it up, but when I got there it had *poof* disappeared.  Thankfully this is a very rare happening.

How do you feel about charity shop/secondhand books?

I feel real good about them!  I'd say that my shelves are a 50/50 mixture of new books and secondhand books.  I am quite picky about the condition of books I acquire from charity shops and used bookstores, however.  I prefer them to be as close to "new" condition as possible.  That means: No or very little writing inside, intact covers and pages, no water/etc. damage.  So, many of the secondhand books on my shelves look pretty much new.

Do you keep your "read" and "TBR" piles together, separate, or otherwise?

My bookshelf space is limited, so I have all of my books on two bookcases.  That means that my read and unread books live harmoniously, side by side.

Do you plan to read all the books that you own?

I certainly plan to, but I own a lot of books.  I don't buy a book unless I plan to read it at some point.  I hope to be able to read them all in my lifetime, but who knows.

What do you do with books that you own, but don't expect to read or didn't enjoy?

As I mentioned before, my shelf space is limited.  Therefore, if I DNF a book that I own, or don't enjoy it after I've finished it, it goes in a discard pile.  We have a small lending library where I work, so I contribute my unwanted books there.  I have also, on occasion, donated and sold books that I didn't love or no longer wanted to keep. [photo]

Have you ever donated books?

My work's little lending library is the recipient of many of my donated books.  I will also donate to libraries, for them to use in their book sales.  I just have to be careful that I don't buy back my own book!

Have you ever been on a book-buying ban?

No.

Do you feel that you buy too many books?

I don't buy too many books, because they're an investment in my mental, emotional, empathetic, and cultural life.  Books are well worth it.



And that's it for the "Book Buying" tag.  How do you acquire your books?  How are they stored in your space?  If you're interested in answering these questions, consider yourself tagged.




Librorum annis,

The "Beautiful Book Covers" Tag

It's no secret that many of us on the literary interwebs love beautiful books.  Not just beautiful because of their sweeping prose, exciting plots, or engaging characters, mind you, but also gorgeous book cover design.  Covers that, when we see them, draw you in or make you stop and stare.  Covers that speak to you in some way, and give you a taste of what the contents of the book will reveal.  It was with this in mind that I decided to explore the Beautiful Books Tag, created by booktuber Jason Purcell.

Choose five of the most beautiful books in your library...

The After Party, by Jana Prikyrl - the cover (a detail shot of original art by Elliott Green, called The Thing Imagines Itself) is a beautiful painting, full of sweeping brush strokes and soothing colors.

The Argonauts, by Maggie Nelson (UK edition) - The watery cover flows across the spine and around both sides of the cover

The Abridged History of Rainfall, by Jay Hopler - I mean, it's an iridescent book cover, evoking rain showers.  So mesmerizing! 

Diving Belles, by Lucy Wood (UK edition) - Mermaids. The sea.  Gold foiling.  Stunning!

Cold Pastoral, by Rebecca Dunham - This poetry collection's cover is beautiful not only because of its watery photo, but for what that photo explores - the effects of environmental catastrophes on the natural world.  What you see is an oil slick that resulted from the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling expedition in the Gulf of Mexico.

Choose a beautiful book that features your most favorite color...

Blue is most definitely my favorite color, and the most beautiful "blue book" I own is the hardcover edition of Kirsty Logan's breathtaking short story collection A Portable Shelter. A naked hardback with a blue cover, extensive foiling, and oceanic design elements is something I absolutely love.

Choose your favorite cover of a classic...

The cover of Virginia Woolf's dog-perspective book, Flush: A Biography

Inside, showing the marbled pattern reminiscent of typical 19th century endpapers (and matching bookmark!)

I'm using this space to rave about the most beautifully published books, in my opinion, out there.  Persephone Books is an independent publisher, based in Bloomsbury, London, UK.  They focus on republishing forgotten classics, mostly written by women, and mostly from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They are paperbacks with a dust jacket; the outside of which is dove grey with a white title box.  The inside endpapers are unique to each book, and reflect a fabric that was either of the time period when the book was originally published, or a fabric that is relevant to the story in some way.  They look absolutely amazing together on a shelf.  They are far-and-away my favorite classics' covers.

Choose your favorite edition of a children's book...

I don't have many children's books on my shelves, but one that does have a lovely cover is Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle.  

Do you often buy books based solely on a beautiful cover?

Not exactly.  What usually happens is that I wander into a bookshop (or even sometimes go with a specific book in mind), look at the different editions of a book that interests me, and choose the one that strikes me as the most lovely.  Ultimately, it's the contents on the pages, not the cover, that matters most.  But, a beautiful cover doesn't hurt.

Out of all the books in your library, which one best exemplifies your ideal of a beautiful book?

The Everyman's Library omnibus edition of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is just so stunning.  It features my favorite color, has extensive foiling, beautiful character illustrations, and an evocative atmosphere through the intermingling of all these components.


What makes a "beautiful book" to you?  Do you concern yourself with the covers of your books, or having certain editions on your shelves?  Or is this all a lot of nonsense?  If you're interested in doing the "Beautiful Book Covers" tag, then consider yourself tagged.



Librorum annis,

Mid-Year Book Tag

I know that we're looking at the halfway point of 2017 in the rear-view mirror, but I couldn't resist taking on the "Mid-Year Book Tag" challenge.  As I work toward fulfilling my reading challenges, it's nice to take a step back and look at all the books I've read so far this year, in toto.  It gives a different perspective, stepping away from focusing on ticking boxes and meeting goals. 

The Best Book You've Read So Far

This is really hard, for a few reasons.  First, I've read a lot of books this year - over 100.  Many of them were new releases/new-to-me, but there were a few re-reads sprinkled in there as well.  Second, I'm not sure how I want to define "best".  Is it the quality of the writing?  The subject matter?  The character development?  The feelings I had when I read it?  Third, I've read fairly widely so far in 2017, and how do I compare a book of poetry to a translated novel to deep-dive of non-fiction?  I struggle and I flip-flop...which is why I took the easy (non-committal?) way out.  With that in mind, here are what I'll call the "best" from each of the categories (as I haphazardly selected them) at this point in the year:

• Best Novel - Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
• Best Poetry - My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter, by Aja Monet
• Best Short Story Collection - Things We Lost in the Fire, by Mariana Enriquez
• Best Essay Collection - The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
• Best Memoir - M Train, by Patti Smith
• Best Non-Fiction - Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong - and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story, by Angela Saini
• Best Graphic Novel/Memoir - Bitch Planet Volume 1: Extraordinary Machine, by Kelly DeConnick and Valentine De Landro

The Best Sequel You've Read So Far

In looking over my reading, I haven't actually read any sequels in 2017.  I don't often read books that aren't stand-alone, so this isn't terribly surprising.  I do tend to read companion novels, however, and that's how I decided to approach this prompt.  The best companion novels I've read so far are the three translated works from Yuri Herrera - Signs Preceding the End of the World, The Transmigration of Bodies, and Kingdom Cons.

All three are allegorical stories of illegal immigration, drug trade, corruption, and organized crime - between Mexico and the United States.  None of the characters, settings, or plots recur between the three novels, but they fit together so seamlessly that it's impossible not to link them together.

A New Release You Haven't Read Yet, But Want To

I have a copy of David Sedaris' published journals, Theft By Finding, but haven't had a chance to read the tome yet.  Actually, at over 500 pages, it might be more enjoyable to read a few days' entries at a time, rather than read the whole thing in one go.  I'm excited to read it, loving the author's oeuvre, but just haven't decided how I want to approach it yet.

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2017

There are three authors, all of whom I completely love, who have new works being released in the second half of 2017: Jesmyn Ward, Toni Morrison, and Jeffrey Eugenides.  When I refer to publication dates, they are all for United States publishers.  I cannot guarantee that publication in other countries will take place in the second half of 2017.

Jesmyn Ward has a new novel being released on 5 September called Sing Unburied Sing.  I'm a huge fan of her memoir Men We Reaped, and her novel about New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina called Salvage the Bones.  They're amazing, heartbreaking stories, full of powerful writing and personal struggle. 

I am completely gobsmacked that we're getting something new from Toni Morrison - a collection of her lectures called The Origin of Others.  The topics range from race, to fear, to isolation, to wall-building, to refugees, to belonging.  It's being released on 18 September.

On 3 October, Jeffrey Eugenides is having his first short story collection, Fresh Complaint: Stories, published.  I absolutely adored his epic family saga Middlesex, and his novel The Virgin Suicides.  I can't wait to see how he treats the short story format.

The Biggest Surprise

My biggest surprise of 2017 thus far was the non-fiction book Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, by Kory Stamper.  Before hearing about this on a Book Riot podcast, I would never have considered a book about dictionaries being something that I needed to read.  But I did - oh I did!  It was brilliantly written, part memoir and part research project, and hilarious to boot.

The Biggest Disappointment

So far in 2017, the biggest disappointment was the novel The Guest Cat, by Takashi Hiraide and translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland.  It had an adorable premise - a lonely couple is visited every day by a neighbor's cat.  The novel is a meditation on relationships and humanity's interaction with the natural world.  However, for my tastes, the novel veered too far into the realm of prose poetry.  There was very little focus, and it read as though the author was trying to reach some grand conclusion, or make a prolific point, but the writing just never got there.  This was disappointing, and took away from my enjoyment of the work overall.  Not even inclusions of cats, normally something I'm drawn to in literature, was not enough to make this story come alive for me.  I was wrapped up in the poetry of the novel, and it's beautiful imagery, but the rest of it fell flat.

Favorite Debut/New-to-You Author

My favorite new-to-me author is Claire Fuller, author of two novels thus far - Swimming Lessons and Our Endless Numbered Days.  I read Swimming Lessons earlier this year, and was completely enraptured by her beautiful, atmospheric writing and her captivating characters.  I plan to read Our Endless Numbered Days before the end of 2017, and I'm hoping to love it just as much.

Newest Fictional Crush

While I haven't had a crush on a character in a book for quite a long time, I could see my younger self getting a little moony over the main characters in Sandhya Menon's delightful When Dimple Met Rishi.

Newest Favorite Character

Out of the books I've read so far in 2017, there are a few characters I've been drawn to.  Some are endearingly grumpy, like a beloved grandparent.  Others are so over-the-top unbelievable that you can't help but be drawn into their drama and watch what unfolds.  Still others tug at heartstrings or moral compasses, and engage your humanity.  The last of these categories is into which falls my pick for newest favorite character - Samuel Long, the titular character in Norman Lock's A Fugitive in Walden Woods.  Long is a runaway slave, rescued by an abolitionist family and then smuggled to a tenuous freedom along the Underground Railroad, until he is hidden amongst the literary elite in Concord, Massachusetts.  He encounters Henry David Thoreau at his shack on the banks of Walden Pond, and the two of them educate each other about humanity and the world around them - Thoreau talks of metaphysical and spiritual matters, while Long explains the concrete realities and the violence of slavery.  It's a beautifully imagined piece of historical fiction, and the character of Samuel Long is so strong that I couldn't help but consider him my favorite.

Book That Made You Cry

I cried throughout We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby.  Not because it was tragic, although at times it was, but because I laughed so hard.  There is such a raucous, vulgar hilarity throughout each and every one of the essays in this collection - I laughed until I cried.  Sometimes in public.

Book That Made You Happy

It's rare for me to read a book that gives me warm-fuzzies, but I read a book in July that I would describe as just so.  The Nakano Thrift Shop, by Hiromi Kawakami is chock full of quirky characters,  heartwarming plot-lines, romances, and the kinds of oddities that you might expect to find in a secondhand goods shop.  I compared the reading experience of this book to drinking a cup of hot tea on a dreary day - comforting and uplifting. 

Favorite Book-to-TV/Film Adaptation

It's been a few years since I last re-read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.  Once I learned that Hulu was developing a miniseries based on it, I figured that was the catalyst for diving back into the world of Offred and Gilead.  I decided to wait until the series was fully released, so that I could binge it one after another.  I also decided to wait to watch the series until I had finished my re-read, so that the original characters and plot points were fresh in my mind.  It was a great decision, and I can honestly say that the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale is one of my all-time book-to-tv/film favorites!

Favorite Book Review You've Written This Year

I'm most proud of the review I wrote for Elena Ferrante's Frantumaglia - a published collection of letters, interviews, and other correspondence between the author, her publishers, and artists/fans/the press.  I finished the book in mid-March, and it was around that time that an article came out from an Italian journalist who, using ethically questionable methods, claimed to have "uncovered" the identity of Elena Ferrante.  It's widely known that Elena Ferrante is a pen name, used so that the author can maintain anonymity in her work.  In my review, I not only outlined my opinions of the tome, but also explored the problematic cultural voracity toward "unmasking" the true identity of the author.  

Most Beautiful Book You've Bought/Received So Far

One of the most strikingly unique books is the poetry collection The Abridged History of Rainfall by Jay Hopler.  It has an iridescent cover that refracts rainbows in the light; it's absolutely hypnotic.

What Books Do You Need to Read By the End of 2017?

I must finish the rest of the books in the Penguin Drop Caps series, which are classics (modern and not-so-modern) of the Western Canon.  I set this challenge back in January, and I've been making some progress, but not nearly enough.  So far, I've read 6 of the books, which means there are 20 remaining, and 4 months in which to read them.  Two of the books are Middlemarch and Moby-Dick, both are close to 1000 pages long.  Eeeeek!



And that's it for the Mid-Year Book Tag!   What are some notable books and characters from your reading thus far?  If you're interested in analyzing your reading through these prompts, then consider yourself tagged.




Librorum annis,