Beloved Bookishness: A Literary Collaboration (Part 2)
Hello everyone! I’m back with a new literary collaboration with my friend and fellow blogger Danielle Grace. Danielle is also the host of the podcast Young Gifted and Abroad, which focuses on perspectives on studying abroad from past and present students of color. You can learn more about the podcast in our previous interview here.
As we are both avid readers and talk about books on our platforms today we’ll be talking about books that have an impact on our lives, favorites, and our literary habits. Here is part two of our collaboration in Danielle interviews me. If you missed part one, you can view the post here.
Book That Took You The Longest To Finish
I’ve only read the first three books in the Outlander series but these novels have been the longest reads in my life. Each of these novel averages anywhere from 750 to 900 pages and are incredibly detailed. Even though naturally I’m a fast reader I’ve struggled reading this series as much as I love it. It’s dense and a bit difficult to read at times, but on average it takes me about three months to read these books. When usually it would take me about a month. I think that’s why I am reluctant to read really long novels. But regardless, I still would like to finish the series one day soon.
Book That Put You On To a New Favorite Interest/Food/Activity
I love crafts and artsy things in general so I was really interested in this book that focused on feminism and typography. Each chapter focuses on three feminists and gives a bit of background about their life and legacy. They also go into depth about the creation of each print and the artistry and awareness it creates for each issue. I loved the whole idea of this poster series and it was nice to see them pay tribute to leading ladies in history, and give back to the community. I’ve been more interested in typography lately so I can’t wait to experiment with it more in the future.
Book That You Wouldn’t Mind Repeatedly “Lending” to People And Not Getting it Back, Because it Gives You an Excuse to Keep Buying New Copies of it
Abbott is a graphic novel is about hard-nosed, chain-smoking tabloid reporter Elena Abbott who investigates a series of grisly crimes that the police have ignored. She soon finds out that these crimes are a result of dark forces at work. If you love mystery stories with a supernatural twist this is a must-read! Being a native Detroiter I was excited to hear that this story is set in the Motor City during the 1970s. The art is breathtaking and the story is a page-turner. It’s got a lot of action-packed scenes that keep the reader constantly engrossed.
Book You Wish You Could Read For The First Time Again
I’m currently reading the second novel in the series, but Amari and the Night Brothers is a highly recommended read for me. I’ve gushed about how much I loved this novel so much on this blog. It’s the type of fantasy story with the representation I wish a had as a young girl who consumed tons of stories about magic, mystical creatures, and strange worlds. Alston, the author adds the most intricate details to make this such an immersive reading experience. I admired Amari’s (main character) tenacious spirit and courage on her journey to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and discovering her own magic. Most importantly she never gives up on finding the truth!
Most Notable Book You Remember Reading on a Plane
I actually haven’t flown in years so my memory is a bit fuzzy on this one. I usually am so distracted by everything that is going on around me that I can’t concentrate on reading. But I do tend to read on bus trips and I think on a trip to Chicago a few years ago I read Shatter Me. It’s a novel where I was late to the initial popularity bandwagon, but nonetheless, I still enjoyed reading the novel. It follows a teenage girl who has supernatural powers and has to make choice between holding her own or being used by those around her for her talents.
Most Notable Book You Remember Having to Explain/Describe to Someone Who Saw You Reading it in Public and Asked, “Whatcha Reading?”
I usually read on my Kindle when I’m out and about so normally I don’t get asked much when I’m reading. So I’ll pick the last book someone commented on when I was reading a physical copy. This is an upcoming 2023 release I got the chance to review for Fandom Spotlite. Luna, the main character, gets involved in a cyberbullying scandal. In order to make things right she makes a plea to social media giant, Limbo. to help out and when they arrive at her school with the Retro Challenge it seems like it will be the answer to her problems. It’s a very suspenseful thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time I read it.
Book That You’ve Read in Another Language (or Would Like To)
As long as I’ve studied Japanese I still struggle with reading comprehension the most. So I have books in Japanese in my collection, but they are more collectibles than books I’ve already read. I can read Children’s novels or manga somewhat though. One novel, well manga I’d like to try reading is Shirokuma Cafe. I love cute things and I’ve heard this is such a cozy little series from other readers. It revolves around the everyday lives of a group of animals mingling with humans at a café run by a polar bear. It seems easy enough for me to read and I enjoy slice-of-life style stories that are simplistic, yet fun.
Book That Made You Want to Become a Writer
I actually wanted to become a writer because of all of the stories I consumed as a child. I was taken to all of these wonderful, imaginative places through the pages of a book where I knew I wanted to create stories of my own someday. I know that not every reader wants to be a writer, but I think even in my childhood I was always dreaming up stories. Meeting authors as a young child and watching literary shows such as Reading Rainbow really pushed me to take an interest in writing and hopefully turn it into a career.
Book You Read Because You Liked The Cover (And Judging The Book by its Cover Paid Off)
I pick so many novels based on covers so this is a hard question. The cover as much as the title for My Sister, The Serial Killer caught my eye along with all the buzz about in the book community. The story follows Korede, who is dealing with the fact her sister is a serial killer. She has suspicions early on, but after further documentation of the untimely deaths of Ayoola’s exes, she knows that it’s true. Korede is faced with whether to turn in her sister or not. It’s equal parts crime mixed with a psychological thriller. Though the book is short, it packs a powerful punch. I feel like the novel stood out to me because of the humor and suspense that is written into the story.
Book That You Would Bequeath to Everyone if You Were to Die Tomorrow (Alternatively: The Book That Best Represents You as a Reader/a Person)
There are so many books on books that I’ve read in my life that I thoroughly enjoyed. For this prompt, I’ll be talking about the latter question and chose a recent read. Happily Ever Afters is a novel where I truly saw my younger bookish self. I felt that as a writer could relate to Tessa’s (the main character) experience on many levels. She loves to read and create her own stories. Writing makes Tessa feel alive but she’s also afraid to share her work with others for fear of rejection. I myself have definitely experienced imposter syndrome myself. I wish my younger self would have taken all that reading experience I had and created more of my own stories to share with others. At least I’m writing as much as I read now.
A big thank you to Danielle for once again taking the time to collaborate with me. I’ve definitely added a few new books to my TBR due to our interview exchange. What books have helped to shape you/impact you? Let us know in the comment section below!
Another lovely read, what a great collaboration!
Thank you so much Liz!