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from the archives: Birthday Month

from the archives: Birthday Month

Yes – It is November and tomorrow is my 44th birthday. I am both excited and tired. Moving to Alabama and getting settled in has been difficult. Last week was the midterm election and although it was good overall (we took back the House – woot!) in Alabama the election results were super disheartening. Voters here decided that it would be appropriate to display the 10 commandments on government property (see ya’ later seperation of church and state) and that a cluster of cells has more worth/value/rights than a fully formed human woman who is in danger of dying during childbirth (so long choice). The governer was re-elected by a wide margin and there were several, unopposed Republicans elected to the circuit courts. Super sad. So – at this point, until I can get involved in the next round of election races (for 2020) I will retreat into reading and writing. As I have had more time, since I’ve been working part time, I have had the opportunity to finish 2 more books! And here is my update…

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem *****

Simon vs. the Homo Sapeins Agenda by Becky Albertalli ****

That brings my 2018 total to 10 and brings me to an equal number of months to books read. All signs point to me completing my number goal of 12 for 2018 and maybe exceeding it with even more books from the book riot list!

And while we are at it – let’s look at my stats for that challenge as well…

Book Riot Read
Harder Challenge

CategoryBook to readCompleted Date
A book published posthumouslyAriel by Sylvia Plath
A book of true crimeWriting to Save a Life by John Edgar Wideman
A classic of genre fictionFledgling by Octavia Butler
A comic written and drawn by the same personPersepolis by Marjane Satrapi
A book set in or about one of the five BRIC countriesLittle Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
A book about natureSilent Spring by Rachel Carson
A westernMy Antonia by Willa Cather
A comic written or drawn by a person of colorAmerica vol. 1 by Gabby Rivera
A book of colonial or post colonial literatureThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A romance novel by or about a person of colorGetting Even by Kayla Perrin
A children’s classic published before 1980A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L’Engle
A celebrity memoirWe’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabriel Union3.11.18
An Oprah Book Club selectionSong of Solomon by Toni Morrison
A book of social scienceThe Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols2.16.18
A one-sitting bookBrown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson
The first book in a new-to-you YA or middle grade seriesCinder by Marissa Meyer
A sci-fi novel with a female protagonist by a female authorThe Awesome by Eva Darrows7.7.2018
A comic that isn’t published by Marvel, DC, or ImageMarch by John Lewis and Andrew AydinIllustrated by Nate Powell
A book of genre fiction in translation

A book with a cover you hate

A mystery by a person of color or LGBTQ+ author

An essay anthologySlouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
A book with a female protagonist over the age of 60

An assigned book you hated (or never finished)The Interpretation of Cultures by Clifford Gertz

Not great, but I’m trying. We’ll see if I can get a few more checked off this list as I complete my reading in these last 2 months of 2018.

Happy Autumn and enjoy your reading!

Peace,Chantale

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