 Icelandic cafe decor. These are color coordinated books that look cool, but the books have been cut away about 3 inches from the spine so that they can be displayed. The bookshelves don't need to be full sized this way, but the books are unreadable.
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 A Room of One's Own. Virginia Woolf. 1929. A Room of One's Own. I realized the other day that I have never actually read Virginia Woolf's iconic feminist work. I'm not sure reading the whole thing added a lot to the title sequence, but it wasn't poorly written and the core theme is as relevant now as it was 1929. What I really wish was that there was an audio recording of the 1928 lecture that the book was based on! But, the idea that in order to write anything, people need money to survive on and a quiet place they can focus their thoughts with minimal distraction rings true. Writing is a luxury and those with luxury get to write. This, and not necessarily quality of writer or content, controls whose voices we read. In the wake of Toni Morrison's death, this feels poignant. Toni Morrison, while raising children and working a full time job, got up at 4 a.m. every morning for years to write in the quiet space before the kids woke up. An income and a room of her own, not in the way Woolf envisioned, but it makes her point. The book is short and succinct, which is good since it doesn't say a whole lot more than this in various ways. But serious, I should have gotten around to reading this decades ago. Highly recommend.
 Fates and Furies. Loren Groff. 2015 Fates and Furies. This is really two stories merged into one since the story I thought I was reading ended and then the real story started. As the booked twisted around and took a totally unexpected and radically different tone, it unwraps the delicious details of a complex character's life an relationships. For the first half of the book, I was reading good writing telling a mundane story. I didn't not enjoy it, but I definitely thought it was ho-hum. I had no idea it was just the backdrop to the real story. Highly recommend.
*** Comments Tess: Several years ago I read Fates and Furies. I still think about it. I had a similar reaction where I really disliked both of the main characters but still found their stories compelling. Me: I haven’t read that. Is it good? Tess: Yes, but my feelings are complicated. I hated the first 100 pages. Then everything changed and shifted. Stories didn't play out the way I expected. I recommend not reading a synopsis or reviews or anything about it and diving in. I liked the second half much more than the first, and the first half was necessary to understand the second half. Pieces of the story really grabbed me and I find myself thinking about it still. Some of it was annoying. The sex scenes were unsexy. (but not rapey) Would love to hear your review if / after you read it. Tess: I’m almost at the end of my book, then I have a non-fiction queued. Since I have been just reading whatever I hear about last before I finish what I’m reading, this might be next...  Sissy, Jacob Tobia. 2019. Sissy. Jacob Tobia's memoir about his gender non-conformity, the author showcases his brilliance and humor. There were definitely time reading this when I cringed at the explicit details and other times when I felt like the he was working too hard to convince the readers of something, but overall his radical approach to self-acceptance and his existence outside the gender binary was refreshing and powerful. Highly recommend.
 Whiskey When We're Dry. John Larson. 2018. Whisky When We Are Dry. There is a lot to like in the historical unrealistic fiction. Set in an imaged history in which radical people of color, Queer and trans characters, and white allies who can image a different world ban together to fight against the patriarchy of the 1880's. I had trouble suspending disbelief sometimes because the re-imagined history was ridiculously far-fetched, but at other times I was sucked into rooting for the rebels. If you have the ability to willingly dive into an alternate reality that isn't fantastical or sci fi, then this book is for you. Recommend, with that caveat.
 A Queer History of the United States. Michael Bronski. 2011. A Queer History of the US. I loved this short history book, filled with lots of facts and stories that explain and tie together American Queer theory that was definitely left out of every history book I read.
Highly recommend. Click here to purchase this book and support My 50 Bookish Friends blog project.  The Virgin Romance Novelist. Meghan Quinn. 2015. The Virgin Romance Novelist Chronicles: A trilogy of really terrible comedy-romances, I feel confident in saying that there is a reason this is not actually a genre of books. It was billed a feminist romance and it is true that there is nothing even remotely rapey about the books. There were some funny moments, but the basic problem was that I found all of the people the main character rejected far more attractive than the one she is obviously supposed to be falling in love with. It is not much of a spoiler to tell you that since it is patently obvious by the second chapter. I also just could not get behind a plot that centered around a mission to lose ones viginity. No thank you. Clearly, there is a reason the trilogy is sold as a package since I can't imagine anyone getting sucked in enough to purchase a second book, let alone a third.
 I'm Just a Person. Tig Notaro. 2016. I'm Just a Person. This is Tig Notaro's memoire. You don’t know who she is? Then immediately watch her documentary on Netflix, as well as her comedy special and her Ellen appearance. She is a dry, very dry, comedian. (Also, she's coming to Eugene in October. Thanks for the head's up, Robin.) I loved this books. There were a couple of spots that were slow and seemed like they could have been tightened up a bit, but she is funny and has a unique humor that I really appreciate. It's a doom-and-gloom, don't-say-it-cannot-get-worse-because-it-will attitude combined with boundless optimism for the future that I relate to and that is not often voiced, particularly in comedy. I actually read the book in two days, finishing it on the flight to the Star Trek convention and upon arrival at the hotel, started to catch up on the Discovery episodes I had missed, only to fall in total love with her character on the very show I was watching. It was disappointing she wasn't at the convention, but I am hoping for an appearance next year if Quinn wants to go again. Recommend.
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AuthorI'll read anything a friend recommends & I love telling people what I think about it. Every year, I read 50 books recommended by 50 different friends. Welcome to My 50 Bookish Friends Blog. SearchCategories
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