Category Archives: Blog Hops

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Favourite Book Bloggers

A laptop sitting on a wooden table. The text reads: “Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.”

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Here are a few of my favourite book bloggers.

I have not always done a very good job of visiting some of their blogs these past couple of years due to some tough personal stuff I’ve been dealing with, but they’re still all great people to follow.

If such things were possible, I’d love to get all of these folks together for a big group dinner as I think some new friendships could possibly spark from that evening.

A green stack of paper is lying on a white table next to a fountain pen. In front of the pen and paper are four white cubes that have the word blog spelled on them with one letter on each cube. Berthold Gambrel.

He reviews a ton of indie authors and sometimes filmmakers from a variety of genres. He’s also a genuinely kind and friendly guy who I originally met on Twitter back before it imploded!

Mock Ramblings

Another old Internet friend of mine. We met in the comment section of Bruce Gerencser’s blog, and I’ve learned so much about D&D and various books from his posts over the years. Sometimes he’ll share funny stories about his family, too.

Nerdy Reader Girl 

A bookish friend I’ve known for years. She has the best sense of humour ever, and I live vicariously through the funny stories she sometimes shares about her cats.

Leah’s Books

Leah is someone I originally met through Top Ten Tuesday. She’s been a little quiet online lately, so I’m hoping all is well with her. I love the fact that she jumps around to various genres just like I do and that she’s normally so chatty if you strike up a conversation with her!

Dini Panda Reads

Dini is another wonderful person I met through TTT. Her blog has such an interesting assortment of books on it that I always check out what she’s reading if I don’t know what to read next. I also appreciate her sweet and gentle personality. She’s lovely.

Lark at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard 

Her Sunday posts are always so interesting! Lark’s willingness to stick up for others (e.g. immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community) is also something I admire about her.

Nicole at Bookwyrm Knits

This is the part where I admit that I thought Lark and Nicole were the same person for an embarrassingly long time due to how similar their blog titles are. They are both free to tease me endlessly about that if or when they read this post.

Nicole shares so many interesting knitting projects on her blog when she isn’t talking about books. One of these days I will try knitting myself, and it will be thanks to her. 🙂 She’s so talented.

Sometimes Leelynn Reads 

Leelynn hasn’t posted in a while, but back when she did I loved being exposed to books on her blog I probably wouldn’t have otherwise known about. (She likes romance more than I do, after all!) Her friendly personality was another thing that drew her to me as well. She gets along well with everyone from what I’ve observed which is quite admirable.

 

Apologies if I missed anyone I regularly interact with! It was not done intentionally. There are so many incredible bloggers out there that I love getting to know.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read a Book

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

1. Prehistoric, Neanderthal, Hunter-Gatherer, and/or Anatomically-Modern Human

I’m always interested in books set at this point in the past.

2. Magical Realism

There’s nothing like a story that is 99% realistic but has a slightly magical twist to it.

Grey stones in a stone garden. The stone closest to the viewer has the word “hope etched onto it. The stone right behind it has the world “charity” etched onto it. 3. HEA (happily ever after)

It’s not that common in the scary stuff I sometimes read, so I have to branch out to other genres to see characters who ride off into the sunset peacefully.

4. Friends to Lovers 

This is how my spouse and I ended up together. When I do dip into more romantic reads on occasion, starting off with a strong friendship between the characters is definitely the first thing I’m looking for.

5. Twist Ending

If the right amount of foreshadowing is included ahead of time, I love it when there’s a twist ending that catches me off-guard but, in retrospect, makes perfect sense. It’s quite difficult to accomplish, so I never fault authors who can’t quite strike the balance between hinting at what’s to come and still keeping their audience guessing. It’s simply a fun bonus when it does occur.

6. Solarpunk, Hopepunk, and/or Utopian Themes

Show me visions of the future that are remarkably better than the world we currently live in!

7. Animal Companions 

Assuming the pets don’t die or get seriously injured in the story, I love reading about characters who have close relationships with their furry (or scaly, aquatic, or what have you) friends.

8. Urban settings 

I love living in an urban setting as well as reading all sorts of stories with this sort of setting.

9. Medical triumphs 

That is to say, there’s nothing like reading a book about a condition or illness that we now either prevent with better nutrition, clean water, vaccines, municipal sanitation, etc. or have such effective treatments for that the average person may not realize how dangerous or painful it was for previous generations. It’s exhilarating to read about all of the progress we’ve made.

10. Mutual Aid

That is, stories about people working together to solve seemingly insurmountable problems. It’s easy for this topic to come across as an cheesy after school special, but when care is taken in fleshing out the characters and exploring the conflict(s) they face in depth, the hopefully happy ending that eventually comes can be immensely satisfying.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Genres I Want to Read More of This Year

A laptop sitting on a wooden table. The text reads: “Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.”

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Simple black sketch of how protons and electrons move around an atom. There appears to be three protons or neutrons in total, but it doesn’t give more information than that. This year I’m hoping to read more nonfiction about medical and scientific advances.

I’m keeping the specific sub-genre open. Biology is interesting, and so is palaeontology, archeology, chemistry, astronomy, and a wide variety of other subjects. I will even read about math so long as you’re not actually expecting me to solve any equations. Ha!

The important thing to me is that they’re taking abut positive developments because I need more good news in my life.

A book about the invention of the atom bomb or how many airborne diseases spread so quickly in the winter, as interesting as they may be, isn’t quite what I’m looking for.

Something that talks about promising treatments, preventions, or cures for life-threatening illnesses, or what scientists are discovering about distant solar systems,  or new species of plants or animals we’re discovering in remote corners of the Earth would be right up my alley.

If you’ve read something along these lines, I’d love to hear about it.

In the meantime, I’ll be scouring the Internet and my local library for hopeful scientific and medical news.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List

The text reads, “Top Ten Tuesday. www.thatartsyreadergirl.com.”
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A few of these books have already been released. As usual, I’m including publication dates for the rest of them.

I have two Top Ten Tuesday bloggers to thank for blogging about a couple of these titles earlier, so keep an eye out for those mentions.

 

Book cover for Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer. Image on cover is a photo of Judy Blume with short curly hair and in a black turtleneck sweater. She’s smiling faintly and looking off to her left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer

Why I’m Interested: I adored her books when I was in elementary and middle school but know nothing about her personal life.

 

Book cover for Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life by Leanne ten Brinke. Image on cover shows a neon green background and what appears to be a black puddle of something possibly poisonous off to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life by Leanne ten Brinke

Why I’m Interested: Hopefully it will have some excellent advice for identifying and neutralizing troublemakers in any community.

 

Book cover for Phases: a Memoir by Brandy Norwood. Image on cover is a close-up photo of her face as she wears a blue silk garment and gazes thoughtfully off into the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Phases: A Memoir by Brandy

Publication Date: March 31

Why I’m Interested: This is at least the third time I’ve blogged about this memoir while waiting for its release due to how excited I am for it. One more week to go before I hopefully get to learn more about my favourite singer’s life behind the scenes. In the meantime, I’m trying to get on my library’s waitlist for it as soon as I possibly can today as they generally open it up for requests a week before a book is published. Wish me luck!

 

Book cover for What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed. Image on cover shows a drawing of a white flower with thin yellow petals forming a ring around the thick white petals. This image is half covering a black circular object that I can’t identify. It looks like a black moon hanging in a blue sky, though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed

Publication Date: April 7

Why I’m Interested: Science fiction set on other planets often grabs my interest.

 

Book cover for American Fantasy by Emma Straub. Image on cover shows a drawing of a white cruise ship sailing on the ocean on a mostly cloudless day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  American Fantasy by Emma Straub

Publication Date: April 7

Why I’m Interested: Actually dating a member of a boyband or other type of touring musician? No, thank you. Having a spouse who travels for work for most of the year sounds terribly lonely. Reading about a character who dates her boyband teenage crush, on the other hand? Sign me up.

 

Book cover for Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Image on cover shows a train travelling along a train track next to a field of wheat. The image is warped, though, and has an unnatural bend to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Thank you to Living on the Sunny Side for bringing my attention to this title!

Publication Date: April 7 (I am apparently going to be doing nothing but reading on April 7. Ha!)

Why I’m Interested: No offence to anyone who likes this stuff, but I find tradwife content terribly confusing. It seems odd to me to make a living telling other women that they should not have jobs or ambitions outside of the home. By that logic, then, shouldn’t tradwife creators stop making new content and delete all of their old stuff, too? I love the fact that this novel is exploring those contradictions.

Book cover for Canon by Paige Lewis. Image on cover shows three scenes: a whale swimming through the ocean on the top of the cover, a full moon hanging over a mountain range on the right middle side of the cover, and, on the bottom, a two-paned drawing of a warring carrying a spear and shield charging at a woman wearing a t-shirt and black slacks who is standing in front of a large wall that protects the city behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Canon by Paige Lewis

Publication Date: May 19

Why I’m Interested: This sounds delightfully campy and silly.

 

Book cover for The Redemption Centre Is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston. Image on cover shows a computer-generated drawing of a little brown and white dog looking up at an ominous old house just after dusk. There is light streaming through one window in the house, and a shadowy figure is standing there looking down at the dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.  The Redemption Centre Is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston

Thank you to Spirit Blog for letting me know about this book.

Publication Date: May 26

Why I’m Interested: Mixing the mystery and science fiction genres together is a good way to get my attention.

 

Given that I have published seasonal TBR posts with as few as two books on them in the past, eight books is an excellent number for me even if it’s still a little less than the recommended amount.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Audiobooks I’ve Enjoyed

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Five hardcover books standing up on a white surface. They are held upright and together in place by a pair of earphones that are wrapped around them in the same way you’d see a person wear earphones. The first few times I tried audiobooks, I was not at all a fan of them because I can read much faster than the average narrator speaks and I’d much rather get to know characters through the written word instead of the spoken one.

My attention span tends to waver fairly quickly if I’m listening to something which is why I also am generally not a fan of podcasts or listening to lengthy speeches of any sort if I’m not physically present in the room at the time the speech is going on.

What shifted my perspective on this topic was when I tried rereading old favourites in audiobook form. This was something I originally did so that I could have something fun to focus on while cleaning or doing chores around the house, and it was key for me to find a way to enjoy this form of entertainment.

These books were amusing rereads in audiobook form for me. Will they also be a good option for you? That’s something each one of you will have to decide for themselves.

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

2. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

3. All seven Chronicles of Narnia books  by C.S. Lewis

4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

6. All of the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary

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Top Ten Tuesday: Green Book Covers


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone who is celebrating it! I always forgot to wear something green on that day when I was in school and so endured jokes about being pinched all day. (Nobody ever really pinched me, though!)  Did your school have that custom as well?

Here are some books that have green book covers. I’ve only read the first two titles, but the rest sound interesting as well.

Book cover for nne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery. Image on cover shows Anne wearing her sun hat anad standing in front of Green Gables smiling as she clutches a book. This appears to be a drawing that was used a lot in 1980s covers for this book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery

 

Book cover for Dark Waters (Small Spaces, #3) by Katherine Arden. Image on cover shows a drawing of a large fish menacingly swimming up to the top of the lake. A small boat is floating on top of the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Dark Waters (Small Spaces, #3) by Katherine Arden

 

Book cover for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Image on cover shows a white woman wearing a glamorous, silky green gown that shows off a little cleavage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Book cover for The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint. Image on cover shows a drawing of about a dozen cats sitting near a small, pale child who is wearing a gauzy green dress and standing next to a pond in a jungle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint

 

Book cover for The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith. Image on cover is a drawing of an owl flying with wings outstretched through a murky green forest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away by Ronald L. Smith

 

Book cover for The Bee and the Orange Tree by Melissa Ashley. Image on cover is a drawing of a bee sitting on a small orange tree that is currently only growing a single orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Bee and the Orange Tree by Melissa Ashley

 

Book cover for The River Wife by Jonis Agee. Image on cover shows a white women with auburn hair floating in a river while wearing a gauzy white dress that is falling down her shoulders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The River Wife by Jonis Agee

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books About My Favourite Topic

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I’ve written several blog posts about this topic in the past and am trying not to repeat myself too often, so this time I will be focusing on nonfiction books about animals and nature. Those are two things I love to read about.

Yes, I know that I mentioned “A Short History of the World According to Sheep” in a Top Ten Tuesday post last month, but it belongs to this theme as well. 

These were all solid reads that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys books on these topics.

Book cover for Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton. Image on cover is a sketch of a young hare whose ears are pointed up and who is looking around at her surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

 

Book cover for A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard. Image on cover is a photo of a shepherd herding his sheep while they stand on a mountain. There are much larger, snowier mountains in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard

 

Book cover for The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard. Image on cover is a drawing of large earthworms digging through the soil. Above the soil there is a large tree whose branches are hanging heavy over the land. In the distance there is a faraway forest and a blue sky dotted with white clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Book of the Earthworm by Sally Coulthard

 

Book cover for Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf. Image on cover is a drawing of various cephalopods, including squid and octupi, swimming next to each other in a light blue sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Monarchs of the Sea: The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods by Danna Staaf

 

Book cover for Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets. Image on cover is a drawing of a pine forest that has a dirt path running through it. Extra sunlight is shining down onto the path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles Featuring Ordinal Numbers


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Joanne @ Portobello Book Blog for submitting this week’s theme! Here are ten book titles featuring ordinal numbers. 

Book cover for Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Image on cover shows the title written in a cursive font against a fuzzy green background that looks like it might be the canopy of a tree or trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

 

Book cover for The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Image on cover shows a drawing of three hardback novels neatly stacked in a small pile together. One of the books has a red cloth book cover that is hanging out between its pages and draping down to the wooden surface below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

 

Book cover for Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1) by Heather Brewer. Image on cover is a drawing of a pale-skinned young teenager who is wearing a black hoodie that has a red smilie face with fangs printed on it. The kid’s face is partially obscured by their hoodie’s hood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1) by Heather Brewer

 

Book cover for Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson, #2) by Darynda Jones. Image on cover shows a realistic painting, or maybe a heavily photoshopped photo, of a young white woman who has one hand on her hip and is wearing jeans, a jacket, and a blouse that shows a hint of cleavage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson, #2) by Darynda Jones

 

Book cover for The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. Image on cover is a drawing of a country farmhouse with an empty dirt road next to it. The farmhouse is drawn from an angle and so looks smaller than it would if it were drawn facing forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien

 

Book cover for First Among Sequels (Thursday Next, #5) by Jasper Fforde. Image on cover is a drawing of an opened book that has a small explosion bursting forth from its pages. Dust and rubble is shooting out in all directions!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. First Among Sequels (Thursday Next, #5) by Jasper Fforde

 

Book cover for Seventh Son (The Last Apprentice #1-2) by Joseph Delaney. Image on cover shows three of the characters, presumably the actors from the film version of this book. They are all white, one young woman, one young man, and one old man, and are looking dramatically to the right or facing the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Seventh Son (The Last Apprentice #1-2) by Joseph Delaney

 

Book cover for The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin. Image on cover shows what appears to be a very old door that is partially covered by grime. On the door an ornate metal object has been forged that curls into itself as if it has leaves or perhaps small tentacles. It’s beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, by N.K. Jemisin

 

Book cover for Eighth Moon: The True Story of a Young Girl's Life in Communist China by Bette Bao Lord. Image on cover shows a drawing of an arrange of purple flowers surrounding the face of a young Chinese woman, presumably the author.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.  Eighth Moon: The True Story of a Young Girl’s Life in Communist China by Bette Bao Lord

 

Book cover for The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson. Image on cover shows Calvin and Hobbes making funny faces at the audience by pulling their cheeks gently away from their teeth and sticking out their tongues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson

 

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Fictional Things I’m Glad Are NOT Real

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

This is once again going to be a science fiction, horror, and fantasy heavy list due to how much I’ve read in those genres.

1. Vampires

Stylized drawing of a Chinese dragon that doesn’t have limbs. It’s long, snake-like body curls around itself as it flicks out its tongue and looks annoyed. 2. Zombies

3. The Borg

4. Panem (The country set in North America in the Hunger Games series that forced children to fight for their lives in epic televised battles)

5. Being the Chosen One ™. Honestly, that sounds exhausting.

6. Aliens who show up on Earth ready to fight.

7. Having a One True Love ™. Falling in love can be an excellent thing, but the pressure of believing there’s only one person out there for you and you’d better not mess things up was intense when I was single.

8. Epic adventures. This, too, sounds exhausting. Let someone else go save the world while I hunker down for the rest of the winter.

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Nonfiction Titles I Recently Added to My TBR List


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten nonfiction titles I’ve recently added to my TBR list. If you’ve read any of them or have other suggestions for great titles in this genre, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Book cover for Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent by Kim Bowes. Image on cover shows a close-up photo of a silver Roman coin. The face on the coin is pointing up, and you can only see the top half of the coin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent by Kim Bowes

Why I’m interested: As I’ve mentioned here before, I prefer reading about the lives of ordinary people in the past. It’s interesting to find out what they ate and wore and what their daily lives were like.

 

Book cover for The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas by Brooke N. Newman. image on cove shows a British royal crown hanging from the black silhouette of a head as if it were an earring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Crown’s Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas by Brooke N. Newman

Why I’m interested: This is an aspect of the transatlantic slave trade that I wasn’t aware of.

Book cover for elieve You're Made for More: 7 Steps to Break Free from Low Self-Esteem, Remember Your Worth and Claim Your Quiet Confidence by Natasha Page. Image on cover shows the title written in a pink font against a blue background with the subtitle written in a yellow bubble on the bottom right hand of the cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Believe You’re Made for More: 7 Steps to Break Free from Low Self-Esteem, Remember Your Worth and Claim Your Quiet Confidence
by Natasha Page

Why I’m interested: It sounds helpful. (I don’t have a great track record with self-help books, though, so no promises that I’ll actually finish it).

Book cover for Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants by Fay-Wei Li and Jacob S. Suissa. Image on cover is a drawing of about eight different types of ferns, one of whom is red, growing towards the centre of the book cove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Ferns: Lessons in Survival From Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants by Fay-Wei Li and Jacob S. Suissa.

Why I’m interested: Botany is such an interesting subject.

 

Book cover for Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic by Mia Bennett and Klaus Doods. Image on cover is a drawing created from the perspective of someone looking down at the arctic and seeing the dark sea water between icebergs as a few different cargo ships sail past each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic by Mia Bennett, Klaus Dodds

Why I’m interested: Cimate change frightens me, but I am also intrigued by how it alongside geopolitical conflicts are shaping the future of this continent. Will humans someday live there for non-scientific purposes, for example?

 

Book cover for The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy by Susan Wise Bauer. Image on cover is a historical painting of a woman lying sick in bed as two other women tend to her. I’d estimate that this scene was set in the late 1700s or early 1800s based on their attire and the little white rumpled hat one of the caretakers is wearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy by Susan Wise Bauer

Why I’m interested: I couldn’t read about contagious diseases back when Covid first emerged, but now I can occasionally explore how previous generations handled similar crises and how epidemics and pandemics e can permanently affect a culture in all sorts of interesting ways.

Book cover for The Flowers of Good: The Science and the History of Marijuana Liberation by Sidarta Ribeiro, Daniel Hahn. Image on cover is a drawing of what I presume is a marijuana plant. It’s tall, leafy, and green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. The Flowers of Good: The Science and the History of Marijuana Liberation by Sidarta Ribeiro, Daniel Hahn

Why I’m interested: For the record, I don’t drink, smoke, or do any sort of drugs, including this one. I also do not judge you if you’ve made other choices in life. My interest in the topic is rooted firmly, pun intended, in how this plant can be used to treat pain and nausea from all sorts of various illnesses. The less suffering in the world, the better if you ask me! Such things should never be politicized.

 

Book cover for When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery. Image on cover shows drawings of the leaves of about a half dozen different plants, none of which I can identify unfortunately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery

Why I’m interested: Can you tell I love reading about plants, especially during the cold months of the year when nothing grows? This is another topic I know nothing about but would like to.

 

Book cover for Why Not Me: Living with Invisible Illness by Lindsay Ireland. Image on cover shows dozen of little oblong shaped objects smushed together in circle. Are they bacteria multiplying in a Petri dish, maybe? They seemed to be loosely arranged in a star-like pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Why Not Me: Living with Invisible Illness by Lindsay Ireland

Why I’m interested: I don’t have multiple sclerosis, but I do like reading about the lives of other people living with chronic, invisible illnesses. We often share a lot in common, and it’s rewarding to learn about the aspects of other diseases that are generally only known to those who are quietly dealing with them. Having empathy and/or sympathy for others is a good thing that I think should be encouraged more often than many parts of western society currently do.

 

Book cover for Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others by Stephanie Dalley. Image on cover shows a man carved into a stone wall. He has a long beard and appears to have two large wings sprouting out behind him as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others by Stephanie Dalley

Why I’m interested: I was lucky enough to learn a little about this topic in college, but there’s still so much I don’t know about it. Mythology is fascinating, so this is definitely something I’ll be checking out sometime.

 

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