We got a feeble amount of decorations up, so I guess I'll declare victory. I found the wreath for the door and the lights for the outside. The pine tree I've usually selected as the primary outside decorating stuff is now gap in front of the house, as it grew too big and started attacking the architecture. It was funny how all of us grabbed some stuff and then stood sadly outside looking at the hole. We threw the lights and baubles on the bushes that have stayed small enough.
Then we packed up the car and picked up my brother and drove to Christmas! It was a long drive (especially since we had a late start) but we made it. Go us! It was great to see the extended family, including the I had dropped off at the airport in the morning but who got there much sooner than I did.
My currently reading shelf has shot up to the mid-twenties because I want to read a least part of all the Cybils books, but really I'm only actively reading about five books. Of course, Santa might bring me something...
Started:
Playlist, James Rhodes. Cybils Nonfiction.
Once a Spy, Mary Jo Putney. Romance by an author I like. Just because.
Beyond Gender Binaries, Rita Santos. Cybils nonfiction.
Glimmer of Hope, The March For Our Lives Founders. Cybils nonfiction.
We Are Here to Stay, Susan Kuklin. Cybils nonfiction.
The Electric War, Mike Winchell. Cybils nonfiction.
Damsel in Distress, Carola Dunn. Audio for car drive.
Completed:
Enemy Child, Andrea Warren. Cybils nonfiction. The story of an American congressman who was imprisoned in the detention centers with his family during World War II because his parents had emigrated from Japan. They were lucky in that their neighbors in San Jose didn't steal or destroy their property, so they had something to return to after their time behind barbed wire. It's a good history, but felt more like a book for junior high than high school.
Playlist, James Rhodes. Cybils Nonfiction. This is a love story to classical music (well, through several periods including "classical" but us laypeople are sloppy with language), especially played by the piano. In vibrantly illustrated pages Rhodes shares brief histories of his favorite composers in a style aimed at teens, and then goes into detail on why he loves two of their pieces. There's a spotify playlist to accompany it, and he was so persuasive I signed up and listened along. He does a great job of explaining his reactions to the music and what is going on and when to look for particular musical events.
Captured, Alvin Townley. Cybils nonfiction. I had vaguely heard of the American airman who blinked "TORTURE" out when his North Vietnamese captors coerced him into a propaganda news stunt. This book goes into detail, from the mission when he was shot down through his years of imprisonment in various camps of different levels of barbarity and torture through his eventual freedom. At times it's harrowing, as the torture sessions are vividly described, and at times moving as he uses his faith and respect for his country for strength to carry on.
Beyond Gender Binaries, Rita Santos. Cybils nonfiction. A look at attitudes and definitions of non binary people in societies all over the world. Sometimes these definitions are current, sometimes almost stamped out by colonialism, some stamped out but making a return. Seeing the history of non binary people and the different but accepting ways society carved out places for them should reassure both nonbinary and cisgender kids that this is part of being human.
Glimmer of Hope, The March For Our Lives Founders. Cybils nonfiction. The kids (not kids much longer -- they are adults now but I'm old) describe how their early steps into advocacy moved. I'm really hoping that in years from now this seems like the start of change. In the meantime it's a glimpse into how ordinary people can jump into politics and make a statement.
We Are Here to Stay, Susan Kuklin. Cybils nonfiction. Essays about young undocumented immigrants, describing how they got to America and what their legal worries are, but also talking about their dreams, ambitions, and how their gray legal status circumscribes their lives. The author intended her photographs to accompany the essays, but the abandonment of DACA has made several people's lives more precarious, so instead start blank outlines depict where the images would have gone. It's a grim reminder but does detract from the impact. It's heartbreaking to see the kids who are trapped between their parent's (often well-justified) decisions and the laws.
Bookmarks Moved In:
Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 76/? Baen's podcast serial. Hey, they skipped a podcast! Some kind of glitch at Apple, I guess.
Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan. 3/10 discs. Finished the third disk!
Book Lust, Nancy Pearl. Still reading in tiny bursts.
One Good Dragon Deserves Another, Rachel Aaron. They have a plan.
The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang. Last month's Sword and Laser pick. Waiting to recover it.
Tropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan. Like The Poppy War the library is calling this home.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke. The audio arrived as I drove into the Christmas home. Maybe on the way back.
ConCom: Conflict Communication, Rory Miller. This got left behind. I'll try to finish before the New Year.
Brave Face, Shaun Hutchinson. Cybils nonfiction longlist. I've read the beginning, some of the middle, and the end.
A Light In the Darkness, Albert Marrin. Cybils nonfiction. Any book about the Holocaust is grim enough that I don't race through it. Well researched and written, this book is heartbreaking on many levels.
Picture Books / Short Stories:
"Alpha and Omega,", Patricia Briggs. I got the first novella in the Anna & Charles series for the drive. My brother has read some of the books, but he thinks he skipped the introductory story. So he knew where things were going but it was a relaxing and pleasant listen.
Palate Cleansers
These books I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.
A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George. The end is in sight!
The Educated Child, William Bennett.
Cookie, Jacqueline Wilson.
Give All to Love, Patricia Veryan.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt.
Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca.
Reading Challenges
- Cybils 2017. Nothing.
- Cybils 2018. Nothing. I had some library failures, but I'll have to order them back. Of course, the new ones will be here next week.
- Reading My Library. Nothing.
2 comments:
It looks like you managed to get through some really interesting books last week. Playlist is one I am now keen to read. I love the idea of the sound track to accompany it.
I have to add Captured by Alvin Townley to my reading list. It's a new-to-me title and, while I dislike barbaric reading for the heck of it, I do think it has meaningful context. It must have been difficult to write! I hope to get a copy in 2020. And I BEAT YOU in being late. I didn't publish my Monday post until Thursday this week. In fact, I missed the link-up option altogether. But I cannot stand missing a weekly post, so I guess better late than never. Thanks for these shares, Beth, and I hope you're having a wonderful reading week!
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