Bookish – Page 5

Review – Every Day by David Levithan

February 6, 2018

My Facebook memories reminded me of this photo I uploaded five years ago. (How could this possibly have been five years ago?)

The best part of this memory is that it reminded me of the discovery of one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. This particular book opened my eyes to a world I hadn’t considered before. It’s one of the catalysts in helping me transform into the open-minded, open-hearted liberal that I am today. I don’t mean liberal in the political sense, but in the social sense. You see, friends, I was raised in the conservative South around gun-toting “Christian” republicans who, through no fault of their own, are often extremely narrow-minded.

I don’t fault them this. I don’t begrudge them this. I grew up in this conservative bubble and we were happy. We didn’t have hurtful political discourse. But moving and living in a new environment and opening myself up to the life experiences of others helped me to become the person I am today. And I kind of love the person I have become.

Every Day by David Levithan fell into my lap during this transitional time. I had always supported my gay friends. I had always supported gay marriage as an idea, but I didn’t quite get it as far as fighting for equality when. I supported it because it impacted my friends’ lives, not because it affected the fabric of our nation, of our society and world.

How to Go On a Date

January 3, 2018

If there’s one thing I have learned to appreciate as I’ve gotten older, it’s a good, solitary lunch. Growing up, I used to get genuine anxiety thinking about going to lunch by myself. I’d plan my meals around the schedules of others. I’d sometimes skip a meal completely just so I wouldn’t have to eat alone. These days, though, I look forward to the rare opportunity to take myself on a nice date.

There’s something wonderful about going to a restaurant with delicious food, sipping on a sweet tea, and not worrying about anybody else’s schedule. I love turning off my phone, opening a good book, and watching people interact. For me, no lunch date is complete without chips and queso.

So, as we run into 2018 and you’re living your “New Year, New Me” thing, consider taking some time to date yourself. Here’s what I suggest:

2018; New Year, New Reads

January 1, 2018

Happy New Year, readers! It’s 2018. Can you believe it’s already 2018? I swear, the older I get, the more quickly years seem to fly by. It feels like I’d barely gotten my feet on the ground in 2017 before we were ringing it out. But now we’ve got a new year, 525,600 minutes to make the most of.

For many people in my life, 2017 was a dumpster fire. For much of the world that surrounds me, 2017 seemed like utter garbage. So, readers, today I challenge you to embrace the new year and to make it newer, better, cleaner, more successful than you ever thought possible.

Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge 2018

December 30, 2017

This year I took part in the 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge. In fact, I took on the challenge of completing both lists, which was a stretch for me. Somehow, blessedly, I finished both lists and feel like a rock star for it. This year, it seems there’s only the one list and I can’t wait to start figuring out which books I’m going to select for this list. I’ve already picked a few, but I will update this post as I finish up my selections.

The list and more information about the reading challenge can be found here.

Below I’ll list the books I’m selecting for the challenge (and will mark them off as I read them.)

Happy Birthday, My Love

December 30, 2017

Today is my wife’s 30th birthday and the only thing she’ll hate more than me making a big deal of it, is me making a big deal of it on a blog that reaches tens of people. So instead of writing a sappy post about how amazing and beautiful she is (both of which are true) I’m going to tell you about some literary love stories that don’t hold a candle to our love. That is not to say that I don’t like these books, in fact, many of them are favorites. They just don’t compare to us.

My Year in Books

December 28, 2017

A year ago, I graduated with my master’s degree in Reading and Literacy. And I read a surprisingly small amount of books in those two years, considering it was a degree in Reading and Literacy. By the end of the program, excluding the books I had to read for required reading, I’d read twelve books in two years. It was embarrassing, considering books are such a big part of my life.

So I challenged myself to read 25 books this year. That seems like a small goal, I understand, but I work the equivalent of two full-time jobs, so I’m not just swimming in spare time. Also, after two years of really not reading, I wasn’t sure how hard it would be for me to get back into my reading groove.

Something Better than Books

December 25, 2017

I know, I know. It’s like heresy to say that anything is better than books, right? It hurts me to admit it, too. But there is–at least for me–something so much better than books.

Today, I spent Christmas with my family. My mom and dad, one of my uncles, my brothers and their significant others (one’s married and one’s engaged), and my wife. It was just so nice. Everything was chill. Everything was beautiful. It was one of those rare holidays that you absolutely could not write a sitcom about. (There have been several holidays in my family that would inspire scripts upon scripts for a sitcom writer.)

We ate delicious food. We laughed a lot. We ate some more. We opened presents. Something I love about my family and the way we’ve morphed over the past few years is that we no longer make Christmas a big show. We’ve taken some of the materialism out of it and our gifts are few and thoughtful. My family used to have a history of extravagance, sometimes to the point of thoughtlessness, in our gift-giving. But I really enjoy this subdued thing we do now. And bonus points when we exchange something handmade.

To All the Books I’ll Never Read

December 23, 2017

To all the books I’ll never read, I hope you’ll accept this letter of apology.

It’s not that I don’t think you’re beautiful. I do think you’re beautiful. The way your covers shine and glint in the light is gorgeous. The way your title sprawls across your spine is awe-inspiring.

It’s not that I think you’re gross. You’re not gross. Your pages splay out like a newly opened lily. They waft the fragrant perfume of ink and paper, of dust and memories and creativity. You permeate the room with hope and power and frenzy and love. I love that smell more than you’ll ever know.

My Life in Books

December 21, 2017

I recently stumbled across this “My Life in Books” tag and thought it looked fun and the right level of narcissistic, so I went for it.

Find a book for each of your initials.
Count your age along your bookshelf: What book is it?
Pick a book set in your city/country.
Pick a book that represents a destination you’d love to travel to.
Pick a book that’s your favoirte color.
Which book do you have the fondest memories of?
Which book did you have the most difficulty with?
Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?

1, Find a book for each of your initials.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingred
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I Probably Hate Your Favorite Book

December 18, 2017

I have a confession. I’m not proud of it (but I’m not ashamed either.) I’m not flaunting it. It’s just part of who I am. I’m going to take a deep breath and type it very quickly, the textual equivalent of ripping off a band-aid.

I probably hate your favorite book. Don’t worry, and please don’t take it personally. There are many, many reasons for me to hate your favorite book. And I’m prepared to list and discuss them all. Or at least the most important. BUT don’t worry. At the end of this post, I’m prepared to give you a list of books to try and also hate.

So now, without further ado, these are actual reasons I have hated somebody’s favorite book.

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