Friday Reads 5/7/2021
I would say we've made it through another week, but I still have a busy weekend ahead, so my week is just getting started. My oldest kid turns 21 today. We are having a party tonight. And by party I mean we're ordering Thai food and letting him try out various alcohols. But I can't party too hard because I have to work tomorrow at 9a.m. Ugh! I'm hoping to just sit on my butt on Sunday until dance. Then it all starts back up again Monday morning! Yikes!
But I still have some reading plans. I was talking to one of my award committee colleagues and something she said gave me a good idea about how to choose which book to read next. I went through the books I have on my actual shelves and looked them up on Goodreads. If they had a 4/5 rating or higher, I put it on my list. This way, I can narrow down the masses and hopefully end up with a better reading experience. So here's what's on the horizon for me.
The Awakening of Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Tiffany D. Jackson - I've read about 70 pages of this so far. It's pretty heavy. Shabazz is Malcolm X's daughter. It starts with his court hearing for a crime he went to prison for when he was still a teenager. Right now, I'm at the part where he's in prison, angry, and questioning his faith. He's just received a letter from his brother saying his family has all converted to Islam. I read a chapter of this before bed. That way I'm making progress on it, but I'm not overloading myself with anger and pain by reading a bunch at once.
Glimpsed by G. F. Miller - This is my fun award reading. It's pretty cute. Charity is a senior in high school, on the pom squad, and just happens to be a fairy godmother. She can "glimpse" a person's deepest wish and then she is compelled to make it happen. Except a boy who is mad at her because the girl he liked got her wish and is now dating the star quarterback, has figured her out and is threatening to tell on her and make everyone think the people she's helped are frauds. I like the tone of it and it isn't a struggle to be in Charity's head. It's just fun.
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley - I'm listening to this on audio while I'm in my car alone. It is an #ownvoices Native American story. Daunis is about to start college. Her uncle died suddenly in April, then her grandmother had a stroke at her graduation party in June. She was going to go away to college, but now has decided to start at the local state school to be with her family. The Native American elements are lush. She speaks two native languages and keeps some of the rituals and practices from her heritage. I'm not very far in, so I don't know yet what this one is actually about. I've probably only listened to an hour of it.
Yolk by Mary. H. K. Choi - Once I finish Glimpsed, I'll probably grab Yolk. I've heard this is a fantastic representation of what it's like to be Korean American. In this one, two sisters are complete opposites, and now that they are grown, they want to live their separate lives well apart from each other. Until one of them gets cancer. That's all I know.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - I really need to get started on this one. Book club is in 2 weeks and this is a chunky beast. Also it's WWII historical fiction, which might be my least favorite genre. Sigh. Better get started.
That's it for me. What do you think you'll focus on this week?