Outbox November 17, 2017

Inbox/Outbox November 17, 2017 As you will see from the list below, Ive been acquiring many more books than Ive actually been reading. But Im hoping that will change as the holidays approach and the pace of life slows down a bit. I need to stop acquiring books at my usual fast pace so that friends and family have some books left to buy me for Christmas (hint, hint). Inbox (Books Acquired) Bitch Doctrine: Essays for Dissenting Adults by Laurie Penny: I ran for a spot on a small board in my town this past election season and lost, and this was my husbands consolation gift. Pretty good response on his part, right? The book promises to challenge, inform, engage, and inspire, and I cant wait. Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis:  I picked up this collection of essays, interviews, and speeches because I want to read more about politics, race, and systemic oppression, and this book by a renowned activist seemed essential. Liliths Brood by Octavia Butler:  This was available as a Book Riot Deal of the Day a little while ago, and of course I couldnt resist: its three books sold as a setâ€"Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imagoâ€"for $2.00. I dont read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, but I want to, and I know Butler is a great place to start. Outbox (Books Finished) Mean by Myriam Gurba: I loved, loved, loved this memoir of growing up queer and mixed-race in California. Its beautifully written, shocking, moving, and so smart. Just  as the title says, Gurba is kind of mean, and I love it. In the Queue (What Im reading next) Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trumps America by Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Kate Harding: Another book on activism, protest, and politics! This is a collection of essays by writers including Rebecca Solnit, Cheryl Strayed, Samantha Irby, Nicole Chung, and more, and I am here for it. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney: I read a lot of nonfiction, but I like to keep a novel going at all times too. In fact, reading one novel and one work of nonfiction at a time is the perfect mix of reading material, I think. Im looking forward to this character-driven novel of friendship. How was your week in books?