Get Lost in Literature

Book Blogger Hop   Which do you think is more likely - clean utopia or frenzied dystopia? (Julie @  Stepping Stone Book Reviews ) I hope the answer to this question isn't too loaded: as fun as it is to imagine police in clean, white suits monitoring the town while people subserviently smile and avoid eye contact as they make their way to the farmer's market, cue little robots in the background cleaning litter off of sidewalks... Everyone is happy, everyone is calm, everyone is kind.  I feel like current events, both in America and abroad, have suggested the opposite will be true. People heard about a virus and immediately stockpiled toilet paper and meat. A cop kills an unarmed citizen in broad daylight and protesters retaliate by burning a convenience store to the ground. A dictator, who can't let go of the past, decides it might be kind of cool to use nukes to hold the world hostage... If a society/government changing event is on the way, I think it...

 "Sometimes, guilt and loss push a person into becoming more than singular. They split in two to resurrect what they’ve lost or live in service to what was lost. A lover will take up the mission of the dead partner. A mother might take up a dead daughter’s hobby to feel close to her. A sister might flirt with the notion of becoming a monster, to fill in the parts of her brother she doesn’t know." -  No Gods, No Monsters   by Cadwell Turnbull I'm reading No Gods, No Monsters   by Cadwell Turnbull this week. It's a wierd little paranormal mystery. A case of police brutality against a monster spurs an uprising of protests, hate crimes, and suicides...The monsters don't want to hide anymore. Parts of this story flow like river water in a hurricane, other parts like a tipped Dixie cup in a desert drought. We'll see how it goes. What are you reading this week? Thursday Quotables brought to you by  Bookshelf Fantasies

Today's topic for the Top Ten Tuesday hosted by   That Artsy Reader Girl , is :  "Books with [___] On the Cover (Pick a thing (a color, an item, a place, an animal, a scripty font, a sexy person, etc.) and share covers that have that thing on the cover.)"   I went with Top Ten Black Covers because sometimes that pitch black color makes the cover-art really pop...And though we should never judge a book by its colors, sometimes, we do. Some of these books I've read, some of these books I haven't gotten to yet. 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  What's on your list this week?

“They would just trade one type of shackles for another, trade physical ones that wrapped around wrists and ankles for the invisible ones that wrapped around the mind.” Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi My rating: 5 of 5 stars I feel like this book should be taught in schools. It's basically about the birth of racism in America. It starts in Africa, where villagers on the Gold Coast strike a deal with the Europeans. The locals are willing to facilitate the trade of other Africans from other villages in exchange for payment. Effia and Esi, two sisters who will never meet, are unfortunately worlds apart. Effia will marry into a life of luxury, while Esi will be sold into slavery. I couldn't really figure out how to review this book, without giving spoilers. I had a US History teacher lecture once on slavery: He said during the days of slave trade, a black woman had more value to a plantation owner than a black man because a woman could be used to make more slaves. (view spoiler) [When Es...

Book Blogger Hop   22nd - 28th  - Do you finish reading every book that you have slotted for a review? (submitted by Elizabeth @  Silver's Reviews ) Good question. I don't really choose books specifically with the intent to review... But every time I start a book, it is with the intention of finishing it, and if I finish it, I usually leave a review. Sometimes I don't make it to the ending. It could be I didn't like the story, was in the wrong frame of mind/mood, or maybe I found it to be poorly written... While I try to leave an honest and fair review of every book I read, I don't ever leave a review of a book I did not finish. How could I leave a fair review of a story I didn't actually read? So to make a long ramble short: the answer is no. But I'm curious: Do you know ahead of time what books you are planning to review? * Friday Book Blogger Hop  hosted by  CoffeeAddictedWriter . Every Friday there will be a weekly prompt featurin...

  "He closed his eyes as she began to rotate the key in a clockwise direction. He wondered if the cylindrical metal box inside his chest felt cold the way metal usually did, or was it warm from his body? From her nearness...He sensed her fingers brushing his chest. He could feel the clicking of the small wheels and gears deep within his chest and imagined the mainspring tightening."   Wind-Up Hearts , by Stan Swanson Chronology produced by Curiosity Quills Press is an anthology of short stories, some better than others, as these things go...  Wind-Up Hearts by Stan Swanson is proving to be one of the better stories. Steampunk and star-crossed, it's a lovely idea. Thursday Quotables brought to you by  Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by  ThatArtsyReaderGirl  . Today's topic is Top Ten Bookish Merchandise I'd Love to Own. This was kind of an odd topic for me -- because outside of saddle pads and books, I'm not super materialistic -- and it made me stop an think. I actually just typed book related searches into Etsy and Amazon and browsed, which in hindsight was silly, because now I actually want stuff. 1.  This Marauder's Map throw rug, for example would be awesome in my office. 2.   This Jules Verne inspired journal from Paperblanks Manuscript Collection. 3.   The Lamp Post Tea from the  LiteraryTeaCompany. Inspired by Narnia, the tea is flavored with the following ingredients: Sri Lankan & Chinese Keemun black teas, rose petals, vanilla pieces, chocolate & vanilla flavouring, cocoa shells... It sounds delicious. 4.  Jurassic Park themed bathroom art. Sure this has more to do with the movie than the book, but I'm maintaining it counts; wi...