The Hungry Bookworm
reading + eating
Wow, the long weekend really threw me off. I thought last night was Sunday and today was Monday, but here we are — already Tuesday, and why this post is just a little bit late this time! But Tuesday means it’s time for Show Us Your Books, where I do a quick recap of everything I read over the last month. Get excited because I have some really awesome reads to share, including my first 5-star read of 2020!
I recently read and adored The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I haven’t been this excited to talk about a book in a very long time.
TJ Klune’s novel is a fantasy about a group of magical beings on a secluded island. For those of you who may be skeptical about fantasy, I want to clarify that on the whole, it’s quite realistic — apart from the magical beings. Our main character, Linus, works for a government agency providing recommendations as to whether or not orphanages should remain open or be shut down. The orphanages happen to be home to children with special abilities.
[Read more...] about The House in the Cerulean Sea + Blackberry Ice CreamWelcome to the first Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm! Today we will be talking about a charming little monkey and his culinary adventures in Curious George Makes Pancakes.
George is a good little monkey. He is also very curious. This curiosity makes for a lot of antics that we love reading about with my son Henry.
[Read more...] about Kids Edition: Curious George Makes PancakesOctavia Butler’s Kindred is a book I’ve always wanted to read, and thankfully, finally got around to thanks to my book club. In the 1970s, this was the first science fiction novel written by a black woman. It became Butler’s best-selling novel, and she went on to win multiple Hugo and Nebula awards.
In Kindred, Dana is a 26-year-old black woman living in California with her husband, a white man named Kevin. Inexplicably, on her birthday, she is pulled back in time to the antebellum South, where she rescues a young boy named Rufus. She is only there long enough to save him and just as suddenly as she appeared, disappears back in the present. As the story goes on, Dana continues to be drawn back into Rufus’ life to save him. Until she is pulled back to her time, she must learn to blend in, which means, in that time and place, becoming a slave.
[Read more...] about Kindred + Upside-Down Peach CakeIt’s no secret that I love book clubs. But I didn’t always. I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember, devouring books that were much too big for me even at a young age — from my first chapter book (Black Beauty) at six years old to my mother’s suspense novels as a tween. I was always reading, but I was always reading alone. Until several years ago, when I joined my first book club as a way to make some friends when I was living in New York City. I dutifully read the book, walked into a room full of strangers, and was surprised at the immediate connection. I never looked back.
Now, I’m in three book clubs. I love that, through them, I have formed several close friendships. I love that they’re often an excuse to drink wine on a weeknight. I love that they can be fun but also serious. I love how book clubs get me to read books I wouldn’t otherwise have picked up on my own.
I often read as a means of escape, but I also read to gain perspective and learn. I think it’s important to read outside of your comfort zone. This is where book clubs can really come in handy. They are all the things I said above, but book clubs are also a safe space to have deep, meaningful discussions about what we encounter in books and in life.
This is true of all of my book clubs, including the one I currently lead for my company. I work for an advertising agency that has made diversity and inclusion a pillar of its mission, and our book club is centered around diverse perspectives. I jumped at the chance to join and have been a part of it since it began about four years ago. And, I have been fortunate enough to be able to lead it for the past year and a half.
You don’t always have to read serious, academic or big, tough books to have these kinds of discussions. In fact, contemporary fiction often encourages wonderful, insightful conversation between book club members. As you can see below, a lot of the selections we read for my company-sponsored book club fall into this category.
If you’re looking to spur thought-provoking conversations through reading—whether in your own book club, a group of coworkers, or buddy reads with friends—read on!
[Read more...] about Books for Thought-Provoking DiscussionsAugust is finally here and it feels like it. My part of Michigan has finally gotten the memo that it’s summer — it like soup out there. Hot and wet. Blech. But, I guess, more time to read indoors! I actually had a pretty good reading month. Six books including two that pretty much everyone should check out. (See the 4-star section.)