My Personal Book Blog

I write about what I’m reading, what I have read, and what I want to read.

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Long time book lover, I’ve wanted to start my own catalog and amateur database on books in my collection.

With books ranging from CRT, to history, economics, graphic novels, comic books, astrophysics, classical fiction, modern fiction, mystery, romance, the list goes on. I’ve spent years building my collection and like any bibliophile I have more UNREAD books in my library than books I have read.

I can proudly boast that a solid 98-99% of my books came from locally owned and operated bookstores. Yes some come from big bookstores and I don’t necessarily see a problem with them as they still encourage and support reading. However my love and comfort zone revolves around small, local bookstores. With an abundance of small shops in my immediate area, I have no shortage on a supply of new books.

Future posts will include any of the following topics:

Books I have read that have made a lasting impression.

Books I recently finished reading and have final thoughts on, do a final review of the book, and include my personal recommendations when it comes to reading the book.

Books I am currently reading. This will include direct quotes, thoughts on the text, research into citations, etc.

Books I bought and want to read (and how likely I will get around to reading it any time soon or if it will collect some dust before I read it)

Books I want to look into and haven’t picked up yet or books from the local bookstore I’m considering adding to my collection.

Reviews, thoughts, praise, and shameless promotion of my local bookstores and any bookstores I visit on vacation or while traveling.

Welcome to my blog, I do hope you find something you like or can relate to! Stay tuned for book things to come!

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This semester I’ll be reading “Caste: the origins of our discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson for one of my classes. As a future social worker I’ll be reading a lot of hefty and heavy texts like this. I have a lot of thoughts on the book but I haven’t yet finished it.

As I finish part three of the book I can’t help but see a lot of common themes with a book I had to read at the sam institution almost 10 years ago on my first go around. The book is brutally honest but borders on being a bit repetitive at times. I understand what I assume is the thought process behind the seemingly redundant examples found throughout the text and that is to reiterate and nail down just how pervasive caste has been, and currently still is, in our society in the United States.

None of this is news to me. I’ve learned most all of this through other classes, personal readings and research, and simply just exposure to culture but it is definitely a book I’ll be putting on my “recommend to others” list for those new to material like this. Easy to read and understand, clear and concise, makes the point known with plenty of evidence to back it up.

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So I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus recently. I haven’t really had the time or energy to keep up with my books or my page here. I’ve been busy finishing up my Associate Degree, re-enrolling in university, and I’m now working towards finishing up my Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. I’ve had to restructure my life in some big ways in the last year or so with some changes as recent as a few weeks ago. Even if this page doesn’t gain public popularity or notoriety it’s a useful way for me to catalog books I have, I want, and books I still need/want to read for future reference that’s more detailed and filtered than my phone camera roll.

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Flautist Melissa Jefferson plays slaver James Madison's 200-year-old crystal flute in the Library of Congress.

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[id: screenshots of tiktok captions. the images say, “but the only reason we still love princess diana is because she did not have the time to disappoint us.”]

begging queer kids to read up on princess diana’s involvement with the community. yes, she was a rich, pretty monarch. yes, she died young.

but the reason why queer people love her is because she used her privilege during the aids crisis to advocate for sick queer men, when very few others would - much less someone of her status.

diana spent years advocating for the health and care of queer people with hiv/aids. in 1987, at the height of the epidemic, she opened the first specialist clinic dedicated to treating aids patients (the first clinic of it’s kind in the uk).

she also fought public hysteria by hugging and shaking bare hands with aids patients, at a time when aids was thought to be spread by skin to skin contact. not only that, she visited patients in the clinic regularly and even comforted them through their sickness.

and when queen elizabeth told her to try focusing on “something more pleasant”?

diana ignored her and kept fighting.

and this is only her work towards the aids crisis. she publicly called out the royal family, brought attention to numerous world issues, and was known as an advocate for empathy and kindness. she’s known and loved as the people’s princess for good reason

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A match made for each other

Currently watching “Indivisible: Healing Hate”, a Paramount+ original on the history and narrative of white supremacy in our country, and how it culminated on January 6th 2021.

Currently reading “A Field Guide to White Supremacy”, a collection of essays for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, for understanding and opposing white supremacy in the United States.

This combo is really something else I tell you what, it really reaffirms that my path into social work is really for me. I refuse to accept that there can be this much hate. I refuse to accept the current systemic injustices. I refuse to accept an ignorant, hateful lifestyle. We must do something.

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burning food is an inherited trait

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Sorry

She said sorry too often.

She apologized for apologizing too much.

She said sorry like it was a greeting.

She apologized for everything goes that wrong.

Because, she labelled herself as a disaster.

She was sorry for not being good enough because no one ever told her she was good enough.

No one ever told her that she was Something more than a mess inside her head and the tsunami inside her heart.

So all she learned was to apologize for every single breath

She took.

[tsunamiwavesurfing]

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Quick Summary:

“In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.”

I’ve seen this book around a lot and a coworker recommended it so I started reading it and wow I could not put it down ! I’ve even been underlining and tabbing certain parts bc it’s just so good. It’s easy to follow and the examples the author uses are extremely interesting. Some of them I heard before, others I’m learning about for the first time. I’m not completely done with it yet but I can tell this will be 5 stars for me.

Follow me on Insta for more : @ readingbysunlight

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So many books I wanna buy but such a limited budget. Buuuuuuuuut

That’s not why we’re here. We’re here for the featured book,

“Iwígara: the Kinship of Plants and People (American Indian Ethnobotanical Traditions and Science)” by Enrique Salmón

If take a closer look you’ll see “Braiding Sweetgrass” off in the corner. This was the bookshop I originally saw it in, but was sold out of it when I went back for it. I eventually found a copy but browsing the other day I saw it back on their shelves! Good. It’s such a phenomenal book.

This one will eventually make its way into my collection, I’m sure around or after the holiday season when school finally starts to let up and I have more free reading time because humanity really does need to find itself back in touch with the world as a whole if we want to find some peace. We need to preserve what we have. We need to attempt to fix what we can before it’s too late. We need to do better.

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One of the MANY books longing to sit on my bookshelf unread…

“We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics” edited by Andrea Abi-Karam and Kay Gabriel

I was on my way out of the bookstore and snapped a picture so I wouldn’t forget about it. I need more poetry in my life and as a gay man I love reading works from the LGBTQ+ community. There’s a shared experience in our stories and an experience in sharing our stories. This could be an interesting read for sure.

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I’m not gonna lie I hate most of these books but they’re always required for my writing classes. Also it was paired with the other book I needed and I couldn’t get the other one on it’s own 🤨

“The Little Seagull Handbook”

It’s your standard ‘this is how you write’ book. I’m glad I wasted my hard earned money on this for my college class.

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I was already up to almost $50 in books so I had to take a pass on this $30+ volume on CRT texts.

“Critical Race Theory: the Key Writings that formed the Movement”

This is a hefty volume chock full of information. Incredibly in depth. Groundbreaking works. Will be added to my shelf sooner or later.

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While trying to find “Outliers” for my class project, I came across this work and couldn’t pass it up. I’ve learned that about some of my local haunts, if I don’t get them they sell.

“A Field Guide to White Supremacy” edited by Kathleen Belew and Ramón A. Gutiérrez

A collection of essays creating “the definitive field guide for understanding and opposing white supremacy in America” illuminating the violent, patriarchal career of these ideals in the United States for activists, journalists, citizens, and policymakers.

I’m excited to dive into this one, although it’s a collection of academic essays so it will be a bit different than my normal reads, but will still be highly informative.

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The first of many titles I’ll be sharing from class this semester.

“Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell

This is part of an extra credit assignment due for my social work class, due at the end of October so I need to get cracking on this one if I’m going to read it a couple times and get the project done.

What makes successful people successful? It’s more than just ambition, intelligence, and personality traits. What makes someone successful relies heavily on factors nobody likes to talk about. Gladwell starts that conversation here with this book.

I will share more of my thoughts as I finish the book and the project!!

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Still book related so bear with me 😅

The original manual for a Singer Portable Sewing Machine from July 1924

This sewing machine is in BEAUTIFUL condition

I mean come on, it even has the original tube of lubricant

Did I mention it was free because they were just going to throw it away?

Gorgeous. Original key to the lid also.