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More Award Winning Books: Adaptations, Interesting Narrators and More.
Hello everyone, Today I wanted to share a few books that have come out in recent years and received awards. I am always surprised by the number of books that I have never heard of when I look at award lists, and while it does get a big overwhelming, it also sometimes pushes books I have wanted to read higher up my TBR. Below are some of the ones I am interested in – if you want to learn more about the prospective awards, or find some books you might want to read, you can check out my full database of Current Book Award Winners as well. A Memory Called…
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My 2023 in Books: From Satisfying Mysteries to Quirky Sci-Fi
This was a strange reading year, because hiking the PCT had a massive impact on what kind of books I was reading and how I was reading them. For example, I read almost 20 books on my kindle, which was a new experience for me, and one I didn’t hate, although nothing can replace the joys of paper books. I haven’t opened my kindle since getting off the trail, but the appeal of library books I can’t get anywhere else my end up changing that. Similarly, I listened to a lot of books. This isn’t necessarily new, but the proportion of books I listened to while on the trail was…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: April 16th
Hello Everyone, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been put through the ringer on a personal level this week, but I go into the weekend recognizing the value of the support that I have! There is something about this time of the year that is always hard, and the added stress of the tail end of the pandemic makes this weekend all the more welcome. I hope your week has been better than mine, and that these fun things help kick start your weekend well. This list also has a bit of a theme actually, and I hope you find it “out of this world”! 1.) Apparently…
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March 2021: When characters are more important than plot.
Hello everyone, This past month, I read (or listened) to a LOT of books, but most of this was books I either have or will talk about elsewhere on the blog (including one which I am VERY excited to share with you all), so I don’t have a ton to share with you all for the month. A lot of these were Tamora Pierce books, who wrote my favorite childhood stories which still hold up, and should be at the top of the list for every parent/adult who ever buys books for kids! I do have a few books to discuss, all of which have a fun connection – these…
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Weekend Joys in Books and More: February 26th
Hello and happy weekend to you all! This week, I have some great audio listens and some interesting reads for you all. I’m sorry this is so late – I’ve been putting in some catch up work days on Fridays, and so my weekends have been starting a bit later! 1.) This podcast was absolutely brilliant 2.) Do you ever find yourself thinking that something in the 1990s was “just a few years ago?”. You are in good company. 3.) Ever been tempted to ring up your organic apples as a cheaper variety? Apparently, you are not alone. 4.) These words are really cool! Also, they come from a beautiful…
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November: Old Favorites, Graphic Novels and American Voices
Hello Everyone, November was a big month for me in terms of my 2020 reading. It started with a lot of escapist reading as we waited with bated breath for the results of the election, and ended with a lot of escapist reading when I got hit by Covid-19 and spent about a week in bed. I also started leading a graphic novel book club, and had a great time doing “research” for it! Today I have three pairs of books for you that fall into some fun categories. These books cover YA to adult, brand new to old classics, and I hope there is something for everyone for you!…
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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…
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My Reading Month: January
Last year, I started slow, but a stressful fall meant that I leaned into reading to keep myself sane, and I ended up finishing over 100 books in 2019. I don’t say this to brag because I do sometimes worry that the quantity of what I read can decrease the quality of my enjoyment. I feel ambivalent about it all, but the truth is, if I love a book, I love a book, no matter how quickly I read it, and that has to count for something. That reading momentum also meant that I finished the year feeling jazzed and motivated about reading, which is a wonderful feeling to have!…
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Summer Genre Awards – The Hugos
This is the award I was the most excited for by far! Awarded by the World Science Fiction Society, the Hugo Awards are the Emmys of the Science Fiction and Fantasy community, with awards going to books, TV shows and more and winners being decided by members of the society, who are often readers. They were also the center of a controversy a few years ago in which a group of science fiction readers, self titled as the “Sad Puppies” hijacked the awards in an effort to promote a right-wing, anti-diversity agenda that aimed to remove the “political” and “message-fic” books by diverse authors and women that were “taking over”…
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My Reading Month: August
So I have had a stop and start sort of reading month. I’ll be honest here – this month has flown by and between some crazy life changes and some crazy job stuff, I simply have not read all that much. When my brain gets overloaded, I tend to gravitate towards podcasts and television instead of books. I’m not sure this is necessarily the best choice, as reading is certainly equally relaxing, but it also takes so much more effort and sometimes I just don’t have it in me (and lets be honest, sometimes trashy television feels SO good). I do have one book to share with you all, which…
because stories are important
