A romp through the insanity patch!

I used to keep track of these by number, but at this point I've abandoned the attempt.

Read in the Past Couple of Months:

Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie-Renée Lavoie: I really enjoyed this. The story is about Diane, a woman whose husband of 25 years leaves her for a younger woman because she is "boring". It's sad sometimes but also very funny, and I loved Diane as a character. She is not at all boring.

Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes: I had read a lot of Hughes' poetry, but not his novels. This is his first, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about Sandy, a young black boy growing up in Kansas. The prose is gorgeous, and the characters are compelling and sympathetic. The novel deals with racism, class and poverty, gender and sexuality, and while there are heartbreaking moments, it ends on an optimistic note. The various chapters often feel like individual vignettes, but Hughes tied it all together beautifully by the end. Really worth reading.

The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho: Zen Cho is one of my favorites. This story was a bit different from a lot of her other works, but it was a good read, with interesting characters, a lovely romance, and the dual plot threads tied up nicely. Very well-written and enjoyable.

Currently reading/up next for summer reading (features a mix of ultra serious and lighter reads/re-reads):

Coriolanus by William Shakespeare: Shakespeare Summer is happening again! This year we're reading the 3 Roman 'histories'! Which are very apt reading at this time! We've started with Coriolanus, and later in the summer we'll be reading Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.

Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America by Talia Lavin: One of the serious reads. I've seen a lot of really positive feedback on this book, and while I'm already aware of a lot of what she discusses, I'm interested in a more detailed look.

The Kidnapping Club: Wall Street, Slavery, and Resistance on the Eve of the Civil War by Jonathan Daniel Wells: And another serious one.

Economic Crises and the Breakdown of Authoritarian Regimes by Thomas B. Pepinsky: the last serious one.

Dracula My Love by Syrie James: I've never had a chance to read this, but it sounds really interesting and I've heard good things. I will also be re-reading the original Dracula. At first I was thinking of doing the original re-read first, then reading James' book, but I've changed my mind. :D

The City in Glass and Don't Sleep with the Dead: two standalones by Nghi Vo! I love Vo's writing, and the second one is a companion novella to The Chosen and the Beautiful, which I loved.

I've also got a couple of Frieda McFadden books that I'll probably read over the summer. She writes a lot of mystery/suspense. I read one of her novels, and although I had some issues with how she wrapped things up and did the reveal, it was a fast read and she is really, really good at building the suspense and mystery.

Your assignment is:

Fa Mulan goes into a bar and meets... Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender)!

Let's see if I can finally get anything written again. With everything going on it's been hard to focus, and I don't know how I'm going to bring these 2 together, lol.