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Laura

Atomic Habits

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If you’ve unsuccessfully tried incorporating new habits or breaking old habits, this book is for you. If you’ve successfully incorporated new habits or broken old habits, this book is for you too! Atomic Habits is going on the short list of books I recommend to everyone regardless of their reading preferences or lifestyle. Anyone can get something out of this book if they’re willing to put in the work, whether their goal is physical, financial, psychological, or any other category you could think of.

James Clear breaks down habit development (and habit breaking) into four easy laws; for habit development, make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying. For breaking undesirable habits, simply inverse the laws: make it invisible, make it unattractive, make it difficult, make it unsatisfying. Each law has its own section in which Clear breaks down the law into small, easy-to-understand chunks, provides examples of people who have successfully used the law to develop a habit, and advice for overcoming common excuses. 

He talks about the importance of developing a good system, rather than a good goal. Though the goals are important, the system we use to achieve them is what determines whether we fail or succeed. He also emphasizes that once goals are reached it’s not uncommon for people to return to their previous behavior rather than striving to further improve their system or set a more advanced goal.

I could hear the excuses play out in my head as I was reading, excuses I’ve made so many times when I was tired or feeling particularly lazy, but it was like Clear was in my head. As soon as the excuses started popping up, I came to a part in the book discussing these same exact excuses and how to overcome them. Clear uses examples of real people who have utilized these laws to overcome their own excuses, making the book much more relatable. He uses professional sports teams as examples, but he also uses friends, office workers, artists, etc. There isn’t a lifestyle that these steps won’t be able to fit into because they’re so versatile.

Many of the resources Clear mentions are easily accessible and printable, allowing readers to develop their own habit trackers and systems. He recommends other reading materials that helped him develop Atomic Habits, as well books that correspond with certain steps or delve deeper into different types of systems people have developed.

I don’t currently have a list of annual readings because there are so few books I reread, and the ones I do reread aren’t read annually. However, I’m starting a list this year and Atomic Habits is at the top. There were so many great lessons and steps I could put into practice immediately, but I can see how that motivation could slip or I would overlook certain steps I no longer deem necessary after a year. Hopefully that will keep the information and motivation fresh in my head as I start each new year.

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Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I may earn a commission from purchases made through any above links.

Interior Chinatown

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Interior Chinatown follows Willis Wu, a resident of Chinatown, as he tries to reach the highest role he believes an Asian man can achieve, Kung Fu Guy. We get snippets of Wu’s childhood and see him form relationships, become a father, become the child of aged parents, and develop as a human who is held back both by society and himself.

This was my first experience with Charles Yu’s writing, and I think it’s safe to say it won’t be my last. It’s my understanding that Yu likes to push boundaries with his books and experiment with different styles of presentation. This is quite evident in Interior Chinatown. Yu shows us Wu’s life as though it is a TV show rather than a man’s life. Though I greatly appreciate Yu’s innovation, there were times this pulled me out of the story to question whether what was happening was actually happening to Wu or was part of the show Wu works on. I think this was intentional, but it was also slightly distracting. By no means does the unorthodox writing style discredit the book. I thought it was well written and could be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers.

I don’t know that my reaction to Interior Chinatown was typical. I say this for two reasons. One, I’m not sure it was intended to be as emotional a read as I got out of it. Two, I don’t usually have as emotional a reaction to books as I did with Interior Chinatown. Right from the start as Wu is describing his relationships with his parents, I was tearing up, and this melancholy stuck with me throughout the rest of the book.

Charles Yu addresses heavy themes all the way through Interior Chinatown including aging parents, budding relationships, parenthood, racism, and classism. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that most conversations about people of color and racism often do not include Asian nationalities or others who are white passing. Yu tackles this in every chapter as Wu is faced with restrictions society puts on him because of his race as well as restrictions he puts on himself because he doesn’t feel his struggles are as significant as those of other races. 

As a white person, I try to be the best ally I can. It is something I am constantly learning to do better and expand my knowledge. Yu raised several points where I realize I have been lacking, emphasizing how vital it is to be a reader in today’s world. There are important lessons to be learned in all types of literature. One of the most important takeaways from Interior Chinatown for me personally was that I need to do a better job amplifying voices of color equally across the spectrum regardless of how white passing a person of color is. This seems obvious in writing, but I know I get bogged down supporting one person or one group and miss cues where I could be a better ally for others.

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Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I may earn a commission from purchases made through any above links.

February 2021 TBR

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I have gotten so many excellent book recommendations lately that I might have gone slightly overboard with my TBR for February. I picked books covering several genres, fiction and nonfiction, adult and YA. Many are books written by Black authors and feature Black protagonists in observation of Black History Month.

I have two book club meetings this month, one discussing Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu and one discussing Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics by Eleanor Herman. In addition to book clubs, I’m also trying to get more involved with buddy reads on bookstagram, so this month I will be reading The Confession by Jessie Burton with a couple readers from the UK. I’m so looking forward to being able to discuss the book with friends as we read, rather than trying to fit everything into one meeting as we do with book clubs.

I received several recommendations via booktube and bookstagram for Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones, both of which are retellings of fantastic storylines. Legendborn is an urban Arthurian story centered around a high school student. One of the highest praises I’ve heard for Legendborn is the effortless inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color. I’m so excited to delve further into this and see what the hype is about. Characters of color and LGBTQ+ characters often feel forced or like token characters, so this sounds like a new standard to be achieved and Deonn just raised the bar! Wintersong was described to me as a retelling of Labyrinth, one of my favorite movies from my childhood. I am greatly looking forward to revisiting the Goblin King!

My husband recently bought me the selection wheel featured in the video and it was so fun putting it to use this month to select some Black History Month picks! For fantasy, I will be reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, first in The Broken Earth trilogy. Though it came out six years ago, it is still one that comes up frequently in conversations about favorite fantasy reads. For the non-fiction selection, I will be reading The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson is the author of the highly praised Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which I would also like to read this year. The Warmth of Other Suns tells the untold story of nearly six million black citizens who left southern states to move north between 1915 and 1970 and how this migration altered our country. For social justice, I will be reading Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. This is one that has crossed my path many times, but I just don’t prioritize non-fiction the way I would like to. Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative through which he served as the lawyer for Walter McMillian who was sentenced to death for a murder he didn’t commit. Through Just Mercy, Stevenson presents his findings of the broken system behind the American death penalty.

This month I’m also hoping to finish some books started last month and last year including Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.

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Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I may earn a commission from purchases made through any above links.

January 2021 Recap

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I was planning to have a very different photo for this recap but didn’t realize until reviewing my reads that I only read one physical book this month! Everything else was either ebooks, graphic novels on the tablet, or an audio book. I’m hoping to read more physical books next month. I like the convenience of ebooks, but there’s a comfort in holding a physical book that technology doesn’t offer.

I’m hoping to keep the monthly recaps brief and merely recap as the title suggests so I can avoid repeating what is already discussed in the review posts.

Stats:

Mostly in order of reading:

Star Wars: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1-4: Borrowed from the library via Hoopla and read on an iPad. Wonderful illustrations and entertaining lore from canon.

Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10) and Dead Reckoning (#11): Borrowed as audiobooks from the library via Libby, narrated by Johanna Parker. The narration fits perfectly with how I envision Sookie. Full review of the series will be coming soon-ish.

One of Us is Lying: Borrowed from the library via Libby. Not a book I would have picked up if it weren’t for bookstagram, but I’m so glad I did! Definitely plan on reading more from Karen McManus.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes: Borrowed from the library via Libby. Another one I wouldn’t normally have picked up, but I was on a YA kick. While I thought it was fun, I’m not sure if I’ll go back for more.

Star Wars: Age of Republic Heroes and Villains: Borrowed from the library via Hoopla and read on an iPad. Review coming soon. Hint: I enjoyed the Villains volume much more than the Heroes.

Interview with the Vampire: Trade paperback. Beautiful prose and I loved the journey through different time periods and countries as well as Louis’s humanity!

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Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I may earn a commission from purchases made through any above links.

Interview with the Vampire

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I have picked up a few of Anne Rice’s books; this is the first I’ve completed, and it certainly won’t be the last. I cannot recommend this book enough for readers of romance, historical fiction, fantasy; I think there’s something here for nearly every reader. 

Rice utilizes such beautiful prose that fit so well with the periods and characters throughout Interview with the Vampire. The language is flowery, but not in a way that distracts from the storyline or seems over the top for the context. It reminded me of the way I felt reading Tolkien’s writing; I love flowery prose that flows effortlessly and doesn’t seem forced by the author.

I think part of what drew me into Interview with the Vampire is the incredible way Rice captured New Orleans. Her descriptions transcend time and, despite the many changes the city underwent between the beginning and end of the book, the character of the city remained the same as it still is today. This city has a life of its own that’s not easy to capture in writing and is meant to be experienced, but Rice made it its own character rather than merely a setting.

I was immediately attached to Louis, his pains, inner struggles, relationships, all felt very real to me. Some of the interactions between Claudia (and other children) and adults were a little cringe worthy, but when you consider that she was a mature mind trapped in a child’s body for eternity, it really complicated those relationships. I never felt there was anything but paternal love between her and Louis, but there were some questionable interactions between Lestat and other children that may be uncomfortable for some readers. Character development went deep throughout the novel and continued right through the last sentence with the interviewer. Rice was thorough without drudging up unnecessary details or distracting emotions that weren’t in line with what the reader had learned of each character. I can only imagine the complicated planning this must have required on her part to not contradict details later in book. Everything felt cohesive despite leaps in the timeline.

I was not expecting the complex themes explored here, such as loneliness in immortality, the blurred lines between good and evil, differences between love and adoration, and whether decisions are made for aesthetic or moral reasons. I’m trying to keep spoilers out of this review, so I’ll avoid delving into those descriptions too much, but if you’d like to have a discussion of any themes you found of interest, please comment below and I’d love to have a dialogue with you!

In the meantime, I will leave you this lovely depiction of New Orleans that made me swoon:

“New Orleans, though beautiful and desperately alive, was desperately fragile. There was something forever savage and primitive there, something that threatened the exotic and sophisticated life both from within and without. Not an inch of those wooden streets nor a brick of the crowded Spanish houses had not been bought from the fierce wilderness that forever surrounded the city, ready to engulf it. Hurricanes, floods, fevers, the plague—and the damp of the Louisiana climate itself worked tirelessly on every hewn plank or stone façade, so that New Orleans seemed at all times like a dream in the imagination of her striving populace, a dream held intact at every second by a tenacious, though unconscious, collective will.”

(Interview with the Vampire, p.203-204)

Interview with the Vampire is available through Bookshop.org in paperback or as a collection with The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned.

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Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org. I may earn a commission from purchases made through any above links.