Mid-Year Book Tag

Time for another book tag! The original tag is called “Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag,” but I’m not a fan of the word freak out. And frantically, I’ve been doing pretty fantastic with my reading this year. I saw this tag on Writing Follies, so shout out to them.

Best book you’ve read so far this year.

This is a pretty difficult decision. The best book that I’ve read this year has probably been Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This book was just really meaningful to me for a lot of different reasons, many of which I’ve talked about on this blog. A close second would be The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, because it was absolutely fantastic.

Best sequel you’ve read so far this year.

I wasn’t a huge fan of A Darker Shade of Magic, but I really liked A Gathering of Shadows. Both of these books are written by V.E. Schwab and are the first two installments of a trilogy. I originally thought this was a YA collection, but I think it might fall under adult fantasy. Either way, I think it’s worth picking up.

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

I haven’t gotten around to reading Shade Me by Jennifer Brown, even though I pre-ordered it in January. I definitely need to finish this book before the end of the year, because the protagonist in the novel has synesthesia. I find that fascinating and want to see how Brown approaches it.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

I’m really excited for The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon to come out later this year. I really liked Everything, Everything by her and was so bummed that I couldn’t attend BEA to pick up an ARC like so many others. It’s okay though, because it comes out soon enough!

Biggest book disappointment.

This is 100% an unpopular opinion, and I’m going to write about this and others soon enough but Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz was by far my biggest book disappointment of the year. I bought this book simply based on the hype surrounding it, particularly its beautiful writing. In general, this year I’ve only tried to purchase books that I’ve read before so I know I want them on my shelf. But everyone loves this book, so I thought it’d be fine. I was wrong. I just didn’t get it. The writing was sort of mediocre at best. The characters weren’t as complex as I thought they’d be and the exploration of Mexican-American heritage was questionable. I could go on and on. I was bummed I didn’t like it. However, queer literature ESPECIALLY with people of color as main characters is so important. So I will always keep and recommend this book to read for that alone.

Biggest book surprise (good surprises).

I love good surprises, and books that are pretty unexpectedly good. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee was that for me. I’ve blogged about it before, and the book sort of blew me away. I wasn’t the biggest fan of To Kill a Mockingbird, probably because it was required reading so many consecutive times in middle and high school, but I will forever recommend Go Set A Watchman. It’s a book about ideology and generational gaps that we all need to read.

Favorite new author.

Jeff Zenter is bae. If only I didn’t need to look up how to spell his last name all the time. Seriously thought – check out The Serpent King!

Newest Fictional Crush.

Throwback to the first book I read this year, but Ezra from First & Then by Emma Mills has been my favorite male crush. He seemed like a very mature and motivated 17 year old. Although if I read less YA I could probably find someone more suitable.

Newest Favorite Character.

Miles from Made You Up by Francesca Zappia was such a well developed character. I definitely wanted him to be my friend. I also just can’t get over how well written and developed that book was. I know you’re not supposed to judge based on age, but HELLO what was I doing in high school? Surely not creating ingenious stories.

Book that made you cry.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I feel that’s all the explanation anyone needs. If you need more, just know it’s written by a doctor who was diagnosed with terminal cancer a year before he finished his like 12 year residency. Then he literally died.

Book that made you happy.

I have to go back to my girl Sophie Kinsella and her latest book Finding Audrey. Even though this book had a more serious undertone than many of her other books, she still packed it full of fun and humor. It definitely takes a certain skill to write such funny scenarios and characters. And she is so good at it!

Favorite book to film adaptable you saw this year.

I actually don’t know that I’ve really watched any movies that were books. I watched some of those comic book movies? I’ve READ books that have been turned into movies…this is a book blog not a movie blog, leave me alone.

Favorite review you’ve written this year.

My favorite review would be a toss up between my blog on diversity of gender based on The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. Or one that I recently wrote about the importance of living a little life. Check them out if you haven’t. Or if you think one I wrote was better, let me know!

Most beautiful book you’ve purchased this year.

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson was the most beautiful books that I’ve bought this year. Even though I read it last year, from the library!, I had to purchase it becasue it’s just such a fantastic book. I can’t believe I haven’t read her other book yet.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

This is a loaded question. I need to read at least 25-30 books on my physical to-read shelf. It’s gotten out of hand at this point. Plus I should probably give my friends back their loaned books. But I reallllllly need to finish A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I’ve been “reading” it for months. Which is stupid, because it’s literally a great book. I’m also trying to read a biography on Hillary Clinton before the election, because…I live in the US.

Until Next Time World…

Shelf Control #2

Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another edition of Shelf Control hosted by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies about current unread books on your bookshelf. This week the book I’m choosing to highlight on my shelf is Night Film by Marisha Pessl.

Goodreads Synpsis:

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world.

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.

Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense until you turn the final page.

How I Got It:

I bought on a trip to Barnes and Noble to find books to give my RAs as an end of the year present. I LOVED Pessl’s first book, and I was very delayed on picking up this one.

Why I Want To Read It:

I loved the author’s first book. I had heard some good things about it earlier on and I like a good mystery. Some of the stuff I’ve been hearing now hasn’t been so great. I was supposed to pick it up for my reading challenge, but I didn’t have time to get around to it.

When I Am Going To Read It:

July! The month where I finally read more of my own books!

Until Next Time World…

Shelf Control

So I’ve been working a lot and pretty uninspired, but I wanted to post something today. I’ve heard of these things called “book memes” and I decided to see if there were any cool ones for Wednesday. I found this one, hosted by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies about current unread books on your bookshelf. Since I’ve packed away most of my books, I didn’t have that many on my shelf to choose from. However, my pick this week is Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson.

The Goodreads Blurb:

Reclusive literary legend M. M. “Mimi” Banning has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years, but now she’s writing her first book in decades and to ensure timely completion her publisher sends an assistant to monitor her progress. Mimi reluctantly complies—with a few stipulations: No Ivy Leaguers or English majors. Must drive, cook, tidy. Computer whiz. Good with kids. Quiet, discreet, sane.

When Alice Whitley arrives at the Banning mansion, she’s put to work right away—as a full-time companion to Frank, the writer’s eccentric nine-year-old, a boy with the wit of Noël Coward, the wardrobe of a 1930s movie star, and very little in common with his fellow fourth graders.

As she gets to know Frank, Alice becomes consumed with finding out who his father is, how his gorgeous “piano teacher and itinerant male role model” Xander fits into the Banning family equation—and whether Mimi will ever finish that book.

Full of heart and countless only-in-Hollywood moments, Be Frank With Me is a captivating and heartwarming story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world.

How I Got It:

I have the uncorrected proof that my friend lent to me earlier this year. (She won the proof in a Goodreads giveaway because she is lucky and I am not.)

Why I Want To Read It:

I love books about writers and other books. This one seems to tie in some nice family drama, which always makes for a fun and entertaining read. My friend also enjoyed it, and she has good taste.

When I Am Going To Read It:

This is one of my next 10 books that I’ll read. So I will definitely finish this in the next two months. I’m determined to not let the library distract me too much.

That was pretty fun! Get ready for these weekly from now on.

Until Next Time World…

The Sims!: A Booktag

I recently saw Booktuber, hailsheartsnyc, make a book tag based on The Sims. Since I love The Sims, I thought that this would be a fun thing to bring to the blog. Without further ado, let’s get to the tag!

THE QUESTIONS

1. The Original Sims~ Best Author Debut ~ Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani

I read this novel last year, and it immediately made it’s way on my all-time favorite books list. It’s a touching family drama about an Indian American family coming to grips with their overreaching father/husband and the lasting effects his presence had in their lives.

2. The Grim Reaper ~ Saddest Character Death ~ The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

This is also a debut novel; it was released this year by Jeff Zentner. I’m not going to spoil the book for anyone, because I really do think it is worth reading. However, the character death in this book was so unexpected that gut-wrenching. I definitely recommend this book!

3. Sims Getting Stuck ~ A Character That Just Got In The Way ~ Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

I was really struggling and trying to remember the character’s name, but I can’t for the life of me. The main character, Alex, works at a diner of some sort with another male character. That character needed to go. I felt he often got in the way of the budding relationship between Alex and Miles. I also think that he was a flat character, and I didn’t need him in my life. This book also was written by a VERY young writer. She’s a boss a proves and good authorship is just good authorship. Definitely check this book out.

4. Simlish ~ Book With Amazing Writing ~ How To Talk To a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

I’ve mentioned this book before on my blog, because Jonathan Tropper is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed the perspective of the main character in this novel, who was a writer. He was hilarious, and I think that Trooper always does a good job writing the writing that his characters are supposed to be creating. More people should read his novels!

5. Expansion Packs ~ Series Where the Books Kept on Getting Better ~ Shades of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab

This is sort of a cop out because the third book hasn’t come out yet, but I feel that these novels have just been getting better. I’m not a big magical realism person (i.e. Harry Potter is okay…), and so I thought the first book was just okay. However, I found myself really enjoying the second book, which I feel allowed us to gain more insight about the key characters. I’m excited for the third installment, and I’ll probably end up buying all these books.

6. Sims Romance ~ Worst Case of Insta Love ~ The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

I wrote a review of this book earlier this year. It’s amazing, and it has the worst case of insta love. But you know what, it’s great. I actually don’t mind instalove. I want instalove. You want to be with someone and just know. While I don’t really think that’s a thing, it’d save everyone a hell of a lot of time if it was.

7. Cheats ~ A Book That Was Entirely Unrealistic ~ My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

I enjoyed this book at the surface; I really did. However, this book sparked all sort of crazy thoughts about these books that are highlighting, if not glorifying mental illness. This book focuses on two teens, who are both battling depression among other things. The two are an unlikely pair, through their struggles they find a romantic connection and blahblahblah. UNREALISTIC. It’s hard to talk about without spoiling it, but let’s just say I’m not so sure that high school jocks would fall in love with a nerdy, lonely, and sad girl just because they happened to talk to one another. I’m not sure this book gives someone hope as much as it sets unrealistic expectations of HS romance and what there is to live for in life.

8. Needs Fulfillment ~ Character Who Made All the Wrong Decisions ~ Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Parker, the protagonist of this novel, is blind. The novel revolves around her ability to be closed to the world due to her physical disability. She refuses to let it limit her ability, which I found inspiring. However, I was frustrated with her character throughout the book. I thought she made crazy wrong decision after decision. I know that’s one of the reasons people seem to dislike this book, because they dislike her character. But even though she was frustrating to read about, she was very realistic. We all make a lot of mistakes when we should know better.

9. Error code 12: ~ Series That Started Off Great, then Went Downhill ~ The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

This one is kind of not fair, because I’ve literally read like 4 series in my life. And I already used one of them for the others series question. I LOVE LOVE Sophie Kinsella, and I would recommend every single one of her novels (including the ones as Madeline Wickham). However, The Shopaholic Series has got to stop at some point. Shopaholic and Sister was a little too much for me, but there are 8 books in total in the series. I still need to read the last one, but sometimes you can beat a horse to death.

10. The Sims vortex ~ Book or Series that Completely Engrossed You ~ Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

One very exciting Friday night last year I had just finished another YA book and thought that I still had another couple of minutes to read. I picked up Everything, Everything and then it was over. I read this book in one sitting, no bathroom or food breaks, constantly text messaging my friend Katie to tell her about the book. Although the ending is a little wonky, I definitely would recommend reading this cute book.

So like, Totally

It’s the weekend! So I’m feeling a little restless, which means it’s the perfect time to do a book tag! So below you will find my answers to the “Totally Should’ve” book tag. This tag was started in the BookTube community on YouTube by Emmabooks. For your pleasure, or maybe mostly mine, I’ve taken out “totally should’ve” from each of the prompts.

a book that should have gotten a sequel

I’m a really big Sophie Kinsella fan. Her books have been present in most of my HS/early adult life. Not only have I read her sophaholic series, but I’ve also enjoyed her writings under Madeline Wickham and her stand alone books. Twenties Girl is one of my favorite contemporary romances ever. I feel in love with the characters and the world that Kinsella created. If she ever decided to make a sequel for one of her stand alone books, I’d want her to start here. And if you haven’t read this book yet, I suggest that you do!

name a book series that should have had a spin-off

I must admit; I don’t read a lot of series. However, I have read a couple of crime series. The Sue Grafton Alphabet Series is one that I’ve stuck with for several years. I think that Kinsey Millhone is a fantastic lead character in the book. But I think that there are a number of other characters in the book that might make fantastic protagonists in other books.

an author that should have written more books

My vote for this section is the late, great Harper Lee. I reviewed Go Set A Watchman shortly before Harper Lee’s death, and it will probably be added to my list of all-time favorites. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of To Kill A Mockingbird, I think that she had a great ability to write about race relations and politics in an approachable fictional way.

a character who should have ended up with someone else

I read Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings a little over a year ago, and really enjoyed the story. If I am remembering correctly, it is mostly if not completely, told from the perspective of Jules Jacobson. It follows Jules and a group of her friends from there high school days until their late adulthood. While reading the book, I always thought that Jules ended up with the wrong person. One of the characters in the book spends his entirely life basically pining after her, and I always sort of thought she should have reciprocated those feelings.

name a book that should have ended differently

I’m a really big fan of Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. It was one of my top books of 2015. It was cool to read a book about a non-white person where race wasn’t the major focus of the book. I can only begin to remember how powerful that would have been for me as a young HS student. The book also does a pretty decent job of presenting non-traditional family relationships. BUT – that ending, oh no. My one criticism of the book is that the ending was a neat little, unbelievable package.

name a book that should have been a TV show

I have to go back to Sophie Kinsella with this one. The Shopaholic series, although made into a movie, would have been better adapted to be a TV show. In the line and style of Clueless, I think that it might be a big hit.

name a book that should have been a movie

a book that should have had one POV (point of view)

I’ve said this before, but I just wasn’t a fan of Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. A lot of the reason that I didn’t really like the book is because of the multiple narrative views that were presented in a confusing way. The “main” narrator of the novel, seemed to be the brother. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if his was the only view that was presented.

a book that should have had a cover change

Another one of my not-so-secret loves is Hilary Duff. Seriously, I love her and her work so much. And she’s an author! But the cover of her first book, Elixir, leaves a lot to be desired. Cover redesign anybody? Oh wait, they did that. It’s still not great.

a book that should NOT have had a cover change

Sooooooo…..only one of these covers should be the real thing. I’ll give you a hint – THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE IS PERFECTION. Get out of here other covers.

a book that should have stopped at book one.

This is hard, because I haven’t read a lot of series, as I stated before. So honestly, I don’t have any answer for this. Sorry!

Man Tiger

Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan was the first book I read in my journey to read the Man Booker International prize longlist. I thought that this would be a good endeavor for a couple of reasons. First, it’s become so obviously apparent that all of my thoughts and opinions are formed based on my limited experiences as a US citizen. I’ve spent my whole life in the United States, and although I have traveled to different countries and continents, my perspective is so grossly Westernized. While in college, I exclusively read BBC news in attempts to learn more about “world news,” but even that was insufficient. As the US is in full swing regarding its presidential election, I’m again reminded how biased all media coverage is, but specifically that in the US. So I hope to expand my world view a little more by reading books set in non-US (and often non-Western) settings.

Second, I was in a little bit of a YA k-hole. I didn’t read YA when I was a teenager. Harry Potter wasn’t even finished by the time I graduated high school. Last year I kind of really discovered this phenomenon. I’ve read a lot of YA books over the past year, and some of them have been excellent. But a lot of them have failed to challenge me intellectually or emotionally. So I thought it was about time I move my interests a little past YA into translated works.

Now that I’ve gotten all that nonsense out of the way – on to Man Tiger specifically! As I stated earlier this week, in my quick update, I think that this book was a solid three star read for me. The part that was most disappointing was the lack of story around Margio (the main character’s) affliction of having a Tiger live inside of him. At the end of the first “chapter” or story, you find out that he has a Tiger inside of him. But really that’s where the author’s coverage of the story stops. I’m not sure what this book is called in its original tongue, but I hope that title makes a little more sense than the English version.

I enjoyed how Man Tiger was broken up into chapters based on story. I also found the translation really excellent, because although the book sometimes switched POV and often switched between present, past and future, it was never confusing for me. I think that this is in stark contrast to Everything I Never Told You, which I thought was extremely confusing and annoying to follow. It’s unusual plot sometimes made it hard to become really invested in the book, but when I did sit down to read it I was always interested.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in translated works of fiction. I would also suggest that those who are doing the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, that this would be a cool book to fulfill the “book by an author from Southeast Asia” section.

Until Next Time World…

Bookish Academy Awards! 2016

I really like book tags. I like watching them, because I think it’s an easier way to get some recommendations for new books. I saw peruseproject‘s video on her book awards from her last reading year, and I thought this would be a good tag to do. Like her, I am only using books that I read in 2015. I’ll try not to overlap too many books, because that wouldn’t be very much fun.

——————————————————

Best Male Protagonist (Best Actor)

Noah from I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson was by far my favorite male protagonist in a book in 2015. I’ll Give You the Sun was one of my favorite books of the year, and part of the reason I love this book is how Noah’s chapters were put together. He had beautiful thoughts, and I thought Nelson did a great job translating them into prose.

Best Female Protagonist (Best Actress)

Madeline from Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was my favorite female protagonist in 2015. She’s a teenager who suffers from a very rare auto-immune deficiency disease. When a cute boy moves across the street (obviously), she has to come to terms with the seriousness of her disease and how much she’ll let it take control of her life. She’s also a non-white protagonist, which we don’t see enough in mainstream popular literature!

Best Plot Twist (Best Cinematography)

Plot twist is sort of a weird concept, especially after you’ve already read the book. However, I have to give this honor to Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This book wasn’t a plot twist in the traditional sense of the term, but I thought there was an interesting shift part way through the book. The narrator, Clay, receives a set of tapes from one of his classmates who recently committed suicide. Upon listening to the first tape, he realizes that she sent these tapes to the 13 people who she says uniquely contributed to her death. It’s heavy, but a pretty interesting book.

Best Book Cover (Best Costume)

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer gets my win for best book cover. The only reason I read this book last year was because a student left it after attending an orientation session, and I thought the cover was cool. It’s simple, but has enough colors to make me wonder what it’s really about.

Best Side Character (Best Supporting Actor/Actress)

Silas in Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. I reviewed this book at the beginning of the year, and I think it was one of the best releases of 2015. Clegg writes a beautiful book following several characters in the aftermath of a tragic event in a small beach town. Silas, who is the narrator of the first chapter of the book, stole my heart. In a book of 7 narrators, I really enjoyed reading what Silas had to say about his involvement in the tragedy that occurred.

Best Book to Movie (Best Adapted Screenplay)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green? I don’t watch movies really.

Book You’d Like to See Animated (Best Animated Feature)

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Siobhan Dowd) is easily the book I’d most like to see animated. In fact, I believe that the movie will be coming out soon. It’s a harrowing children’s book about a monster that visits a little boy every night.

A Writer You’ve Read for the First Time (Best Director)

RAINBOW ROWELL. Holy Moly. How did I never read her before last year. And it was a big year for Rainbow in my life. I read all of her books, with the exception of Carry On. She’s a fantastic author who transcends the confines of YA or “adult” literature. She writes the story she feels people want to read, and that’s awesome.

Best Collection of Short Stories (Best Short Film)

I actually didn’t read any true short story collections last year. However I did read Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff. This is a series of short chapters about various topics surrounding Christianity (particularly that of the evangelical sort). He’s hilarious and if you have an appreciation for Christianity, you’ll find this funny.

Best Action in a Book (Best Visual Effects)

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson is my pick for best action in a book. It would also be my pick for longest title read in a single year. I don’t read a lot of action packed/fantasy based books, but this is a harder category for me. This book follows a man named Alan who disappears from his retirement home on his 100th birthday. Hilarity ensues as he makes his way across Sweden while reliving key moments in history he supposedly lived through. Set in many countries from China to the US to Russia, this book is nothing short of an adventure.

Best Historical Fiction/Non-Fiction (Best Documentary)

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling brought out the fangirl in me last year. I love her. AND she’s hilarious. This book has some great insights, and I previously wrote a review if you’d like to see exactly what I thought.

Best Book (Best Picture)

The big award! Last year was a pretty good reading year, where I added a couple of books to my all time favorites list. For the best book award, I choose Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani. This book was so beautiful and so unexpected. It follows 4 Indian (and American) women as they grapple through their sorted family history with the paternal figure. It has beautifully written prose, great character development, and a moving plot. If you haven’t read this book yet, I’d definitely recommend it.

These are the books on my Bookish Academy Awards for 2016. If you want to do this tag, feel free! Special thanks to YAbookworm for the use of the image.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

I’ve been trying to prepare to do a couple of video blogs (look out for this coming out soon!), but in order to put up content I thought I’d participate in some Book Blogger Appreciation Week action. Being new to the legitimate blogging world, I think it’s cool to acknowledge some of the great people who write what I love reading about and inform my reading year.

The prompt for the first day is as follows: Introduce yourself by telling us about five books that represent you as a person or your interests/lifestyle.

So without further ado…

All The King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren is my favorite book of all times. I believe that reading this book in high school proved that I loved politics before understanding politics proved it. Since this book was also set in the South, I feel that I could relate to a lot of the points in this book. If you haven’t read this classic, I highly recommend it. I’ll also be re-reading it in March for my re-reading month!

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller is representative on my love of non-religious writings on religion. I consider myself a very religious person, and probably less spiritual than I would like to admit. I think Donald Miller is really approachable. He explains religious contexts and movements through approachable and funny stories. [The movie was awful, please don’t watch it.] If not this book, then some book by Donald Miller would be representative of me and my interests. I especially loved his book about growing up without a father figure.

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper is representative of my interpretation of my mental illness. I love Jonathan Tropper. I don’t really care that all his male early 30 characters may be the same, I like the character he has created. Although this book is not my favorite (that would be The Book of Joe) this book was incredibly funny, while being uber realistic. I think there are times when we don’t allow ourselves to feel a certain way, and constantly have to explain our actions to others. I like how much time Tropper spend on this book debunking that. I appreciate it, and if you want to know how I feel when I’m in a “mood” this book is a pretty accurate representation of that.

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron was probably my first foray into Young Adult literature. I read this book in college, and I think that I read it at the right time. In the first chapter the narrative of the story makes a 9/11 reference about whether people will forget the year it happened, comparing it to Pearl Harbor, and I knew I’d like the book. I think it’s smart writing about a teen struggling with his identity and trying to survive being a teen. Working at a university, I am fortunate enough to work with students who are battling big battles. This book reminds me of why it’s important to do this.

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin is a book that I recently read. I can’t believe that I haven’t read James Baldwin before last week, but it was amazing. Baldwin has such great thoughts on politics and love, specifically from a racial perspective. I appreciate he thoughts on loving your fellow man, and I can really get down with what he says in this short book.