magiclilybean

[magiclilybean]

#outer range #Noah Reid #schitt's creek #patrick brewer #simply the best

[magiclilybean]

Jell-O shot style.

[magiclilybean]

#outer range #Noah Reid #schitt's creek #patrick brewer #simply the best

[magiclilybean]

12. An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States - This one was a bit less substantial and a lot more casual than I had hoped for. I still learned a lot. But sometimes he would state an opinion that I had never heard of before a) as if it were fact, b) as if it were obvious, and c) as if everybody knows it. I, a humble white girl, might have benefited from more explanation in some places. 😄

13. The Sentence - Another great book from Louise Erdrich. Her writing style is vibrant and easy to sink down into, and I haven't found one I disliked yet. She also wrote the children's novels in the Birchbark House series, intended as an indigenous counterpoint to the Little House books. The Birchbark House was the first Erdrich I ever read, helping my youngest son with his English class. I've been into them ever since! This one has a lot of unexpected turns, plus themes of found family. Could have done without the weird reveal about the stepdaughter’s boyfriend, but otherwise, no notes. 

14. And Still Peace Did Not Come - An interesting introduction to modern Africa, about the lives of child soldiers after the end of a war in Liberia. So many children were drugged and forced to fight - 90% according to the book - that it's difficult to see how to move forward afterwards. One woman (who is Liberian but had been elsewhere during most of the war) was able to begin work with them, no doubt due to her somewhat outsider status.  It reads in a way that makes little ol’ jaded me a bit skeptical - do we have a Three Cups of Tea situation? - but a cursory Google search pulled up nothing. 

Most importantly for my purposes, this book made me realize how little I know about African history and culture. I've added an 8-part series of tomes put together by UNESCO to my reading list. I'll take 8 others out, I'm not doing 60 books in strict succession. 😄

The UNESCO series is the result of a project spanning from 1969 to 1981 (at least, the latter is the copyright date on Vol. 1). It's still an important recommendation by African historians today despite its age. The project was so involved that easily half the first book is describing methodology and background. 

There are several important aspects to the series that drew me in. It's heavily interdisciplinary, involving geologists, historians, anthropologists, folklorist, archaeologists, and lord knows who else. They also developed a process of getting oral history and contextualizing it for use in studying history. This would be a vital addition since written sources are lacking in many portions of the continent that have venerated oral history in its place. 

Super excited about this one, but it will likely span the rest of the year while I intersperse other books in between. 

Wish me luck! 

Whimsically decided on New Year's Day to read 52 books in 2024. Wasn't sure if that was too ambitious, but now it's 15 days into the year, and I'm 4 books in. I like having a reading list so much, I'm thinking about doing this every year.

So far I read:

1. The Sun Down Inn - Pretty meh, although it has a female protagonist and I like that.

2. The Giver - I found this one kind of boring. Not going any further in this series, I don't think.

3. The Book Thief - This one was the most "literary," if that makes sense - abstract and poetic and unique. Different from any other Holocaust book I've read. It's a crime that I haven't read it before.

4. The Only Good Indians - Indigenous horror. Some of the animal related content is difficult to read, but it has a very satisfying ending. You won't have any idea how it's going to end until the last two pages. It was an unpredictable read and I also learned a lot. Found this on Paperbacks and Frybread, cannot recommend her book store enough.

Next up: The 5th Season and Iron Widow.

#africa #history #reading list #new year

[magiclilybean]

FUCKING. WEAR. HEADPHONES.

FUCK.

We failed as a society when everyone stopped wearing headphones.

[magiclilybean]

absolutely stellar

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hope is a skill

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[magiclilybean]

i have tears in my eyes, the way tom's voice cracks, the commitment to that drumming, "the babes will go wild" the way everyone is struggling not to laugh

[magiclilybean]

[magiclilybean]

I like to collect vintage cookbooks, and if I find one with clippings or cards tucked into it, with handwritten notes, I pick that shit up SO FAST.

Me: "I don't often cook but I'm going to quick look through my mom's recipe cards and see if I can find that specific recipe"

Me, 15 minutes later, sobbing: "Love is stored in handwritten recipe cards"

[magiclilybean]

Reblog this last

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Reblog this second

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Reblog this second

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Reblog this second

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Reblog this first