kgriffith’s 2019 reads and listens

Welcome to 2019, friends 😊 This space under construction but wanted to kick it off.

* = re-read

1. Medium Raw, Anthony Bourdain
2. The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo *
3. I Thought it was Just Me (but it isn't), Brené Brown
4. The Book of Joy, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
5. Twain's Feast, Andrew Beahrs
6. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson
7. Voyager, Diana Gabaldon
8. The Mermaid's Sister, Carrie Anne Noble
9. The Price of Salt, Patricia Highsmith
10. Sympathetic Little Monster, Cam Awkward-Rich
11. Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, Kai Cheng Thom
12. Arrows of the Queen, Mercedes Lackey *
13. Arrow's Flight *
14. Arrow's Fall *
15. On the Come Up, Angie Thomas
16. Bitch Planet 2, Kelly Sue DeConnick
17. Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, Mackenzi Lee
18. Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor
19. The Iliad, translated by Caroline Alexander
20. Sexile, Jaime Cortez
21. An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon
22. Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor
23. Rogue Protocol, Martha Wells
24. Blanca and Roja, Anna-Marie McLemore
25. Artificial Condition, Martha Wells
26. Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
27. Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal, JK Rowling
28. Harry Potter y la Camara Secreta
29. Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban
30. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Samin Nosrat
31. Women in Science, Rachel Ignotofsky
32. Super Top Secret Pre-Publication Book
33. With the Fire On High, Elizabeth Acevedo
34. Ancillary Sword, Ann Leckie
35. We Fed an Island, Jose Andres
36. Sadie, Courtney Summers
37. My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite
38. The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon
39. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K Le Guin
40. Beloved, Toni Morrison
41. Ancillary Mercy, Ann Leckie
42. Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban, JKR
43. Sword and Pen, Rachel Caine
44. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman
45. The Sol Majestic, Ferrett Steinmetz
46. The Iliad, translated by Caroline Alexander
47. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin
48. The Obelisk Gate: The Broken Stone, N. K. Jemisin
50. Vivas to Those Who Have Failed, Martín Espada
51. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
52. The Once and Future King, Terence Hanbury White
53. The Candle in the Wind, THW
54. The Witch in the Wood, THW
55. The Sword in the Stone. THW
56. Forking Good: A Cookbook Inspired by The Good Place, Valya Dudycz Lupescu
57. Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin
58. The Book of Merlyn, THW
59. Haunting Images, Tine M. Gammeltoft
60. The Stone Sky: The Broken Stone, Book 3, N. K. Jemisin
61. The Body Silent, Robert Francis Murphy
62. Speak No Evil, Uzodinma Iweala
63. Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Jones
64. The Kingdom of Copper, S. A. Chakraborty
65. Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
66. Righteous Dopefiend, Philippe I. Bourgois, Jeff Schonberg
67. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers
68. A Closed and Common Orbit, Becky Chambers
69. Castle in the Air, Diana Wynne Jones
70. Save me the Plums, Ruth Reichl
71. The Lightning-Struck Heart, TJ Klune (I read this and others listed after it early in the year but missed recording them until I went through Litsy) *
72. When the Moon Was Ours, Anna-Marie McLemore *
73. Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi *
74. Velocity Weapon, Megan E O'Keefe
75. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern *

1. Medium Raw, Anthony Bourdain
I enjoyed much about this, but won’t read others of his books. I’m glad I chose this one as I’m sure I’d find Kitchen Confidential much more offensive. I have a pretty high tolerance for most types of bullshit, but a whole chapter dedicated to fat-shaming besides the general hate on fat people throughout, and multiple uses of the R-word including teaching his small child to use it, make this one I will never revisit. I can appreciate the ways he didn’t exploit people on his travels without subjecting myself to his less kind side.

Happy New Year and happy new thread, Kir! Wow, I will skip that Bourdain. I read Kitchen Confidential years ago, but can't remember any specifics now.

>2 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi! Yeah, it’s unfortunate but definitely soured me on the book as a whole. I’ll watch more of No Reservations; I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far.

Also, you’re more likely to get regular updates from me if you’re also on Litsy: if you are and we aren’t already friends, drop your username! Here’s my post linking to my 75ers thread: http://litsy.com/p/TVZ6OVdLc1dL

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Karen, this year.

Happy reading in 2019, Kirsten!

Happy New Year, Kirsten! Thanks for your honest review in >1 kgriffith:

Welcome back!

Happy new thread!

Thanks, everyone! Hard to believe I've been doing this for 10 years (11 chronologically but skipped 2013).

2. The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo
This was a re-read, I knew it wouldn't take much time at all and I'd been wanting to revisit it on paper since my first time through on audio. I'm super excited for her next book, With the Fire on High, which looks to be right in my wheelhouse and is due out this spring.

3. I Thought it was Just Me (but it isn't), Brené Brown
From my Litsy post:
I’m sure I would have found this more instructive when it came out, not that the research is dated, but that I’ve come to a lot of this through my own experience and work over the last decade. Unlike with Rising Strong, I don’t think I’ve had a takeaway that I’ll keep coming back to in my mind, but perhaps. If so, I’ll consider revising to a pick 🤓

Phew, just updated for the first time since spring. I have a few days to hit 75, do we think I can do it??

Maybe! Graphic novels are quick... 😀

Well whaddaya know, I did make it, just missed a few because I hadn't marked them as complete/reviewed them on Litsy. :D

Awesome! Congrats!

Congratulations on reaching 75, Kirsten!

Your #71-73 were all books I enjoyed! I've heard good things about your #74 as well.