Originally posted on the University of Texas' School of Information Info Portal. Visit it here: The Short Stack: November Favorites
This month hasn’t been great for reading. I’ve finished a few things,
but absolutely nothing that I can recommend without serious asterisks.
It’s unfortunate, but it happens. So instead, let’s talk about great
things I read during the first half of 2016, all of which I feel really
great recommending.
The better-than-anything-I-read-in-November Short Stack:
1. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West
I was in love with this book from the moment I heard Lindy speak at
BookPeople back in May. If you get a chance, go see her read or talk or
whatever she’s doing because she is funny and smart and will totally
show you her tube of lipstick if you say you like it. Shrill is
a collection of essays on highly relevant subjects like abortion, rape
jokes, and weight. While none of those sound like they could be funny,
her smart lines will make you laugh anyway.
2. March: Book One, Two and Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
I haven’t been able to read book three yet, but the first two are
good enough that I recommend you just buy the trilogy. John Lewis’
personal involvement with the Civil Rights Movement is what makes this
series work so well. By telling his story, it’s also the story of the
movement because he was part of the sit-ins and the Freedom Rides and
met Martin Luther King, Jr. I learned more from reading these graphic
novels than I think I did in any of my history classes.
3. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
I listened to this audiobook because Aziz Ansari narrates it, which is worth it. Modern Romance is
a fascinating look at dating. Between talking to previous generations
about how they found love, analyzing text messages that equate to
today’s courtship and interviewing people from Japan and Argentina,
Ansari presents a great picture of why we really shouldn’t compare
ourselves to our grandparents or even people our own age in other
countries.
4. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Just read this. Feminism is important for women, but it’s also
important for men. It’s short and it’s wonderful. Buy it for yourself
and buy a few for your friends.
I didn’t realize when I started this list that I would suggest only
nonfiction, but I’m not mad about it. Maybe today we need some
nonfiction.
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| We love alpacas! |
Originally posted on the University of Texas' School of Information Info Portal. Visit it here: The Short Stack: October Favorites
As I write this, I’m thankful for the read-a-thon. Reading got bumped down yet another peg this month because I was doing the Hill Country Yarn Crawl with my husband and my dog. We met alpacas, no big deal. (Totally big deal, we love alpacas!)
But yes, spend two weekends driving around the totally beautiful hill
country without an audiobook and suddenly you’ve read next to nothing.
That’s why the read-a-thon is important, because I spent a few hours
devoted to my larger-than-ever to-be-read pile. At some point, I’m going
to have to freeze my library card like some people freeze credit cards,
but still. I read things! It made me happy!
1. To Stay Alive: Mary Ann Graves and the Tragic Journey of the Donner Party by Skila Brown
I love the cover of this book so much, which is why it sometimes does
work to judge a book by its cover. This story is told in verse from the
perspective of a survivor of the Donner party, the notorious
California-bound pioneers who were stuck in the Sierra Nevadas in winter
and resorted to cannibalism. Really, it’s the last part that people
remember—cannibalism. Skila Brown gave them back their humanity in this
young adult novel, making their choices part of their survival and not
their claim to fame.
2. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
This novel drove me insane, perhaps intentionally, as the main
character is also being driven insane by her situation. Set in the
1850s, Lib is an English nurse sent on assignment to Ireland to watch a
girl who claims to exist without eating. Lib is waiting for the girl to
slip up and for her secret food source to reveal itself; the rest of the
town is waiting for her death and sainthood. Sometimes, I’ll look up
the ending to a slow book to see if it’s worth finishing. It’s a
testament to how good the story was that I didn’t, despite the slow burn
and how crazy the story made me. The Wonder made me need to know the ending, which is why it’s on my list.
3. Lumberjanes series by Noelle Stevenson, Brooke A. Allen, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis and others
If I had ever gone to summer camp, I would want it to be just like
Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore
Lady Types. There are the traditional camp activities, but also a woman
who turns into a bear and all sorts of other supernatural oddities. It’s
great because, not only does it sound like fun, but the campers are
allowed to really be themselves in whatever way they want, whether it’s
embracing their oddities or their skills or figuring out their gender or
sexuality. All hardcore lady types welcome—it’s your choice if you are
or are not a hardcore lady type.
4. Vision, Volume One: Little Worse Than a Man by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta
I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this one, honestly, but I am glad that
I did. Vision, the synthezoid member of the Avengers, has created a
family for himself and moved them into a Virginia suburb so that he can
commute to work at the White House. Except nobody trusts a robot living
in their town, even one who has saved the world 37 times, according to
his count. When a villain attacks while Vision is away, his wife
Virginia murders him while saving herself and her children. To cover it
up, she buries him in the backyard and lies to Vision, ensnaring the
family in an excellent family drama.
Just remember as you look at this list of books you don’t have time
to read that Thanksgiving break is super close and then it’s just a
blink of an eye until winter break. We’re almost there!
As always, follow me on GoodReads or just say hi in the halls! I love book suggestions even if I might not read them until this time next year.
