Books Read April 2022: 49-73

A gentle reminder that all reviews can still be seen on my Goodreads profile (the review will be with the book; the format will be specified unless it's in print.) And the books with green outlines are my 5-star reads for the month!

49. A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djeli Clark   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
50. Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood, read by Savannah Peachwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️
51. Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong, read by Ocean Vuong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
52. The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
53. The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djeli Clark   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
54. Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
55. The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark, read by Julian Thomas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
56. Woman, Eat Me Whole by Ama Asantewa Diaka   ⭐️⭐️⭐️
57. I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
58. By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
59. Thresh & Hold by Marlanda Dekine   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
60. Wildcat by Ameila Morris   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
61. Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? by Kathleen Collins, performed by Nina Collins, Cherise Boothe, Adenrele Ojo, Paula J. Parker, Desean Terry, and Dan Woren ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
62. Lord of the Flies by William Golding   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
63. The Path to Kindness by James Crews (ed.)   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
64. The Black Agenda by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman (ed.)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
65. End of the World House by Adrienne Celt   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
66. The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae et al   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
67. A Sister's Story by Donatella di Pietrantonio, translated by Ann Goldstein ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
68. Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
69. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
70. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, read by Miranda Raison ⭐️⭐️⭐️
71. Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson, read by M.T. Anderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
72. A Master of Djinn by  P. Djeli Clark   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
73. Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
74. The Stone Collection by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Books read: 26

Audiobook: 6
Ebook: 11
Print: 9

Library: 6
TBR: 1
Purchased 2022: 5
Review copy: 11
Subscription: 1

1954- Club: 1
Around the World: 11
Booker International Prize: 0
Indigenous Reading Circle: 1
Indigenous Reads otherwise: 0
Melanated Reader's 20 Books by Black Women: 4
Mid-Century Women: 0
Reading Envy Russia: 5
Sword and Laser: 5
Tournament of Books: 0
Women's Prize: 0

Reading Envy 241: Feral Pigeons with Laurie

Laurie is back and we talk about book challenges, even one in French! Since she is a biologist, science comes up as a theme in multiple ways.

Download or listen via this link:
Reading Envy 241: Feral Pigeons

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Books discussed:

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
The Trees by Percival Everett
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching by Rosemary Mosco
Broken Halves of a Milky Sun: Poems by Aaiún Nin
The Unwinding and Other Dreams by Jackie Morris

Other mentions: 

Think Again by Adam Grant
The Hall of the Singing Caryatids by Victor Pelevin, translated by Andrew Bromfield
The Possessed by Elif Batuman
Putin's Russia by Darryl Cunningham
Lilly Library - Kurt Vonnegut collection
Telephone by Percival Everett
The American Pigeon Museum
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Pigeonetics
Unbound Publisher
The Silent Unwinding by Jackie Morris
My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
Great Plains by Ian Frazier
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
  by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer

Related episodes: 

Episode 065 - Creeping through the Uncanny Valley with guest Bryan Alexander 
Episode 069 - Evil Librarian/SFBRP Crossover Episode with Luke and Juliane 
Episode 201 - Wrestling with Complexity with Elizabeth and Laurie
Episode 216 - Eloquent and Elegant with Kala
Episode 231 - Psychological Terrorism with Reggie
Episode 233 - Get Into Trouble with Ruth
 

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Laurie on Twitter
Laurie is @dryapyapi on Instagram
Laurie at Goodreads


All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 228: Full of Secrets with Audrey Morris

Audrey Morris, one of the people I chat with most in Instagram about books and baking, joins me to talk books. She also shares about some award lists that have her looking forward to the next few months.

Download or listen via this link:
Reading Envy 228: Full of Secrets

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
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Or listen through Google Podcasts

Books discussed:

 

 

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
A Spare Life by Lidija Dimkovska, translated by Christina E. Kramer
In the Lateness of the World by Carolyn Forché
The Woman from Uruguay by Pedro Mairal, translated by Jennifer Croft
That Time of Year by Marie Ndiaye, translated by Jordan Stump

Other mentions:

Barkskins by Annie Proulx
Readalong information
The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Wretchedness by Andrzej Tichy
The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
Dishoom by Shamil Thakrar
The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, translated by Adrian Nathan West
In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova
Consent by Annabel Lyon
Summer Brother by Jaap Robben
Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Catch the Rabbit by Lana Bastasic
What You Have Heard is True by Carolyn Forché
Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
The Missing Year of Juan Salvatierra by Pedro Mairal
Census by Jesse Ball
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Varghese
Beyond Babylon by Igiaba Scego
Adua by Igiaba Scego
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Sorrow by Claribel Alegria
Homesick by Jennifer Croft
Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford

Related episodes: 

Episode 088 - Author Head Space with Sara Moore
Episode 112 - Reset Button with Eleanor Thoele
Episode 195 - Muchness with Nadine
Episode 207 - Innocent and Ruthless with Tricia Deegan
Episode 212 - Subtly Fascinating with Vinny

Stalk me online:

Audrey is @dreesreads on Instagram
Audrey at Goodreads
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy


All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 222: Minty Fresh with Courtney

Courtney drops by to discuss reading goals updates, to school Jenny on using Reddit for reading, and we may go on a few mutiny and gardening tangents. There is a content warning at the top of this episode so please listen closely!

Download or listen via this link:
Reading Envy 222: Minty Fresh

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Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Or listen via Stitcher
Or listen through Spotify 
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Books discussed: 

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Sparrow Envy by J. Drew Lanham
Unbowed by Wangari Maathai
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell; narrated by Grace Gummer
The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

Other mentions:

Reddit r/fantasy
Reddit - Suggest me a Book
Reddit - What's that book called?
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Fool by Christopher Moore
The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
On Being Podcast - J. Drew Lanham
-ologies podcast
The Home Place by J. Drew Lanham
We Are Each Other's Harvest by Natalie Baszile
Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Serpent in Paradise by Dea Birkett
The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore
The Galaxy and The Ground Within by Becky Chambers
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone

Related episodes:

Episode 064 - Reading Down the Rabbit Hole with guest Tracy Landrith
Episode 104 - Uppity Lives and Jelly Melons with Jason Roland 
Episode 179 - Think of the Bees with Courtney Burson
Episode 210 - Reading Goals 2021

Stalk us online:

Courtney at Goodreads
Courtney is @conservio on Litsy
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 221: Joint Poetry Readalong

Chris and Emily of the Book Cougars join me for discussion part 1 of our joint readalong - When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo et al. I also recorded the group discussion some of the Reading Envy Readers had, so I've included the majority of that discussion as well. It makes the episode slightly longer than usual, but I figure if you were in on discussing this amazing anthology, you'd likely be in for both discussions. Some people really took on the challenge to try poetry, and I know some readers are still working on it. Stay tuned to the Book Cougars where part 2 of our joint readalong, Braiding Sweetgrass, will post June 8th.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 221: Joint Poetry Readalong

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Or listen on Google Play
Or listen via Stitcher
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Or listen through Google Podcasts

Books discussed:

When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo et al.
A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver

Other mentions:

Studies in American Indian Literature by Paula Gunn Allen
The Sacred Hoop by Paula Gunn Allen
Spider Woman's Granddaughters by Paula Gunn Allen
Birchbark Books
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Weigh in on the fall readalong

Related episodes:

Episode 090 - Reading Envy Readalong: East of Eden
Episode 099 - Readalong: The Secret History
Episode 118 - Reading Envy Readalong: To the Bright Edge of the World
Episode 137 - Reading Envy Readalong: The Golden Notebook
Episode 157 - Joint Readalong of Gone with the Wind with Book Cougars
Episode 185 - The Loyal Swineherd (Odyssey readalong)
Episode 193 - And I Feel Fine (Ducks, Newburyport READALONG)
Book Cougars - Joint Readalong of Sapphira and the Slave Girl
Books on the Go - Ep. 121 - American Sunrise with Jenny Colvin 

Stalk us online:

Book Cougars website/podcast
Book Cougars are @bookcougars in Instagram
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Readalong Announcement - joint readalong with the Book Cougars

Book Cougars - Reading Envy
Joint Readalong





Reading Envy Readalong hosts:

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo
Bonus read: A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver

Ongoing weekly discussion in the Reading Envy Readers group, starts April 4
Listeners discussion of When the Light of the World - hosted by Jenny/Reading Envy, 5/8/21, time TBD
Jenny/Reading Envy and Book Cougars discussion of When the Light of the World plus just poetry in general, 5/12/21
Recorded discussion with Book Cougars posted 6/1/2021
Recorded group discussion of WtLofW posted 6/8/2021, tentative

If you'd like a schedule for suggest reading to keep pace, please scroll down.

Book Cougars will host:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

| Link to Book Cougars GoodReads group for discussion |

Listeners discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass - hosted by Book Cougars, 5/30/21
Book Cougars and Jenny/Reading Envy discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass, 6/2/21
Recorded discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass will take place on Episode 131, dropping 6/8 

***

Suggested Reading Schedule for When the Light....

Blessing, Intro, Northeast and Midwest
1-98
April 4-10

Plains and Mountains
99-170
April 11-17

Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Pacific Islands
171-265
April 18-24

Southwest and West
267-355
April 25-May 1

Southeast, Outro, Acknowledgements
357-423
May 2-8

Review: Home Is Not a Country

Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Safia Elhillo is one of my absolutely favorite poets (check out her earlier collection, The January Children, and then watch her perform her work on YouTube!)

This is a YA novel in verse about a Sudanese (pre)teen named Nima who has moved with her mother to the United States after the death of her father (and rising conflict in her country.) Themes include a tumultuous friendship with her friend Haitham, the alternate girl with the alternate name (Yasmeen) whose life she imagines (the one who she might have been if her father hadn't died,) and the difficulties of finding friendship and community in a place that doesn't feel quite like home. Safia includes themes familiar to her earlier work about language, homeland, music, and belonging.

This comes from the Make Me a World imprint from Random House, alongside Pet by Akwaeke Emezi among others. It comes out today (March 2) and I had a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, who blurbed the book!

View all my reviews

Reading Envy 208: Thriving in Marginalia with Lauren

It's the last regular episode of the year, featuring frequent guest Lauren. We talk reading around the world, different ways of interacting with other readers, poetry, and more. I know there is a slight sound issue and we think it is internet connection related. I took out of it as much as I could but every once in a while it arises mid-sentence. We will try to do better next time!

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 208: Thriving in Marginalia.

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
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Or listen via Stitcher
Or listen through Spotify 
New! Listen through Google Podcasts


Books discussed: 

On a Truck Alone, to McMahon by Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Reading the Ceiling by Dayo Forster
Ursula K. LeGuin: The Last Interview edited by David Streitfeld
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shapland
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo

Other mentions:

#readtheworld21
Dune by Frank Herbert
Dune (feature film, forthcoming)
The Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Chef by Jaspreet Singh
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
National Book Award - Lifetime Achievement Award, Ursula K. Le Guin
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin (documentary)
*Columbus, GA (I called it Columbia the first time, sorry)
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Books on the Go podcast - American Sunrise
Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo
When the Light of the World was Subdued edited by Joy Harjo
Want by Lynn Steger Strong

Related episodes:

Episode 083 - Slowing Down and Rereading with Julie Davis
Episode 097 - Blank Spaces with Lauren Weinhold
Episode 123 - Godlets and Forests with Lauren Weinhold
Episode 133 - To Understand the World with Lauren Weinhold
Episode 138 - Shared Landscape with Lauren Weinhold 
Episode 147 - Bonus Poetry Recommendations with Lauren
Episode 161 - Women in Translation Month Recommendations with Lauren
Episode 163 - Fainting Goats with Lauren
Episode 186 - This is Gravity with Jeff
Episode 189 - Surreal Superpowers with Tim
Episode 197 - Surly Magnificence with Lauren

Stalk us online:

Lauren at Goodreads
Lauren is @end.notes on Instagram
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors.

Review: Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America's Poets Respond to the Pandemic

Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America's Poets Respond to the Pandemic by Alice Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This collection of poetry comes from poets coping with the pandemic and all its associated issues - loss (of loved ones or work), disconnect, loneliness, isolation; but also discoveries - creativity, quiet, nature. As always it is hard to give an overall rating but as I read and listened to these during Election Week and reflected on how this has been a very hard and long year, I found them to be a balm.

Favorites:

Haunt by April Bernard
"...This is her kind
of catastrophe, rife with irony and fear
and small domestic refinements...."

Say Thank You Say I'm Sorry by Jericho Brown
(about the people who have to work during the pandemic)

The End of Poetry by Ada Limón (read at The New Yorker by the poet)
"...enough of the brutal and the border,
enough of can you see me, can you hear me..."

I Hear the Wild Birds Singing Tangled Roads by Shane McCrae
(of noticing more, hearing more, when people are doing less, out less)

Corona by Dante Micheaux
(similar theme)

Because We Want to Imagine by Laura Mullen
"...didn't we think mostly
About dead bodies and what
We would do with a whole
Lot of money..."

Poem for My Students by Sharon Olds
(like it sounds)

Aftermaths by Tommy Orange
"...Quarantine comes from the Latin meaning forty days. How
long has it been and how long will it be and is it the same kind of forty as from
the ark and the flood, the devil in the desert and the forty-hour workweek?
How we will our lives into something more?"

Weather by Claudia Rankine (listen to the poet read the poem)
"...I say weather but I mean
a November that won’t be held off. This time
nothing, no one forgotten. We are here for the storm
that’s storming because what’s taken matters."

Canal Nocturne by Rex Wilder
"...We are stranded, too near each other to breathe."

I had a copy of the extended edition of the eBook from the publisher, and listened to the original version of the audio, where the poems are read by a host of audiobook narrators, but not necessarily the poets themselves. The Jericho Brown and Claudia Rankine are just a few of the newly added titles, so I would definitely go for the expanded edition which comes out November 17.

View all my reviews

Books Read September 2020: 229-257

This was a strange reading month because I started out refocusing on my 2020 reading goals, plus reading challenges from Instagram to read your own books, read books about science, and read Latinx heritage books (which goes September 15 - October 15.) But the eARC backlog started to feel overwhelming, and you can almost see the shift in my list. I also had to give myself permission to bail on a few books I was stuck on, and that freed up my reading flow. I don't know why I can't learn that lesson better; it's one I learn over and over again. But this month I found a lot of great reads, particularly in non-fiction, which is unusual for me. I read a lot of one-word title books, which was just a strange thing I observed. I also read books from the library for the first time since March (that I hadn't already checked out or accessed electronically) - I utilized curbside pickup. I hope doing so is in support of wanting my libraries to do what they feel is safe and not putting anyone at risk There are a lot of conflicting opinions about this topic.

 

Pictured: 5-star reads for September

229. Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
230. Whale Day by Billy Collins, read by Billy Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy audiobook; my review)
231. The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hadeyat, translated by Naveed Noori ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
232. Blizzard: Poems by Henri Cole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC in Edelweiss; my review)
233. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC in NetGalley; my review)
234. Hurma by Ali Al-Muqri, translated by T.M. Aplin ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
235. Earth Almanac by Ted Williams, illustrated by John Burgoyne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC in NetGalley; my review)
236. Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz, narrated by Almarie Guerra ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
237. Glory and Its Litany of Horrors by Fernanda Torres, translated by Eric M.B. Becker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
238. Homesick by Nino Cipri ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy; my review)
239. Before You Say I Do Clare Lydon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
240. Eat a Peach by David Chang and Gabe Ulla, narrated by David Chang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy audiobook; my review)
241. Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (library book; my review)
242. Tides by Jonathan White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
243. Igifu by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Jordan Stump ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
244. Bestiary by K-Ming Chang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
245. Iwigara by Enrique Salmon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
246. No Offense by Meg Cabot ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
247. A Highlander is Coming to Town by Laura Trentham ⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
248. Guillotine by Eduardo C. Corral ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
249. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow, narrated by January LaVoy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy audiobook; my review)
250. What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
251. The Selected Works of Audre Lorde by Audre Lorde ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (print galley from publisher; my review)
252. The Writer's Library by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
253. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (library copy; my review)
254. Our Women on the Ground by Zahra Hankir, ed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
255. Headscarves and Hymens by Mona Eltahawy, narrated by Mona Eltahawy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
256. Farewell, Ghosts by Nadia Terranova, translated by Ann Goldstein ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
257. Nine Moons by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Jessica Powell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)

Books read: 29 

Audiobooks: 5
eBooks: 13
Print books: 11

Library: 4
Personal: 8
Review: 17

Challenges
LatinxHeritage 2
readwhatyouown 9
scienceseptember 3
readtheworld21 2

Goals
Middle East 5
Indigenous writers 3
Around the World 13

Genres
Fantasy 2
Foodie 2
Horror 2
Memoir 2
Poetry 4
Romance 2

Reading Envy 201: Wrestling with Complexity with Elizabeth and Laurie

Elizabeth and Laurie join me in the pub to chat about books we've read and liked lately, from memoirs to fantasy to YA to poetry. I'd love to hear feedback on the three-person episodes; there will be a few before the end of the year.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 201: Wrestling with Complexity

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Or listen via Stitcher
Or listen through Spotify 
New! Listen through Google Podcasts


Books discussed:

Voices in the Air by Naomi Shihab-Nye
The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg
Eat a Peach by David Chang
The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Other mentions:

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2020
MountTBR challenge
#readwhatyouown challenge (in Instagram)
yutori
How to Fly by Barbara Kingsolver
Devotions by Mary Oliver
Elizabeth's review of Devotions
Orangette blog
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
Delancey by Molly Wizenberg
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Lucky Peach magazine
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein*
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Apeirogon by Colum McCann
All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny
Tides by Jonathan White

*I was foolish and referred to this as "Music Makes Me a Modern Girl"
 

Related episodes:

Episode 033 - An Undulating Thrum with guests Ruth and Elizabeth
Episode 051 - Dreaming in Books with Karen
Episode 061 - Never Do That to a Book with Elizabeth
Episode 136 - Six Pack with Elizabeth
Episode 160 - Reading Plays with Elizabeth
 

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Elizabeth at Goodreads   
Laurie on Twitter
Laurie is @dryapyapi on Instagram
Laurie at Goodreads

Reading Envy 200: Reading Envy Turns 200

The Reading Envy Pub is crammed full of people who want to share their recent projects, where they go for book ideas, and more. Jenny will probably sneak out and let them have the episode, but first she'll talk a little about the last 199 episodes - where do guests come from, and how often? Which books has Jenny read lately but not managed to share about? Please enjoy this bonus episode to celebrate 200.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 200: Reading Envy Turns 200

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Or listen via Stitcher
Or listen through Spotify 
New! Listen through Google Podcasts

Books mentioned:    

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card
Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
Sorcery & Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) by Barbara Kingsolver
A History of my Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt
The Long Walk by Stephen King
Bellevue by David Oshinsky
The Good Luck Stone by Heather Bell Adams
So You Want to be a Novelist by Jon Sealy
The Merciful by Jon Sealy

Other mentions:

Goodreads
Scotiabank Giller Prize
Governor General’s Literary Awards
CBC - The Next Chapter
BBC Radio 4 - Open Book
BBC Radio 4 - A Good Read
Two Crime Writers and a Microphone
Tartan Noir Podcast
Literary Friction
You’re Booked podcast
Women’s Prize for Fiction
Simon Mayo's Books of the Year
Book Cougars
Reddit - /r/books, /r/fantasy, /r/what’s that book, /r/suggest me a book
Sword and Laser
Reading Glasses
Deep Vellum
Brazos Bookstore (Houston)
Haywire Books
CostaPrize
The BookerPrizes
The StellaPrize
Stonewall Book Awards
LAMBDA LiteraryAward
International Dublin Literary Award
Saturday Morning with Kim Hill on Radio New Zealand
Tom Merritt’s books
Bookmarks section of LitHub
NetGalley
Edelweiss
@princejvstin
Patreon.com/princejvstin
Nerds of a Feather
Skiffy and Fanty
SFF Audio
Litsy
BookRiot The Get Booked Podcast
BookRiot For Real Podcast
BookTube - ComfyCozyUp, Booksaremysociallife, Poptimist (David Yoon), Audrey from Perpetual Pages
The Librarian is In
KCRW Bookworm
BacklistedPodcast
Shawnthebookmaniac
SavidgeReads
Book Women - readers community
Slightly Foxed- the Real Readers Quarterly
Stuck in a Book - Simon Thomas
Tea or Books? - Simon Thomas
So Many Damn Books
A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast
Shelf Wear podcast
ShelfWear youtube
BookRiot All the Books
NYT Book review podcast
CrimeReads
Literary Hub
Dylan Thomas Prize
National Book Award
The Morning News Tournament of Books
Millions Most Anticipated Books

 

Related episodes:

All of them!
 

Stalk me online:
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Review: How to Fly

How to Fly by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know Barbara Kingsolver wrote poetry, but I really enjoyed this collection. I'd put it up there with Mary Oliver in thematic material and think the same readers would like both. (That's high praise, I love Mary Oliver!) - nature, aging, death & dying as part of life, wisdom etc.

My favorites (linking to them online if I can find them)
How to Drink Water When There is Wine
How to Have a Child
How to Survive This (published in the NYT during high pandemic numbers in NYC)
How to Do Absolutely Nothing
How to Be Married
My Mother's Last Forty Minutes
"...Here begins my life as no one's bad daughter..."
Forests of Antarctica
"...You are the world that stirs. This is the world that waits."

I had a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss. It comes out in September but I was worrying about my eARC expiring before I had a chance to review it so here we are.

View all my reviews

Books Read April 2020: 77-107

Pictured: 5-star reads (the Harry Potter should be "Philosopher's Stone" since I listened to the UK version

77. Children of War by Deborah Ellis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla eBook; my review)
78. The Malevolent Volume by Justin Phillip Reed ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
79. Slingshot by Cyrée Jarelle Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
80. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, illustrated by Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, & Harmony Becker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla eBook; my review)
81. Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (library eBook; my review)
82. Home is a Stranger by Parnaz Foroutan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
83. Billie by Anna Gavalda, translated by Jennifer Rappaport ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
84. Back to September by Melissa Brayden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
85. Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Graywolf Galley Club; my review)
86. The Fortress by S.A. Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
87. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy; my review)
88. Naming the Dawn by Abdourahman Waberi, translated by Nancy Naomi Carlson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy eBook; my review)
89. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla eBook; my review)
90. $50,000 by Andrew Weatherhead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
91. Then the Fish Swallowed Him by Amir Ahmadi Arian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
92. The Experiment of West Kurdistan by Zaher Baher ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
93. Hex by Lauren Dinerstein Knight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
94. Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla eBook; my review)
95. Lady at the Window by Robert Waldron ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
96. An American Sunrise: Poems by Joy Harjo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
97. 13th Balloon by Mark Bibbins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
98. Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
99. Afterlife by Julia Alvarez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
100. Dispatch by Cameron Awkward-Rich ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
101. The Foley Artist by Ricco Villanueva Siasoco ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
102. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (library copy; my review)
103. Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
104. The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
105. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Stephen Fry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Audible Stories audiobook; my review)
106. Malicroix by Henri Bosco, translated by Joyce Zonana ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
107. A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)

Total Books Read: 31

Audiobook: 1
eBook: 23
Print: 7

Library: 6 (this includes library eBooks and Hoopla)
Review copy: 18
Own: 7

American/Canadian Indigenous Writers: 3
Graphic novel/comic: 1
Memoir: 3
Middle East 2020: 6
National Poetry Month: 10 (including one poet memoir)
Romance: 2
SFF: 3
Short Stories: 1
Translated: 4