the book dames

[peoplealwaysleave-99]

[bookdames-blog]

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

I know I have many, many other book reviews to catch up on (thirty-one, to be exact) but the need to tell you all to READ THIS BOOK was too great to be ignored.

READ THIS BOOK.

READ. THIS. BOOK.

READ IT.

Every time I put the book down, I cried for a full minute. I am a young white woman, and each sentence on the page reminded me of how privileged and lucky I was to be born this way, and how fked up it is that our society has made it so hard for people who are not. I cried for my lack of knowledge, I cried for the existence of that gap, that I will never know, and I cried for these fictional people who represent very real people who struggle with this every day.

It’s a searing portrayal of American justice. It’s a gorgeous, heartbreaking-and-making story of what we consider to be love, what we choose to commit to, who we are. It’s a damn good book.

SO READ IT.

[bonniepangart]

Book Dinosaurs

Posting on Tumblr my art in the past few months.

[hufflepuffwannabe]

I thought I’d post this in honor of Pride Month! I treasure this novel, and I’m not usually one for YA fiction. It inspired me to get writing myself! 10/10 would recommend, if you’re into strong character development, humor, and love, that is.

[tankaramo]

me: *projects my whole entire self onto a fictional character* me: truly incredible just how alike we are

[thezavarka-deactivated20191222]

wildlinganthology

[agirlwithstars4eyes]

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. —Vera Nazarian

[bookdames-blog]

4 Real Quick Reviews

• Hold Still by Sally Mann (definite rec, especially if you’re interested in family histories, memoirs, and/or photography)

I’ve never read about photography in this way before, that made me feel as though the author stepped out of the pages to walk alongside me and tell me that everything i feel about my art is a-okay. Her claim that she’s an “ordinary person making art by working hard” is basically the sum-up of my thoughts about my own art. Super fascinating approach to her own work by tracing her traits through her family tree and history and well worth the read!

• Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (solid rec for my fellow YA lovers)

Hella cute. I read it because I wanted to go see the movie and then I...forgot to go see the movie. But! Reading the book was a joy. I like YA novels that feel true to how teenagers are—I love that there’s a school secrets Tumblr! And email feels like intimate communication!—and I really liked that each character here was complex. Simon was struggling with being outed but also with his friendships, his classes, his dickbag frenemies, and a first MAJOR crush. Teenage life is all about extreme highs and lows, which is part of why good YA is always so fun to read.

• Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (I guess I would rec this if you’re into being terrified?)

FUCKING TERRIFYING in a really poetic kind of way, but also in a way that made my heart pound. I raced my way through this book because it scared the bejeezus out of me. Do I want to read the other two in the trilogy? Ahhh...I don’t know yet. I’m curious and terrified and thus I am reading other books. 

• The Girls by Emma Cline (I personally would not rec but I know lots of people do, so...do with that what you will)

Props to Emma Cline for a really dark and fascinating tale that pulled me in even as I wanted to pull away, but ultimately, I would not return to this book myself. In the protagonist’s flashbacks, I felt like I could see the devastation coming from a mile away and I yearned for her to pick up on it; in her present day, I was terrified of what might happen to her. The discomfort felt relentless.

[poeticallypoetic]

(for he who made you bitter, made you wise)

[bookdames-blog]

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

I’ve never been much of a pure romance novel reader. I love a good love story, but most of the ones I’ve read have been couched within other genres: historical fiction, contemporary fiction, fantasy, etc. But if pure romance novels are anything like The Wedding Date: I’m in. 

I’d heard so much buzz about this book, and it absolutely delivered. It was funny, it was real—the way Jasmine Guillory wrote about the micro-aggressions interracial couples deal with felt smart and honest—it was body positive (thank you!!) and above all, it was romantic as hell. I finished it, went back to the first page and started again because I wasn’t ready to leave this love story.

[bookdames-blog]

that thing where you have a pile of books to read at home, but didn’t bring any of them with you so you *have* to buy more books...

I picked up Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and The Girls by Emma Cline. I still have Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere to read, as well as The Wordy Shipmates, The Birth of the Pill, and an Isaac Asimov compilation. 

Where do I start? What do you recommend?

[macrolit]

[macrolit]

Vintage Bantam Classics editions by John Steinbeck (b. 27 February 1902)

[dianimations]

Coffee time

[kalevit-deactivated20230107-dea]

new year— new books. 🕊 doing the goodreads challenge this year after skipping 2017, super excited. the goal is 50 books, you can follow my progress: wildeandrose | first book of the year - “the sun also rises” by ernest hemingway 🥀 what’s everyone current read? 🕰

[bookdames-blog]

Currently reading Hold Still by Sally Mann. It’s a fascinating look into her family background and tracing stories to her current day, all wrapped up in a narrative of photography and the philosophy behind it. I am loving it. — C

[malazan-the-younger]

Daily Booklr Questions!

What book do you plan on picking up next? How far ahead do you plan fir books you want to read?

[bookdames-blog]

It’s interesting, isn’t it? I always have a few books that could be next, but it all depends on what captures my attention once the current book is done. Sometimes I’ll start a book but there’s too much going on that week for me to really focus on it, so I have to choose something lighter.

The contenders for next book are currently Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell, or The Birth of the Pill by Jonathan Eig (recommended to me by my fellow Book Dame). – C

[theonebigfan]

[bookdames-blog]

photo by Carly Piersol

The reason my copy of American Gods looks so well-read is...well, because it is. Though this go-round was only my second time through, the wrinkles, rips, and folds in this copy are due to its movement around my friend group after I read it and shoved it all on them, and I would happily pass it around again.

What I love about American Gods is that it thrums with a love of stories: mysteries, mythologies, small-town gossip, tragedies, and more. Neil Gaiman weaves them all together in a wild and weird adventure. When I read American Gods for the first time, it was also my first ever Neil Gaiman read. Now having read many more of his books, I have to say: this is still at the top of the list for me.