Bochord @library-bookwyrm - Tumblr Blog

#great black wasp #wasps are cool for real though #nature art #photography

#pollinators #bumblebees #wasps are cool for real though #photography #nature art

Here's what I read in January!

Lore Olympus is, so far, a fun graphic novel retelling of Hades and Persephone; I'm looking forward to the second volume, if I can ever get my hands on it. Heartless Prince was good, too - I hope there's a sequel. The Night Library was very fun; a vampire romance set up as an opera! In Every Generation was...meh? If you're a younger Buffy fan (and apparently Buffy and Angel are making a comeback among young Supernatural fans), it's right up your dark spooky alley.

On to non-fiction! Art of Protest was amazing - if you have a young artist with a social justice bent, get this book into their hands. Stories Behind the Stories was loads of fun; I knew some of the entries, but not all. If you like factoids and children's books, check it out. But Yummy was, hands down, my favorite read this month! A really cute dive into the history of dessert foods, with great artwork, simple recipes kids can try at home (with adult supervision), and lots of cute moments that tied the book up in its own story, it is highly recommended for young (or young-at-heart) folks who like dessert.

And, honestly, who *doesn't* like dessert?!

#reading #books in january

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#short poem

I only read three books this month - Greek really kept me busy, y'all. (And I also fell into the VoicePlay rabbit hole, so that was a distraction.)

Hummingbird Salamander is surreal to read right now - it definitely feels "this is happening right now" and has little of the New Weird feel of VanderMeer's other novels. Highly recommended! The other two were the last of the Bobby Dollar trilogy, which was a fun romp through Hell and worse; I sincerely hope Williams comes back to this storyworld, though, because I still have questions.

#reading #books in december

November is over already! I did some reading - mostly comic books and a graphic novel. The Invisible Kingdom is an excellent comic book trilogy, and Sentient is a great stand-alone comic book. I'd recommend Invisible Kingdom to scifi lovers who are also concerned with the ties between capitalism/materialism and religion. Sentient, also scifi, is recommended for teens and up who like a good survival story.

For absolutely gorgeous art and a sweet story about friendship and belonging, I'd definitely recommend A Cat Story. If you have a friend who likes cats and books and you're still looking for Christmas presents, you've found it!

Poison for Breakfast is a great read for adult fans of Lemony Snicket. He's investigating his own murder, but it is a very sweet, Snicket-y read. There's nothing salacious or inappropriate about it -it's kid-friendly - but I think you need more life experience to really understand it.

Lastly, if you're teaching yourself to play bowed psaltery, say, or some other instrument, and you know the basics of reading sheet music, the Easy Fake Books are just fantastic resources!

#reading #books in november

I only finished three books last month, as most of my time was spent in either my Greek textbook or playing with the plucked psaltery - and then the bowed psaltery - and then the autoharp.

The Hollow Places is a decent riff on Blackwood's "The Willows" - a pretty nifty idea, and mostly well done; more creepy than horrifying, but a little too predictable for me. Still, I think fans of Grady Hendrix would like it, and it stars a middle-aged divorced woman as the protagonist, without the least hint of romance, which is definitely a plus in my book. The Plastic Magician was a fun romp! The Devil's Storybook is frequently challenged, occasionally banned, because it centers **THE DEVIL** - but the Devil of this collection of short stories is a folksy trickster, sometimes outfoxed and often out-righteoused. It's a great collection of fun morality tales, reminding me very much of Appalachian folktales, and highly recommended to everyone.

#reading #books in october

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September Books!

My reading has slowed down quite a bit; I blame Greek. All the books were good, though!

#reading #books in september

I did some reading in August. I expect my reading will slow down quite a bit - so much of my time will be spent doing Greek homework!

On the top row are the grown-up books I liked last month - all part of Bardugo's Grisha series, which I am really loving. Even the tv show was good! The middle row is the kiddos' books I adored - Stamped should be required in middle or high school, while the Tea Dragon series is just cute as heck.

The last row is books I finished but didn't particularly enjoy. I think I'm done with Bridgerton, for sure; I'm still undecided about the Elemental series, though.

#reading #books in august

I forgot to share the books I read last month! Most were children's books for various ages - the artwork for both Nesting and Dinosaur Lady was fantastic (although very different), and both were good nonfiction reads for littles. The CatStronauts books, both of them, were great for kids who are starting to read on their own. Cog (scifi), Amari and the Night Brothers (urban fantasy), and Cinderella is Dead (fantasy) are all good for middle school and younger YA.

On the adult front, both of Weir's novels were great; I liked Project Hail Mary slightly better than The Martian and Artemis almost as much as the other two. Judas was interesting and thought-provoking, and beautifully illustrated.

#reading #books in july

#Still one of my favorite songs ever #the means they justify the ends my friends #Spotify

Recommended Resource

If you haven't discovered this podcast yet - you're welcome! https://www.pushkin.fm/show/be-antiracist-ibram-kendi/

Absolutely fantastic. Pay attention to the site, too. It has transcripts for each episode, reading lists to learn more, and discussion questions for groups - making it a great resource for DEI groups as well as personal growth.

#resources #antiracism #dei