Wrap up #1

Since I've last updated you, I've read 5 books.

First I read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. This is set in Chicago during the 1980s and 1990s when the AIDS crisis happened, specifically hitting the gay community. The book focuses on a group of friends affected by AIDS. There are dual timelines and we also focus on a mother looking for her daughter who joined a cult. I didn't care as much for the second timeline and it was definitely very slow to start but I eventually loved this story. I gave it 4 stars.

Then I picked up You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day. I've been a fan of Felicia Day since I watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and I loved her again in Supernatural. This is her memoir chronicling her quirky education, her big break in Hollywood, and the creation of her web series The Guild. I listened to the audiobook which she narrates herself and read along (for the hilarious pictures) which I'd advise any reader to do. Her whole message is 'be yourself' which I found quite refreshing. I gave it 4 stars.

February is Black History Month so I'm making an effort to pick up books by black writers. The first one I chose was Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorofor. This is a YA fantasy about an albino black girl who finds out she is a witch with magical ancestry (who are called "Leopard People") and she studies with other students to take down a Leopard Person who is using bad juju to summon an evil being. I loved the world building and the unique twists on magic but I felt the end was over too quickly without certain things being explained. That took it down to only 3 stars.

The next book I finished was Another Brooklyn by Jaqueline  Woodson. I feel really mixed about this book because the writing was beautiful but disorganized and strangely repetitive. This is about a black girl named August who remembers her childhood after she runs into one of her former friends. This is very character driven but still I felt like I didn't get to know August all that well. I gave it 3 stars

The last book I picked up was a poetry collection titled Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith. The poet is a queer black man who is HIV positive. His poems focus on police brutality, growing up gay, and how he responded to finding out he was HIV positive. My favorite poem was called "Everyday is a funeral & a miracle" I gave this collection 5 stars.