In May I finally settled in to my new home in the Pacific Northwest and got acquainted with my new local library with tons of branches across the city and apps like Hoopla, Zinio, and the 3M Cloud Library which allow me to download music, audiobooks, magazines and e-books without ever leaving home. This allowed me to read even more books.
How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran Since I was busy moving in April, I didn't get to start April's Our Shared Shelf book club pick until May. I didn't love the previous book club selection, so I was excited to read Caitlin Moran's book which promised to be funny and feminist. Although I couldn't relate to her stories about being a mom (since I'm not a mom yet), there was a lot that could relate to, several laugh out loud moments, and in the end I wished Caitlin was one of my best friends.
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero One of the headaches of moving to a new city is job-hunting. I'm not usually one to pick up a self-help book, but when I was browsing the online audio-book shelves on Hoopla I decided to listen to You Are a Badass for some motivation. This was a good self esteem booster and I still catch myself telling myself "you are a badass" several times a week.
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson The May Our Shared Shelf book club read was one part memoir, one part academic feminist theory, with a bit of a love story mixed in as she talks about meeting, falling in love and living her life with her partner who is gender fluid. This book seemed very poignant at the time I read it because the news was full of stories about people boycotting Target stores over their transgender bathroom policies. The pacing of this book made it difficult to follow at times, but I felt like I gained valuable insight into the LGBTQ world and the people that love them and it helped re-affirm my belief that love is love.
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfilment by Tal Ben-Shahari This book had been on my "To Read" list for several years- since the author talked to Jon Stewart about positive psychology on The Daily Show. So when I saw the audiobook on Hoopla, I decided to give it a listen. I learned a few tips on being happier and it re-affirmed a lot of my values.
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xavier von Schonwerth I was interested in creating some artwork based off of fairy tales, so finding this book of newly discovered fairy tales was fortuitous. Yes, there were a few stories that were similar to other classic tales like Cinderella and Thumbelina, but most were tales that I had never head before- leaning more towards Grimms fairy tales than Disney.
Bee and Puppycat, Vol. 1 by Natasha Allegri I discovered this comic book series via Hoopla (which is the best way to read it IMO because one book contains interactive links to songs via YouTube). The cutie pop drawings tell the story of Bee, a lazy, indulgent, unemployed young adult that can't seem to get her life together. When she takes in a stray creature named Puppycat she gets connected to an intergalactic temp agency and together her and Puppycat completed odd jobs. Such fun!
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