Sherri’s Comments (group member since Nov 10, 2019)

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

I read Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi for this prompt.

I read Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi over the weekend. It was 3 stars for me. I got tired of the loop of religion, depression, drug addiction. I felt it was in a rut & I was waiting for something to change directions. I’m not sure I worded that correctly. I wasn’t tired of those topics I just felt the story was stuck in those characters & nothing changed for them. There was a lot of hand wringing but nobody helped anyone.

Optional Questions:
1. What are you reading for this prompt? The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. 111 pages
2. What authors have you been meaning to read for a while? Chinua Achebe & Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3. What short books do you recommend? I haven't read these books but they were on my list for this prompt. Things Fall Apart & We Should All Be Feminists.

I finished The Fire Next time by James Baldwin. 4 stars. I enjoyed the essays.

Winter Wonderland
W: A Lone Star Christmas (Christmas #1) by William W. Johnstone
I: In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
N: News of The World by Paulette Jiles
T: The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune
E: Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi
R: My Kind of Christmas (Virgin River #18) by Robyn Carr

W: The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright
O: The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
N: The Song and the Silence (Non Fiction) by Yvette Johnson
D:Deacon King Kong,James McBride
E:The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (Essays)
R: Bag Man: The Wild Crimes,Audacious Cover-Up & Spectacular Downfall Of A Brazen Crook In The White House by Rachel Maddow, Michael Yarvitz
L: Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels,#2) by Lisa Kleypas
A: Savage Run (Joe Pickett,#2) by C.J.Box (Adventure)
N: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Non Fiction)
D: The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz

1. What prompt did you choose and why? A book related to mental health. I had a few books I wanted to read for this prompt.
2. What book did you read for it? Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
3. What other prompts did you consider? An alternate history book, a book with a focus on the natural world.

Umuahia Nigeria (Southeastern Nigeria) Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. Some of the book is set there, not the entire book.

I finished Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. I needed a book for the winter challenge for the letter e. I wanted a book to fit in my black history month reading.The book was available on hoopla. I read the synopsis & thought the book would be fine. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into or what the book was about. Freshwater is beautifully written & I was invested in the protagonist. I was also invested in the story & author. That is the problem. The book tore me apart. This is a very hard emotional story. The book deals with mental health, which I thought I could do. Nope, I was wrong. This turned out to be a terrible time to read a book about trauma,mental health, & constant emotional pain. I'm glad I read the book & I like the author but now I will be very picky about future reads for awhile. I gave it 3 stars.

Thank you both. I hadn’t thought of either.

I need help. I'm working on Winter Wonderland. I need an e to complete the challenge. I really want to use an author to fit the criteria of Black History Month. I had two e's left & used Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. I need to be careful on my last pick. I'm hurting from Freshwater. I don't think I can read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison yet.

Brooklyn,NY. Deacon King Kong by James McBride

1969 Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Title: Deacon King Kong
- Author: James McBride
- Rating:5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): An Author on the list of 100 Black Novelist You Should Read
- Brief reason why it was the best: I loved the story. My book club was raving about James McBride. They described him as a kinder & gentler author. He was a new to me author. He was kinder & gentler

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I read Deacon King Kong by James McBride. I gave the book 5 stars. James McBride is now one of my favorite authors.

Villon-Sur-Sarthe,France. This place is made up but it's on the Sarthe
River near Le Mans,France.
Paris, France
NYC
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E.Schwab

I don't know what your going to do with this but here goes.
1703-1714 Villon-Sur-Sarthe, France.
Paris 1714-1789
NYC 2014
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E.Schwab

I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. I gave it 2 stars. It was slowed paced & too repetitious. I read it too close to The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The plots were too close for me. I didn't like Midnight Library either.

I used the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. It was mentioned in the October thread.

I want to use The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E.Schwann for this prompt. This seems like the perfect book for the prompt. I want to combine past & present because her past & present is in the book. Can I do this?

Title: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
- Author: Isabel Wilkerson
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A Monochromatic Cover
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book really opened my eyes to racism. She breaks down the caste systems around the world & explains it eloquently.

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