YA recommendations

So to continue on with the John Green recommendations, here are the YA books! YA is my jam. I absolutely love everything about YA books. I love the content, I love the authors, I love writing them, I love reading them, I just love YA. I have the "YA Saves" T-shirt. (Thanks, Maureen Johnson <3)

So without further ado, let's jump into these awesome books.

4. Now, while both of these books were lovely, poetry is still just not my thing. I needed something that was more Cat-speed. So I moved on to a YA book called The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas.

holy shit.
I mean. This book is a phenomenon. It is brutal and harsh and tells you EXACTLY like it is. The main character, Starr Carter, a black girl who lives in the 'hood', is in a car with her best friend Khalil when they're pulled over by a white cop. We know this story. It has been on every news channel, FAR more often than it ever should be.

"The truth casts a shadow over the kitchen—people like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time though, that one time when it ends right.
Maybe this can be it."

This book is so important and so relevant. It's heartbreakingly honest. I feel like this book is an INSTANT classic. Every white person in America needs to read it, asap, no matter how woke you may be. I get why John Green recommended this book (thanks for that, by the way), because I will also (and have already started) be recommending this book. Literally to everyone. EVERYONE.

5. Next on the list was We Are Okay by Nini Lacour. This books was very different from THUG, but also an amazing book. It's a story about a girl dealing with grief and solitude, and is as important as We Are Okay is the kind of book that actually hurts to read in places because you can identify with the character so much, even if her situation is very different from yours.
THUG in a very different way.

It's a beautiful, heartbreaking book, about character and relationships and emotions more than about telling a story.




In other news, it's been a while since I've posted and updated this blog!! I'm still reading, but I've had other projects on the go at the same time - mainly my HUGE Star Wars undertaking, that will probably get a blog post of it's own when it's finished!! (Though that may be a while from now...)

That's all for now!

The John Green Effect, or Cat talks about books too much

So John Green released his 2017 book recommendations. (Originally I had written that he "recently released" them, but I've been working on this post for-freaking-ever as I read through them, so it's not recently anymore). For someone like me, who loves John Green, I love hearing about the books he's read this year, and what he thinks are worth reading. I will find them all, and if not immediately buy them, at least put them on the list. And I'm not the only one. It's gotten to the point that when John Green gives book recommendations there's often a noticeable increase in sales. This has been called the John Green Effect.

Truthfully, though, I have never been disappointed by a John Green recommendation. I may not like them all as much as he did, but they're all worth reading. Most of the books he lists are insightful and beautiful and they deserve all of the attention that inevitably comes to them after John Green mentions them.

So the books that I'm attempting to read, to start with, are these:

Poetry:
1. ordinary beast
2. Calling a Wolf a Wolf
3. Counting Descent 

YA:
4. The Hate U Give
5. We Are Okay

Fiction:
6. The Inexplicable Logic of my Life
7. Piecing Me Together
8. Little Fires Everywhere
9. The King is Always Above the People

Non-Fiction:
10. City of Light, City of Poison
11. City of Thorns
12. The Water Will Come 
13. The Man Who Couldn't Stop


Obviously I won't be able to fit all 13 books into one blog post, so I'll split them up. This one will discuss the first few books, and a BONUS at the end!

1. The first three books on his list, are books of poetry. First up was ordinary beast by Nicole Sealey. It explores the concept of race in America along with love and death and the extraordinary amount of strength it takes to be a person of color. I'm scheduling this book for a reread soon, because it requires more thought on my part, but I really did enjoy it.


2. Next was Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar. This collection of poetry confronts the realities of addiction and the struggle through healing and sobering leading toward recovery. It talks about craving and the desire for some measure of control, and the on-going battle that recovery really is, while also exploring the concept of 'self', and the different versions thereof. Incredibly thought provoking and beautiful, and I really enjoyed this collection.


3. Counting Descent by Clint Smith was John Green's third recommended book of poetry, and I have already read and discussed that one, in a different post! :)

Bonus!

Of course, on top of his recommendations, John's newest long-awaited novel was just released! It's called Turtles All the Way Down and it confronts mental illness in a way I've never seen in a novel before. John Green has spoken openly of his own battles with mental illness, and he did an amazing amazing job bringing this to life in his character, Aza Holmes.

My next few paragraphs will contain SPOILERS, so if you're planning to read it, skip down! I'll let you know when the SPOILERS are over!

Turtles All the Way Down is a wonderful YA book about a girl trying to solve a mystery, while dealing with her mental illness. It stands as a counter-narrative to all the stories that romanticize mental illness as an ability that is useful in solving crime or whatever (ie: Monk, Sherlock, House, Psych, and so many more).

The book is written in first person, Aza telling her own story, until suddenly, in chapter 5 the writing changes from first person to second. It goes from "I" to "you". This change is incredible. Aza is describing one of her thought spirals, but instead of seeing it as happening to someone else, I read it as if it were from my perspective - the "you". This is so disconcerting and upsetting that I was relieved when the chapter ended and the book went back to first person. Suddenly Aza's inability to leave her thought spirals became mine, and I was increasingly uncomfortable with the way her thoughts twisted down and down and down.

The book gets more and more intense as Aza's idiosyncracies become more and more severe. She is trying to have a relationship with a boy while navigating the stress her mental illness brings her, and she gets to the point where she's drinking hand sanitizer to try to destroy foreign germs and bacteria in her body. Davis, her love interest, is incredibly understanding and patient with her, and tries to be as understanding as he can, while dealing with his own issues at the same time.

Okay, spoilers are done.

This book is so real that it's hard to handle. I want to say I adored it, but that's not the right phrase. This book is important and real and frightening and impactful, and I can't recommend it enough.

So this is my reviews of the first few books. John Green's taste in books, while not always on the same page as mine, is pretty damn close. So thanks, John Green (because I know for a fact you read this. Let's be real.), for all your recommendations!

I'll post again soon about the next set of books, the YA books! I've already finished The Hate U Give, and I'm halfway through We Are Okay, so it won't be long! ;)

Babyyyy

Guys, many of you know I'm not a fan of babies. I don't want to have one, I'd rather skip that whole period of time. I mean, they're cute and all, and I'll hold yours and admire it and everything, but I don't want 'em.

I teach three to five year olds every day of the week. I know for a fact what monsters they can be. I'll pass.

The trouble with not wanting my own kids (and having many close friends who feel the same way), is that I don't get to try out any of the adorable baby crochet patterns. Which is kind of sad.

Priorities. I have them.

Anyways, a coworker, and good friend of mine told us early this year that she is pregnant, and by now, she is almost due to have her baby (it's supposed to be October...we're almost there!). I'm pumped for her, because I know she's excited, and I know she's going to be an awesome mom!

But you guys, you have to know I started thinking about what I could crochet for her almost immediately! A baby coming means I get to crochet adorable things for Baby. I went searching for patterns, and dove deep into that rabbit hole.

The first thing I made, though, was something that stuck to my comfort zones, and was true to my style of crochet. I made a unicorn plushie. There's no pattern for this one - I created it myself, and I'm terrible at writing down patterns, which means everything I make becomes a unique, one-of-a-kind critter.
This creation is adorable, if I do say so myself, and I want to keep it for myself so badly.
My mom and I picked out the yarn together when I was visiting the fam this summer. We found it in the new yarn shop in Bobcaygeon, called Granny Bird's Wool Shoppe (sidenote: I was so excited to find a yarn shop like this in Bob...). The yarn we chose for the unicorn was Cascade Yarns' Swaddler. I loved this yarn, and convincing myself not to start working on it right away was SO HARD. But I managed to wait until I was back in Taiwan before I started working on it.

Next up, my friend is a HUGE Hello Kitty fan, so I knew I wanted to make something Hello Kitty-themed. I went looking for patterns, because I have never made a baby dress before, and found a fairly easy one on youtube, by Bag-O-Day Crochet. I had some Caron Simply Soft yarn sitting in my stash, so I busted that out, and then added a Hello Kitty applique I made to the front. Fingers crossed my friend loves it! (I kind of do!)
I had some yarn left over, and I wanted to make something to go with the dress. I had planned to make a headband, but never actually got around to finishing it. I think the dress is pretty cute without it, though!

Lastly, one of my amigurumi crochet-along projects was the Babies in Pajamas doll, by airali design,
and I went for a pink-striped baby doll. The yarn I used is from one of the stores here in Taiwan, and is acryllic, so it's easy to wash (good for a baby!).

I gave all of these to my friend on her last day of work before maternity leave, and I can't wait to meet her new baby!

Ami-Along

One of my favourite amigurumi pattern websites, amigurumipatterns.net, has recently started doing monthly crochet-alongs, or ami-alongs. This was probably the most exciting discovery...ever.

The first of the patterns was by YouniqueCrafts - a 17 year old crocheter, who creates some AMAZING patterns. This one was named Bentley the Bulldog. It was super cute - an English Bulldog in a university-type polo. I started making him early July, but left for Canada partway through the month, so he didn't get finished until early August.

The second amigurumi was by DIY Fluffies, and was called Billie the Pig. Billie was a beach-bum, who enjoys swimming and relaxing by the water (sounds perfect to me!). I made a purple piggie, and he got to hang out with Bentley.


This month, we're doing a pattern called Babies in Pajamas, by airali design. I haven't quite finished mine yet, but she's almost done!

In between the baby and Billie, I made a lovely pink unicorn with a pattern of my own. I won't post a picture just yet, because it's a gift that has yet to be given.
The point is, I've been doing a lot of crocheting recently - and mostly from patterns that aren't my own creations. Which, I have to say, is kind of nice. It definitely involves less unraveling, than I usually do, that's for sure! It's also given me a chance to see several different ways to do things, and create things. It's allowing me to expand my capabilities and learn new techniques.

I'm looking forward to getting back to my own creations, and taking some of the things I've learned and adapting them to my dolls and amigurumi!

American Poetry

This year, Mikie and I have been doing the 52 Book Challenge - one book a week for a year! We've been posting about the books we're reading together at our joint blog, but I've also been reading some things on my own, and really wanted to share.

Most recently, I've been stuck in the American poetry genre. Modern American poetry. 

I've never really read much poetry - I kind of hated being forced to read it for classes. The poetry we read was usually older, and I kind of hated being forced to read anything. (What little I've read in the years since high school, though, I tend to enjoy). 

Modern American poetry, though, speaks. It has a voice and communicates with me directly. 

The first I read was Amanda Lovelace's controversial the princess saves herself in this one. I read it on Kindle (it's hard to get English books in Taiwan), and my first thought upon finishing it was that I needed the physical copy of this book. The collection is separated into four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The first three serve to piece together the life of the author herself, while the final part is a note to you, the reader. 

It's an emotional read, and as the summary on goodreads says, it "explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations". 

A lot of reviews I've seen debate whether this can be called real poetry, or 'tumblr' poetry - scattering words across lines and insisting the whole is a poem. I can completely understand this criticism. There were lines that I found myself wondering what the point of the spacing was. Maybe when I go back to reread it, I'll spend more time focusing on that, and see what I come up with. Really, though, I think the spacing and formatting of each poem is to create a deeper depth in each word, to make you really think about what you're reading. If you're reading it as simply words across a page, or just looking for a story, you've missed the point. It's powerful stuff, and the emotions and words recalled are beautiful. 

Even if you don't want to call it poetry, which is fine, you're more than welcome to call it what you chose, the thoughts and emotions poured out across the pages are beautiful. 

The next book of poetry I read was Counting Descent by Clint Smith. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. It's raw and real, a coming of age story spread across 56 beautiful poems. They're haunting, and when you get to the end you feel like you need to take a deep breath and start again. I'm still digesting this book, so it's hard to put it into words, but it's the kind of poetry that we should teach in classrooms, the kind that is relatable and real. I have yet to find anyone who didn't absolutely adore this book, and I would put this one close to the top of my "books to recommend" list. 

Smith's use of humour interspersed among hard racial truths gives the book a hard, unsympathetic edge. It makes you laugh, breaks your heart, and also gives you the kind of experience that fills you up, feeds you, and satisfies. 

Right now, I'm reading two books of poetry: Solo by Kwame Alexander, and milk and honey by Rupi Kaur. 

Solo is a YA novel (another genre I adore), and is written in poetic verse. It's another coming of age story, about a 17 year old boy, Blade, growing up in Hollywood, in the lap of luxury, who still isn't happy. His family is damaged and strange, and he resents his father for the life he leads, but doesn't see that he is just as self-entitled and self-absorbed as the man he resents. A family secret is revealed, and Blade embarks on a journey to discover who he is. 

Blade and his family are all musicians, and the novel is essentially a soundtrack to his experiences. It's written in lyrics and text messages, and though he lives a life so incredibly priveleged and above average (even his sister calls him out on his 'first world problems'), he is still a relatable and understandable character. I'm almost finished the book, so I don't know how it will end yet, but so far, this book has been an intriguing and enjoyable read.  

milk and honey is a book about survival - it discusses trauma and rape and mental illness and disability, and does a beautiful job. I wanted to love this book, but I have to admit it's not my favourite. There are poems and lines in it that I do adore, but as a whole, it's not as striking as I found Counting Descent, and I find that many of the poems I just move on through quickly, without too much focus on them. That isn't to say that milk and honey isn't a beautiful collection - because it IS. It's moving and well thought out, and intersperses images with the text that are just as stunning - and I mean that in the sense that they make you stop, for a moment, to really think about the emotions. 

Again, I haven't finished this one yet - though I'll probably have it done later today - so I can't comment on the collection as a whole, but these are my initial impressions. 

~Cat