Jana Says

Living life from cover to cover

Show Us Your Books, Four Year Anniversary Edition

by Jana 42 Comments

This post is coming to you live on my way to see Phil Collins (yes, you read that right) so I apologize for the typos, brevity, and assorted other mistakes like wonky fonts and stuff

HOLY SHIT. How has it been four years since Steph and I started this? Time flies when you’re reading books, I guess. But before I get to the paltry amount of books I read last month, I want to say how honored and overjoyed I (we) are that you guys join us every month. There is no better reader community than all of you.

Thank you for four years. Thank you for book talk. Thank you for you.

*wipes tears*

Okay. Books. I read 5 of them last month which, for me, is shameful. But life happens and I had to adjust. And I’ve received no more nastygrams from Goodreads so I must still be on track to reach my arbitrary goals. So that’s cool.

Show Us Your Books. Join the Link-Up! Talk books the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month

Here’s what I read and as a heads up, I didn’t love anything so none of these should be added to any lists with any sort of urgency and I’ll add the Goodreads links at some point.

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. This book is a mess. It went in 40 different directions, only finishing about 1/2 the plot lines (um…she had a suicide calendar and that was briefly discussed. Why did we not come back to THAT particular thing? Seems like maybe we should have), and every single character was a gigantic asshole. I can read unlikeable characters but OMG, all of these people sucked. Plus, it was 100% predictable. Or maybe these kinds of books just aren’t for me. Discovered this one through SUYB.

Gun Love by Jennifer Clement. This book was great on so many different levels but at the same time, it felt rushed and incomplete. I wanted her to explore more of the situations she described, particularly the foster care part because she just sort of rolled over that as a means to an end when it could have been much more. I liked the way she approached gun violence and gun culture and family and homelessness but it felt…lacking. Learned about this book from either IG or SUYB. Can’t remember.

French Exit by Patrick DeWitt. He wrote The Sisters Brothers, one of my all-time favorites but his one before this and this were underwhelming. This one is weird, quirky, and so amazingly written but I don’t think I’m smart enough to understand what he was trying to do. I mean, I get the basic plot and satire (sort of) but it left me feeling like I missed the joke. He makes light of some serious topics which I guess is also making a point that I don’t get. As far as recommending the book, it’s short and fast so yes but if you don’t like oddball, weird books, then pass. Found out about this one because I obsess over his books.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. I don’t know what the fuck this book was. Horror? Bad seed-type stuff? Mental illness commentary? Mother-daughter drama? Something else? All of it? I can’t figure it out. I hated the chapters about the mom but the daughter kept me intrigued enough to not hurl the book against a wall. And the dad stuff was almost gross and made me want to shower. I feel about this one like I did Bird Box. I get why people love it but not me. Was not worth waiting 4 months for. At all. Can’t remember how I heard about it.

Make Your Bed: Little Things Can Change Your Life by William H. McRaven. Commencement speech-turned book. Like the Last Lecture but not nearly as powerful or moving. However, if you’re stuck and need a kick in the ass, or you’re training future leaders who are younger than like 15, this is a good primer. Didn’t help me but I read it in 45 minutes and was not a complete waste of time. The guy was a Navy SEAL. He had some good stories. Read this because my daughter had to.

TL;DR: Meh. Nothing great this month.

Currently reading: Burden by Courtney Hargrave with Cherry by Nico Walker on deck

And now. A giveaway. For you! As a thank you for four great years, Steph and I have some gifts to hand out, including some Amazon gift cards and bookish mugs. So make sure you enter! And also…link up and show us your books!* (Giveaway is after the link up)

*you don’t have to link up with a post or even have a blog to enter. It’s open to everyone!

 Loading InLinkz ...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Show Us Your Books, September 2018

by Jana 40 Comments

Well, it looks like I can write some words after all. I probably should make this more regular. I feel good when I write even if no one is really reading except a few. You know who you are. I see you. And I thank you.

Show Us Your Books. Join the Link-Up! Talk books the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month

Anyway, after last month’s marathon 13 books, the pace slowed to my standard 6. Which is fine because at least Goodreads is leaving me alone. And, to be honest, I’m not really even sure I like that app anymore. I’ll keep it because there’s no way I’m redoing my TBR but meh. I’m kind of over the whole Goodreads thing.

Also, is NetGalley being a gigantic asshole for anyone else? I’ve requested several books and feel like they’ve ghosted me. I haven’t gotten a yes OR a no but I see people reading books I asked for months ago and…nothing. Not a word from them. I’m started to feel like I should just return to my old-school way of reading books.

Finally, if you follow me on IG, you know that my old man dog, Barkley, is obsessed with my books (in case you haven’t, I’ve included some pictures in this post). I’m thinking about starting an account for him but I’m not sure. Thoughts?

While you’re thinking about that, have a look at what I read since we last got together:

Florida by Lauren Groff Meh. A fine book of short stories. A couple were excellent but the rest were take them or leave them. I didn’t really like Fates and Furies but wanted to give another one of her books a chance. I don’t think she’s for me and don’t see myself reading another one of her books. I think I found this one from Instagram.

A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen I don’t know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it was a crash course on Russia and Russian culture in the context of the 2008 financial crisis and a magnificent story but on the other hand, it was a tedious, boring, overwritten plot with terrible, annoying bro culture characters. I guess they’re not mutually exclusive but it doesn’t help me figure out my feelings and whether or not I loved or hated it. Can’t remember where I heard about it. 

So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta Funny, smart, honest, and I felt like I was listening to a her tell stories rather than reading a book. Which is exactly what would have happened had I listened to the audiobook, I guess. I love how she is 100% herself and stays true to that, even in the writing, and regardless of how it makes her look. I want her as my new BFF. My favorite chapters were the ones on body image and her childhood and I want her on all the shows. Found this through her IG.

Sunburn by Laura Lippman I liked this book a lot. It was a mess, but an organized, mind-twisting mess. Lots to keep track but it actually made sense in the context of the plot because…well, I can’t say because then it gives too much away. AND. It takes place in Delaware. Which is where I live and books are infrequently set here. I did struggle with the inaccurate geography but that’s just being nitpicky and doesn’t mean anything to the actual goodness of the book. I also liked the 1995 setting. Making it modern would have ruined some stuff. Learned about this one either through SUYB or a Buzzfeed list.  

Vox by Christina Dalcher I loved this maddening, all-to-plausible dystopian novel. I wanted to scream after every page because this shit could actually happen. For real. And in some subcultures, it’s already happening. But the end. Yuck. It was super satisfying but also kind of a predictable cop-out and that made me sad. It didn’t detract from me liking the book, even with the confusing science, but I wanted something different. Something that made a stronger point, I think. Learned about this one through either SUYB or some must-read list. 

The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir I read this book in 24 hours. I could not put it down. I know it’s fiction but given some of the…scandals in the fundamental Christian world, it felt like a ripped-from-the-headlines type book. So well done, so well written, filled with morally flawed characters in terrible situations and she handled some of the religious stuff without being preachy or disrespectful. It was an interesting choice after Vox and I’m not sure that I recommend that, though. Thanks to SUYB for this one.

TL; DR: Florida and A Terrible Country are meh and wouldn’t rush to them at all, if ever. Definitely recommend the other 4. Like, a lot. For different reasons but yeah. Read them. 

Currently reading Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Next linkup is October 9th and it’s our FOUR YEAR anniversary and you can bet we have some shit planned so definitely mark that down on your calendars.

For now, remember to visit my co-host, Steph, and some other book nerds joining us and Show Us Your Books!

 Loading InLinkz ...

Show Us Your Books, August 2018

by Jana 45 Comments

Holy books! I cannot believe it’s been 5 weeks since the last time we all got to together to talk books. A lot’s happened since then, too. I mean, I went on vacation (recommend), did a readathon (not sure if I recommend), and had many dog emergencies (do not recommend). Somehow, in the middle of all of that, I finished 13 books.

I can’t say that it had something to do with the nastygram from Goodreads but I can’t say that it didn’t. Mixed feelings on that. But at least now I’m on pace to achieve my completely arbitrary goal (I’m even 1 book ahead). So that’s nice.

I struggled on how I wanted to discuss all of these books because, let’s face it, 13 reviews, especially my long-winded ones, is too much. I didn’t hate any of them, either, which made it even more difficult. What I settled on is reviewing my 5 favorites from the month and then a short recap of the rest.

Let’s do it.Show Us Your Books. Join the Link-Up! Talk books the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month

The Favorites

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The writing, the storytelling, the plot, the characters…everything about this book is marvelous. It was wasn’t anything I expected it to be and it was exponentially better. I felt the gamut of emotions while reading it, and I know it’ll stick with me for awhile. My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed compared the pace of the rest of the book but I’m willing to let it slide. Easily in my top 10 of the year.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah I don’t often believe the hype about a book but this one lived up to every good word, glowing review, and emphatic recommendation. It’s full of beautiful writing, complex characters, and every emotion possible. I loved the whole damn book from start to finish. It should come with a trigger warning for domestic violence so be warned if you haven’t read it yet. Unfortunately, it’s central to the plot and cannot be avoided. This is also easily in my top 10.

Nomadland by Jessica Bruder This is an excellent case study with tinges of ethnography about the other side of van dwelling. Usually we hear about the privileged who eschew materialism and embrace minimalism to travel and simplify their lives while still earning a good living. This exposes the opposite of that, focusing on older people, low wage seasonal workers, forced into van life for survival. It’s a fascinating look at the culture, how it came to be, and why it persists.

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling This is a book about the woman in the middle of a severe depression who runs away from her life to forget and escape all the shit that’s affecting her. She’s functional but her depression is deep. She’s sympathetic and pathetic at the same time, and you feel for her situation–all of them, no matter how hopeless they seem. It’s written in an almost stream of consciousness which makes it a bit annoying to read but also get you inside her head and the writing is gorgeous. ARC from NetGalley.

The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn This is a very good, very fast-paced psychological thriller that will fuck you up. Anna is an asshole but unlike other unreliable narrators, you understand exactly why she’s that way and it makes her sort of sympathetic. The book reads like the old-timey movies referenced throughout and I like that kind of self-awareness from the author. The plot was engaging, I second guessed myself at times and while I recommend it, and really, really liked it, it was just a bit shy of all the hype.

The Rest (you can read my full reviews on Litsy if you really want to)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury A classic I’ve finally read. I think I liked the ideas behind the story more than I liked the story itself.

The Dime by Kathleen Kent Another standard mass market thriller but with an exceptionally badass female lead who I hope gets more books about her. The plot went a little haywire towards the end but nothing it couldn’t come back from. Learned about it from some random book list.

Squeezed by Alissa Quart A very good, very accurate discussion of life in the middle class, especially for middle class parents. Saw this one on Twitter and pounced on it. If you wind up reading it, please let me know. I need to discuss.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote The original true crime book. Can’t believe I haven’t read it until now. I feel like every true crime book has been chasing the standard it set.

The Body by Stephen King The source material for “Stand By Me”. You cannot go wrong.

Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam A book encouraging people to manage their time so they’re not swamped and can actually enjoy guilt-free downtime. Not something I generally struggle with but as always, she has some good tips and I am now in the middle of a very long rabbit hole about time poverty.

Down City by Leah Carroll Not what I expected it to be. It was more of a memoir focused on her dad than addressing her mom’s murder. Found it on some list. If you listen to the Crimetown podcast, you’ll enjoy this one. Some familiar names crop up.

Free Fire by CJ Box Mass market thriller, seventh in a series about a game warden who solves murders and other assorted crimes. Learned about it from a Mental Floss article on the place where committing the perfect crime is possible. The book expands on that theory.

TL; DR: All of these are good books and I would recommend each one. 

Currently reading: Florida by Lauren Groff and A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen

Now it’s your turn. Make sure to visit my cohost, Steph, and some of the other bloggers joining us. Next one will be on September 11 and October is our FOUR YEAR anniversary. Holy. Shit.

 Loading InLinkz ...

On Wednesdays we wear pink but on Tuesdays we rant

by Jana 5 Comments

Over the weekend, you might have seen the now-deleted post on Forbes explaining why the author thinks Amazon stores should replace libraries. If you didn’t see it, consider yourself fortunate. Because it was a steaming load of shit written by someone who clearly hasn’t set foot in a library in years and is also so out of touch with his community and, I don’t know, people in general, that he genuinely thinks it’s a good idea.

He maintains that streaming services, Starbucks, and these bookstores would replace libraries because libraries are no longer vital to communities. He was also upset at his roughly $450 per year in taxes that go to supporting libraries. For what it’s worth, he lives on Long Island. This is a drop in the bucket compared to what Long Islanders pay in taxes for everything else. Didn’t see him complaining about those, though.

Because we need to call his ill-informed, horribly written piece of drivel what it actually is.

Poor shaming.

Well, maybe not so much shaming because he didn’t outright mock anyone who’s poor or try to make them feel bad about it or anything else that’s generally involved in shaming someone. But what he did do was let everyone know what a classist, elitist douchebag he is.

His post made it clear that knowledge, and access to that knowledge, should be made available only to those who can afford it. Unfortunately, this is a systemic, pervasive school of thought. Look at how we treat inner-city and rural schools compared to private and suburban schools. Hell, even in my district there’s a huge disparity in the quality of schools, particularly on the elementary school level.

In general, those who can afford it are routinely offered more AP classes, after-school clubs, student enrichment, and even basic necessities like heat. At home, internet is available at any given hour. Completing assignments isn’t a problem because access isn’t a problem.

And that’s what this man missed. (I mean, if I’m being completely honest, he didn’t miss it. He deliberately ignored it.)

Not everyone has those means. And they especially don’t have the means to buy books, pay for internet so they can have things like Netflix, and spending hours in a Starbucks probably isn’t possible, either. Because when you add all of those together, it’s way more than $450. Libraries provide a vital lifeline to those families who cannot afford that extra $450 per year.

So, again, his proposal to eliminate libraries and replace them with Amazon bookstores (and, side note, did anyone else wonder why he was pushing Amazon bookstores rather than independent bookstores or even Barnes and Noble? Just how much Amazon stock does he own?) is another way to say to low-income and poor people that it’s no one else’s job or responsibility to take care of you, you should be able to do this all yourself, and if you can’t, tough fucking shit.

You can’t sit with us.

I can’t, for the life of me, wrap my head around that school of thought. Why would you want to restrict people’s access to books or anything else libraries provide? And while you might not use the library because you have the luxury of choice not to, why take it away from anyone else who wants to use it? I know plenty of people who don’t use the library and they don’t give one iota of a fuck if I do. And I can guarantee they haven’t drilled so far down into their tax bill to pontificate on the internet about how the few dollars they do pay for libraries isn’t worth it.

Here’s the thing. I want information to be equitable and widely available. I want people to be able to read the news, see movies, and listen to music. Our entire society is enriched when people have access to all the art libraries provide, not to mention all the public services and events.

The other side of this is people who think knowledge should be available to only those who can afford it are the first to criticize a low-income mom or dad for their kids not being well-read or doing poorly in school. They’re the first to reproach the homeless man for blocking his entrance to Starbucks or not applying for a job when the library would give him access to the internet to look for employment or a place to stay warm. They’re the first to complain about people congregating in open spaces (legit question: do you think this guy hates public parks, too?) or not being able to find something they need on the internet. They’re first to reprimand parents for not putting their kids in summer camp or keeping them from experiencing the summer slide.

You can’t complain about something and then take away the method to fix it. That’s like the dumbest self-fulfilling prophecy ever.

Libraries provide a crucial function to members of a community on every income level. For me, I’ll gladly pay whatever the hell my tax bill is to my library because am 100% confident the amount of money I save by borrowing books is far greater than what I pay. Using his formula, if my tax bill is $450 and I read 80 books per year, I’m saving $750 per year, assuming $15 per book. And that’s just me. That doesn’t include the books my daughter reads. It doesn’t include the crop swap or food-for-fines drive that it does every year. It doesn’t include the vast children’s programming. It doesn’t include the free lectures, book clubs, or historical value my library adds to my town (no joke, it’s been around since 1847 and houses some really, really old books, maps, registers, and town history). Oh, not to mention the basement space that is occupied by an adult literacy program.

I will GLADLY pay those taxes to ensure that any and every family in my town has access to the exact same things that I have access to. I don’t give one flying fuck what their paycheck looks like.

The good news is that Library Twitter unleashed a fucking hellstorm on this guy. It was absolutely deserved, too. And if you want better written information or greater detail, I highly suggest checking out some of these threads and accounts because they’re way better than what I’ve done here:

You can go down a serious rabbit hole if you want to but the gist all this whole debacle, for me at least, is that despite the number of people who hate poor people and enjoy enacting policies and ideas that would further disenfranchise and repress them, a whole lot more of us love our libraries and think people who want to get rid of them are fucking idiots.

That’s absolutely an idea I can get behind.

Oh, and as for the guy who wrote the original post?

via Gfycat

P.S. I love Amazon. I use it with regularity. But never, ever will I suggest that it replace a library because, at the end of the day, I’d have no problem kicking Amazon out of my budget. Or Starbucks. Netflix might be harder but I could let it go. But I can’t say that I’d be able to go even a week without utilizing the library. In fact, when I moved here, one of the first things I did was check how far the library was from my house. 

Show Us Your Books, July 2018

by Jana 39 Comments

Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street…

Well, not so much in my neighborhood but is a good time to read more books. Which is better than dancing anyway.

Before I get into what I read last month, did anyone else get a kind of shamey email from Goodreads about their book challenge? Because I did and I really didn’t need the reinforcement that I’m behind. It made me feel a little terrible. That kind of pressure is very unnecessary.

Show Us Your Books. Join the Link-Up! Talk books the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month

Anyway, here’s what I read last month. Somehow it included 4 NetGalley books. Interesting.

The Chateau by Paul Goldberg. Big fat DNF. I hated this book and I felt terrible because it was an ARC from NetGalley but what are you going to do? I wanted to keep reading because he insults trump A LOT but it wasn’t enough to keep me around.

The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano. If you are triggered by self-harm, do not read this book or proceed with caution. This is a very good, well-researched supernatural-ish YA thriller. I found myself vested in the characters and what happened in both the past and present but some parts felt rushed and incomplete -specifically the end- but I like her writing and her books are kind of their own genre which is cool. Not the best book but I do recommend. NetGalley ARC read very late.

Not a Crime to be Poor by Peter Edelman. If you want a meticulously researched, dry, statistics-driven, anecdotal book explaining why and how it is expensive and criminal to poor, you will love this book. This is perfect for a classroom setting but as a read for someone who is non-academically interested in this topic, both policy-wise and sociologically, I was hoping for something a little more…human. He discusses success stories and how they can be replicated but it’s all business. If you would like to discuss this topic, though, please let me know. Found this one in a bookstore and got it from the library.

Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman. This isn’t necessarily a bad book. Some might even love it. For me, though, it was all over the place, couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. A western? Thriller? Sci-fi? And why was the end more like chick lit? I don’t mind multiple layers but this was a messy, tedious read that didn’t work in some places. Others were great. I would have read a whole book about Smoke or Carol’s mother. He’s not a terrible writer but he’s not for me.I did like it better than Bird Box, though. NetGalley ARC.

Fair Shot by Chris Hughes. Another nonfiction. This book is to guaranteed basic income what Hillbilly Elegy is to understanding 45’s voter base. Well-researched, well-written, but so full of privilege and arrogance that it’s hard to take it seriously as a policy book. It’s a memoir that heavily relies on personal experience to make him “relatable” and explain why he feels and believes the way he does but, save for a few chapters, minimally addresses it. I really didn’t want to hear from him anymore how he has Facebook money (he’s one of the co-founders) and he comes across as kind of a dick. He has some good ideas, though. So there’s that. Bookstore find, requested from library.

The Rules of Half by Jenna Patrick. This is a sad, touching, mildly optimistic book about family, tragedy, secrets, mental illness, small town prejudices and what happens when they all intersect. It’s a well-written book, takes care and honesty when discussing mental illness, and the characters are sympathetic and strong. But it felt like there were plot holes and details that were built up and then left out or glossed over and that was annoying. Good book, though. NetGalley ARC.

TL;DR: Nothing this month was outstanding but The Suffering Tree and Rules of Half were my favorite.

Currently reading Free Fire and Off the Clock.

Don’t forget to visit Steph and some of the other bloggers joining us. Next one is on August 14.

And now it’s your turn! Link up and Show Us Your Books!

 Loading InLinkz ...

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says

Jana Says
© 2017 by Jana Says. All Rights Reserved.
Crafted with by sasspurrella designs.