My Favorite Reads of 2020

Man, what a year, right? And I mean, I want to be optimistic but like...I think we have more 2020 coming to us next year. I can't say I want to do too much recapping of this year. That sounds like it would be a bit of a sad exercise. But there were rays of light in this year and since this is a book blog, why not focus on those books that I liked this year? 

Top books - new (to me) reads

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson 

Go to Sleep, I Miss You by Lucy Knisley

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection by Alexander C. Kane

Andrea Vernon and the Superhero Industrial Complex by Alexander C. Kane

Top books - the rereads

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The Martian by Andy Weir

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Unsurprisingly, there were more top rereads than new books. Which I mean, makes sense. Why would I reread a book if I wasn't a fan? And this year especially has required comfort reads. I ALMOST included Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell because it is excellent and also I have been listening to it for about 100 years and I'm very close to finishing but no promises it'll happen in time to be counted in 2020. Does this mean I should wait on this post until after tomorrow to see if I finish the book in time? Perhaps but I didn't think of that till now and you know what, I'm not changing it now.

I'm going to attempt a future post with a round up of the year's stats and top authors and whatnot but for now, staying positive and look at these books I enjoyed so much. 

November Reading Wrap Up

Hope those that celebrate had a nice and safe Thanksgiving with tasty food, even if things were a bit different from past years. Hopefully next year will be a bit more traditional if people would just GET IT TOGETHER. In the meantime, I have taken some additional time off from work to binge Leverage, get some Christmas decorations up and maybe try to clean up the house, as futile an exercise as that is. And of course, update my blog.

I had a surprisingly productive reading month. I don't know why or what made it so but here we are. Sure there were some short ones in there, which definitely helped make the total number look higher. I actually started relistening to Lamb while I waited for a library hold to come in. And then, even though I have read the book multiple times, I was invested in hearing how Lamb turned out (would it be different this time, YOU NEVER KNOW) and then I pushed my library hold out. Again. For roughly the 10th time. But it was worth it.

Here are the stats and also a picture of the little one in some festive old man jammies

Number of books read

5

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

Pages read

1,740

Fiction

80% - only May had a higher share of Fiction read. And even this month was almost 100% had that last book not been so short

BIPOC author

20%

Female author

40%

US authors

20%

Rereads

20%

Bookclub

20%

Translation

20%

Book format

audiobook: 80%

hardback: 20%

Where'd I get the book

library: 100%

Decades published

1960s: 20%

2000s: 60%

2010s: 20%

Resolution books

80%

Mostly non-US authors: Life of Pi (Yann Martel - Canada), The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware - UK), Hallowe'en Party (Agatha Christie - UK), A River in Darkness (Masaji Ishikawa - Japan)

But that isn't all. A River in Darkness is also by BIPOC author and a translation

A (Somewhat) Leisurely Neighborhood Book Walk

This past weekend my townhouse/condo complex hosted the first (of what I hope will be a regular event) book walk. Which not only resulted in fun times but also gave me something to write about.

A  book walk, at least as we did it, involved everyone who lives in this complex* taking any books they don't want any more and putting them on their front stoop or some in one of the communal squares. Then you walk around, see what people put out and pick up some new books. A few neighbors also put out some (individually packaged and wrapped) treats.

This was quite convenient for me because I had a big box of books for donation that I had been slowly bringing to our local library (they have a limit as to how many you could drop off at a given time) before COVID shut that down. So this gave me the chance to get rid of the box of books that were just cluttering things. And of course maybe I could pick up a couple books and start cluttering the space with new things. What fun.

So I got rid of about 20 books and only brought 6 new ones home. That's a pretty good ratio. Admittedly, I'm sure the number would have been much higher had it not been for the fact that Matthew does not appreciate leisurely browsing of books. He preferred the method of run-around-in-circles and stack-random-books-up and wait-are-those-cookies-over-there?? Really helped me make quick decisions about books, since I had to grab a book fast before I had to take off after him. But I managed to get some what I hope are good ones and even Matthew got something.

So let's see what I got:

• Circe by Madeline Miller - I've heard good things about this. I think. I've definitely heard stuff about it and I like what little I know of Circe the character from the Odyssey 
• Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman - I've only read 2 parenting books since having Matthew: Emily Oster's Cribsheets and Toddlers Are Assholes by Bunmi Laditan. And perhaps the second book isn't a parenting book, per se. I have been a bit skeptical of this book but honestly, I took it because while I was considering it, Matthew took off in an effort, I assume, to find more treats across the street and I didn't have time to waffle on it while I chased him. Besides, I figured his running off was indicative that I could perhaps benefit from at least hearing what she had to say.
• My Treasury of Stories and Rhymes - While I was looking at the books on one neighbor's deck, she came out to hang some lights and of course saw Matthew there. He was standing there calmly because he was eating a brownie at this time, and thus had what he wanted. When she saw him she brought out this book. I guess since there are maybe 3 young kids that live in our complex (it seems to be largely made up of retirees) she didn't expect anyone would want this one. So Matthew's luck. He loves red.
• The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant (An Adoption Story) by Dan Savage - While I haven't read the column in a while, I used to enjoy Savage Love and figured this would be fun and funny.
• All Adults Here by Emma Straub - Honestly, I don't know anything about this book. But the author's name sounds familiar (I have not been nearly active enough in the book world) and Matthew liked the yellow cover so he kept grabbing it. My one regret is I grabbed a hardback version and later saw at another stoop in paperback. So I dunno, maybe it isn't the best book if 2 houses were giving it away. But we'll see.
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt - I read my dad's copy of this book several years ago over Thanksgiving and loved it. But it seemed silly to buy a copy. A free copy, however, that's fine. 

* It was going on all day so people could be spaced out and everyone who lives here is good about adhering to social distancing guidelines, so people were masked and everyone was giving people their space. And of course the whole thing was outside. Man I had having to make these caveats but also PEOPLE, please take this seriously

October Reading Wrap Up

Another month over. I had meant to read some horror books in October. Ya know, tis the season and whatnot. But I didn't manage it because honestly, I didn't try all that hard. I'll probably end up reading a bunch of horror in December when that is also not the season. Because time means nothing.

I'm trying to think of something else to say before getting into stats. Anyone see Ted Lasso? I mean, it's on Apple TV so I would understand if not but it's real good and between this and Central Park we may actually need to sign up or figure out a way to get another trial. But anyway, Ted Lasso is about an American college football coach moving to England to coach a Premier League team despite knowing nothing about soccer. But don't worry, cos he is SO optimistic and positive and also he is played by Jason Sudeikis who is quite charming. I know little about sports in general and Premier League in particular but the show is so funny and sweet. And right now, I need a show that is just funny and sweet and I can only watch reruns of Great British Bake Off so many times (that number is 100 times, give or take).

Before the stats, here's the monthly goblin photo. Here he is enjoying his reading tent.

Number of books read

3

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

Andrea Vernon and the Superhero Industrial Complex by Alexander C. Kane

Shit Actually: The 100% Definitive Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West

Number of pages read

1,125

Fiction

33%

POC authors

0%

Female authors

67%

US authors

100%

Book formats

audiobook: 67%

hardback: 33%

Where'd I get the books

Indie: 33%

Kindle/Audible: 67%

Decades published

2010s: 33%

2020s: 67%

Resolution books

0%

Not so great. I want to feel worse about this but honestly I'm too tired to feel bad about these at the moment. I'm sure the shame will catch up with me next month, and hopefully then I do better.

The Supernatural Workplace Comedy I have been waiting for

At some point a few years ago, I came across a book called Zombie Inc about (ostensibly) this company that handled zombie removal, similar to the way you'd hire an exterminator to deal with a rat problem. And at that point I realized what I really want is a funny book that takes place in an office setting but instead of the business dealing with something boring, it's in the business of something ridiculous and supernatural. Like zombie removal. The key is the crazy is mundane, at least to the characters in the story.

Now that I type this out, I realize that this might go further back from that first book, to the first time I listened to Welcome to Night Vale. Or I suppose before that listening to PBS Idea Channel describe the podcast as"borrowing Lovecraft's (as in H.P.) spirit" but with "paralytic terror replaced with drab mundanity", taking "unspeakable abomination and turning it into unremarkable absurdity,"and YES GIVE THAT TO ME PLEASE.

But it has been a journey to find something that really fits what I want. Not The Regional Office Is Under Attack!. Not The Intern's Handbook. Not even the Night Vale book, though it came the closest, except it's not really about these mundane office politics SO it's not totally fair to group it in. 

Most of the books that I thought would be what I wanted started that way, but then quickly focused on ACTION of jumping into these crazy worlds and NO, you guys. That's not what I want. I don't want Max from accounting to be the unlikely hero who can actually kick lots of ass when he's pulled into the fray. I want to know who is still making the coffee and what sort of expense reports do you file if you're an assassin for hire

Now I know, as I type this, what I am looking for sounds super boring. I'm not looking for a boring a story, I'm looking for a ridiculous one. A few times I thought do I need to write this story I want to read and then realized that that was probably not going to happen. And so, my search carried on, though with perhaps less optimism than before.

Lucky for me, Alexander C. Kane also has this same desire and wrote a couple books called Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection and Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex and hopefully more. This is exactly what I was looking for. Andrea Vernon is the administrative assistant to Ms. Persephone Oh, VP of a corporation that manages superheroes. Because in this world, there are tons of superheroes and super villains, so a number of private businesses have been established to handle things. She is not a superhero. She does not have secret superhero abilities. Unless it's being a super awesome administrative assistant, cos she's good at that, especially in a job where one of the rules is no asking questions. This can be troublesome when say, trying to figure out what type of coffee Ms. Oh wants but she figures it out. Spreadsheets are involved.

The stories leans into the ridiculous. There are scenes where she's trying to get the superheroes (or Supes) to learn the company database and make sure they're filling out the appropriate paperwork and passing on memos from marketing about the importance of branding. There's also the supes themselves: 

• King Tiger - half man, half tiger, originally from Mumbai. Somewhat leader of the supes
• The Big Axe - really big guy with a really big axe. Always include the "The" when referring to him (e.g., how's it going, The Big Axe?)
• Senora Fuego - proud Latina from the Bronx, controls fire, loves gossip
• Lightning Hwang - originally from China, now owns a hardware store in Chinatown NYC, can turn into a bolt of lightning. Prouder of the store than his powers
• Inspector Well Actually - super-genius but powers are only activated when correcting people, not well liked, his fedora glows when his powers are in full swing

There are more and they're all great and of varying levels of usefulness. Sure there is danger and there is action (in the first book, a giant mysterious space egg appears over Yankee Stadium) but the scenes of people fighting the egg have equal weight to the sales team trying to add a new region to the registrar. And that's the fun.

The super villains are pretty great too. Never More is part woman, part raven and knows everyone's greatest regret. Deinonychus is half-woman, half-deinonychus and is VERY angry that the velociraptors in Jurassic Park were actually closer to deinonychus but they didn't get the credit and 10 year old me made this SAME ARGUMENT. Kane, you get me.

Plus the cast in these books is diverse. I named some above, and there's also Andrea who is Haitian-American and Ms. Oh who is Korean-American from Georgia with the thick accent and Southern similes to go with it. AND MORE. It was nice to have a superhero story not just filled with white people. 

The books are so much fun and several times I had to interrupt Tom to tell him some great moment that just happened and Kane gets me and what I've been looking for. Which is nice. And now I just need so many more in this series.

I didn't start this with the intention of writing a review, which I guess this kinda turned into. I really just wanted to write something and moreso, want to tell many people about these silly books. The only downside is, as far as I can tell, these are only available as audiobooks and only through Audible, which is a bummer, especially with indie bookstores hurting right now. But still, these books are great.

September Reading Wrap Up

Alright, so I didn't manage a second post in September. Just the August reading wrap up. The intention was there. Maybe after...I dunno November? Maybe then I'll be able to manage a bit more. Assuming everything won't happen so much everyday. I don't know why I'd assume that, considering that's basically how every day has been and of course look at the latest news. (Fun how this sentence is applicable regardless of when you read this. And by fun, I mean gives me stress headaches.) But let's focus on the happy stuff, aka reading.

I found a good strategy for reading this month: Put a bunch of books on hold from the library roughly 12 years ago. Forget about them. Have them all come in this month a few days apart. Even though I wasn't expecting them, realize if I don't want to wait until 12 years for them to become available again, I better get listening. Neglect other responsibilities (like perhaps, updating this blog more than once a month). Still don't manage to hit the most pages you've read so far this year but it's at least top 5. Realize it's top 5 out of only 9 months. That's not actually that impressive, is it? Further realize getting ANY reading done is cause for celebration. Get tired of this writing style. 

Moving on. Before I get into the reading stats for the month, here's a picture of the little monster in what he'll use as one of his modeling shots because WHAT is this pose? His hair looks like this because we shan't be visiting a kids haircutting place for a while. Even I haven't gone and I know I can be trusted to keep my mask on and not spend the whole time violently shaking my head back and forth. The same cannot be said for the small one. But anyway, the look is growing on me. I love those curls. So even when we can/do go get it cut, I'm all for keeping the mop.

But right, the stats.

Number of books read

5

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Way to Cure Everything by Lydia King & Nate Pederson

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

Number of pages read

1,559

Fiction

40%

POC authors

20%

Female authors

100%

(Technically one of the authors is a guy but my stat tracking cannot account for multiple authors on a single book and I could try to figure it out but I'm not going to. So. All ladies.)

US authors

60%

Book formats

audiobooks: 80%

paperback: 20%

Where'd I get the book

Indie: 20%

Library: 80%

Bookclub

20%

Rereads

20%

Decades published

1920s: 20%

1930s: 20%

2000s: 20%

2010s: 40%

Resolution Books

60%

The two Christie books were each published before 2000 (ya know, cos she died in the '70s) and also she's a non-US author

Quackery is written, or at least partially written, by Lydia King, an Asian-American writer. Again, I'm not sure how to account for a book with two writers without doing lots of math to separate the % from the book total to the author total and I really don't feel like rebuilding spreadsheets. 

August Reading Wrap Up

Another month over, another month where I wrote and read way less than I hoped. Blah Blah Blah at this point, right? Today was a long day with a lot happening all at once and I am just looking forward to a long weekend with zero plans because really, what am I going to be doing?

But hey, when he's not drawing on the couch, look how cute the goblin is

Anyway, let's look at those stats

Number of books read

3

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

Number of pages read

1,006

Juuuuust barely managed to pass the 1,000 mark. I also listened to about half of the book Less but at some point was not feeling it and then I realized I had a book to read for bookclub that I forgot about and then I had a library hold come in and here we are.

Fiction

67%

POC authors

67%

Female authors

67%

US authors

67%

Book formats

100% audiobooks

Where'd I get the book

Kindle/Audible: 33%

Library: 67%

Bookclub

33%

Reread

33%

Decades published

2010s: 67%

2020s: 33%

Resolution Books

67%

Crazy Rich Asians is by a POC author from Singapore 

The Vanishing Half is also by a POC author

Help Save USPS and Get a Book - What's Not to Love?

Perhaps you've heard that things in the US are, in general, garbage. Among all of the garbage things, because there is so much, is the threat to the United States Postal Service. I won't go into what's going on or why because all I'd be doing is quoting people far smarter than me who have already written about it, but instead here are some links

How You Can Support the USPS - LifeHacker

Save the Postal Service - The Atlantic

Why we need the Postal Service - CNN

Congress must stand up to the White House and deliver relief to the Postal Service - The Washington Post

The Postal Service Is in Deep Trouble. Here’s One Way to Get It Out. - Politico

Mail Delays Fuel Concern Trump Is Undercutting Postal System Ahead of Voting - The New York Times

And if you'd rather listen, here's a podcast from Secretly Incredibly Fascinating about US Post Offices

I'm trying to think what I can do, in my small way, to help. I've reached out to my elected officials (and will probably reach out again a few more times). We have stamps. Then I saw my box of books to donate to the local library. While I would hate to deny my library books that they can sell to help fund the library they a) aren't taking any right now because of the pandemic and b) I've already donated about half my books to them in the before-times. So I figure, what if I offered some of these books to people who want them and I can use USPS to get them to you.

Here you go. If you want any of these books below, leave me a comment and we can connect via email to get addresses and whatnot. I do want to caveat that I can't promise how quickly I will get to the post office (because of pandemic and having a small one in the house ALL THE TIME because of pandemic) but I will do my best and I will make sure to keep you up to date. Anyway, here are the books I have that I don't want to have anymore but you might want to have. So have at it.

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
• The Dinner by Herman Koch
• Hating Women: America's Hostile Campaign Against the Fairer Sex by Shmuley Boteach
• How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
• A Pleasure and a Calling by Phil Hogan
• Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffengger
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Never Lose a Customer Again: Turn Any Sale into Lifelong Loyalty in 100 Days by Joey Coleman
• Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
• The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future by Mark Bauerlein
• My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler
• Cherry: A Memoir by Mary Karr
• The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
• With My Body by Nikki Gemmell

July Reading Wrap Up

Each day is 1000 hours long but also flying by at lightning speed, right? For example, it's taken me about 20 minutes to write this far because as soon as I started the goblin (who had been sitting quietly entertaining himself) NEEDED to be in my lap and show me animal noises and I can't NOT do that. Because it's cute and want to spend time with him and also because he will not let me do anything else. 

Speaking of the goblin, it was his birthday this month, so he's officially into the terrible twos except, he's mature for his age (i.e., he has been in this stage for A WHILE now) but it was exciting and also sad that we couldn't do much to celebrate. I mean, not for him, he didn't know what he missed, he just knew he got ice cream cake. But I was sad we couldn't do more. Hopefully we'll be able to better celebrate next year (though honestly, who knows).

One other update before the stats, but last post I wrote about a book I was listening to, Andrea Vernon & The Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection, and how I've been searching for a book that is office satire but the office's business is something ridiculous and I have been burned in the past by books that promised this premise and then DID NOT DELIVER. But I am happy to report that this one did. AND I was a fan of the narrator (Bahni Turpin, who also narrated So You Want to Talk About Race, where I also liked her narration.) So happy I might actually write a review about it. *Gasp*

Anyway, stat time

Number of books read

3

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

Nut Jobs: Cracking California's Strangest $10 Million Heist by Marc Fennell (which is sort of a podcast more than a book but I got it from Audible so I'm counting it)

Andrea Vernon & The Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection by Alexander C. Kane

Number of pages read

726

This is the lowest number this year by a long shot. For whatever reason this month, I just wasn't in the mood for a lot of books and ended up listening to podcasts or music or honestly just scrolling through nonsense social media. I should have probably been reading but focus has been an issue. Though looking at past stats, it's not that unusual for the summer, so maybe it's the weather. I was hoping to at least hit 1,000 pages for the month but didn't happen so what are you gonna do?

Fiction

33%

POC authors

33%

Female authors

33%

US authors

67%

Book formats

audiobook: 100%

Where'd I get the book

Kindle/Audible: 100%

Decades published

2010s: 33%

2020s: 67%

Resolution books

67%

Wow, No Thank You is by Samantha Irby, a black woman

Nut Jobs is by Marc Fennell, an Australian author/reporter

And while this doesn't actually count towards the resolution count, it is sort of nice that the titular Andrea Vernon is a Haitian-American and her boss (and other main character) is Korean-American. And several of the superheroes are people of color. Still by a white guy but at least not an all-white cast.

A post about stuff

Quarantine is a lot. It would be nice if my country could GET IT TOGETHER FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES so we could get over this like the rest of the world. I am happy my state is taking it seriously but I'm still very stressed, even though I know I'm incredibly fortunate, all things considered.

But instead of talking about all the things that are bad and scary right now and instead of trying to review books that I read over a year ago, I thought I'd talk about some stuff that I'm enjoying right now. Because gotta enjoy the little things right now.

Be forewarned, I haven't really thought this through so this post could fall apart pretty quickly. But I hardly post so this is something.

Central Park

It's central in my heeeaaaaaaarrrt.
It's an animated show (!), from the creators of Bob's Burgers (!!), that is a MUSICAL (!!!) starring voice talents from Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs (HAMILTONs), Stanley Tucci, Kathryn Hahn, Josh Gad, Tituss Burgess, and Kirsten Bell (for season 1, but you may have heard that she is being recast because she is white and her character is biracial) as well as a TON of other people. There's a weird but loving family, led by father Owen, caretaker for Central Park, who just wants to make it the best park. His wife is a journalist for a hyper local paper, the kids are strange in that Bob's Burgers-esque kind of way. But then there's Bitsy Brandenham, a super rich crazy lady who wants to take over Central Park to develop the land. And there is my fav character, Helen, Bitsy's maid/assistant who hates Bitsy (and is not subtle about this) but wants to get in the will. Basically, this is a show that checks all of my boxes. It is on AppleTV which is...not great, but this show is great and the music is great and there's a chance I may not finish this post cos I've wandered off to go watch the musical numbers.

OK OK I'm back.

Supermarket Sweep

Are you aware that both Netflix and Amazon Prime have old episodes of Supermarket Sweep? Did you know that the host wears incredible sweaters in the early seasons, some of which I lowkey want? If you aren't familiar with the show from '90s daytime TV, know that it is incredibly dumb and super fun and do Tom and I spend time discussing what our strategy would be if we were on the show? Yes, yes we do. Because this is the level of brain activity I can dedicate to a TV show right now. Watch it for the easy trivia and rampant consumerism.

Andrea Vernon & The Corporation for Ultrahuman Protection

I have not finished this yet. I'm very much still early on. BUT I feel like this might be the story I have been looking for. The story I have been PROMISED in the past, but thus far I have not found someone who could deliver. I want a silly book about office politics and nonsense but the office is in the business of something ridiculous. I've tried ones about spies and zombie cleanup specialists and I think at least one other examples that is escaping me right now. But none of them could pull it off. But so far, this one is doing it. It's about superheroes but it's ALSO about an administrative assistant figuring out how her boss likes her coffee and I feel like as I talk about it it sounds boring but I am ENJOYING this. Because it's ridiculous. Please give me more about contract negotiations between different corporations that represent various superheroes to determine who is going to get the contract to deal with the weird alien space egg hanging over Yankee Stadium. This also happens to be narrated by Bahni Turpin, and I recently listened to her narration of So You Want To Talk About Race which I thoroughly enjoyed, so that's just another bonus to this book. Please don't let me down.

Alright that's three things, which makes it a list. But it's getting late so it might be time to watch some nonsense and play some sudoko and further unwind. But hey, I managed to get a book related thing in here, so that's fun.

June Reading Wrap Up

Man, I really meant to write another post in June and clearly that did not happen. Because you know...*gestures around*. I don't know that I have much to recap about June in general. Get outside. Wear a mask. Donate, protest, do what you can.

But hey, here's the lil monster reading. He especially likes this part of the book because it involves cake. To the best of my knowledge, he's only ever had cake once (for his first birthday) but he KNOWS.

Also, he's slowly learning his colors and letters, which is a) his "lel-low" (yellow) and "puu pur" (purple) are the MOST adorable and b) his learning this is making me feel far better about the amount of Sesame Street (and Cocomelon, and Gecko's Garage) he's watching.

Anywhoo, let's see those stats.

Number of books read
4
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
Educated by Tara Westover

Number of pages read
1,160

Fiction
50%

POC authors
50%

Female authors
100%

US authors
75%

Book formats
audiobook: 100%

Where'd I get the book
Library: 100%

Book club books
25%

Decade published
1930s: 25%
2010s: 75%

Resolution books
75%
Peril at End House was published pre-2000 and by a non-US author (Christie, UK)
So You Want to Talk About Race and Blanche on the Lam are both by Black authors.

May Reading Wrap Up

It's June. May was fast and everything is terrible right now and I'm so very tired (and have the privilege of being tired and being able to disengage when needed). There are lots of organizations that you can donate to if you're able (NAACP, various bail funds, SPLC, CUAPB to name a few).

I stuck to comfort reads again this month and honestly, this is probably going to be a theme for a while. But still reading, so that's something. Oh yeah, and probably a lot of Poirot because he is ridiculous and those rich people murder mysteries are very fun and comforting.

And hey, it's been a while since I've included a pic of the goblin so here's one where he's trying to decide his next read.

So, let's see those stats.

Number of books read
5
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Double Sin and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Total pages read
1,566

Fiction
100%

POC authors
0%

Female authors
60%

US authors
20%

Book formats
audiobook: 80%
paperback: 20%

Where'd I get the book
chain bookstore: 20%
Kindle/Audible: 20%
Library: 60%

Rereads
20%

Decade published
1920s: 20%
1930s: 40%
2000s: 20%
2020s: 20%

What will happen next month? Who can say?

Comfort Reads

I have really failed updating here this month. It's just, man, everything is a lot even when there isn't a lot going on. Also I'm supposed to be on vacation right now which obviously is not happening and there are MUCH bigger problems in the world, of course, but I'm still majorly bummed.

Anyway, let's not wallow (too much) but instead, let's talk about comfort reads. Because that is basically all I can handle right now. I don't necessarily just mean rereading my favorites (though I am doing that) but just reading things that are fun and not too taxing. Reading that requires effort and makes you work for it and tackles difficult subjects is GREAT and I love it. When I have the mental energy for it. Which I don't right now. Because work and the goblin and general anxiety are taking up a lot of space.

Which isn't the worst. Because I'm still reading. I was worried some of that would fall to the wayside because the majority of my reading happens during my commute. You know, that commute that is no longer happening. In theory I have time to sit and read. Except I find that when I have that time to just sit there, I would rather do something less mentally taxing. Like aimlessly scrolling through various social media sites and watching reruns of House Hunters. But I am having continued success listening to books.

I've relistened to some Bill Bryson because I love me some random facts. I've been listening to a bunch of Hercule Pirot and while technically they are new to me, let's be real, the stories are not that different from each other and I am just enjoying the ridiculousness that they entail (some intentional, some not). Also there is a lot of Christie in general and a lot available on various library apps, which is helpful when I can't really leave the house.

Ultimately, I want things that aren't going to make me work too much. I want them to be familiar and easy and that will make me smile. I will get back to more difficult reads, those that challenge me and present to me different points of view and experiences. I love those things too. But right now, that's not what I need. That's not what I can handle. And it's not what I'll appreciate. So instead let me snuggle up (metaphorically, since I'm typically doing something like cooking while listening) with a book that is the equivalent of a big cup of tea/coffee/vodka/whathaveyou.