Lovely Bookshelf ⋆ Page 2 of 45 ⋆ An eclectic book blog: Reading a little of everything.

Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo

"History is very kind to the memory of mediocre white men." Ijeoma Oluo's Mediocre is a history of how the United States has upheld white male power, the systems they created, and how this has impacted society and given us the systemic issues we all continue to face today. Oluo sets a tone from the start of the book, when she gracefully, effortlessly shows how simple it is to be trans-inclusive: "Men without uteruses should not control our reproductive choices." "When I talk about mediocrity, I talk about success that is measured only by how much better white men are faring than people who aren’t white men." It was nice to see that allyship so clearly, right off the bat. I…

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December 9, 2020

Catch Lili Too by Sophie Whittemore

Catch Lili Too was an unusual reading choice for me, but when the author approached me about their "queer punk fantasy" book, something about this description was irresistible: Lili is a Mesopotamian siren, and life as an immortal being is hard enough as it is. She’s asexual (which is incredibly difficult to reconcile if your entire point as a mythical being is to seduce people to death). She’s also struggling with depression from being alive for so long. She moonlights as an immortal detective trying to track down a serial killer so ruthless that it makes even her murderous soul uneasy. However, there’s something larger at work than just one serial killer. A small town is hiding an even deadlier, global-scale…

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December 7, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / Fiction

Novellas in November: Short Classics

The theme for Novellas in November week four (hosted by Rebecca at Bookish Beck) is short classics. Classics aren't something I normally reach for, and I have to make a real effort to include them in my reading. I'm finicky when it comes to classics, and there are a ton of popular ones I'm bored to tears by (see the question at the end of this post). When looking through past classics I've read, I found that I especially loved short stories by authors like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury. I did find some novellas, though—I enjoyed all of the books below (some are more on the "modern classics" side of things). The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (44…

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November 23, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / Fiction

Novellas in November: Translated Literature

The theme for Novellas in November week three (hosted by Cathy at 746 Books) is novellas that are translated literature. I gravitate toward Japanese literature (Haruki Murakami being one of my favorite authors) but I tried to branch out a bit here. Well, I did a 50% branching out, at least! The only book on this list that I haven't read yet—but it's on my TBR—is Troubling Love. I've been hesitating on reading Ferrante because I wasn't sure if I wanted to read her books in the original Italian, or as a translation. If I'm honest with myself, my Italian isn't where it used to be, and 2020 has sucked any willpower I might have had about doing the extra…

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November 19, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / nonfiction

Nonfiction November: Books for Leftists

Books for Leftists The prompt for week 3 of Nonfiction November is "Be the Expert" (hosted by Rennie of What’s Nonfiction). I thought it would be timely to talk about books for leftists. Let's use the word "expert" more like the word "enthusiast", because I'm always learning and listening and I still have a lot of theory to read up on. Obviously this would include books by Dr. Angela Davis (especially Are Prisons Obsolete? and Freedom Is a Constant Struggle). I see her books all over social media, so I'd like to highlight some other books that center leftist ideals—including anarchist principles of non-coercion, voluntary association, and mutual aid. These books have made a huge impact on me, just as…

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November 17, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / nonfiction

Novellas in November: Nonfiction

The theme for Novellas in November week two (hosted by Rebecca at Bookish Beck) is nonfiction novellas. I didn't realize novellas could include nonfiction as well. That word always insinuated "fiction" to me. But it turns out, there is room for the word "novella" in the nonfiction world. It's a way to describe nonfiction that's longer than an essay, but not quite the length of a book. There's a thought-provoking post about it over on the Brevity blog from way back in 2009. Regardless of what terminology we use, this week's topic fits in perfectly with Nonfiction November, and I'm excited to share some shorter nonfiction works I've enjoyed and recommend. On My Way To Liberation by H. Melt (28…

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November 12, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / Fiction / nonfiction

Nonfiction November: Book Pairings

The prompt for week 2 of Nonfiction November is "Book Pairing" (hosted by Julz of Julz Reads), where we pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. I've got three book pairings for you today! The fiction titles I've chosen have the same subject matter as their nonfiction counterparts. C and I have been reading through the young people's version of Neil deGrasse Tyon's Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and are enjoying his goofy sense of humor and knack for explaining huge concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. I recently read To Hold Up the Sky by Cixin Liu [my review], which incorporates a lot of astrophysics and quantum physics in its hard sci-fi short stories. Some of those…

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November 11, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts

Book Titles That Would Make Great Song Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today's theme is: Book Titles that Would Make Great Song Titles This was a super fun prompt! I went by book title alone when making this list—not book description. (For example, I know Delia Owens's book takes place in North Carolina, not Louisiana. But that title!) I went ahead and included the music genres I imagined with the titles, too. 1. Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens) is a song you hear when you're driving through southwest Louisiana and your car radio happens upon a station dedicated to zydeco. 2. Let's listen to some old-school 90s goth and put Cemetery Boys (Aiden Thomas) in the tape deck. 3. Bellweather Rhapsody…

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November 10, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / Fiction

Novellas in November: Contemporary Fiction

I know I'm already doing Nonfiction November, but I couldn't resist jumping in on Novellas in November, too. This event is hosted by Rebecca at Bookish Beck and Cathy at 746 Books. The theme for week one (hosted by Cathy) is contemporary fiction novellas. I found varying definitions of what "contemporary fiction" actually means, so I probably stretched it a bit with some of the speculative and sci-fi picks. I went more with a "fiction published in a contemporary times" sort of theme. . This World Is Full of Monsters by Jeff VanderMeer (38 pages) - Surreal, strange, and terrifying. This is the kind of story that doesn't get old because there's endless nuance for your mind to explore. If…

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November 6, 2020

Bookish Events and Prompts / nonfiction

Nonfiction November: 2020 Year in Review

Nonfiction November week one is hosted by Leann of Shelf Aware. This week, we're taking a look back at our year of nonfiction and reflecting on the following questions: What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? This is always a tough question, but I'm going to have to say Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, a memoir about growing up undocumented in the United States. I didn't end up formally reviewing it because I had so many feelings after reading it, everything in my head was a jumbled mess. It's a tough, heartbreaking, often frustrating read (frustrating in a way that only bureaucracy can achieve). But Castillo's writing is absolutely dazzling and there is joy, too.…

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November 5, 2020