These are the 6 galleys I read in February. I think they are all out now. 2 nonfiction, 1 traditional tales, and 3 novels. You can find my reviews in my feed. I made a huge dent in my ARC/galley backlog, which was a goal!

I read 11 books in February. My favorite was the tagged title. These 5 include 3 poetry (2 backlist), 1 backlist fiction, and 1 nonfiction. See the next post for the 6 galleys I also read!

So....I rarely pan books, but this one was almost a DNF. I thought it would be about a variety of Appalachian women. It‘s really her own memoir (and she‘s in her 30s), with stories of her mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin. She brags about her accomplishments, but I would rather have read a bio of her mom—the first in her family to finish high school and college, with the support of mom and sister (not her dad). See my Goodreads review for more info.

A different kind of post-apocalyptic novel. The 500+ story Los Verticales condo complex collapsed. Camper Town houses those who come to work digging—looking for Bernard, a DJ still broadcasting from the ruins, and for items worth salvaging. Orville, Bernard‘s brother, is a digger. But things get stranger when he learns about the Voice Cartel and its involvement. The world building is great, with chapters about the world of the complex interspersed

5⭐️ This book is memoir, genealogy, history, geography. It is a history of New Orleans East pre- and post-Katrina. Broom uses the house she grew up in, as the youngest of 12 kids in a blended family (both of her parents were widowed with kids when they met), as the focal point. It is so well written and is simply fascinating. #memoir #nationalbookaward

The poems in this collection spin off of fairy tales (it helps if you know your fairy tales!). The first half seemed to focus on a girl believing or dreaming of fairy tales, the second half felt like a woman trying to escape fairy tale expectations. But I only recognized a few of the tales, some are cited in an afterword. #poetry

In this crime novel Sciascia shows us how the mafia works—the whys, the hows, and how they manage it all. Cameriere captain Bellodi uses all his skills to solve the murder of a local contractor—but then the whole case falls apart because it was a mafia hit (and message). A different kind of crime novel, and the first of many that Sciascia wrote. #intranslation

This dystopia is set in near-future England. Southern Europeans are fleeing north away from drought and fire. England indentures those they accept, others are trafficked and work illegally. Even citizens are separated into those who get an implant and live in cities, and those who aren‘t and work in and are kept in enclaves. Loved the world building (she also has an earlier book in this world). This read as YA to me. #netgalley #dystopia

Bump has created a very believable character in Claude. Despite his somewhat unusual history and his feelings of abandonment after his parents both leave and his friends keep moving to “better” neighborhoods, Claude is a typical teen. He feels like he doesn‘t fit. He wants to do something. He wants to get out. He doesn‘t know why or what, but college gives him a how. He doesn‘t fit there either—but then gets the chance to make a huge change.

The title of this book is not entirely correct. This is a biography of Frances Glessner Lee more than the story of modern forensics. She was an heiress, not a scientist or doctor, who used her money, connections, and time to introduce the ME/forensics system to the US. Interesting and I learned a lot, though it wasn‘t what I expected. #netgalley #nonfiction #history

The immigration story of Sophia, from El Salvador, told in an epic poem. This is a quick and meaningful read, and Baca uses repetition very effectively. It is unclear if this story is based on someone he knows, multiple people he has met, or other research. I first read Baca in college 25 years ago, I had no idea he has had such a successful career—publications, awards, screenwriting, a nonprofit. #poetry

January round-up, poetry edition. Tagged book was my favorite.

January round-up, non-poetry edition. Tagged book was my favorite (and only nonfiction) of the bunch. 3 audiobooks, 3 short story collections, 1 in translation, and the 1 nonfiction.

This selection of folktales is organized by theme (fairies, adventure, etc), and come from all over Great Britain, Ireland, and from some of the smaller islands as well. Crossley-Holland has published them before, but not this combination. He has curated them from a variety of tales collected in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and has updated the texts to modern standard English. I found these fun to read, and only recognized two. #folktales

Not my kind of poetry. Short and choppy, and I prefer poetry about experiences or nature. These poems were largely over my head, with 1 title and 3-5 very short sections that each relates to the title but not each other. Based on the few I could figure out, anyway. #poetry

5⭐️! This nonfiction book covers the history and context of how mosquitos have affected human history, largely through the transmission of malaria and yellow fever. From the Roman and Mongol Empires, to the decimation of native populations in the Americas, the African slave trade, wars for independence (US, Haiti, central/South American nations)—the mosquito has been there. Also looks at malarial drugs, but this is not a science book. #netgalley

2018 NBA for Poetry winner. This collection focuses on life as a gay black man in the US—the anxieties, fears, worries, and experiences. In the afterword he acknowledges being depressed during the writing, which I suspected during my reading, but doubted my own interpretation. I haven‘t read all of the 2018 finalists to have a favorite, but can say this was a deserved win. #poetry

I found this very surreal—as things are disappeared from life on an island, the memory police carry out raids to make sure residents are in compliance. And they take away those who remember the items that no longer exist. No it doesn‘t really make sense, but Ogawa is exploring memory, the human capacity for adaptation, friendship, and more. Winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Lit. #intranslation

This poetry collection very much pays homage to past Ukrainian poets. I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia reading about these poets and authors that I had never heard of. This is Kaminsky‘s first book in English. There is also a lot of dancing, unsurprisingly. I think anyone with more knowledge of Ukraine and Ukrainian poets would understand and enjoy this more than I did.

I am honestly surprised this book and author have not gotten more attention. These stories are weird! Not surreal exactly, but they all have some kind of flip that is clever and unusual, and good. And they are SHORT stories—the novella is closer to what I usually think of as a short story. And that novella? It‘s a Lizzie Borden choose-your-own adventure. #shortstories #librarythingearlyreviewers

I enjoyed all of these stories, and listened without realizing this was volume two of three, though I‘m not sure it matters. I definitely want to start with volume one—on paper—and then possibly read this one on paper as well. I really missed having a Table of Contents. #shortstories

The 2019 National Book Award for Poetry winner—and now I have read all of the finalists. This was not my favorite among the finalists, but it is solid. Sze lives in New Mexico, and most of the poems in this collection bring up the desert—the weather, flora and fauna, fire, seasons. Some focus on urban life, others on Sze‘s Chinese heritage. Mushrooms, peonies, and spotted towhees come up several times. #poetry #nationalbookaward

Book 5 of 2020. I liked this story collection, but I was expecting more. Between the award nomination and all the raving I have seen about this book, I expected a standout. Instead it was just a decent collection. I liked the Colorado connection, but wanted more about landscape, flora/fauna, weather. About what makes Colorado unique. #shortstories

Book 4 of 2020. Johnson‘s version of a hard-boiled detective novel, but with no detective. These are all criminals working on a variety of double-crosses of each other. Quentin Tarantino would direct the movie.

Book 3 of 2020. A few poems in this collection felt like they referenced the chaos and exhaustion of parenting young children (under 5s). But the bulk of these poems just felt like someone else‘s in jokes. Sure they might be great if you get them, whether the cohort is friends, family, co-workers, other poets, residents of a certain place, people of a certain age. To me they were just lists of nouns and random words. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #poetry

Book 2 of 2020, listened on Hoopla. This is the first Ellery Queen book, com 1929. So it‘s dated, and is also not the kind of mystery that the reader can solve due to info not being shared with the reader. I was on the right track though, wondering why they weren‘t taking a certain line of inquiry! The exact motive I was nowhere near—it is very 1929. I may listen to book 2 some time. #classicmystery #mystery

I loved this poetry collection! There is a section on her parents‘ lives as immigrants and her own experiences growing up in an immigrant community. Also lots of Nature and travel poems. This was a finalist for the 2018 NBA for Poetry. #poetry #nationalbookaward

My last finish of 2019! This NBA Finalist for Translated Lit comes from Finland. The main character has fled Albania‘s stifling social mores and poor economy for a variety of countries, but he can‘t find what he‘s looking for. Good, but a bit confusing at times, read it to find out why! #lgbtq #intranslation

My goal was 90! I set 2020 to 90 as well, I‘m usually right around there. I‘ve only gone over 100 books twice before—at least as an adult, I probably did in elementary school lol.

Top ten fiction reads of 2019! Favorite is tagged. #toptenof2019 #top10of2019

Another 2019 National Book Award for Poetry finalist. This book is full of excellent poems a about Derricotte‘s life: as a child, as an adult, as a black woman who can accidentally or intentionally pass for white and how that makes her feel. Because this is an anthology of her work over time, it is not always as cohesive as a typical collection, but it‘s good. #poetry #nationalbookaward

Another National Book Award for Poetry 2019 finalist. I found some of these poems to be very powerful, others are over my head. Perhaps due to lack of shared experience? The focus here is his life as a gay black American man/son. His father is in many of these. Definitely worth the read. #poetry #nationalbookaward

Winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Fiction! The writing takes some getting used to, but I enjoyed this 550-page chunkster. It‘s funny and farcical, with lots of characters and a lot of misunderstandings. And then it turns apocalyptic at the end, and I admit I didn‘t understand The Who it the why. I have different ideas and thoughts but no one to discuss with! I now want to read this authors other three books.

In Syria, and elderly man has died. One of his sons promised to bury him in their hometown. And he and his estranged brother and sister head off with the body. Only Syria is in the midst of Civil War. They cross territories occupied by three different groups, they bribe, they wait, they are constantly under suspicion and held. They also talk and remember and think about their childhoods. #nationalbookaward #intranslation

I have no doubt there is a market for this book—the “history buff” crowd. But I majored in history and geography, and this book is sloppy. There is no original research, there are significant and silly errors, and the book is all over the place. Donner Party? Comstock Load? Buffalo Bill? None really had anything to do with the brief existence of the Pony Express, but they all have plenty of coverage in this book. See my GR review for more details.

Pick with reservations—this is actually a YA book, which I did not know. This story follows Maribel, a Mexican girl with a TBI. Her parents have waited for a work visa to get her into an excellent school for kids like her. Her family lives in a small apartment building with Spanish speakers from a variety of countries. The story focuses on her friendship with Mayor, the stories of the other residents, life in America, and the boy harassing her.

This anthology of California literature and essays is from 1989, and it‘s been on my shelf nearly that long! And I waited too long to read it. It focuses on 1945-1989, so there is nothing from the last 30 years, obviously. I also felt SF, LA, and the film industry are over-represented. The Central Valley and Santa Clara County, the far north, many ethnic groups are not here at all. The individual selections are mostly fine, but more is needed.

Book mail! Received this ARC today. It sounds very dystopian-ish, totally my thing! Thanks to @LibraryThing and @WilliamMorrowBooks

Excellent collection of connected poems. In an unnamed town, residents become deaf when occupying forces kill a boy. They use signs and puppets to communicate, while the puppet master‘s girls kill soldiers one by one. A parable of current events—how so many pretend nothing is happening, going deaf to news. A #nationalbookaward finalist for #poetry

Pick with reservations! I thought this was going to be a great dystopia, but then it didn‘t go there. Instead it normalizes the farm—which is for pregnant surrogates to live at and be monitored, see the cover artwork. So, yeah, actually not a dystopia but I found it somewhat creepy. I wonder if such a place exists today? Maybe it‘s likely.

✨November Wrap-Up✨
8 books read
4 audio
1 ARC
1 1001/1000 list book
1 500 great books by women
1 in translation
0 nonfiction for nonfiction November 🙄🤣
Favorite of the month is tagged.
#wrapup #monthlywrapup #novemberwrapup

Set on an isolated island in WWI England, Kate and Donovan are attending a seance weekend. Their assignment is to identify the German spy believed to be in attendance. The story was fine, but personally I prefer the kind of mystery where the author lays out all the clues and the reader can solve the mystery. This is not that kind of story, and I‘m note sure the sabotage was explained? Audio was fine. #audiobook #mystery #hoopladigital

Excellent writing with a Dream-like quality. The narrator, now an adult, reminisced about his time with a group of boys who were fascinated by the 5 Lisbon sisters. About memory, loss of innocence, coming of age, and more. #1001books

Pick with reservations—I don‘t know that I would enjoy this book on paper, but it was easy to follow on audio. After a family tragedy one Easter, the Bird family drifts apart, as each reacts differently. Divorce, affairs, hoarding, fleeing the country, avoiding discussion—they do it all. Decades later the surviving family members are together again, finally talking about the events of that past Easter. #audiobook #hoopladigital

I struggle with audiobooks—whether I am doing basic database stuff, walking, or crocheting I accidentally tune out. So I need books that are easy to follow, keep me interested, and have a narrator I don‘t even notice. This one hit all those points. Unreliable narrator, fast moving story, twists and turns—yes please! I don‘t usually read thrillers but I‘ll have to try more on audio! #thriller #audiobook

This 1929 novel is the first to appear in English. Liza (14) and her brother Nikolai (16) and their mother Natasha are Russian exiles in France. They seem hedonistic (a la Bonjour Tristesse), but really they are lonely, a burden to their mother who abandons them in Paris. Liza desperately wants and needs her mother‘s love. Kolya and Andrei make desperate plans. #intranslation #WIT #russianlit

Fabulously researched and written nonfiction work looking at the kidnappings of free black people in Philadelphia, who were taken to the south to be sold as slaves. Bell traces the story of 5 boys and 2 women, 5 of whom were free, and the hard work of many people that brought them home. Using court records, newspapers, letters, minutes, and more, he is able to trace their journey. Pub date 10/15/19 #netgalley #history #nonfiction

✨September Wrap-Up✨
I am super late and still haven‘t even posted reviews for all of these! 9 books, 1 nonfiction, 6 novels, 2 short story collections. Three in translation (from Danish, Spanish, Korean), plus authors from Nigeria and Australia, and one modern classic. All were by women! Favorite fiction title is tagged; the Speckled Monster was also an amazing read! #wrapup #septemberwrapup #septemberreads

Excellent narrative nonfiction that covers the introduction of inoculation into London and Boston in the 1720s. Carrell follows two people—Lady Mary Worley Montagu in London and Dr Zabdiel Boylston in Boston—both survivors of bad cases of smallpox, both worried parents, both intense record keepers. Those records—letters, notes, case records—as well as official government minutes, newspapers, and the records of others—are fabulous sources.

This interesting little book is a dystopia. I think. Or maybe a man‘s descent into mental illness? Or maybe it‘s really an allegory that went over my head, as I definitely don‘t know enough about Korean history or current events to pick up on an allegory. But this was interesting and unusual. The main character is not named, and his story makes odd sense—until it doesn‘t. #intranslation #koreanlit #dystopia