A long week, but not a bad one! I had a really busy week at work, but I still went to the gym regularly and upped my walk speed! I also upped my weights and my noodle arms didn't hate me for it (yay progress)! Usually I watch Crunchyroll on my phone while on the treadmill, but this week I read while walking instead. As far as my reading went, I finished most of what I was in the middle of last week and ended up having a nonfiction heavy reading week.
Currently Reading:
The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman (60%)
Verity Guild by Mai Corland (11%)
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith (47%)
Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer {Audiobook} (12%)
The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America's Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces by Rachel Karp {Audiobook / Nonfiction} (9%)
Finished This Week:
Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer by Dylan Mulvaney [3.25 ⭐] - Memoirs are not always my jam as a genre, but this was good! A quick read as well, it feels very conversational and I read it over the last weekend.
The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins [3.25 ⭐] - A good horror with gothic elements set in the industrial age. I think some elements could've been expanded or developed more, but the ending was satisfying.
These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi (Book 2) [2 ⭐] - Unfortunately I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series. This was mainly filler and getting to know the 2nd love interest, which after the cliffhanger of the first book, didn't really match expectations.
Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan {Audiobook} [3.5 ⭐] - This was pretty ok! Second chance romances aren't always my cup of tea and this was difficult to get into with how rough the dynamic between characters was at the start. It picked up and developed nicely by the end though!
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford {Nonfiction} [4 ⭐] - It was fun to learn more about this historical figure and what he did in more depth than what my history classes provided forever and a day ago. I enjoyed this quite a bit!
Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd [4.5 ⭐] - One hell of a challenging but important read about respectability politics, systemic violence, and how narratives and history centered on Palestine are constructed.
My Ex-Husband's Ex-Husband by Rachel Cohn & Melissa De La Cruz [3 ⭐] - A very quick romcom novella that was very lighthearted and fun. This was my pallet cleanser amid the heavy nonfiction I read this week.
Hysteria by LJ Ross [3 ⭐] - A quick thriller set in Paris during fashion week. I didn't realize this was part of a series, but that didn't affect my understanding of the plot and characters. The mystery was good.
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi {Nonfiction} [4.5 ⭐] - Written in the form of letters to her father, Nafisi discusses various books and their impacts on her life as well as her perspective on the current historical moment. Read Dangerously was published in 2022 and Nafisi wrote a lot about the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump's first term of presidency, and how she was reminded of her childhood in Iran. This is one of those books that I wish had a current follow up.
How to Defend Books and Why: Book Bans and How We Fight Them by Danny Caine {Audiobook} [5 ⭐] - Read by the author and I listened to this over the course of a day. This was a good look at how books are being banned and the methods being used to achieve censorship in US schools, public libraries, and prisons. Caine also covers the attacks on teachers, librarians and book sellers, not just here in the US but also in Palestine.
DNF
Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks {Nonfiction}
I think the battle is long since lost on what the “-coded” suffix means, but I (old movie guy specifically invested in queer coding) seem to be unable to let go of how annoying I find the fuzzy popular use of the term. This is probably a flaw in my character.
Coding is intentional, it’s a way of communicating indirectly with the audience through a shared language of signs. That’s why it’s called coding, because it’s communicating in code. It isn’t when a thing reminds you of another thing.
Preview of one of the four Old Hunters bookmarks I did bundled with the Garden of Insight custom Bloodborne tarot deck, which you can check out at @revivaldivinations
I'll be updating with a preview every few days until our funding window is closed. Big thanks to all who've backed us so far <3
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