Tag: books

New books I’ve pre-ordered for May and June 2017

~ EMM ~ 1 Comment

There are SO MANY excellent books coming out in May and June. Most of them are books that I’ve been waiting for FOREVER.

Here are the new books that I’m impatient to get my hands on and have pre-ordered (either thru Amazon or my local library, links go to Goodreads):

 

  • A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (2 May) — I had some serious issues with ACoTaR (and the TOG series, tbh…), but I loved ACoMaF which ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. So, I’m very excited to get back to this world/story and see what happens next.
  • Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy (9 May) — When I read the description and found out that one of the main characters is a swimmer and swimming laps was important enough to the story that it made it into the blurb, I knew I had to read this book. Plus, Julie Murphy is AWESOME, and I’ll read anything she writes.
  • Thick As Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner (16 May) — I’ve waited so long for another book set in the Queen’s Thief world by MWT, and now it’s here! This is one of my all time favorite fantasy series.
  • When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (30 May) — I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book. It’s set in SF at a coding camp and the romance sounds super sweet. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
  • Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (13 June) — This one is a sequel of sorts to Every Heart A Doorway, and I’ve been waiting for it eagerly ever since I noticed that they put a “#1” series designator on EHaD. This one features two of my favorite characters from the novel. I can’t wait.
  • Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (13 June) — The first book in this series was possibly my favorite YA book I read last year, and if you read this blog regularly, you probably already know how much I love everything VES writes (though Vicious is still always my favorite, and you’ll be able to hear my squeeing from miles away when the sequel finally comes out). I love these characters, and I can’t wait to dive back into this world.

May is going to be the best birthday month ever.

If I missed an awesome book coming out in May or June that you think I’d love, please add your recommendations in the comments. I always enjoy learning about new books that should be on my reader radar.

#TomeTopple Recap: books read, challenges completed

~ EMM

Books read: 2.2

(such nice blue covers…)

Total pages read: 1,305

Challenges completed: 2.2/5
1. Read more than 1 tome — DONE!

2. Read a graphic novel — nope 😦
3. Read a tome that’s part of a series — DONE! (Gemina)
4. Buddy read a tome (use goodreads and twitter to find buddies!) — nope 😦
5. Read an adult novel — Started… (Kraken)

I’ve never participated in a readathon before, and I’m so glad that I decided to do this! It was REALLY fun!

Did anyone else out there participate? If so, what did you read? Feel free to link your blog post or recap video in the comments below. I’d love to check it out.

Let the #TomeTopple Begin!

~ EMM

It’s Tome Topple time!

Well… technically, Tome Topple started about seven hours ago in my time zone, but I was sleeping… But now I’m up and ready to start my first “tome.”

Once again, these are the books on my Tome Topple TBR:

I’ve decided that I’m starting with Strange The Dreamer and probably moving on to Empire of Storms once I’m done. After that, who knows…

Are you participating in Tome Topple? What are you reading?

March reading summary and April TBR

~ EMM

March has gone by in a blur, filled mostly with work, but also with visits from friends, some editing, and a lot of reading.

Here is what I read in March with my very brief assessment of each (links go to Goodreads):

 

  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (Kindle, library) — This was a short and entertaining read — exactly what I’d expect from master storyteller, Neil Gaiman.
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Kindle, pre-order) — The voice, the characters, the family dynamic… everything about this book was amazing, and I LOVED it. Highly recommend.
  • The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin (Kindle) — Every once in a while you find a book/series that you just love so much that you want to shove it into everyone’s hands and make them read it because you want everyone to love it as much as you do. That’s me with this series.
  • The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman (Kindle, library) — I know I said I was giving up on this series, but I forgot to release my hold at the library. Lucky for me, I liked this final book in the series much better than the first two books.
  • Freedom’s Landing by Anne McCaffrey (Overdrive, library) — On a whim, I decided to re-read this favorite from my teenage years. The story definitely holds up, but the prose felt surprisingly old-fashioned at times.
  • A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab (Kindle, pre-order) — I’m glad I held off on starting this until I could savor it. Even though I ended up spreading out my reading over a full week, it still ended too soon (but in a very satisfying way). I’m going to miss this world.

I’d thought I’d have time to read A Crown of Wishes as well, but this week has been a blur of activity with very little time left for reading. So, that will be the first book I read in April, instead of the last book I read in March. As for the rest of my April TBR…

I wasn’t going to create a TBR for April because I’m planning on participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. It’s a more casual version of the real thing where you set your own word count goal for the month. I’m setting a goal of 30k words, which I think should allow me to finish the first draft of the novel I started back in November.

Writing 1k words/day on average isn’t that hard for me, once I get going. On a good day, that’s only about an hour of writing. So, I’m hoping I’ll still have time to read this month. The problem is, once I let myself start thinking about what I wanted to read, my TBR got a little out of hand…

Before I get into my list, let me reassure you, I have absolutely zero intention of reading ALL of these books in April. I fully expect that a lot of these will be flowing over into next month’s TBR. I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to use the #TomeTopple Readathon (books over 500 pages read during 4/7 thru 4/20, midnight to midnight in your timezone) and the 2017 Read Harder Challenge task list to help me bust some of my Kindle backlist.

Here’s what I put on my TBR for April (links go to Goodreads):

  • #TomeTopple TBR (listed from longest to shortest):
    • Reamde by Neal Stephenson (Kindle) — This book has been on my TBR forever. Seriously. I bought it on 7/30/2013. But guys… it’s over 1050 pages long. This book alone is equivalent to 2 Tome Topple books. It could take me the entire time just to read this one book, and there are so many others in this section that I really want to read. I’m not sure if I start with this one or save it until after I’ve read one or two of the others…
    • Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (Kindle) — I pre-ordered this and then never had a chance to read it. I started it and got a little frustrated because I was struggling to remember who everyone was (so many new names I’d forgotten!), and I set it aside. I plan to tackle it during Tome Topple, and maybe resort to Wikipedia if my memory doesn’t kick in and remind me who’s who after the first few chapters…
    • Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff (hardcover) — This is another that I’d pre-ordered and never got around to reading, mostly because
    • Poseidon’s Wake by Alastair Reynolds (Kindle) — Oh, hey! Another pre-order that I didn’t ever read when it came out. (This is partly why I made new rules about buying books this year.)
    • Kraken by China Miéville (Kindle) — I got this one for Christmas from “Santa Mom.” I’m hoping I have time to get to it, but it’s definitely in the second half of my list for this Readathon. So, it may roll over into next month.
    • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (Kindle) — I pre-ordered this, but it came out the same day as A Crown of Wishes, and I had to make a choice. So, I decided to save this one for Tome Topple.
  • Books for the Read Harder Challenge:
    • The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (Kindle) — For the “Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative” task.
    • The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (Kindle) — For the “Read a book about sports” task.
    • Hold Me by Courtney Milan (Kindle) — For the “Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel” task.
    • Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor (Kindle) — For the “Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location” task.
    • Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Kindle) — For the “Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author” task.
    • George by Alex Gino (Kindle) — For the “Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+” task.

The books I’ve selected for the Read Harder Challenge are all ones that I already own (some that I purchased a LONG time ago). They’re all ones that I really want to read, and many come highly recommended, but I’m not 100% sure which to start with, yet. To that end, if there are any on that list that you think I should start with because they are your absolute favorite and you think I’ll love it, please let me know in the comments.

And that’s it for March. Bring on the spring!

February reading summary and March TBR

~ EMM

I read (almost) everything on my February TBR! And I went to a writing workshop, plus edited a huge chunk of my novel… AND I started a new job (same company) this month! So, overall February was a major win for me.

Here is what I read in February with my very brief assessment of each (links go to Goodreads):

February2017

  • Writing the Other by Nisi Shawl and CynthiaWard (kindle) — excellent tips and writing exercises, highly recommend this for all writers
  • Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (hardcover, signed special edition) — sweeping multi-generation saga with fantastic writing, definitely lives up to the hype
  • Home (Binti #2) by Nnedi Okorafor  (kindle) — starts off a little slow, but gets really interesting when Binti gets into the deep desert, left me wanting more
  • The Book Smugglers’ Quarterly Almanac: Volume 2 edited by The Book Smugglers (kindle) — this is so full of excellent essays and short stories all relating to the theme of amazing, powerful, and diverse women, highly recommend buying this
  • Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison (kindle) — insightful and thought provoking literary critique on the role of African Americans in “classic” American Literature

Next month I’m planning on catching up with new books and pre-orders. I have one roll-over from February, two that I bought last month but didn’t get a chance to read, one new book out on library loan, and two pre-orders that will show up at the end of March.

Here’s what’s on my TBR for March (links go to Goodreads):

March2017TBR

  • The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2) by N. K. Jemisin (kindle, pre-order) — My one hold over from my February TBR. I switched gears from reading to writing after the writing workshop, and before I knew it, the month was over. I am dying to read this, but I really want a chunk of uninterrupted time to read so I can immerse myself in this world I love.
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (kindle, library) — Somehow I managed to get this from the library within weeks of its release date, on kindle. I’m slightly shocked. I haven’t started it yet, but I’m not about to let this opportunity slip out of my hands. However, I definitely need to read this before the end of March due to some incoming pre-orders that will require my kindle to be off airplane mode.
  • A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3) by V. E. Schwab (kindle, pre-order) — It’s the last book in this series! Book 2 ended on a bit of a cliff hanger, so I’m anxious to see what happens. It took all my willpower not to just dive right in, but I really want to savor this one. So, I’m making myself wait until I’m done with my edits…
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (kindle, pre-order) — I’ve been following this author and book since she got her agent. I am so excited to read this book that I think I will likely dive into this one before all the others.
  • Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1) by Laini Taylor (kindle, pre-order) — I just talked about this one in my Mar/Apr pre-order post, so all I’ll say here is that I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time, but I still might hold off a few days so I can devour it in one go over the weekend. If I do, that will technically roll this to my April TBR, but whatever.
  • A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen, #2) by Roshani Chokshi (kindle, pre-order) — I also talked about this one in my Mar/Apr pre-order post. This happens to come out on the same day as Laini Taylor’s book, which is going to make for some hard decisions for me… BUT, I think I may dive into this one first. I have a feeling this is going to be one I won’t want to put down, which means I’ll probably be reading on the sly on my phone when I’m supposed to be working. Shhh…

Against my better judgement, I’m getting a little ambitious with my TBR this month. Realistically, I’m never going to have enough free time to read all these books before the end of March. Maybe I would if all I wanted to do is read (which is sometimes the case). But, I finally had a break-through on something that was bugging me about one of my novels after getting feedback from a freelance editor. Now I’m in the middle of frantically revising, trying to finish before I lose the thread. That alone will likely take most of my free-time in March. I also have two other writing projects I want to work on, plus I’m in the middle of ramping up on my new position in my day job. So, yeah. March is going to be a busy month, but reading (and swimming) is what keeps me sane. So, as usual, I’ll find (make) time for everything.

New books I’ve pre-ordered for March and April 2017

~ EMM ~ 3 Comments

 

I looked over my list of pre-orders for March and April and it was pretty small. Are there really just not that many new SFF books coming out in the next two months? What did I miss?

While I try to figure that out, I’ll share with you the new books that I am excited about and have pre-ordered (either thru Amazon or my local library):

PreOrders-MarApr2017

  • The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi — Technically, this is supposed to be a post about books I pre-ordered. And technically, I have not only NOT pre-ordered this, I’ve also not yet added it to my hold list at the library (I did recommend they get the ebook, though). Anyway… I’m including it here because I am cautiously excited about this book. I really like John Scalzi (the person, or at least how he appears on the internet), and I really love space opera. But, (and I know this is maybe going to sound terrible to some people) lately I’m just not that excited about SFF written by white dudes, and maybe especially not space opera written by white dudes. They just seem to be lacking in creativity. Or maybe N. K. Jemisin ruined me forever. Regardless, I know Scalzi is a politically/socially aware white dude. This is why I say I’m “cautiously excited” about this book. I definitely want to read it at some point this year, but I don’t think I’m going to drop everything to do it in the next month. It’s okay. He’ll have plenty of sales. He doesn’t need my money. 🙂
  • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor — This one, on the other hand, I think I’ve had pre-ordered for over a year. Laini Taylor is an “auto-buy” author for me. When I saw she had a new series coming out, I didn’t even read the blurb, I just hit the pre-order button. But I’m pretty sure that the publication date must have slipped or something. Still, given how much I loved Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, I have high expectations for this new novel and a good feeling that I will not be disappointed.
  • A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi — Okay, I’m a little biased here because I got to meet, learn from, and hang out with Roshani at the writing workshop I attended last weekend (more on that in a future post). This is will be her second book, and if the blurb hint about “poisonous courtesans” has anything to do with the main character from her short story (published in Book Smugglers’ Quarterly Almanac vol 1) called “The Vishakanya’s Choice,” I seriously can not wait to read this one.
  • Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves — This is the one you probably haven’t heard of, but if you like YA Fantasy, you should probably add to your TBR. The blurb on Goodreads sounds very promising, just maybe don’t read the ARC reviews… I’ve been excited about this one for a while because I follow the author on Twitter and she seems pretty fantastic. Technically, I didn’t pre-order this one, but I did request it from my library.

And that’s it for my March/April pre-orders. I had to restrain myself from adding a book I’ve already pre-ordered that comes out on 2 May… I am so excited about it that I really tried to justify how to add it to this list. Here’s a hint to hold you over until my next pre-order post: the author is one of my “problematic faves” and a powerhouse in YA fantasy.

If I missed an awesome book coming out in March or April that you think I’d love, please add your recommendations in the comments. I always enjoy learning about new books that should be on my reader radar.

Pop update: culture consumed week of 6 February

~ EMM

I had pretty much decided to stop doing these posts, but I consumed a lot of really good culture this week. So, I decided to make a summary post, if just for my own personal reference.

I finished three excellent books: Homegoing, Writing the Other, and Home (Binti #2). I’ll write more about these when I do my February wrap-up post, but the links there will take you to my reviews on Goodreads if you don’t want to wait until then.

I also listened to a bunch of podcasts. Two of my favorites had episodes talking about this year’s Oscar nominated documentaries: Code Switch and Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Listening to those episodes made me want to watch I Am Not Your Negro, 13th, and (to a lesser extent because I didn’t even pay much attention to it at the time) the OJ documentary series. So far, I’ve only had a chance to watch 13th (because it’s on Netflix). Next up is probably at least a few episodes of OJ (because it’s also on Netflix).

Everyone seems to be saying that I Am Not Your Negro is the favorite for this category, but I gotta say, 13th is SO GOOD. Seriously, you need to go watch this documentary. After I watched the film, I started watching a bunch of interviews with the director. She’s pretty great. Oh, and, she’s directing the film version of A Wrinkle in Time (one of my favorite childhood novels). After seeing 13th, I’m even more excited to see what she does with A Wrinkle in Time…

I also should mention that the Code Switch episode got me listening to “Road to Zion” by Damien Marley, featuring Naz. It’s catchy. I usually don’t like reggae, but I’ve had this song stuck in my head all week. I’ve listened to it more times than I can count, and I’m still not sick of it yet. Make of that what you will.

If that’s not out of character enough for me, I also read Libba Bray’s “Womanifesto” blog post this week that was making the rounds on “book Twitter.” My husband (who I passed this on to after reading it) pointed out that it’s basically a poem. I suppose he’s right. I hadn’t noticed. But, I don’t read a lot (almost any) of poetry. It’s not usually my jam, but this I enjoyed.

If I keep this up, the next thing you know I’m going to become a fan of musicals and start listening to jazz… That reminds me of another big name movie that’s getting a lot of Oscar buzz… but, nah… there’s no way you’re getting me to watch La La Land. Not gonna happen.

I should also mention, I’m caught up on season 4 of The 100 now. So far, it appears to be off to a slow start, but I’m going to stick with it for now. On the other hand, I am LOVING season 2 of The Magicians (even though a thing that I knew was going to have to happen finally happened this week and that makes me a little sad… I’d say more, but spoilers…).

Oh! I also want to mention this one post on Tor.com about political structures in fantasy novels vs. sci-fi novels that I found to be thought provoking. I hadn’t even really realized it, but the author makes a good point — most fantasy novels are about restoring monarchies, which is a little odd when you consider that sci-fi is almost never about restoring monarchies. Sci-fi is usually about toppling dictators or evil empires, and establishing republics. I mean, the author doesn’t have data to support this, but these are tropes of the respective genres, which means that these themes are prevalent enough to have become a trope.

That article has me thinking about my own writing and considering if I’ve unconsciously fallen in line with the established tropes in my novels, or if I’ve done something a little different. In at least one of my fantasy novels, I think I’ve done something a little different. In that novel, there is no monarchy to re-establish in the first place. There is a family who holds power at the start of the story, but the power dynamic at the end is different than it is at the start (no spoilers…). My sci-fi novel, however, may fit the bill for what’s expected re: toppling dictators and establishing republics…

See? I told you. Lots of really good culture consumed this week… and I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting. As always, if you have thoughts on any of this stuff, or recommendations for stuff I should check out, let me know in the comments.

January reading summary and February TBR

~ EMM ~ 1 Comment

I only managed to read 4 books in January, and one of them was a novella. But, it’s not bad for a month where my brain was highly preoccupied with work/life decisions and politics.

January2017

Here is my very brief assessment of each (links go to Goodreads):

  • Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (kindle) — I am such a sucker for books set in the dance world, and this did not disappoint. If you also love books about dancers, and/or YA psychological thrillers, you’ll probably also enjoy this book.
  • Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (kindle) — This one wasn’t really my jam, but if you like ghosts and witches, you may really love this novella.
  • The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (kindle) — I enjoyed this one and read it really quickly. But, it contained a few elements that aren’t really my favorite. I’m not a big fan of “underworld” settings, and I’m not a big fan of the fantasy trope where the hero is keeping a great big secret that he can’t tell the heroine and she just has to trust him (like Beauty and the Beast). If you’re into those types of stories, you’ll probably really love this book.
  • Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski (kindle, library) — This is the book that they should use as a reference text in sex ed classes. I was a little bummed by the fact that it’s very much a “pop” science book. I probably would have enjoyed slightly less “pop” and slightly more “science,” but there are footnotes galore for anyone looking to follow up and get more science. Overall, I think this is a very important book (even if you think you know everything about your body and your sex life is great) that more people need to know about.

What I plan to read in February…

February2017TBR

I’ve decided to include as many books by black authors as much as possible on my February TBR in honor of Black History Month. Here are the books I’ve selected to read this month (links go to Goodreads):

  • Writing the Other by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward (kindle) — This is an essay based on a 1992 Clarion West Writers Workshop that I’m reading in preparation for the world-building workshop I’m attending this month. So excited!
  • Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison (kindle) — This is another short non-fiction work I’m reading in preparation for the world-building workshop I’m attending this month. So excited!
  • Home (Binti #2) by Nnedi Okorafor (kindle) — This one just came out on Tuesday. I had it pre-ordered, but I had to wait until I’d finished my (overdue) library loan before I could turn my Kindle off airplane mode and pull down this novella.
  • The Book Smugglers’ Quarterly Almanac: Volume 2 by various authors (kindle) — I started this over Christmas break, and I’ve been skipping around, reading the various essays and reviews. I haven’t got to the short fiction yet, but so far everything is top notch. Just like the first volume.
  • The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2) by N. K. Jemisin (kindle) — I’m so excited to read this follow up to what ended up being my favorite book I read in 2016.
  • Homegoing by Yaa Gaasi (hardcover) — I’ve had this on my TBR for WAY too long. Months ago, I got about 50 pages in and had to put it down. Yesterday, I re-started it from the beginning. Now I’m about 1/3 of the way done with it, and I plan to finish this by the end of this week. My delay in reading this has nothing to do with how much I like it. It’s purely a form-factor thing. I just have limited time available for reading hardcover books.

Since several of these are shorter length pieces, I think this is a totally do-able TBR for February. And, since I’m working on setting more realistic goals for myself, that’s a good thing. Maybe more on that in a future post… Until then, Happy Groundhog’s Day! I hope you have plenty of good books to read to get you through the six more weeks of winter predicted by that lovable, marmot mascot, Phil! 🙂

Pop Update: culture consumed week of 16 January 2017

~ EMM

Here is my summary of this week’s culture consumed:

  • Books read:
    • I finished Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day… it wasn’t my favorite, but it was good. I’m just not a big fan of witches and ghosts. I knew that going in and tried it anyway. But I never really got into it and there were some world-building and plot things that I got hung up on. I still love her Wayward Children series and am looking forward to Down Among the Sticks and Bones scheduled to come out this summer. This one just wasn’t for me.
    • Other than that, my reading has been pretty scattered this week… I’ve been struggling to stay focused enough to read, which is very uncharacteristic for me, but understandable in the context of this past week.
  • Podcast episodes:
    • I really enjoyed the final two episodes of Code Switch‘s series on Obama’s legacy
    • I listened to Pop Culture Happy Hour‘s episode discussing Hidden Figures the day after I watched the movie, and I’m really glad I did. It was nearly like getting to gush about this movie with friends.
    • I also listened to episodes from Smart Podcast Trashy Books, Reading The End, and a few others I subscribe to, but Code Switch and PCHH are the episodes that really stuck with me this week.
  • Magazines and other news:
    • As planned, I sort of avoided the news this week…
  • Movies and TV:
    • We watched the Sherlock season finale on Monday. This was a REALLY tense and uncomfortable episode to watch for me… Not my favorite. I liked episode 2 WAY better. Plus, this really feels like a *series* finale instead of just a *season* finale, which makes me a little sad…
    • I devoured the remaining episodes of The Crown on Netflix. I really love this series, and I’m still thinking about it. Sounds like we might get season 2 in November? I can’t wait.
  • YouTube:
    • I watched Oprah’s full interview with Michelle Obama, but now I can’t find anything but little clips of it. It was inspiring, and I loved it.
    • I also caught up on some of the videos from channels I subscribe to and watched a few more fan theory videos about The Force Awakens.

Queued up next…

  • From my TBR: I don’t really know… I may just have to drop everything that I’m currently reading and start The Star-Touched Queen…
  • On my podcast app: Other than Writing Excuses, I may go light on the podcasts this week… Lately, podcast time has been during commute time, and I think this week I may want to focus more on using that time for reading rather than podcasts.
  • Streaming on video: I’m so excited that The Magicians returns next week for season 2 on the SyFy channel! (I’ll be watching online)

If you have thoughts on any of the above, or recommendations for me, please leave them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

Pop Update: culture consumed week of 9 January 2017

~ EMM

Here is my summary of this week’s culture consumed:

  • Books read:
    • I haven’t finished any books this week because I’ve divided my attention between a few different ones and I spent more time than usual watching TV shows and movies…
    • I was reading Come As You Are, but put it aside mid-week to start Dusk or Dawn or Dark or Day because I pre-ordered this novella and it came out on Tuesday. I’m hoping to finish one or both of these this weekend.
  • Podcast episodes:
    • I caught up on a LOT of podcasts this week… too many to name them all…
    • The one that stood out from the others was the first in a new series from Code Switch on the Obama legacy, “Obama’s Legacy: Diss-ent or Diss-respect?”
  • Magazines and other news:
    • How I Got My Attention Back by Craig Mod (via @RianVDM) — about how we’ve allowed technology to seize control of our attention and why that’s a problem for thinking critically and creative work
    • From back issues of The Economist:
      • “Against Happiness” — about the ridiculousness of forcing people to put on a happy face at work
      • “Proximate Goals” — about the Earth-like planet found orbiting Proxima Centauri
  • Movies and TV:
    • So, I finally watched The Graduate. It’s streaming on Netflix and, when I mentioned to my husband that I’d never seen it, he insisted that we watch it. Turns out he thinks he watched it on a double date in high school. He thinks much of it was lost on him at the time. I wasn’t that impressed. It was fine, but I couldn’t help thinking of it as a fancy, expanded version of a Simon and Garfunkel music video.
    • It only took us until mid-week to get around to watching episode 2 of Sherlock season 4. I really enjoyed this week’s episode. I have no idea what they’re doing with Mrs. Hudson’s character, but I like it.
    • I also watched the first four episodes of The Crown on Netflix because I figured out that I could download them onto my phone so I could watch them on my commute. This took away from my reading time, but I’m not at all sorry. The politics and tension and emotions in the plot, paired with the excellent acting, makes this a great series.
    • Last, but in absolutely no way least, hubby and I saw Hidden Figures on Sunday night. The last time I left a movie theater feeling that excited about a movie, it was probably Mad Max: Fury Road. This movie is SO GOOD, and it was exactly what I needed to see right now. I HIGHLY recommend going and seeing this movie. I don’t usually watch movies in the theater unless they’re the type of thing better seen on a big screen. I am so glad I made an exception for this one.
  • YouTube:
    • I’ve been leaning more into “actual” TV and movies this week, but I did enjoy at least one YouTube video this week…
    • Rey is a Kenobi popped up in my suggested videos, probably because I’ve watched other fan videos that support this reasoning. I’ve been convinced of this since I watched TFA, and this new video adds a bit more fuel to support this theory. If you don’t agree, or you do and want to see how this guy supports his case, check out this video.

Queued up next…

  • From my TBR: I’m itching to get started on either The Star-Touched Queen or The Obelisk Gate, but I should probably finish my in-progress stuff first…
  • On my podcast app: The second episode in the Obama legacy series from Code Switch, “Obama’s Legacy: Callouts and Fallouts”
  • In the news: I haven’t been very good about keeping up with my newspaper subscriptions. Although, this week in particular, I think I kind of want to hide from the news…

If you have thoughts on any of the above, or recommendations for me, please leave them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!