Poems
1. Philosophia Perennis by Anne Waldman
2. Staying After by Linda Gregg
3. Enter Book by Dalia Taha translated by Sara Elkamel
4. No Moon Floods the Memory of That Night by Etheridge Knight
Books
1. Night People: How to be a DJ in 90’s New York City by Mark Ronson
2. Are Prisons Obsolete by Angela Davis
3. What a Time to Be Alive by Jade Chang
4. Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ translated by Lin King
We are back to our normal schedule and I am sure you are all so happy to hear it. Normal schedule being still nearly the week after the end of the month for a reading update.
Yes, I did it! I finally finished Night People and it honestly turned around once I gave it my full attention. I think that is what is happening lately is I am not giving books enough attention and then they are not page turners in a sense that you can’t stop reading them so you neglect them. Y’all will hear more on this later when I review another Service95 book perhaps next month. Anywho, this was such an interesting read for people who enjoy hip hop and vinyls and hell, NYC. Mark Ronson knows some elite people, met some sus individuals, is a tad annoying at times, but I feel like you have to be to be a DJ.
For the ACLU book club we tackled Are Prisons Obsolete and I think for those who have not considered this, the book would be extremely important for them. For those that have, it’s a bit of just information we already know. However, this book came out before I was privy to the ideas, I just missed it at the time. This is essential and covers such an important topic that we can all benefit from hearing about even if we already know or understand the ideas. Prison is not the answer. It honestly never was, if you are asking the right questions.
Our third book was a random audiobook from libby that I picked from my TBR list. It was a solid satisfactory read. I liked the idea and concept a little more than the story itself. Your friend dies in such an unexpectedly freak accident and somehow you go viral for your grief. Except your kind words are actually clipped and not everything you said. Yet, you are now an influencer and you can’t decide what to do about it. Lean into the madness and fame and hypocrisy, or deal with your shit. Maybe you can do both? Figuring out your family and where to find them, friend drama but tasteful and realistic, takes on society, humor, pain, and more.
The final book was also a random TBR grab, and it was almost going to be checking off a Genre challenge book, but I don’t think I am going to count it. Now if we get to the end of the year and I am still missing a book for it, maybe I will rethink this plan. Where it doesn’t feel like a true “queer historical romance novel” it was a “queer historical fiction novel.” Since this is a period piece (can we call historical fiction novels period pieces?), it’s never truly a romance book, because they can’t be together like that. However, if you listen to the way the MC describes her “best friend” you will know instantly this is queer. Literally you can open to any page of the book, know nothing about the book, and you’ll pick up on it. It is soooo sweet and honest. Actually, writing this and reminiscing maybe I will count it as romance. Ugh, I can’t decide. Aside from the love, this also really opened my eyes to the history of Japan and Taiwan, because I feel like I always just associate China and Taiwan in my head, but now I have them all three in there. Not Japan calling Taiwan the island when they are also an island.
Book Goal Tracker: 19/40
Genre Challenge Tracker: 2/10
Reads the World Tracker: 3/10
Madeline Daily 