Nonfiction November: My Year in Nonfiction

The first prompt in Nonfiction November is to relay my year in nonfiction. Well, there it is, above. Those are all the nonfiction books I completed since last Nonfiction November. Of those, my top 3, in no particular order are: Half the Sky, by Sheryl DuWunn; Men We Reaped, by Jesmyn Ward; and Wild Swans by Jung Chang.

Sense and Sensibility and Payphones

I thought I'd share a picture of this relic I happened to find. Just in case you're strolling down the intersection of Dale and Lexington in Roseville one night, need a phone, don't have yours, happen to remember the number you're calling, and have a quarter with which to make that call. 

Pumpkins and Reading

Well, this was a busy week for me. It started out on Sunday with a pumpkin carving party with my friend and my 12-yo nephew. My nephew's pumpkin is on the left and mine is on the right. My pumpkin has already been devoured by squirrels on my front porch. 

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Opening Post

Well, the day of Dewey's 24 hour readathon has finally come, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've never participated for the full 24 hours before, and am eager to see how I hold up (especially since I had a long day at work yesterday). My strategy is simple: read until I need a break, then read again. I have a mixture of fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and audiobooks to get through. I don't know if I'll participate in the challenges or not, but this will be my base post which I'll update throughout the next 24 hours. 

SOCIAL JUSTICE BOOK CLUB: MEN WE REAPED -- MIDWAY DISCUSSION

I'm reading Men We Reaped, by Jesmyn Ward for the Social Justice bookclub hosted by Kerry at Entomology of a Bookworm. The discussion questions are provided by Kerry, and will contain spoilers. 

Halloween month adventures

Hero with Chi Three

This week was a lot of fun. I had three days off in the middle of the week, and got lots of reading done. I'm also stockpiling my TBR of graphic novels for Dewey's readathon (coming up on the 22nd). No, I don't plan on only reading graphic novels, but I know that if I sit reading for 24 hours straight my eyes are going to be blurring over at the end. Thus, easy reading choices.  

The Fifth Child, by Doris Lessing

WARNING: This review contains spoilers. 

Birthday week

This was a pretty good week for me. On Monday I went to a steakhouse with my family to celebrate mine and my mom's birthdays. I'm one of the lucky ones who can say that I love spending time with my family. And on Wednesday, I went out to celebrate again, this time with my boyfriend and my best friend at a woodfire grill. Yum! On Thursday, I saw my nephew play football. This time the teams were more evenly matched, so it was a good game, even if it did start raining at the end.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

In this timeless story, a little girl named Scout comes of age during a difficult time for her family. Her father, a lawyer, is defending a black man charged with the rape of white woman. Scout learns about racism from both children and adults. 

How to Read the Bible, Chapter 5, by James Kugel

The Confusion of Tongues, by Gustave Dore

Chapter 5 of How to Read the Bible discusses the tower of Babel. In the story, the people were building a city with a tower that reached up to heaven. God saw the tower and decided to confuse their speech so that they couldn't understand each other anymore. 

How to Read the Bible Chapter 4, by James L. Kugel

The World Destroyed by Water, by Gustave Dore

Chapter 4 discusses the story of Noah's ark, delving into details about how the flood story was predated by a strikingly similar story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The similarities and differences of these two stories are covered in my earlier blog post about the Epic of Gilgamesh. 

Happy October

Happy first day of October everyone! October is my favorite month because I love (normal) October weather here in Minnesota. And who can argue with Halloween?