Elizabeth (Betsy) MarroWhat do you think the books you've read this year say about you, if anything? For the past couple of years I've looked back over the books I've read to see what the books I reach for say about where I am in my own story. I invited a bunch of folks to do the same and some great books popped up. If you're feeling reflective or looking for some new/old reads, check it out. https://elizabethmarro.substack.com/p/what-our-books-reveal-about-us #Books #BookRecs #Reading #Bookwyrm
Siona@[email protected] My book list this year has been comprised almost exclusively of #Indigenous / Black / non-white authors. During the pandemic I'd started looking at how many of the books I'd read over the course of my life had been written by white men and was so dismayed by the imbalance in perspectives and experiences. I decided to try to balance things out a bit and the process has been so rewarding; as a bonus it's made it easier to see whiteness in places where I'd formerly been blind to it.
Josiah Mannion@siona I did this some years ago, inspired by Eli Dadabhoy's project of a year reading only things by non-man or non-white authors, and not only was it great, but I've kind of not stopped. What I discovered is that I already read by proclivity mostly women authors (upon reflection, this started very early on in my reading life), but needed to read more non-white women authors. That started as a fiction reading project, but now extends bone-deep into my scholarly reading as well.
@Josiah_Mannion Yes! It's what reading is really for anyway-- that exposure to and connection with perspectives outside one's own. I was just startled-- pleasantly-- by what a profound impact it had on me.
@Josiah_Mannion @siona most of the novels I read are written by women..I've been consciously reading more books by nonwhite women authors but would like to build on this. Would you share the books that stayed with you this year? I'd love to add some to my tbr list for 2023..
@eg_marro @siona So, a few non-academic (or not overly academic) non-fiction that stand out to me (I rely a lot on my library & ILL, so these aren't necessarily new releases):
-My Broken Language: A Memoir, by Quiara Alegria Hudes
-Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, by Farah Griffin
-As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance, by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
-A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes to Belonging, by Dionne Brand
-My Broken Language: A Memoir, by Quiara Alegria Hudes
-Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, by Farah Griffin
-As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance, by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
-A Map to the Door of No Return: Notes to Belonging, by Dionne Brand
Ahhh thank you! Adding these all to my list.
And Elizabeth I think I responded to you in another thread with recommendations for fiction and non-fiction both? If not let me know and I'll post the lists again.
ETA: Found it; just hadn't seen it linked here. Oops!
@eg_marro @siona Some fiction:
-Black Sun & Fevered Star, by Rebecca Roanhorse (third coming out this year, I think?)
-Witches Steeped in Gold, by Ciannon Smart
-We Ride Upon Sticks, by Quan Barry
-Best of Friends, by Kamila Shamsie
-Silvia Moreno-Garcia, like, everything by her, but my favorite is probably still Gods of Jade and Shadow
-My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
-The Good House, by Tananarieve Due
-The Deep, and Sorrowland, by Rivers Solomon
-Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo
-Black Sun & Fevered Star, by Rebecca Roanhorse (third coming out this year, I think?)
-Witches Steeped in Gold, by Ciannon Smart
-We Ride Upon Sticks, by Quan Barry
-Best of Friends, by Kamila Shamsie
-Silvia Moreno-Garcia, like, everything by her, but my favorite is probably still Gods of Jade and Shadow
-My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
-The Good House, by Tananarieve Due
-The Deep, and Sorrowland, by Rivers Solomon
-Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo
@eg_marro @siona
-Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki
-The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas
-Noor, and Who Fears Death, by Nnedi Okorafor
Couple more non-fiction as I'm scrolling through my StoryGraph list: 😛
- Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement, by Tarana Burke
- When Rap Spoke Straight to God (poetry), by Erica Dawson
- Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of Coast Salish Punk, by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe
@siona as I put my reading list together for 2023, I would love to read more fiction and nonfiction by indigenous and non white writers. Of the books you've been reading which would you recommend?
Oh goodness. So many! A few favorites below:
Fiction:
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies, by Tsering Yangzom Lama
An Ordinary Wonder, by Buki Papillon
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emezi
Kindred, by Octavia Butler
Fledgling, by Octavia Butler
The Freedom Artist, Ben Okri
Nonfiction:
White Magic, by Elissa Washuta
Dear Senthuran, by Akwaeke Emezi
Rest is Resistance, by Tricia Hersey
Afropessimism, by Frank B. Wilderson III
Also in Nonfiction:
Restoring the Kinship Worldview, by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) and Darcia Narvaez
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem
@siona thank you for all your suggestions! I appreciate it.
Vicki Ziegler@eg_marro I'll be giving my year in reading a good ponder between Christmas and New Year's, on my own and with our wonderful #SilentBookClub group, which will meet for the last time in 2022 on December 31st. I'll take a look at your reflections as part of my pondering, for sure!
@bookgaga I’m so glad to learn more about your work. I recognize your name from Twitter but did not know about the trove of bookish insights and lists over at bookgagabooks.ca. I also had no idea bout the Silent Book Club and am looking forward to learning more.
@eg_marro Oh, thank you kindly - I'm so glad my blog caught your eye. And oh my yes, I could go on and on about how much I love our #SilentBookClub group, which celebrated its 5tb anniversary this fall. It such a great concept, so inclusive and encouraging and collegial - and even going virtual during the pandemic, we kept up vital connections as readers and friends. Let me know if you need to know more!