What a great month of reading! As noted, I ended up getting amped for Isla to Island, so that was done before November, which left plenty of time for reading the FOUR books I chose for my remaining two challenges. Black Cake was a beautiful story, so many twists and turns, so many moments of heartbreak and joy. I couldn't put it down. I also really enjoyed Lifting as we Climb, there was so much I didn't know and so many key women of the movement who I either hadn't heard of at all or had only heard bits and pieces about, so it was amazing to learn more about them. I'm currently reading both Cantoras and Information Hunters, they're a little slower-paced than the others, but I'll get them done at some point. (Don't get me wrong, they're good, just not "I can't put this down" types of books)
And now, on to December! My last challenges!
Challenge #13: Read a non-fiction book about nature or the environment. True to form, I couldn't decide! I chose Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Earth Keeper by N. Scott Momaday. (I checked these out super early from the library, and there's a waitlist for Braiding Sweetgrass, so now it's due like...now. Literally today. And I haven't read it yet, haven't even started. I really fucked myself there.)
Challenge #18: Read a cozy book by a BIPOC author. The thing about this one is it isn't always immediately discernable whether a book will be "cozy"? Sooooo I picked three to see if any of them actually qualified - Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee, Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon, and Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma. I got the audiobooks for Fake Dates and Dating Dr. Dil from the library, so I've already listened to those, and honestly, I couldn't fuckin tell you if they qualify as cozy. I'm not sure I totally understand what does. What I CAN tell you is that I hated Dating Dr. Dil and thought Fake Dates and Mooncakes was okay but a little meandery. I got a hard copy of Her Good Side, and I feel like even if none of the three end up being a cozy book, I'm counting this one as done. Tried three times? That's an A for effort.
Challenge #22: Read a holiday romance that isn't Christmas. I'm perpetually on a hunt for wintry media that doesn't center Christmas, so I love this challenge for me. I picked The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer and A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli. I started The Matzah Ball today, and I had the audiobook of A Holly Jolly Diwali on hold, but I just checked my wait time and discovered their ownership of their digital copies has expired.😭 The fuuuuuck?! The library system that's closer to my house doesn't have a physical copy, so I've got a hold in and paused at my other library system until December 6th (!!!!) when AT LAST they open their newest branch (!!!!!) which I've been waiting for for LITERAL YEARS (!!!!!!!) because it's in the neighborhood across the street from mine! 😍😍😍 I'm very excited, in case that wasn't clear.
Anyway, that brings us to the end of the year and the conclusion of another Read Harder challenge! We'll meet back here in December to peruse the 2026 challenge list and keep the ball rolling.
No comments:
Post a Comment