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2018 Summer Reading Progarm
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SRP 2018 Week 6: Books by a Person of Color
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Books I've finished since my last post (I've been on vacation):RustBlaster: A single-volume vampire manga, not well developed due to limited pages.
Trout Fishing in America (on CD): A delightful application of heartwarming Americana to a base of plain absurdity. I'd recommend it to those interested in the neo-Dadaism of memes.
Laid-Back Camp Volumes 1 and 2: A good series to get me in the mood for camping! Very relaxing.
Super Chicken Nugget Boy and the Furious Fry: Might be the next craze for the Captain Underpants-obsessed.
Warcraft: Sunwell Trilogy: Dragon Hunt: Even with the lengthy historical background in the introduction, it's still pretty hard to follow the plot beyond "girl helps and is helped by dragon guy."
Noises Off: I keep missing seeing this in the theater, somehow, but it seems pretty funny! There's a lot more stage direction than I'm used to seeing, since a lot of the drama happens backstage in pantomime.
The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins: Very enjoyable! Even those familiar with the story in audio form will find something new to love in the book version.
The Bear and the Nightingale: Not as magical as I expected, somehow? The Lord of Winter battles a foreign invader with the help of a young woman.
Spinning Silver: Surprisingly similar plotwise to the previous book! I read them back-to-back by sheer coincidence. I preferred this one, though, as there's more than one story going on: multiple families are involved on BOTH sides of the Winter/Fire conflict, and the stakes are higher and more personal.
Norse Mythology: Not Neil Gaiman's usual writing style, maybe, but still very well-told tales, including some I didn't know.
Shadows of Self: Second book in the second "Mistborn" trilogy from Brandon Sanderson, this is one very long day in the life of a god-touched lawman. I liked it, but don't start with this one.
The Cardboard Kingdom: Very imaginative! Kids create a magical kingdom in their neighborhood over the summer. My young nephew liked it too.
Brave Chef Brianna: A quick and colorful read! The bright cheerful look masks some darker elements. It's not the monsters that are dangerous, though; it's intrusive thoughts, and neglect, and general small-mindedness, and fear.
Casino Royale (on CD): It's a decent spy story, but you can certainly find something more modern and less sexist.
Once again the group does it again. I've had An American Marriage on my TBR pile, so I'm going to pull it down and get reading it for this week!
Am reading another book by Arundhati Roy right now - The God of Small Things and am enjoying it very much, although it is a bit melancholy. What a talented writer! A few years ago a book group I am in read A Tale for the Time Being, and it was one of the few books everyone liked. The other book everyone liked, also by a person of color, was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I know the author is out of favor now because of sexual harassment allegations, but if you can bear that, I would still recommend the book. Even my teen son who mostly hates fiction enjoyed it.
Kathleen wrote: "Books I've finished since my last post (I've been on vacation):RustBlaster: A single-volume vampire manga, not well developed due to limited pages.
Trout Fishing in America (on CD): A delightful a..."
Your books have been added!
Mod
and Sandman #9 The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman
13 Bullets is a vampire gore story, but it has some interesting twists and turns. Not for the faint of heart, but it questions when life ends and monsters begin, and struggles to find the answer.
The Kindly Ones is a great graphic novel that ties several storylines together and gives character background for some familiar faces. As always the art style and story line are fantastic!
Emily wrote: "I read 13 Bullets by David Wellingtonand Sandman #9 The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman
13 Bullets is a vampire gore story, but it has some interesting twists and turns. Not for the faint of heart, bu..."
Your books have been added!
Happy August 1st! Crazy has fast summer is flyingNavy Wife/Navy Blues
Debbie Macomber
Flamingo Diner
Home to Seaview Key
Sherryl Woods
Where the Watermelons Grow
Cindy Baldwin
This could change everything
Jill Mansell
Enjoy the week all.
Have not been updating with the books I read but so far I’ve finished:Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crossley
Calypso by David Sedaris
Grand Forks by Marilyn Hagerty
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradel
The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy
Rascal by Sterling North
Rascal was my favorite!
This week I read Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I was watching the first ep of HBO show that’s airing now and it really peaked my interest so I decided to read the book before I watched another episode. It was super super dark but not hard to get through, I flew through it just to see what would happen next. Keeps you going till the very end. Very excited to get back into the show now!
Sharp Objects is still my favorite of Flynn's books... can't wait to see the show.
I also just finished The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly and as this was a good story, finishing the book was rather tough for me. As I have been listening to books instead of reading them, the narrator is best when their voiceovers are differentiated and the narrator didn't do much for the different characters so it became tough for me to stay focused. I think overall the author had a good story and if I read this on my own without the narration, I would've liked it more and finished it faster.
Susan wrote: "Am reading another book by Arundhati Roy right now - The God of Small Things and am enjoying it very much, although it is a bit melancholy. What a talented writer! A few years ago a b..."
Susan, I love A Tale for the Time Being-- one of those great books that not a lot of people seem to know about!
I am a little behind, but I've finished two books over the past two weeks-- The Price of Butcher's Meat, by Reginald Hill (another Dalziel and Pascoe mystery-- I am in love with this series!)
Sea Change: Alone Across the Atlantic in a Wooden Boat, by Peter Nichols-- I love any kind of exploration or adventure story. I didn't realize until after I finished it that this is the same Peter Nichols who is now a novelist, and wrote The Rocks, which was pretty popular a year or two ago.
I also started but quit two books: A Rising Man, by Abir Mukherjee (a mystery set in 1930s Calcutta, which should have been right up my alley-- but it just didn't grab me)
The Kiss Quotient- Helen Hoang (eh)
This week I finished "Eileen" by Ottessa Moshfegh, "Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love" by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, and "I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of Co-Star" by Judy Greer. Eileen was the most notable, as there was a lot to think about in this character study.Also, this week I finally stopped in and picked-up my Level 1 and Level 2 prizes. Can't wait to get my free scoop!
Your books have all been added!Elizabeth and Meredith, you have prizes to pick up the next time you visit your local APL branch.
Today I finished "The Perfect Neighbors" by Sarah Pekkanen. I have really been enjoying her as an author lately.
The The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy is a front row seat to the financial decisions and investment portfolios of America's millionaires. The authors, whose actual day jobs are to research the behaviors and decision making process of this population, have itemized and created descriptions of who they are career wise, what type of businesses they own and even how they buy their cars. The research is extremely extensive and shockingly specific. I was amazed at how much I learned regarding money management and that becoming a millionaire is not as complicated or unattainable as people may think. Also, as the authors figured out, the media sensationalizes wealth rather than profiling the wealthy people you can't really see. The authors interview these people and discover how simple consistent habits can change one's financial standing.
Since last posting I finished An Impartial Witness which I did not really enjoy (so unbelievable, and the author does a horrible job "telling" not "showing"), and re-read Dreaming Spies in anticipation of receiving my new copy of Island of the Mad, which I liked immensely, although this was the first Mary Russell book where it was pretty obvious what the answer was (motive for the aunt's disappearance), before Mary figured it out...I suppose King left it until the end to build up the drama. And, I don't think I listed this yet but am not sure, I read Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice which I picked up because it was on display in the library. I found it very interesting, if disappointing (not the book but the topic). I had no idea how unreliable witness identification is, and while I'd heard of false confessions from a Grisham novel, it is upsetting to realize how often and how innocent folks are lead to confess falsely by improper police procedures.
Emily wrote: "Today I finished "The Perfect Neighbors" by Sarah Pekkanen. I have really been enjoying her as an author lately."Gosh, I need this so much! Would settle for being a one-hundred-thousand-dollaraire.
Your books have been added!Emily and Anna, you have prizes to pick up the next time you visit your local APL branch.
I finished An American Marriage the other day and thought it was absolutely fantastic, so I highly recommend it. Reads as lyrically as Homegoing did last week. I’m currently reading the 6th Harry Potter having finished the 5th (and longest) one yesterday. And while it’s about POC not written by one, there is a new book coming out shortly that I read called Standing Up Against Hate and profiles the all-female, all-black 6888th regiment during World War II that were dispatched for mail service in Europe. It profiles the black female commanders and all that the women overcame as segregation was acceptable during this time in the military.
After Dark by Haruki Murakami is a dark view of what happens in a city when night begins. It is a study of beauty and how the observers and worshipers of it commodify and isolate its objects. Murakami expertly creates a story that interweaves suspense, temporal reality, and drama through the incisively precise character of Mari whose sister, Eri has been asleep for two months. She is not in a coma, or unhealthy, but asleep away from the cares of the world. She chose sleep and those around her are fine with it. This story challenges the reader's point of view as observer in the story and even in life. How much can we observe until we actually take action? Murukami asks this question through this cryptically illustrated story.
Finished Out of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and the Unwanted Colt Who Conquered the Sport of Kings, a great read for anyone interested in the US between wars, equine athletes, or American-dream stories.
Read a few more manga titles last week!Midnight Secretary: Having a vampire boss makes the executive assistant's position more complicated!
La Corda d'Oro Volume 2: For the music theme, it's about a girl learning the violin, with some romantic elements.
My Hero Academia Volume 1: A recent favorite! This title's been getting a lot of well-deserved buzz. It's about a boy with the heart of a hero who gains the power of his idol to become a superhero himself!
Over the weekend I finished two books:The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi
Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel
I am reading things all out of order, but I was intrigued by the "graphic novel" category, and so I read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and Over Easy. I liked both. So different, and neither fit the traditional "comic book" model, so I can now see why there needs to be the term "graphic novel". I also finished Alternate Side, which is everything I liked about "Laura and Emma" but without anything I didn't like about that other book. The author's name had seemed familiar, but I think I was getting Anna Quinlen mixed up with someone else, and now I'll have to read more things by her. Going off the bingo board, I'm not sure what to do about "a genre youve never read". I read pretty broadly, most often based on "books that I find randomly on the front shelves at the library or in a friend's collection" so there are few genres that I am willing to read that I haven't read.
And I forgot to share that I also read a graphic novel that might be fun for everyone to read Black AF: America's Sweetheart featuring a teenage black female superhero and written/illustrated by POC.
I have added all the books read above. Great job, everyone!
Here is an update on where some of you are in prizes, ready for you to pick up at your convenience:@Jessica M (wildmntnhoney) - Level 4 prize (congrats on finishing the 12-book summer reading challenge!)
@Anna (AMbiologist) - Level 1, 2, 3 prizes
@Jessica - Level 1 prize
@Emily Shoop - Level 1 prize
@Michelle H - Level 1, 2 prizes
@Diane B - Level 1, 2
@Molly - Level 1, 2, 3, 4 prizes (congrats on finishing the 12-book summer reading challenge!)
@Emily (slushies) - Level 2, 3 prizes
@Susan DE - Level 1, 2, 3 prizes
@Kariesaurusrex - Level 1 prize
@Meredith - Level 3 prize
@Katie K - Level 4 prize (congrats on finishing the 12-book summer reading challenge!)
@Rich P - Level 1, 2 prizes
@Kristopher A - Level 1, 2 prizes
@Valerie (Tetchy) - Level 1 prize
@Alicia R - Level 1 prize
@Elizabeth - Level 1, 2 prizes
@Josanna14 - Level 1, 2 prizes
@Abi (foureyedabi) - Level 1, 2 prizes
@Jaybee - Level 4 prize (congrats on finishing the 12-book summer reading challenge!)
@Alicia (aabdul) - Level 4 prize (congrats on finishing the 12-book summer reading challenge!)
@Eva (ED) - Level 1 prize
@Diana - Level 2, 3 prizes
@Kathleen - Level 3, 4 prizes (congrats on finishing the 12-book summer reading challenge!)
Congratulations to all for reading so voraciously so far this summer! Please remember to tell the staff member at your local Albany Public Library branch that you are on the Goodreads list!
While I am partial to Mindy Kaling since I adored her show "The Mindy Project", I also enjoyed her autobiographical/comedic narrative, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?. Her one great piece of advice was if you want to get anywhere in this world, "Write your own part". She briefly discusses her journey as a writer/actor on the hit show, "The Office," and her brief stint as a writer at SNL. Then she provides ample time to express her rambling thoughts on her 11 favorite moments in comedy, movies she would like to remake, and why she stopped eating cupcakes. It was a hoot!
ED wrote: "While I am partial to Mindy Kaling since I adored her show "The Mindy Project", I also enjoyed her autobiographical/comedic narrative, [book:Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?|1033..."Eva, I added your book.
Hello. I'm back among the living (sort of).. We have moved and are now living with boxes and boxes, etc. Two books I have finished are: The Weed That String's the Hangman's Bag and The Pilgrim Hawk. I enjoyed them both.
Also, I'm not sure where I am in the prizes and how many books I have read. I had a list and I'm sure I'll locate it one day.. Thanks!!
Vickie wrote: "Also, I'm not sure where I am in the prizes and how many books I have read. I had a list and I'm sure I'll locate it one day.. Thanks!!"Vickie, I added the two books you mentioned, and you are now at a total of 8 books read for the summer reading program. You can pick up for level 1 and 2 prizes the next time you visit an APL branch. One more book will put you at the level 3 prize mark. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hmm... something is wrong with this count, as I have already picked up level one and two prizes and just finished two more books.. I just checked under the heading "my books" and I have read ten beginning with "The Perfume Collector" on June 23rd. I can list them for you, if you cannot see that list under my books. Thanks!!
Vickie wrote: "Hmm... something is wrong with this count, as I have already picked up level one and two prizes and just finished two more books.. I just checked under the heading "my books" and I have read ten be..."Here are the books I have listed for you: The Perfume Collector, Marriage of Opposites, Why Did I Ever, France is a Feast, Wintering, Perfume River, The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, and The Pilgrim Hawk.
Let me know which books I'm missing, and I will add them.
Hi, Cassandra,Stars Over Sunset Boulevard and A Place called Winter. I gave 3 stars to the first and 4 to the latter. I did enjoy them both. Thanks.
Vickie wrote: "Hi, Cassandra,Stars Over Sunset Boulevard and A Place called Winter. I gave 3 stars to the first and 4 to the later. I did enjoy them both. Thanks."
I added your books, so you can pick up a level 3 prize the next time you visit your local APL branch.
For Week 6 I read “The Hounds of the Mòrrigan” by Pat O’Shea. The book was lying around at work so I gave it a try. Kind of like Harry Potter, geared towards kids, but accessible by adults.
Hello, I have finished "Rich and Pretty" a fun and interesting novel about two best friends.
Hello, again. I also finished "Simply Keto" a great starter book for using the Keto diet to improve your health. Enough info to get you started and many recipes I'm looking forward to trying. I finished yesterday just at the deadline. I'm looking forward to picking up the rest of my prizes. I really enjoyed seeing what everyone else is reading. I have so many new titles to add to my "want to read" list. Thanks, Albany Public Library!!
@Rich and @Vickie, I have added your completed books!
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Albany Public Library
Books mentioned in this topic
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (other topics)BLACK [AF]: America's Sweetheart (other topics)
Alternate Side (other topics)
Over Easy (other topics)
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Mindy Kaling (other topics)Mindy Kaling (other topics)
Haruki Murakami (other topics)
Welcome to Week 6 of APL's Summer Reading Program!
If you have not registered yet for the program, please look back on our discussion titled "2018 Summer Reading Program Information!" to register and get all the information needed!
If you have registered, read on!
This week’s theme focuses on authors of color.
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” - Maya Angelou
Create a rich tapestry of reading this summer, celebrate diversity and check out books written by authors of color. Below are some of our suggestions, but be sure to include reviews for books you have read that other summer readers might be interested in.
Remember to comment if you have finished a book this week, including the title and author. You can also stop into your local APL branch and pick up a BINGO card, if you prefer pen and paper to screen and keyboard!
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Kindred by Octavia Butler
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
No One Is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice & Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Hunger by Roxane Gay
This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins
Heart Berries by Terese Mailhot