BEDIO: WWW Wednesday (10/06/2020)

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Welcome back to another day of Blog Everyday in October!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a WWW Wednesday, so I figured now is the perfect time to do it, since I have a few books I want to discuss 👌

Originally, this was hosted by A Daily Rhythm but has been revived by Sam from Taking on a World of Words. I found it through Willow Writes and Reads‘ blog.

Now, this is going to be a longer post since I have read a few books since my last WWW Wednesday, so let’s talk books!

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What I’ve Recently Read

I finished reading Of Fire and Stars sometime in mid-September, but I haven’t talked about it on here, so I’ll do a quick overview of my thoughts. Although I enjoyed the book for what it is, I think it’s important to note it is focused more on the romance between Denna and Mare, with some fantasy elements sprinkled in there. The world building isn’t complex, and the plot is more of a background element than the main focus of the novel. However, I wanted an easy read, so this worked for me, although I felt the story did drag on midway through. Overall, if you want to read a F/F novel focusing on the romance between the two characters, with a fantasy setting, this is the perfect book for that 👌 If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with more complex and in-depth world building, I wouldn’t recommend picking this up.

After finishing Of Fire and Stars, I read Savage Conversations by Leanne Howe. This is written in the format of a play, and is about Mary Todd Lincoln’s accounts of being haunted by a “Savage Indian” in 1875. The encounter is thought to be correlated to Abraham Lincoln ordering the hanging of thirty eight Dakota’s December 26, 1862; an event which is discussed very little when it comes to Lincoln’s presidency. There is a foreword explaining what led to the hangings, as well as the deterioration of Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental health. Although I’m not used to reading stories in a script format (and why I avoided picking up books such as The Cursed Child), I enjoyed the story overall. Granted, it’s something I would want to watch performed, as I think it would add more depth to the story. However, it was very informative, and provided great resources to do further research into the Dakota Hanging’s of 1862, as well as Mary Todd Lincoln’s life after the death of Abraham Lincoln. If you aren’t fond of reading stories told in a play format, I wouldn’t recommend reading this, but I do suggest doing further research into the event Savage Conversations is based on.

Here are some websites you can check out for more background on the Dakota Hangings of 1862:

The Trials & Hanging

Did Abraham Lincoln Order the Execution of 38 Dakota Fighters? (Snopes)

After finishing Savage Conversations, I picked up The Year of the Witching. It’s a dark fantasy novel perfect for the beginning of fall. I had a slow going when it came to getting into the novel, but once my interest peaked, it remained for the rest of the story. What I like most is it’s a standalone novel, because right now, the thought of devoting myself to a series is kind of daunting.

Then, I reread Persepolis because of my Banned Books Week post, although I hadn’t read it since high school. I think this is a great book for high schoolers, or those who aren’t familiar with the Islamic Revolution in Iran during the 80’s. This isn’t meant to be a political memoir, it’s a memoir that happens to take place during a historical, political event, so if you’re looking for something that will go into details about the history of Iran, Persepolis isn’t for you. I think it’s a great starting point though, but if you want more information about the Islamic Revolution, you’ll need to read more something else afterwards. I also found it interesting (as I didn’t think about this much when I read it the first time) about the references to Marjane’s social class also played into her story. Her family is more Westernized, her father was an engineer and owned a Cadillac, they had a maid, and the funds to send Marjane overseas to school in Austria when she was fourteen. Her social class is important to mention, as it does shape her perspective on the events occurring during her childhood. Overall, I enjoyed it as much now as I did when I read it in high school, and I would recommend reading Persepolis if you haven’t already (or even watching the movie).

The last book I’m going to mention here, I actually just finished last night. I read the The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, from the Heroes of Olympus series. (If you’re interested in the graphic novel, you can check it out here!) I read the Percy Jackson series a long time ago, and thought it was a fun read, but hadn’t thought of picking up anymore of Rick Riordan’s books until now. Overall, I don’t have too much to say about The Lost Hero, besides I enjoyed the fun adventurous atmosphere in the book, and it was definitely what I needed right now!

What I’m Currently Reading

Currently, I’m in the middle of reading two different books (it was originally three until I finished The Lost Hero last night) 😂 I told myself I wouldn’t read multiple books at once, but sometimes my mood reading habit overrides my attempts of only reading one book at a time.

Anyways, I started reading All the Light We Cannot See after finishing Persepolis because it’s been on my TBR for a really long time, and I heard a lot of people talking about it recently, so I decided to pick it up. I’m about 70ish pages in, and although I like the story so far, it’s one of those books that will probably take me a while to get through.

Then I was looking through my books, and The Beadworkers by Beth Piatote pulled me in. Not to be someone who judges a book by its cover, but I love the cover, especially because the scene on the front cover was designed using beads. This collection of short stories is beautifully written, and I’ve read 77 pages so far.

What I Plan On Reading

I have quite a few books I plan on reading this month, based on posts I want to write and read-a-thons I’m participating in, but my main focus this week are on The American Cafe, New Poets of Native Nations, and Legacy. I may not be able to get through all of them for a post I plan on uploading next week, but I’m hoping to get through one (hopefully two!) of them.

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That’s all I have for this week’s WWW Wednesday! On that note, I will see you all tomorrow with a new post 😊

-Erin🎃

While you’re already here, why not check these links out?

Updated carrd of global issues : https://allcards.carrd.co/

Medium: https://medium.com/@erin.nord87

Prose: https://theprose.com/ennord