What gave her strength then? We cannot know for sure. That contrary thing inside her? The hard stone of rage that all lonely girls possess? - Leigh Bardugo, THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS 💬📚
Okay, I’ll do the 10 year challenge.
Easy magic is pretty. Great magic asks that you trouble the waters. It requires a disruption, something new.Leigh Bardugo, THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS
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Yesterday I interrupted my kid’s marathon viewing of BLIPPI and transformed it into a marathon viewing of PHINEAS AND FERB, I am the best at parenting, AMA
My reading life 📚
Since the Micro.blog community is starting a reading group in the near future, I thought it would be a good time to talk about my reading habits and tastes.
My favorite books I’ve read in recent years are Tamsyn Muir’s GIDEON THE NINTH, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC, and Tracy Deonn’s LEGENDBORN. My favorite book of all time is Piers Anthony’s ON A PALE HORSE. (I’m aware my fave is problematic. I love his books anyway.) I first read it in seventh grade. It was the first urban fantasy book I had ever read and I loved that it combined an interesting world, cool philosophical and metaphysical ideas, and characters I loved.
I read widely and enjoy many popular genres. My default fiction genre of choice is fantasy. I also really enjoy soft science fiction, cozy mystery, and Regency romance. I rarely like realistic or literary fiction, but sometimes an author or book in those categories will catch my interest. I read a lot of nonfiction, too, usually focused on my latest obsession or professional needs.
Right now I’m reading Leigh Bardugo’s THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS, Caitlin Doughty’s SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES AND OTHER LESSONS FROM THE CREMATORY, and Kelly J. Baker’s SEXISM ED.
I read physical books, ebooks, audiobooks, and sequential art (comics/graphic novels).
I tend to read books marketed as young adult or adult books that crossover well to a teen audience. This is partly because of my professional history as a high school teacher and middle school librarian and partly because I love a good bildungsroman. I love the possibility and promise of the teen years. Also, I think reading should be fun.
I’m really impressed by authors who can create an evocative sense of place, like Erin Morgenstern or Alicia Jasinka.
I love to chat books and recommend reads, so please feel free to get in touch if you’d like to talk about books!
Currently reading: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo 📚
I have so much respect for how dark Bardugo is willing to go with these fairytales. The twist is consistent but shocks me each time.
My workplace harassment training is promoting person-first language, but ends with “Ultimately, it is important to treat everyone as an individual and respect the words with which they define themselves.” Wish that part was up front. Person-first v. identity-first is so fraught.
Wisdom from my blog archives: What if everything I am - everything I’ve tried to improve in this particular, optimizing, tool-utilizing way - is just fine? (It’s my half birthday. Happy half birthday, me!)
No YOU’RE thinking about writing a fanfic that’s just an IRB application for a xenoanthropology dissertation at Starfleet Academy.
Now that I’m gainfully employed, mosts of my discretionary spending is going to creators in little $5/mo increments.