October Read Harder update

It's weird how time feels like it moves so slow and so fast at the same time. Time, you strange and fickle construct. Anyway, it's the end of October, only two months left in 2023, and here we are, once again, to talk about the books that I've been reading. Not only did I finish Scattered Showers, I reviewed it earlier this month! 'Twas good, in case you skipped that review. (It's fine if you did. My feelings aren't hurt.) Ghost Squad was also a solid read - a little bit spooky and a little bit magical, a perfect read for October. I also reviewed that one, and again, if you skipped it, that doesn't hurt my feelings...at all...

Moving on from my hurt feelings, at long last I have finished The 1619 Project, which I recommend all white people read, preferably with an open heart and open mind and any defensiveness left at the door. It provides a much-needed education for those of us (I would hazard to say most of us) who were taught a white-washed version of history and sold the illusion that the United States has made significant racial progress when, in fact, we have not. The book painstakingly demonstrates and documents how multiple disparate injustices and inequities weave together, illustrating that addressing only one piece of the puzzle is a band-aid over a mortal wound. We can't fix what's broken about the United States by slapping a little gauze over symptoms as they pop up, and we certainly can't fix things while pretending the root problems don't exist. (Psst. Write your representatives and push them to consider HR40 and HR414. You can also sign this petition and email the White House to request President Biden create a commission on reparations by executive order.)

Now, in addition to Hood Feminism, which I'm still working on, I've got two challenges left for the year, neither of which I'm feeling super enthused about. Maybe my tune will change when I actually look at options, let's see.

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#23: Read a social horror, mystery, or thriller novel: NOT MY JAM! I'm going to read White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson, because I've read her stuff before and I like her, so maybe I'll like this, even though I'm a big baby and don't like horror stuff.

#24: Pick a challenge from any of the previous years' challenges to repeat: I don't know, maybe some people like this as a challenge option, but I don't. Just give me a challenge, don't make me pick my own from a previous challenge. Y'all came up with twenty-three, you couldn't come up with one more? 💤 Boring.

Okay, after a lot of soul searching and a nap, I've landed on challenge #18 from 2017: Read a superhero comic with a female lead. I'm going to read La Borinqueña by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. It was generously donated to my school library my first year there, and every time I see it on the shelf I want to check it out, so this seems like a good opportunity to finally do so.

And that's that, the last two challenges for the year!