Riley > Recent Status Updates

Absolutely CLASSIC ADHD/Autism, anxious/avoidant combo. I can count on two hands the number of couples I know who fall into this exact pairing lol

Wow with the way the characters describe Charles Wallace they might as well call him an Indigo Child or whatever other New Agey euphemism people use to avoid saying autistic

It blows my mind that I read and loved this before I knew I was autistic, but that it didn't really ping anything for me identity-wise at the time. I'm very curious to see how I feel about it now that I have this greater knowledge of myself and autism in general.

Continually slapping my hand mentally so I don't just highlight this whole damn book

I'm trying to do audiobooks again now that I have a longer commute, but it's still short enough that I can never seem finish a book before I have to return it. I'm fascinated enough by this though that I'm doing another Audible trial just so I can continue!

This is doing an amazing job of hitting all the beats without feeling stale

Last year I became super interested in Bruce's Beach, the first Black-owned resort in California which was eventually stolen through false imminent domain claims in the mid 1920's. I'm just getting into chapter 2 now and it's happily all about this topic

Why would I ever think I could crack open an Alexis Hall book and just read a little before bed? 😅

Pleased to see that the intro passes the body neutrality test: "Fashion and beauty articles regularly refer to figure "flaws" or "faults," which contributes to the notion that there is shame in not having that supposed ideal figure. This is of course not true. In describing the wide array of body types, this text refers to "figure variations""

"Children are little priests of their parents, watching their every gesture and expression for signs of their divine will.”

I should have known from the very title of this book that it would be full of flattering/unflattering discourse, details about what styles fat people should avoid (things that add "visual weight" in case you were wondering), and references to variations in bodies as "oddities". Heavy sigh.

Exquisitely rendered depictions of grief so far, plus an interesting spooky element that seems to actually be real rather than a "is it supernatural or is it insanity" deal. I'm digging it but I'm not sure I can read two books in a row with a grief theme, so we'll see.

This is the first book I've picked up on a whim just because it looked cool in literal years. Really liking it so far!

P. Djèlí Clark sure knows how to set a scene. Such lush descriptions without ever verging into purple prose

Ok I REALLY need to go to bed but !!!

Pumpkin has all the cynicism of Dumplin' mixed with the OTTness of Puddin', and I am flipping loving the combo

Always a risk to put something on my Currently Reading shelf these days, but this is hitting me in the cutes enough that I'm feeling hopeful

This is SO CUTE, so why am I stalling? Is it pandemic brain, or is it the story itself? I can't tell and it's driving me crazy

2020 is the year of letting go of both the satisfaction and the anxiety of the Goodreads Reading Challenge, as well as expanding my ideas of what type of reading "counts". I've read a piddly 62 published books so far this year, and yet if we go by any other measure I've probably maybe read more than ever before. Yay for fanfic and scholarly articles keeping me sane when regular books aren't fitting the bill!

Am I cursing myself to never finish this by adding it to my Currently Reading shelf? History would indicate yes, but I hope not because this is really unique and interesting so far.

Well the intro already squeezed a few tears out of me so it looks like we're off to a good start!

I've heard good things about this but the writing is so monotonous that I really don't know if I can handle an entire book of it

Ok I am really glad I decided not to dnf this now, WHOO

Do you ever read a book by an author you love, that you think is well written, that you want so much to like, but that inexplicably fills you with dread any time you think of picking up? Anyways, I've been reading this book for almost a month and a half

Very intriguing and atmospheric so far, though the first quarter was a bit slower than I might have liked

Ooh, we're in a real "please don't disappoint me" place right now because the characterizations so far are *chef kiss*

I've loled no less than 3 times already

This is a lot