What I Read: November

I always like to read Native authors in November for Native American heritage month. This month I found some really good ones!

Relaxing while reading on Thanksgiving.

Books:

• The Need by Helen Phillips- I picked this up at an independent bookstore in Chicago based on the recommendation of the owner. She said it was best going into it knowing very little so I decided to go itno it blind and I highly recommend not reading anything about it before reading it. I couldn't decide if this was a 5 star for me or not. I devoured it, but didn't have an overwhelming urge to go with 5 stars so I decided on 4.5. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

• The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu- I really enjoyed this hodge podge of stories about a group of educators at a high school. The chapters were like short stories, each focusing on a different character. "A feeling of purpose and belonging. A sense of committing to a cause much bigger than he."

• Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree- I went to a book event for this book and he read a chapter aloud. It was obvious why he's made it as an audiobook narrator. He did an amazing job! This was book 3 in the Legends and Lattes series. It brought us back to Fern as our main character. All the side characters that were introduced were what made the book what it was. Zyll was by my favorite character and I had the surprise ending figured out pretty early on. This book was a fun, little jaunt through a fantastical world. It was my favorite in the series so far.

• Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen- Harriet Tubman comes back and wants to share her story through music. This was a great concept for a book. It could have been better, but I still enjoyed it.

• Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer- This was a beautiful coming of age story about a boy who had endured so much loss. I didn't realize it was a young adult book when I bought it and really the only indicator while reading it was the age of the main character. It was so well written.

eBooks:

• Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice- I was expecting more of a thriller and this was more dystopian. It was interesting and well written. I'll be reading the sequel.

• Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley- I was excited that Daunis and Jamie got another story in this book, but overall the book was underwhelming for me.

Audiobooks:

• The Reformatory by Tananarive Due- This book was labeled as horror when I picked it to read so it was not at all what I was expecting. Think Nickel Boys with ghosts thrown in the mix and that gets you close to what this book was. It was beautiful and powerful and a story of the reformatories that needs to be told. The addition of haints at the school took the story up another notch. I loved this story and the ending grabbed me and didn't let go until I finished. It was full of heartbreak and sorrow with some hope sprinkled in.

• The Fire Exit by Morgan Talty- This was a strange story, but it was written so well. It was interesting to have the story told by Charles, but with little to no emotion shared. It was more like it was written from the 3rd person perspective because he didn't share his inner thoughts or feelings. It left me feeling a bit disconnected from his character.

• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer- I read this as a regular book as well as an audiobook. My favorite parts of this book were the Native American stories. It was a very interesting take on the world and one that changed my thinking. "What would it be like to be raised on gratitude, to speak to the natural world as a member of the democracy of species, to raise a pledge of interdependence." She also talked about how we say we love the land, but don't think of the land loving us back. How powerful is that?! I thought it was very interesting to think of plants as our teachers. "After all, plants were here first on the earth and have had a long time to figure things out." So much food for thought!

• I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai- I liked that the story ended without everything figured out and wrapped up with a pretty little bow, but I didn't like the structure of the book and was mostly bored with the storyline.