Review: Who Put This Song On?

Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Morgan Parker uses her own experiences as a teenager to write this novel about a 15 year old, Morgan Parker, who struggles to find balance after being diagnosed with depression. Not only that, she is one of the only students of color in her private Christian school (and in her neighborhood, suburbia) where she is discouraged from having her own opinions. I like how her identity is also part emo, with all the appropriate musical references, and also a slight tribute to The Golden Notebook maybe?

I had a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley. I am already a fan of Parker's poetry and although this YA novel is for a different audience, I think her selfhood and strength shine through here as well. This came out September 24, 2019.

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Review: High School

High School by Tegan Quin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last year would have been the 20 year high school reunion for Tegan & Sara, making them two years behind me in age. Their memoir of those years alternates between the sisters as they tell stories of their family life, fighting over friends, discovering their sexuality, finding a musical voice, and drugs, so many drugs, mostly acid (and they are attempting to be drug-positive, not the usual message!) The pictures are uncanny in the sense that they could have been my classmates in clothing and hairstyle, even though they lived in Calgary. The memoir accompanies an album that comes out the day I posted this review (September 27, 2019,) and I also enjoyed the Spotify playlist of the music they listened to in 1998.

I read another musician memoir earlier this year that was super disappointing but this one is not. It is well organized, personal, and gives an insight into their musical beginnings that I think will be interesting for their fans. And even for people who aren't already fans, the story of twin sisters who both come out in high school and take a lot of drugs is bound to be interesting.

I had a copy from FSG through Netgalley and the book came out September 24, 2019.

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Reading Envy 166: On Brand with Karen

Karen and Jenny discuss books they've read and liked recently, although Jenny was reading up to the minute we started recording because she wanted to talk about one of these books with Karen specifically. We talk about graphic novels in other languages, romance representation, and obscure science. And, as usual, we laugh a lot.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 166: On Brand with Karen

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
Listen via Stitcher
Listen through Spotify


Books discussed:



Tomboy by Liz Prince
Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Thaw by Elyse Springer
Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli


Other mentions:

Perla by Carolina de Robertis
Anthony Bourdain's Uruguay episode of Parts Unknown
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - Episode 357. Aro and Ace Representation...
World Turned Upside Down by Elyse Springer
Saga (Compendium 1) series by Brian K. Vaughan
Y: The Last Man series by Brian K. Vaughan
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
Florida by Lauren Groff
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Orange World by Karen Russell
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse


Related Episodes:

Episode 004 - Home, Frightening and Banned with guest Karen Acosta
Episode 015 - The Time for Exclaiming Over Costumes with Jean and Karen
Episode 051 - Dreaming in Books with Karen Acosta
Episode 066 - When Time Stops with Karen Acosta
Episode 100 - 100 Reasons Why 
Episode 101 - A Different Kind of Time Travel with Karen Acosta
Episode 114 - Raised by Wolves with Karen Acosta 
Episode 145 - Things Get Dark with Bianca Escalante
Episode 146 - Complicated, Crazy, and Loud with Karen  
Episode 151 - The Stories They Tell with Karen 


Stalk us online:

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

Review: Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays

Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays by Leslie Jamison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like Jamison has matured in how she views relationships and other people. These essays seem more interested in other people's motivations and quirks than her own, and she comes across as curious and empathetic. In 2007, I wrote an article for an obscure music librarian journal about Second Life and she interviewed one of the same avatars for the essay on Second Life in this collection. "52 Blue" is a favorite in this collection, and I really liked "The Real Smoke" which is about Vegas culture and our unrealistic expectations of relationships.

This essay collection comes out next Tuesday (September 24, 2019,) and I have a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

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Reading Envy 165: Delightful Reads with Claire Handscombe

Claire Handscombe joins Jenny to discuss recent reads, bookish podcasts, and Claire talks about what brought her to DC, her writing project, and the bookseller's life. Be sure to check out Claire's podcast, blog, and books, all linked at the end of the shownotes.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 165: Delightful Reads with Claire Handscombe

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
Listen via Stitcher
Listen through Spotify


Books discussed:



Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Flights by Olga Takarczuk; Translated by Jennifer Croft
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Summerlings by Lisa Howarth
Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson


Other mentions:

Reading Glasses podcast
Book Riot "main" podcast
East City Bookshop
Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Homesick by Jennifer Croft
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Takarczuk
Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais
Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Mina by Kim Sagwa, translated by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton


Related Episodes:

Episode 155 - Books About Music Recommendations Episode with Thomas


Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Claire on Twitter
BritLitPodcast on Twitter
Link to UNSCRIPTED
Link to WALK WITH US: HOW THE WEST WING CHANGED OUR LIVES 

Review: Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive

Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive by Marc Brackett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Earlier this year, I read Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and took the accompanying test, testing lower than I would have liked to. Reading Permission to Feel helped me understand that emotional intelligence is something that must be modeled and taught intentionally (so that explains a lot.)

I appreciate this book because it can be read from a lot of perspectives - for personal growth, as a parent, an educator, or just a human in the world. Brackett unpacks emotional intelligence in the first part of the book, then introduces a tool he likes to use. He uses RULER - Recognize, Understand, Label, Express, Regulate - and there are chapters on each of those skills. The final section addresses emotional intelligence in schools, homes, and work.

It was interesting to read the failures of his work - they started by trying to teach educators how to teach emotional intelligence but quickly discovered that the teachers themselves needed to be trained and improve their own first (as is often the case with most pedagogy!)

I read it from the perspective of working in higher education, but found more to reflect on for myself. Not too surprisingly, mindfulness is a component of both recognizing and regulating ones emotions, so I appreciated the connection to a practice I already have.

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy my way. This came out September 3, 2019.

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Review: Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is such a perfect capture of various lgbtq+ communities in the United States in the 80s & 90s that I'd recommend it for that aspect alone. But the main character, who has the ability to shapeshift gender to move more easily within these spaces, really makes for a unique read. It's so hard to believe this is a debut novel because it feels so elegantly written (often about not so elegant topics!) I laughed a lot especially at the beginning.

This book came out 23 April 2019, but I did recently acquire a review copy through NetGalley from the publisher because it was available still AND one of my Goodreads groups was having a fascinating discussion of it and I felt left out.

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Review: Cantoras

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was late to a scheduled podcast recording Sunday because I just had to finish this book first. It is beautifully written about five women living in Uruguay, building a found family to live as who they really are, despite dictators, trauma, and fear. Some of the story comes from research the author did on the first LGBTQ+ spaces in Uruguay, not in the city but on the very edge of the country between ocean and sand dunes. The five women in the novel buy a shack that becomes their escape. Each character is unique, they all have individual connections with the other characters, and the time spans 1970s to 2013. I also noticed the tension created by coming out in a time of extreme oppression such as a dictatorship, and the long-term damage that can do. This feels like a story that runs deep for the person writing it as well.

I had a copy from the publisher through NetGalley, it came out September 3, and this is one of my top reads so far this year.

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Books Read August 2019: 184-205

Pictured: August's 5-star Reads (both come out later this year, whoops)

184. American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson **** (personal copy; my review)
185. Space Invaders by Nona Fernandez ***** (print ARC; my review)
186. Outspoken by Veronica Reuckeurt **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
187. Bunny by Mona Awad **** (library copy; my review)
188. Honestly, We Meant Well by Grant Ginder *** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
189. Blow: A Love Story by Tracy Ewens **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
190. Atlantic Winds by William Prendeville *** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
191. Everything Under by Daisy Johnson **** (library copy; my review)
192. Concrete Island by J.G. Ballard **** (library copy; my review)
193. Self-Portrait in Green by Marie NDiaye **** (personal copy; my review)
194. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak **** (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
195. The Delight of Being Ordinary by Ronald Merullo *** (personal copy; my review)
196. Turbulence by David Szalay **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
197. Maresi Red Mantle by Maria Turtschaninoff **** (personal copy; my review)
198. Blood Sisters by Kim Yideum **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
199. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang **** (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
200. Flights by Olga Tokarczuk **** (personal copy; my review)
201. The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore *** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
202. Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson ***** (print ARC; my review)
203. Vivian by Christina Hesselholdt **** (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
204. Mina by Kim Sagwa **** (personal copy; my review)
205. Thaw by Elyse Springer **** (personal Kindle copy; my review)

Total Books Read: 22

Audiobooks: 1
eBooks: 10
Print: 11

Library copy: 4
Personal copy: 7
Review copy: 11

Asia 2019 goal: 3
NetGalley Reviewathon: 4 (plus a bunch of cookbooks)
TBR Explode project: 1
Women in Translation Month: 7