THE BEST GIFTS FOR FEMINISTS 2020: BOOK LOVERS EDITION!!

It's Cyber Monday!! Are you looking for gift ideas on what to buy that feminist book lover in your life for the holidays? Look no further!! I discovered an article on Book Riot's website titled, THE BEST GIFTS FOR FEMINISTS 2020: BOOK LOVERS EDITION by Kelly Jensen. In the article, Jensen wrote the following:

Whether you’re shopping for yourself or another favorite person in your life for the holidays or for a future celebration (or, you know, just because), perhaps you’re seeking out those gifts falling in the center of the “Feminist” and “Book Lovers” Venn diagram. Good news! Find below a roundup of the best gifts for feminists in 2020 and beyond. These gifts range from outstanding subscription boxes, to rad bookish feminist sweatshirts, to enamel pins, and more.

Click on the above link to see which feminist items made the list!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne

I've had the hardback edition of Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne in my 'to be read' pile since February 2012. I purchased this remaindered book via Amazon for the wonderfully low price of $2.76... Great buy!

So, what did I think of Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne? I enjoyed reading this book much more than I thought I would. I think it makes a great coffee table book if you are a tarot lover! The dimensions for this book are as follows: 9.56 x 0.55 x 12.06 inches and 96 pages in length. Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot is a great starter book as it covers the basics for beginners... Just enough pertinent information to get one started in understanding and reading tarot cards.

Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot is a beautiful book filled with plenty of colored photographs throughout. Here's what I enjoyed most about this particular tarot book:

* It's well organized! I loved the layout of this book and how it flows from one topic to the next.

* Each card in the major arcana and minor arcana is shown via a photograph along with their meanings in the upright and reversed positions. 

* How to do tarot readings for yourself and others is explained in detail as well as how to use tarot for meditation and self-analysis.

* The reader also learns how to do three different basic tarot layouts/spreads (Celtic Cross, Romany, and Tree of Life) and when to use each of the layouts/spreads for tarot readings. Examples of each tarot layout/spread is explained in detail, a sample tarot reading with the meaning of the cards is provided and how it relates to the person you are reading tarot for.

* Additionally, there are sections that discuss the origins of tarot, how to select a tarot deck, and the astrological sign, planet, or one of the four elements that are associated with each card in the tarot deck. 

Below is the publisher's summary for Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne from Goodreads:

Ideal for the beginner and illuminating for those who are already versed in the Tarot, this book will enhance your understanding of the mysteries of the cards, and help you to take control of your own destiny.

I am giving Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne a rating 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

10 BOOK CLUB SUBSCRIPTION GIFTS FOR AVID READERS

 So welcome to Black Friday!! Are you looking for gift ideas for your book loving family members or bestie? Look no further! Book subscriptions may be the perfect gift to give this holiday season. I came across an article on Book Riot's website titled, 10 BOOK CLUB SUBSCRIPTION GIFTS TO TREAT YOUR BOOKISH BESTIES by Katie Moench. In the article, Katie Moench wrote the following:

Your book club has been there for you through good books and bad, and even if meetings have looked a little more virtual this year, your favorite bookish friends deserve a special gift. For readers, there’s nothing better than having a stream of new books to look forward to, so book club subscription gifts or boxes are a great choice to keep your book loving besties stocked with plenty of reading choices this winter.

Whether you’re looking to treat someone to a classic and a cup of coffee, some LBBTQ+ romance, or a service that will handpick books based on their interests, one of these book club subscription gifts is sure to be a good fit. Get some subscriptions set up for your fellow club members, and maybe yourself, and you’ll all have well-stocked TBRs by the new year!

Click on the above link to see which book club subscriptions made the list.

Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto. This is my second read written by Banana Yoshimoto and I must say that her writing style is unique and distinct! In fact, Banana Yoshimoto's writing style is described as follows on Wikipedia:

Yoshimoto says that her two main themes are “the exhaustion of young Japanese in contemporary Japan” and “the way in which terrible experiences shape a person’s life”.

Her works describe the problems faced by youth, urban existentialism, and teenagers trapped between imagination and reality. Her works are targeted not only to the young and rebellious, but also to grown-ups who are still young at heart. Yoshimoto's characters, settings, and titles have a modern and American approach, but the core is Japanese. She addresses readers in a personal and friendly way, with warmth and outright innocence, writing about the simple things such as the squeaking of wooden floors or the pleasant smell of food. Food and dreams are recurring themes in her work which are often associated with memories and emotions. Yoshimoto admits that most of her artistic inspiration derives from her own dreams and that she’d like to always be sleeping and living a life full of dreams.

Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto is a surreal read with a focus on three different young women and their journey with spiritual sleep. Asleep is short and makes for interesting reading... But as much as I enjoyed the plot and interesting writing style by the author, it wasn't a novel I loved or would recommend as a must read novel.

Listening time for Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto is 4 hours, 47 minutes and narrated by Emily Zeller. Ms. Zeller is a good narrator and I enjoyed listening to her narrate, Asleep.

Below is the plot summary Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto from Goodreads:

The New York Daily News has called Asleep "enchanting, surreal...Yoshimoto brings readers to another powerful, atmospheric place". Demonstrating again the artful simplicity and depth of her vision, Banana Yoshimoto reestablishes her place as a writer of international stature in a book that may be her most delightful since Kitchen.

In Asleep, Yoshimoto spins the stories of three young women bewitched into a spiritual sleep. One, mourning for a lost lover, finds herself sleepwalking at night. Another, who has embarked on a relationship with a man whose wife is in a coma, finds herself suddenly unable to stay awake. A third finds her sleep haunted by a woman against whom she was once pitted in a love triangle.

Sly and mystical as a ghost story, with a touch of Kafkaesque surrealism, Asleep is an enchanting new book from one of the best writers in contemporary international fiction.

I am giving Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday - Thanksgiving/I’m Thankful for… Freebie

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I am thankful/grateful that I've read the following thought provoking books this year by some amazing writers!

1. George by Alex Gino

2. Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

3. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

4. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

5. Animal Farm by George Orwell

6. The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama

7. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

8. The Sellout by Paul Beatty

9. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

10. Missoula by Jon Krakauer

Have you read any of the books on my list?

The Bookseller - Documentary About Rare Book Dealers!

 

Over the weekend, my hubby and I watched The Bookseller, which is a documentary about rare book dealers. If you haven't seen this documentary and are a book lover, then this is a must watch. It's really engaging. 

Check out the trailer for The Bookseller above.

How to Read Shakespeare!

 

I have recently come across Lauren Wade's book vlog on YouTube and have enjoyed watching a few of the episodes in the past few weeks. 

I found Lauren's video on How to Read Shakespeare interesting for those readers that find reading Shakespeare's plays intimidating.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto

As a writer, Banana Yoshimoto, has been on the periphery of my radar for a few years. But until this year, I'd never anything by Banana Yoshimoto.

I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto and narrated by Emily Zeller.

Listening time for Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto is 3 hours, 34 minutes.

Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto is a collection of six short stories. All six of the short stories are unique and engaging. I liked them all quite a bit in their own way, but I think I prefer novels more than short stories. So, I'd like to read a full length novel next by Banana Yoshimoto.

Below is the plot summary for Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto from Audible:

Banana Yoshimoto's warm, witty, and heartfelt depictions of the lives of young Japanese have earned her international acclaim and best seller status, as well as a place among the best of contemporary Japanese literature. In Lizard, now available in Grove Press paperback, Yoshimoto deftly fuses traditional and pop culture to create contemporary portraits of love and life. These six tales explore themes of time, healing, and fate - and the journeys of self-discovery through which young urbanites come to terms with them.

In "Newlywed", an unhappily married young man deliberately misses his stop on the train, only to be questioned by a shape-shifting homeless man about the trials of his marriage. In "Blood and Water", a woman recalls how she left the village she grew up in - which was run by a New Age cult - in order to lead a fulfilling life, even against her parents' wishes. And in the title story, "Lizard", a woman who has never before felt truly secure in her life admits a deep secret to her lover - that she has the ability to heal others with her mind.

In different ways, these six stories explore what it takes to navigate the perils of the modern world as well as what it takes to reinvent one's self. Permeated by the author's own effervescent spin on magic realism, Lizard cements a special place for Yoshimoto in 20th-century Japanese fiction.

I am giving Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!!