If you go to my Goodreads account, you can see what I have read recently & click on the books to learn more.
Last Week in Books:
This weekend I noticed that I have now read 56 romances this year. That's double the amount I read last year and I still have a month to go. This is definitely a sign of stress since those are my escapist reads. I read another two adult romances this weekend. Loathe at First Sight had humorous moments in spite of the serious amounts of misogyny and hatred shown to the main character as she begins her career in the gaming industry. It was a rather tame romance compared to Get a Life Chloe Brown. Chloe also experiences quite a bit of humor, but has a much more steamy relationship. I enjoyed both, but Chloe was my favorite of the two for the story yes, but also because I haven't read many romances that feature a main character with a disability. I can't promise that it is done perfectly since I don't live that experience, but it was good to see.
Two of the YA graphic novels were phenomenal. Displacement is a look at the Japanese internment experience of the main character's grandmother. She is whisked back in time and she sees what her family had to go through. It also deals with how trauma can affect future generations. The Magic Fish is also an immigrant story with another unique story framework. Tiến and his mother share folktales that mirror events and emotions from their own lives. Tattercoats is one of my favorite fairytales and it is featured here as you see on the cover with the patch on his jacket. Several other tales are woven throughout and the illustrations are magnificent. Snotgirl was gorgeous, but the storyline wasn't exactly my cup of tea. It was a feast for my eyes though.
Lupe Wong Won't Dance is a great middle grade novel. Lupe vehemently opposes participating in the square dance unit in her PE classes. She needs an A though to earn a reward her uncle has promised. It's painful watching the lengths she will go to trying to get rid of the unit. There is humor and a great friendship story here along with a little baseball.
The two picture books were nice. What Sound is Morning? is poetic and Waiting Together is sweet, but I'm not sure I will remember then two weeks from now if I'm being honest. That may be more of a commentary about my lack of concentration than the quality of the books though. Who knows?
The Coming Week:
I've made some progress with the Angela Davis book I'm reading. The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and K-Pop Confidential are up next. I will likely get a few new books to support an indie bookstore this week. I wish you a lovely week of reading.
Reading Challenge Updates:
Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 546/500
I did enjoy Lupe Wong, although it made me sad about the square dancing. That and badminton were the only units in gym where I did well! Snotgirl does not sound like one I will investigate! Have a happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteDisplacement is on my list already, Crystal & I love hearing about The Magic Fish. Interesting about your romance reading. My "extras" tend to be historical fiction, taking some solace that others in the past have overcome huge challenges. Enjoy the week ahead! And thanks for all the recommendations.
ReplyDeleteI definitely didn't start grinning and waving my hands in excitement when I saw that you had read The Magic Fish. That definitely didn't happen. ;) Seriously, though, I'm so glad you enjoyed The Magic Fish—I ADORED it! I also absolutely loved Displacement, so I'm glad you read that as well! Lupe Wong Won't Dance looks excellent, and Snotgirl sounds intriguing (though I can see from the Goodreads page that the plot is a bit divisive). I can understand books that just aren't memorable as well. Thanks for the wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteI've got The Magic Fish sitting here in front of me. It's one of many that I need to find time to read.
ReplyDeleteThere was a time when I read romance novels to escape, but now I find cosy mysteries work better. Although these days I'm finding that reading the whole Discworld series works as well, plus as old as it is, the parody works just as well for our time today.
I just had to giggle over your "escapist reads" comment. No doubt this has been a more stressful year for many of us! I'm glad to be reminded of Displacement and The Magic Fish -- both are on my TBR list, but neither are in my libraries, yet. I've been wondering about K-Pop Confidential as one of my daughter's best friends is CRAZY about K-Pop. I also hear it's going to be a series, so that's good to know. Hope you're having a wonderful week, Crystal!
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