Emma’s Comments (group member since Jan 05, 2017)

Emma’s comments from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.

- What are you reading for this category?

Eat My Words: Reading Women's Lives Through the Cookbooks They Wrote by Janet Theophano

- Why did you choose this book?

I love cooking and baking and was really interested in the idea that cookbooks could give us an alternative history of the past.

- What are you reading for this category?

Top Secret Twenty Two by Janet Evanovich

- Why did you choose this book?

These books are not well written or anything, but I really wanted a quick easy read that would be a laugh, and these are good for that.

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category and for which prompt?

The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities, and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church by John Thavis for the prompt “A book (fiction or nonfiction) about a subject that made headlines”

- Why did you choose this book and this topic?

I had already read this book, and was looking for a place to put it - but its completely fit the prompt, and I also liked that.

- Were there other prompts you wanted to see in the final list?

I'm ok with the crowdsourcing of prompts. I always like some that don't make it, but I also like being pushed to pick up books I might have not read otherwise.

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

Transgender History, second edition: The Roots of Today's Revolution by Susan Stryker

- What word is it linked to and how?

I had a hard selection of words, but I decided that this book can be linked to the term "intersectionality" because it looks at the ways that different identities interact and the ways that intersectional activism has developed over the years, particularly in the LBGTQ+ community.

- Can you list a few funny words born the same year as you?

some of my other favorites were gangsta rap, scrunchie, showrunner, air quotes and latte

- What are you reading for this category?

Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington

- What country is it set in and what attracts you to this place?

This is set in Australia - I don't why I am so intrigued by the country, but I do know that I really want to visit it!

- Would you like to read more from different countries in the world?

I love reading books about other countries, especially when they are written by people from that country instead of visitors.

I picked The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace. The cover is just black with the title, as you can see here: .

This is fun! A really emotionally impactful book of small poems about girlhood, grief and love.

- What are you reading for this category?

The Vital Abyss by James S A Corey

This is a novella in the Expanse series that is told from the perspective of Cortazar, a scientist who has literally had his ability to empathize burned out of his brain.

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh

- What subject/event is the book about?

This is a book about the importance of fiction and narrative in telling the story of climate change (this is sort of a meta pick as it is a narrative nonfiction book about the ways that narrative can help us process reality)

- Do you typically enjoy reading nonfiction?

I love it, and I really enjoy narrative nonfiction especially!

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

- What makes the format unique?

This book isn't as out of the box as others on this list, but its narration is interesting as it bounces back and forth in time and perspective, with chapters by different people, some written in first person and some written in second person.

I picked All of It, The by Jeanette Haien. The secret is the center of the plot in this very short book, and I really enjoyed it.

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

Rilla of Ingleside by L M Montgomery

- Which event is your story based on?
The events in this novel take place during World War 2

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

- Is it a winner or nominee?

It was a nominee

- Which category did it get nominated/win for?

Fantasy

- What are you reading for this category?

The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve

- How is it connected to "fire"?

Fire is in the title. Also the cover is bright orange, and it is actually about a fire

- What are you reading for this category?

Paddling with Spirits: A Solo Kayak Journey by Irene Skyriver

This is a book published by a woman from my hometown, and it is so so good!

- What are you reading for this category?

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

- Does the location in the title reflect the actual book setting?

Absolutely - even though she leaves at times, every scene in this book is set in and around the village of Avonlea

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Emily Post's Etiquette

- How long is the book?

698 pages (excluding the index)

- What's your plan for managing this doorstop (multiple reads at the same time, read over several weeks, children/YA book, etc)?

Well, I've been working through it all fall, so I guess my plan was to take it a little but at a time

- How many books over 500p do you usually read each year?

Not many - for some reason this year I read a bunch of books that came in between 500 and 600, but this was the only one above 600

I loved this - I read it for my time travel book this year and it was incredible!

I’m reading Kindred by Octavia Butler - they travel to the ante bellum South, and the time travel is not controlled

Progress Post:
- What are you reading for this category?

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier


- Do you know why it was banned or challenged?

Nope - I can see why though

- What would a book need to be/have inside for you to consider supporting challenging claims?

I think there should be a way for people to be aware of and avoid books with challenging material if they want to, and I can understand why certain books are not always appropriate in certain places (i.e. school libraries), but I don't think banning books is the answer

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?

Anne of Green gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

- Have you already read many of the books on the list?

Yes, quite a few, including this one. I went through a classics phase when I was younger.

- Are there any books that you think should have been included?

These lists are always very subjective, and each one has its own flavor. So I think it is fine as it is.