August: diverse genre books (and slumps)

Eek,

First of all, where has this summer gone!?! One minute it was June, and now I feel like I blinked and it was September. Honestly this month has been the most “splumpy” I have had this year (although I did get married and write my organization’s annual budget, so perhaps there is a reason for the slump.

This month, I have what I consider to be a small success which is that the majority of my books were by BIPOC authors, which leads me to be give you a few recommendations of the diverse author variety, particularly in diverse genre fiction.

One of the things I am working on lately is trying to work diverse fiction into my genre fiction reading. If you read all the “anti-racist” books, but all the other authors you read are white men, you are not doing the work you need to do, or supporting the authors whose voices you purport to care about.

Other than that, I honestly listened to a lot of audio, read very little and I’m (sort of) OK with that. Typically, I find that these periods are followed by months where I completely devour books, one after the other (which I need to do that if I am going to make my book challenges this year!). Also, in recent years, I have realized that I am not a “beach reader” – there is something about hot weather that saps my energy and will to focus. I would much rather read with a cup of tea in front of a cozy fire, and there are plenty of months for that coming up.

Science Fiction:

The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Cixin Liu is a Chinese science fiction writer, and this is the first book in a trilogy that came out in China a while ago, and was recently translated into English. I have mixed feeling about this book – I found the narrative style to be unfamiliar, which made it less compelling, but the subject itself was incredibly interesting.

This is what would be considered “hard” science fiction, and I skimmed some of the more technical stuff, but found the characters and the idea really interesting!

Social Justice Nonfiction:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

If you are going to read just one book about race and social justice, I highly recommend it (also, it is a quick 7 hour listen for non-readers). Oluo does a great job of explaining and exploring privilege, intersectionality and structural racism. She uses a lot of concrete, easy to understand examples, and yet also weaves in some of the academic ideas that give works like this a backbone. Most of examples come from Seattle, which likes to think of itself as a liberal, “safe” space for people of color, so I think it is especially effective for white, west coast liberals.

Mystery:

Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely

Blanche on the Lam is a great cozy mystery in the tradition of Miss Marple and Louise Penny. In this case, the protagonist is Blanche, who escapes from a prison sentence for bouncing checks due to her employers not paying her, and while she is trying to hide out, ends up smack in the middle of a weird mystery involving a rich family dependent on an eccentric aunt.

There was a little too much “her reminded her of her Uncle Eddie, who always did X” for my liking, but the mystery itself was interesting and complex and the character of Blanche is that perfect mix of flawed and perceptive.

Classic Fiction:

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

This has been on my to read list forever, and I mostly picked it up because I had it on audio and didn’t have any library books I was excited about. I liked this book, although I can’t say I loved it. I found it poignant and charming, but it left me a little cold. That being said, if Ishiguro ever writes this story from Miss Kenton’s point of view, I will pick it up immediately!

Two additional thoughts:

1.) This is a great example of how diverse fiction doesn’t necessarily have to focus on “other” cultures. Ishiguro perfectly captures the world of British upper class aristocracy, and does so with beautiful prose. While his experiences as a POC undoubtedly influence his world view, the ways that influences this book are not spelled out, and that is absolutely OK.

2.) The character of Stephens reminds me SO much of Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice (although with the ability to grow as a human). It was so so funny when I realized that, but it never lets up!

Sports/Motivational Writing:

Wolfpack by Abby Wambach

I recommend this with the caveat that the entire speech/book is based on a video called “How Wolves Change Rivers”, which, while inspiring, is also rife with scientific generalizations and inaccuracies. However, what Wambach, a LBGTQ+ soccer player does with this video is turn it into a powerful statement about being yourself, unapologetically, and finding ways to ask for and fill the spaces you deserve.

This is based on a graduation speech, and definitely feels like one, but I also have to admit that I found it motivational and worth the hour it took to listen to it.