Hello Patrons! 🙂
Contrary to the title of this post I am reading 0 Christmas-y books this month. (But I will be listening to a ton of Christmas music!)
This month I am focusing on the library books I currently have on hand, as well as audiobooks I have on my Libby app, and some back list books. Let’s get into it.
Let’s first talk about the book I finished last night.
Here The Whole Time by Victor Martins
This is about a boy who has to host another boy over his winter break and they end up (Surprise!) falling in love. This was translated from Portuguese, and is set in Brazil. I thought the book was just okay. For being shorter it didn’t seem to have a ton of plot. There wasn’t a definitive conflict. It was more about the main character Felipe realizing his self worth. I don’t have a ton to say about this so I am not going to go into a full review. I gave it a 3/5 on Goodreads. I’m glad that I got this from my library.
Next let’s talk about the book I have started reading.
Rent A Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
This book has the fake boyfriend/dating trope. Chloe hires Drew to help her calm her parents fears of her being lonely/not getting married. Chloe and Drew fall in love (of course). I’ve only gotten into the first chapter but I am enjoying Chloe’s narration. The cover is so pretty. I will talk about my initial thoughts on Monday. (I also got this book from my library so I need to read it sooner verses later!)
Moving onto another book I got from my library.
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
This is a roll over from my November TBR. The Black Kids is about an upper middle class black girl living in LA, who has to reassess her identity after witnessing the Rodney King Riots of 1992. (It’s been pitched as a read-a-like to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I picked this up a couple of weeks ago but wasn’t in the mood, (I was reading a lot heavy stuff at the time so I needed a break). Everyone has been posting about this book on Instagram so I want to be a part of the hype. This will most likely be my next read, depending on my mood. (I might start The Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson).
I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
I’ve talked about this book quite a bit. I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf is a compendium of comics about things bookish people do. It’s so cute, I started it the minute I opened the Amazon box Thursday evening. The art style is so whimsical. I am just obsessed with it.
Next let’s talk about the audiobooks I want to listen to this month.
A Promised Land by Former President Barack Obama
This is the other roll over from November. A Promised Land is volume 1 of Obama’s presidential memoirs. In Volume 1, Obama covers his early life up to the end of his first term as president, (or whenever he killed Osama Bin Laden). Volume 2 will probably be released in 2022, and that will probably cover the rest of his presidency and up to current events. I am really liking A Promised Land, I am learning a lot. I have about 9 hours left, and am looking forward to continuing with it this month. (Because A Promised Land is such a long audiobook I used Audible to listen to it. Usually shorter audiobooks I use Libby).
Now let’s talk about my Libby audiobooks.
Hood Feminism by Miki Kendall
Hood Feminism is a book about the short comings of 2nd and 3rd wave feminism. Being a feminist I wanted to better educate myself on being a better feminist. The audiobook is very short, about 6 hours long. This will be my next listen after finishing A Promised Land.
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
The Undocumented Americans is a non-fiction book about the US Immigration system and being an undocumented citizen. Everyone has been raving about this book on all the podcasts and Instagram. As With Hood Feminism I want to be a part of the hype. The audiobook is about 4 hours long. I will listen to this after Hood Feminism.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I decided to listen to this book after hearing about the special coming out. Between the World And Me is a letter Coates wrote to his son explaining to him what it’s like to be a black boy in America. Everyone who has read this book says it’s very powerful, and I want to read this book because it’s Coates most well know work. (And so I can watch the special). The audiobook is roughly 3 hours long. I will listen to this after I finish The Undocumented Americans.
Okay y’all, I have a busy reading month ahead of me. My tenative plan is to start doing the end of the year type posts (favorite/ least favorite books, stats for the year, etc). Nothing too exciting. I also want to do a Christmas-y themed tag. That’ll be fun.
Tell me what your reading or listening to in the month of December. Do you read Christmas-y books in December? Are you reading any of the books I talked about, or have you read any of the books?
Let me know in the comments. As always, wash your hands, wear a mask in public, practice some self care, and…
Stay Golden! 🙂
-Leila
Leila's Library 