i managed to find my reading groove a bit this month. it is still going to be erratic, but i am trying to be better at mixing up what i’m reading, both in length and in genre, and to make a more concerted effort at switching off my computer, putting down my phone, and reading for longer stretches of time. it’s a work in progress, but this month i managed three full books and the beginnings of a few more.

knight kyle and the magic silver lance by oliver pötzsch. a few months ago none of the kindle first selections really appealed to me, so i decided to download the children’s book that was on offer, a translation of oliver pötzsch’s knight kyle and the magic silver lance. i started it just before the new year and finished it in about four nights, which was a nice change after a few months of slow reading. each chapter is a short story about the adventures of knight kyle and his friends in fairyland, and they are all cute and quick. while i did bristle a few times when he had to “save” the lady of the castle, i think it’s a good book for early readers who are just beginning to follow along with longer stories.

we are, after all, supposed to be one nation indivisible. only if we act as such, might we begin to truly effect change – roxane gay

bad feminist by roxane gay. i purchased roxane gay’s book of essays when i moved back to the states last year, and i finally pulled it down and read it this month. many of her essays touch on serious topics like gender, sexuality, race, and sexual assault, and all are thought-provoking, but she also has lighter stories mixed in about scrabble tournaments and her obsession with the sweet valley high series. bad feminist was published in 2014, and many of the topics she touches on are still in the spotlight today; reading her essay on women’s reproductive rights the night before the women’s march was particularly poignant.

city of strangers by louise millar. i received this in one of my book box deliveries in the fall and decided to crack it open to round out my month of reading. millar’s story about grace scott, a scottish woman who finds a man’s body in her flat upon returning from her honeymoon and becomes obsessed with unearthing his identity, was very hit-and-miss for me. city of strangers was a fast read with an interesting twist at the end, but getting there was very tedious. there was a lack of character development, the parallel storylines took a long time to come together, and it all just seemed very convoluted. with some better editing and about 50 fewer pages, i think it could be a lot more interesting.

up next: i’m partway through dinner: a love story by jenny rosentrach, one of my favorite food bloggers, and i just started geraldine brooks’ people of the book.

on my wish list: colson whitehead’s the underground railroad and zadie smith’s swing time. i’m trying to hold out until they release in paperback, but if my recent book-buying spree is any indication, i will likely break down and order them soon.

what are you reading these days? you know i’m always looking for suggestions 🙂

xx