April, or how did I not manage to bust my #readmyowndamnbooks plans???

Truly, honestly, did not expect to have fewer books on my TBR shelves than I started the month with. I know myself too well to anticipate that I won't spend my birthday month spoiling myself. Plus, birthday presents (thanks for ignoring my request for no books or yarn, family!).

But it's okay because I am officially down a whopping five books for the month and 30 for the year. I'm sure there's some calculations for how fast I need to read to keep up and actually clear off the shelves, which actually sounds like a fun challenge now that I think about it. Math is fun!

Oh well.

I did end up doing both the 24-hour Readathon AND the Austin Independent Bookstore Crawl, though! I probably read....10 hours? My eyes started crossing around midnight and I thought my fingers weren't attached, so I went to bed. And I only visited three of the stores, but I have no regrets there. Quality>quantity.

I visited:

1. Monkey Wrench Books, where I had to take a picture with something that resonated with (anxious) me:

2. Book-Woman, where I was to take a photo with a children's book (SHEEEEEEP):

3. Half Price Books, where I had to find Audrey II:

And of course, I supported the local economy:

This is also why I only went to three stores (and why I should be supervised). 

I ended the day very, very, very tired with Pillow Thoughts and Butters:

It's not obvious yet, but I really leaned into the fact that April was National Poetry Month. I bought poetry collections, read some poetry collections that I had, and picked up a novel-in-verse from the library. I still don't think that all poetry is good poetry, but I definitely enjoyed more of it than I didn't. So I will start there.

The Good Stuff:

Poetry:

1. Not So Deep As A Well by Dorothy Parker:

Dorothy Parker is known for her witticisms, and her best poems are the one where this is allowed to shine. Not all of these were gems, but some like "News Item", "Song of One of the Girls", "Observation", and "Sanctuary" made me laugh. There's also a good mini-collection of poems full of snark on other authors.

2. DROPKICKromance by Cyrus Parker:

Parker is the partner of amanda lovelace, a poet who I love, so I was excited to pick up this collection partially inspired by lovelace. The first part is heartbreak, the second part is rebuilding and a love letter to lovelace. It's all beautiful, and I recommend reading the works of both poets,

Nonfiction

1. I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell:

This was a surprising read. While at first I was skeptical of how anyone could nearly die that many times, it was quickly apparent that not all brushes with death were quite as close. O'Farrell titles her stories by what organ nearly killed her along with a year it happened, jumping forward and backward to tell her story. This style made me think of my own brushes with death. While still not as numerous, it was a good reminder that life still needs to be lived and to trust your gut.

2. Meaty by Samantha Irby: 

This memoir takes place before Irby's other work, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life (also good, go read it), but it was just as good to read it after. In some ways, funnier, because she spends so much time talking about something that ultimately happens and she writes about in her second memoir. This felt a bit, dare I say it, meatier than her other memoir, if only because it includes taking care of her ailing mother as a young child and teen, then losing both parents before she was 18. It's an important part of her story, but it's not her entire story. Irby will still make you laugh, even when the subject is gross or sad. 

Classics:

1. The Awakening by Kate Chopin:

I really love when classics come with an introduction that tells you the ending (sarcasm). I know that I am far beyond spoilers for this by now, but who thought this was a good idea? I enjoyed it, despite that. I somehow picked this novel up at the exact right time in my life. Edna Pontellier and I both started the novel at 28, with her birthday celebration towards the end of the novel and mine only days away once I finished it. Despite the current era, it was easy to understand Edna's feelings of being trapped and bored by her life. There are still many unwritten rules for how women should behave, from the day they are born to the day they die. Much like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, she wanted more than her family and society could allow. When she had a chance to go a little wild, she took it. 

Another month without rereads. I've got no time to go backwards. 

The Best of the Rest:

1. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson:

First off- THIS IS A STANDALONE TEEN NOVEL!!!! How novel is that in this current era of everything-is-a-trilogy-or-more? But it is also excellent. In this world where fairies are real, they can't cook or write or paint or anything that might be considered a Craft, so they are totally impressed with the humans who provide those services for them. Isobel is an incredibly talented painter, so all the best fairies visit her for their portraits. Eventually this leads the autumn prince, ruler of one of the realms (all seasonal), to her doorstep. She paints him, but includes something impossible- human emotions on his face. It spooks them both and sets off a series of events that could change the entire fairy realm. 

2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein:

Finally had to read this one for book club and now I know why I was avoiding it- FEELINGS. At first, this novel made no sense. A spy, has been captured by the Nazis in France. They are having her give all the information that she can, though she is adding in stories about her friend Maddie and how she ended up captured. Time seems to be running out for her, with threats that she is going to be sent off to a special camp for scientific experiments. Then it switches to Maddie's perspective, filling in pieces of the story as she is hunkered down outside of the city, trying desperately to find and save her friend. This is one that you will instantly want to reread, trying to make sense of everything. 

3. Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough:

This novel-in-verse tells the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian painter known for biblical female stories, but also for her sexual assault at the hands of her tutor and the trial she endured to clear her name. I really loved how McCullough told Artemisia's story, with the inclusion of Susanna and Judith from the Bible as guides. We see that through painting them, Artemisia captured what it is to be a woman, especially one usually shown through the lens of a man. I've known of Artemisia since I was a teen, so I am glad that she is getting more attention, especially told so beautifully.

And so now, I leave you with a photo of my shelves. 

At least all my books fit at the moment! 

March, or spring forward

I continue to be impressed by the number of my books that don't suck. It's almost like I managed to curate a decent collection without even trying. #humblebrag

It also means that I've been doing so well cleaning off my shelves that a) I have room for library books again and b) I have to start thinking about what the empty middle shelves will eventually hold. Will I rearrange my shelves again? Leave the shelves for my library books and knickknacks? These are incredibly important questions, obviously. If we can't agree on how to shelve some books, how will we ever achieve world peace?

Let's cut to the good stuff because honestly, this is already late. :)

Nonfiction:

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
I probably read this too fast for most of it to sink in, but I still enjoyed it. Intended for a much younger audience, this is a beautifully illustrated collection of short biographies. Each women gets a full page illustration of herself plus a page about her and her contribution to scientific progress. I really liked it and hope that it inspires a generation of nerds, but I also wanted more information on literally every woman included. I can definitely see some science biographies ending up on to-be-read shelves after reading this.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Oh, Amy Poehler. I really loved her in Parks & Rec along with everything she's ever done with Tina Fey. I'm having a ton of trouble describing this book, mostly because it's a little bit of everything. She writes about her time with the Upright Citizens Brigade, how she eventually made it to New York and SNL, her ex, her new beau, her babies. Some people won't love this because they expect Amy Poehler, Comedian, and this is Amy Poehler the Human Being on a Normal Day. She's still funny, but also very real. I walked away from this one loving her more.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Any My Favorite Murder fans will know this title, but other people will know the author as Patton Oswalt's wife. Michelle McNamara, who sadly passed before this title was finished, was a true crime writer who became absolutely obsessed with the man she dubbed the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murderer across the state of California in the 1970s and 1980s. This book is totally out of my usual repertoire, but I was drawn in so quickly that I finished it within days even though I had a few nightmares. The crimes themselves are described with an amount of respect that keeps this from being torture porn, but the most fascinating part is how much work McNamara put into trying to find the killer. It's part true crime and part confessional, with each portion blending into a really interesting work. Fair warning, pieces were edited and pieced together from her notes by her assistant and another true crime writer. The killer, who many thought she would actually find, has not been discovered.

Classics:

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
One of my friends said she had avoided this book because she worried it would be too sad, which is the same reason I've avoided it for so long. Except it really isn't. Yes, it does deal with darkness, but it isn't dark. Plath is funny and real, portraying someone who is on uneasy footing and becomes depressed once her life is seemingly going nowhere. Like Esther's life, the novel was a bit meandering, but that lack of urgency can be rather refreshing. Unlike my last two classics, I found myself wanting to finish this one for its conclusion and not because I needed it to be over with.

Rereads:

I skipped this month, though I did read Remembrance by Meg Cabot, which is the adult novel to conclude The Mediator series that she wrote for teens while I was actually a teen. It sort of counts. Not recommended for someone to just pick up, but Mediator fans will enjoy it.

Best of the Rest:

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

I actually read some other decent things this month, but Bardugo's illustrated collection of short stories blows everything else out of the water. Each story is loosely tied into the world she built with The Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, but is entirely readable without knowledge of either. They're slightly creepy, dark stories that touch on traditional fairy tales but never become them. The endings aren't happily married and who cares what happens ever after, but instead have protagonists gaining independence and knowledge. Come for the drawings, stay for the stories.

Coming up this month are two of my favorite events and they're both on the same date! April 28th will be one of the biannual Dewey's 24-hour Readathons AND the Austin Bookstore Crawl. I'm not sure which way I'll go this year. On the one hand, there are new stores on the crawl. On the other, I have a ton of books I already need to read. Either way, you'll find out about both next month!

February, or how to wreck all your TBR plans

It was a short month.

I went on vacation.

I was unsupervised in multiple bookstores.

What happens in Boston stays in Boston?

Whoopsie.

What I'm saying is that this month was not great for my resolution to #readmyowndamnbooks or any of my other challenges. I made it, and I am still at a net loss on my TBR for the year, but IT WAS SO HARD. 

I know. I deserve all the sighs and disappointment. 

February will forever be the worst of times (Dwight's been gone an entire year and I feel about four thousand years older), but it helped that my favorite holiday was also this month. Definitely not Valentine's Day because that is boring, but Geek Bowl, an annual trivia competition run by Geeks Who Drink. This year it was held in Boston, so off I went. We were nowhere near placing, but 49th out of 232 teams from across the nation (and Canada!) is really not all that bad. We have had much, much worse showings. Also I saw snow, which is always a novelty when you're from Texas.

Anyway, being in Boston meant a trip to Brattle Book Shop, a used bookstore that includes two floors of used books, an entire floor of rare and antiquarian books, and an outdoor sale lot. I walked out with three more books, so I do have some amount of will power. By will power, I mean claustrophobia because there are so many books and people that it's hard to move around. I took home Dorothy Parker's Not So Deep as a Well, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and Lily King's Euphoria. I've read the last one, but I borrowed it from the library originally and it's too good not to have. Also, I climbed ladders in here to reach the top shelves and it was terrifying BUT WORTH IT.

Then I ended up on Newbury Street, home to Trident Booksellers and Cafe. I had no intention of buying anything because they're new books, which means that I could literally buy them anywhere else, but then I found Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist in the wrong place and it was the Harper Perennial Olive Edition that I wanted so badly. And then I gave up and also got Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, too.

All this to say that my vacations are super cool. 

And if you're in Boston and like yarn, you should hit up gather here and New England Farm to Fiber.

Now back to your regularly scheduled round-up.

Challenge Reads:

Nonfiction:
Code Girls by Liza Mundy:
I got this book for Christmas from my Dad as part of our family's book exchange. I had heard good things about it a few weeks before, so I was looking forward to this and hoping for the best. While I will say it was a little slow, I was really fascinated by the work that many women signed up for primarily during World War II, but also during World War I. Not so surprised by the rivalry between the Army and Navy's code breaking divisions and how working together would have been smarter but clearly was just not the way to do things (eye rolls abound). Most of the women didn't even realize that they were doing the exact same things because they never talked about it. These women broke the codes that saved so many lives while worrying about the men they loved overseas and knowing that unbroken codes meant death. Then they were basically told to go back home and to pretend that they weren't incredibly important people.

Classics:
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare:
So I have *feelings* about this one. Why was Kate so angry? Did anyone ask? Because after all her interactions with the men in this I'm like, yes, I would also be angry.

Although these lines are great:
"Why sir, I trust I may have leave to speak,
And speak I will; I am no child, no babe.
Your betters have endured me say my mind,
And if you cannot, best you stop your ears.
My tongue will tell the anger of my heart,
Or else my heart, concealing it, will break,
And rather than it shall, I will be free,
Even to the uttermost, as I please, in words."
-Act IV, Scene III

But then Petruchio is all, I know best and I'm going to be super annoying until you stop complaining. Classics are clearly going to continue being a challenge for me, especially since all the men are tedious.

Rereads:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell:
I originally read this four years ago and apparently I like it more now than I did then according to Goodreads. Cather writes Simon Snow (basically Harry Potter) fanfiction and is one of the most popular writers. It's also a great distraction from her real life; her father has manic episodes, her mother left when she was eight, and her twin sister has decided that they need time apart and separate dorms at college. It's a ton of change for her to be alone, but she always has Simon and Baz. Instead of trying to make the most of college, Cath throws herself into finishing her version of book eight before the author publishes hers. Rowell captures some of the growing pains of college very well, though her version of an ending annoyed me yet again. Fair warning, after more than 400 pages it just sort of ends.

The Best of the Rest:

One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg:
A man is very proud of his faithful virgin wife, so he lets his gross friend try to seduce her over the course of one hundred nights. However, every night her lady's maid/love tells a little bit more of a story, stretching it out over the course of the entire hundred days. The stories are of sisters and magic and moons who were once women, all beautifully illustrated and told. They're sad, but also funny and true. In one, reading amounts to witchcraft (I would be very dead in this world). I absolutely loved it.

the witch doesn't burn in this one by amanda lovelace:
Release date is March 6, 2018. This title isn't out for a few days, but I was lucky enough to read a review copy. I really loved her previous work the princess saves herself in this one, but this one really captured something raw and angry that I understand too well. The phrase witch hunt is thrown around like it doesn't hold the weight of too many unjustified deaths. It's this kind of anger that flows through the poetry. Did you burn all the witches or did you burn women who inspired others to become witches? I'm already excited to read this again.

Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn too by Jomny Sun:
This one is cheerier, mostly. A aliebn comes to study humans, but ends up studying everything else. He makes friends with trees and frogs and bees to the point that this is overwhelmingly sweet despite life carrying on. It's so simply drawn and told that it's almost like reading a very poignant children's book.

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman:
A prequel to Practical Magic, this tells the story of the aunts Franny, the sturdy and reliable one, and Jet, the beauty who once drove boys to their deaths before Sally and Gillian arrived. It's also the story of Vincent, their warlock brother, and April, their rebellious cousin and how all their lives intertwined for a summer that would pull them back together forever. I loved going back to this witchy world, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. The family curse that kills anyone who dares to love an Owens is alive and well during this, but the reason it came to be is finally revealed.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black:
Holly Black might as well be the queen of the faeries. I love this dark and twisty tale of human twin sisters Jude and Taryn taken underground by their half-sister Vivi's faerie father after he murdered their parents. Taryn has since taken the easy route of trying to fit in, but Jude, the main character, wants to stand out and earn her place at court as the next king's guard. She is brave and a bit foolish, standing up to the Cruel Prince Cardan and his friends, to her own detriment. As the coronation of the next king nears, Jude is pulled into court drama as a spy for one of the princes and a romance with one of Cardan's friends. Holly Black beautifully blows everything up, starts to put it back together and now I have to wait for the next book in this planned trilogy.

Even though I didn't read quite as much as I did last month, February was a really great month for books. Plus, I'm down seven books this month bringing my grand total TBR loss to 15. I might need a spring break readathon to keep this up, though. Til then! 

January Update

So far, I feel really great about my #readmyowndamnbooks challenge. My shelf is down eight books, both from reading and from tossing some into a box to take to Half Price Books. If there is anything that this past month has taught me, it's that I have curated a nice little library for myself.

The exception is my classics collection. Reading more nonfiction last month was a breeze, but I only finished one of the classics I started (and I didn't like it). I have plenty more to choose from, so maybe I just picked the wrong ones to start with. Alternatively, the classics are actually terrible and it's just one of those things we're not supposed to say out loud. Who knows?

Challenge Reads:

Nonfiction:

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty: 

I felt like this book was as much about the postmortem lives of bodies as it was about grieving processes. The grieving is what really stuck out for me (though fans of Mary Roach's Stiff might enjoy the other component more). There are so many cultures that Doughty explores that keep their dead close and have rituals that give some sense of closure. We don't really do that here. It would be interesting to bring funeral rites back from professionals to family (though I see it as unlikely), but I at least like knowing that there are options for when I eventually die. Like having an open air funeral pyre provided I can purchase land in a specific Colorado county before my death (goals) or picking out decomposition spots with my spouse at the Forensic Osteology Research Station in North Carolina to aid people in law enforcement (less goals, but romantic?).

What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather:
I loved this collection of essays, though I admit some of them hit the spot more than others (an entire essay on books and libraries). What brought it home for me was the hope and buoyancy I felt after reading it. There have been things going on in America that I am not proud of, but Rather puts them into perspective in a way that makes me feel that we can weather them. Courage.

Classics:
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller:
I finished it! Maybe it's better live?

Rereads:
Lady Killer, Volume 1 by Joelle Jones:
I love this series, so I was happy to pick it up again for comic book club. Josie Schuller is picture perfect as a stereotypical 1950s housewife, but can whip up dinner for her family just as easily as she can murder a man. It's both a classic and modern tale of a woman trying to juggle work and family in order to have it all, especially when it seems that her male colleagues think she's gone soft and prefers her home life. The artwork is crisp and the colors are vivid, which make for a beautifully told story.

The Best of the Rest:

Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli:
I hate myself for not reading this sooner. That's what I messaged my friend who had been pushing me to read it for years, but clearly I'm stubborn and sometimes spite myself. Simon is gay. He knows it, but only one other person at his high school knows it. And they only communicate by email under fake names. Except one day, Simon forgets to sign out of his email and another guy reads them, screenshots them, and lords it over Simon for a date with Simon's friend. What I really loved was how sweet the emails between Simon and "Blue" are, but also how realistic this felt.

Brazen by Penelope Bagieu:
I love Bagieu's work, so her name has been on the blog before. She's the author and illustrator of California Dreamin' about Mama Cass, plus so many other great titles. This one might be my favorite though. Told in short comics, Bagieu shares the lives of roughly 30 women and what made or makes them great. Her artwork is beautiful, plus I feel like she did a pretty good job choosing a diverse group of women to highlight. Mostly nonfiction, but not 100% certain. This comes out next month, so get your pre-order in today!

Send me your best classic recommendations! How are your book challenges going? Do you hate classics? I probably hate classics!

Until next month!

December Books, or Last Year's Reads

In December, I made a horrible mistake. Twice.

I started reading two series and now I have to wait months for their final books.

Basically, this is your warning. If you start either of these series now, you will be waiting months for the conclusions and join me in my sweet misery.

Turn back now (but I included the release dates in case you want to decide for yourself).

1. Misfit City, Volume 1 by Kirsten Smith, Kurt Lustgarten and Naomi Franquiz
If you've ever thought that The Goonies could be improved if it starred females, then go directly to your local bookstore and buy this. If you wish Lumberjanes were more grounded in real life, but still had adventures? Get this. Because this, my friends, is basically if the Lumberjanes starred in The Goonies. It's great. A group of female friends live in a tiny town that relies on tourism from its days as a cult-favorite film set. The town museum, where one of the girls works, has film props and everyone knows the directions to the filming locations by heart. An older member of the community dies and leaves the museum a chest that contains part of Black Mary's treasure map. When the ladies end up with the map, they also end up with a target on their back and a mystery to solve. I can't wait for the second volume of this, but it's also the last volume. Ugh. Second volume releases in May.

2/3. A Shadow Bright and Burning AND A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess
Only men can be sorcerers in this Victorian-set historical fantasy novel, but that doesn't mean that women don't have magical powers. The sorcerers have burned all the witches, allegedly, but one female sorcerer of sorcerer heritage is prophesied to end the reign of terror that has besieged England. Seven Ancients have attacked the cities and the surrounding water for over a decade and no one has been able to stop them. So the sorcerers search and might have found their hero in Henrietta Howel, an orphaned girl who can light herself on fire like a human torch. She must learn to wield her magic in order to save herself, her friends and her country, but she's not even sure that she's the right woman for the job. A Sorrow Fierce and Falling comes out this fall TBA. 

In other news, I am only six days into my #readmyowndamnbooks challenge and I have purchased more books that I've read! But on the plus side, I already finished one nonfiction title. Book resolutions are a mixed bag, y'all. Find out more about how all that's working out next month!

2018 Goals

For the last few years, I've completed the Goodreads Challenge. Basically, pick a number and read that number of books. I started with 50, but I've bumped it up to 100 books since. It's not too difficult to reach that, especially with the amount of graphic novels I read, but it's hard enough that I wondered if I would make it this year.

I also started looking at what types of things I'm reading. Since I didn't use Goodreads shelves to organize titles by genre/age group or anything like that (too many shelves), I copied my 2017 shelf into an Excel doc and started dividing into four categories: adult fiction, adult nonfiction, young adult fiction, and graphic novels/comics. As of today, just under half my total is graphic novels and comics, 25% is adult fiction, 20% young adult, and only 8% nonfiction. While I could break this down further, I feel like it's obvious that things are a bit unbalanced. I'm proud that my adult fiction included more mysteries and even a western, but I'm really disappointed in my nonfiction total. I've also probably accumulated more books than I've read. 

So within the 100+ titles I plan to read next year, I'm adding new goals:

1. More nonfiction. I only read NINE works of nonfiction this year. I'm reading another right now, but nonfiction is great! Ayelet Waldman's A Really Good Day and Kate Moore's Radium Girls are easily two of the best things I read this year. So in hopes of finding more gems like these, or at least learning more, I'm going to read at least one nonfiction title per month. It's still a low number, but putting it more at the forefront should help.

2. Rereading. I really, really don't do this because I have too many new titles to read, but I've started looking longingly at a few past titles that I've wanted to pick up again. I'm still coming up with a way to keep myself from reading too many from my back catalog, but I think it will be a ratio. Five new titles to every one reread might be the ticket. 

3. Classics. So I skipped reading many, many required classics in high school. Despite always reading a ton on the side, required reading was tedious, boring torture. Some of this I blame on the selections, but maybe this was just my tiny teenage rebellion. Either way, it's time to revisit some of them. Like nonfiction, my goal is one title a month.

4. #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks: I'm borrowing this idea from Andi, a book blogger and host of Dewey's 24-hour Readathon. My physical book collection has his the point where my bookshelf devoted to books I haven't read is full. It's time for me to make some room for new material by reading the old ones and by admitting that there are others I will never finish. The best part is that I have nonfiction AND classics sitting on my shelf!

What sort of reading challenges do you set for yourself? Any tips to make 2018 the best reading year ever?

Also, I meant to make a gift guide this year, but since then it has been a busy, fast slide into Christmas with some serious bumps along the way. It's just not going to happen. If you're still looking for a gift though, leave me a comment! I'm happy to help.

Until next time!

November's Best List

November was a busy month, but somehow I managed to sneak in six full-length novels, almost all of which I will recommend to someone. There's a lot to talk about, so I'm going to get right into it.

1. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Nearly eleven, Morrigan Crow has spent her entire life believing that she is cursed and will die on her next birthday. Except when that day comes, an odd stranger appears and steals her away to Nevermoor, a city that has hidden itself from her world. Once there, she must complete a set of tests in order to secure a spot for herself within the Wundrous Society, an organization of people with a diverse set of special abilities. While this is marketed for the younger set, this novel will appeal to anyone who wants a magical world. For now, it isn't very dark, but Harry Potter was also only eleven when his series began. I hope to read more about Morrigan Crow in the future.

2. Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
Why yes, this is the debut novel by the star of Jessica Jones. That really doesn't matter, except for the fact that I read the entire story in Ritter's voice. It's not a bad way to read it, either. Abby, now and environmental lawyer, returns to her hometown to figure out if the biggest corporation in the area is polluting the water supply. As she digs up information, she begins to wonder if the current problems connect back to her high school years when a fellow student disappeared. With so much of the town tied up in the plastic corporation, threats and violence against Abby and her team increase as Abby gets closer to proving that there's something sinister going on. It's a good mystery with several pieces that Ritter manages to tie together well.

3. You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
I love a good family saga. This story follows three generations of Das women, beginning with Ranee, a Bengali woman who has followed her husband from India to Ghana to the UK and finally to America in the 1970s. She is a traditional matriarch, doubly so when her husband dies. Her daughters, Sonia and Tara, are not quite so traditional. Sonia even shaves her head as part of her father's funeral rites, a role that should go to the closest male relative; as one of four daughters, I understand that sometimes rules just won't work. With another generation, the line between upholding tradition and modernizing gets more complicated, even making the now-grandmother Ranee question her place and her values. While I didn't love the time jumps (but how else do you get three generations in a reasonably detailed, one-shot novel?), I loved the characters and their stories. I think we all have to find our place in this world, whether by holding onto things from our past or letting go of them.

4. Odd & True by Cat Winters
This felt like historical Supernatural, but starring two sisters. Once upon a time, Odd & True's (Odette and Trudence's) mother, along with her brother and sister, were monster hunters. Now Tru is left with her aunt while Od has disappeared. When Od suddenly reappears at the window on Tru's 15th birthday, the girls set out to hunt their own monster, the Jersey Devil, and find their mother. The novel is told by both girls, but through Od's past diary entries and Tru's present-day ones. As more facts come to light, the story takes on an interesting degree of unreliability as readers must discern what is just odd and what is true about this family.

5. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
There are so many pieces to this story. A very modern Indian woman is hanging her sister's profile on the marriage board at the Sikh temple when she sees an advertisement for a writing instructor. She could use the money, so she applies, expecting to subvert conservative ideals. What she gets is a group of widows who can't read or write, but have so many very naughty stories to tell. However, there's a group of angry young men in the community who, if they heard about these erotic stories, would violently shut down the group. The Brothers, as they call themselves, might even have something to do with the murder of another modern young Indian woman whose mother organized the writing classes. Heads up, this story is very light in places, but then very grim as well. It's disconcerting at first, but as the story comes together it makes sense. Come for the silliness of widows writing smut, but stay for the strong female characters.

6. The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories by Charlaine Harris
I have read all of the Sookie Stackhouse novels at least twice, despite my general avoidance of rereading things. That said, I have never read the short stories and it has been a few years since the last novel. That doesn't really matter though. Harris managed to introduce each story well enough for me to remember the characters and tells readers where the story fit into the timeline. It was incredibly easy to fall back into this world, plus one of the stories really helps explain how Sookie ended up with a certain character in the final book. If you're a fan of the books, this is a nice addition to your collection.

My next monthly round-up might not be until 2018, but this won't be my last post for the year! Stay tuned for a book-heavy gift guide and my 2018 reading challenge goals.