Reading this booked was like getting a massive hug. Yes, it's kind of 101 for those of us who have been interrogating gender for awhile, but it's far more practical than most queer and gender theory. I will probably revisit portions of this book in the future.

All the feels while reading this book. They interspersed all of these exercises, with this one appearing on page 54. For me, the moment was in pre-school when I realized I couldn't stand up to urinate, but more importantly for my gender identity, some kids who didn't have a penis could stand while peeing. My inner sense in that moment was that the categories at school were pretty arbitrary.

All the feels and I'm just finishing the Intro.

In honor of the final day of carnival, I'm reading (and teaching) from this fantastic revisionist history of Brazilian music. Fret not, I also had some dairy-free pancakes.

This book is oddly racist. As a scholar of Brazilian music, the descriptions of the main antagonist are seriously problematic. Listening to Rosario Dawson is the only reason why I bothered to finish. It's too bad that she doesn't know what a Brazilian accent sounds like. It's even worse that Weir described the main Brazilian character as having a "Latin complexion." I have a hard time believing an editor didn't notice the racism and inaccuracies.

I raced through this one in under two days. Like always, Rowell is better at character development than plot, but I don't mind much.

I'm really happy that I tried this book again. Such a satisfying space opera. A lot of the reviews about this book focus on Leckie's play with gender or the feudal structure she develops here. But what I found satisfying was the use of music and the questions the book raises about consciousness, will, and relationships. This book was my first time trying Libro.fm, and I don't think I'll be using it again until the app gets less buggy.

I absolutely love how central songs and singing are to the plot. I'm so happy I decided to try reading this again. Also, it's pretty kick ass to finish this book on the first day of the semester.

I mean, who wouldn't want to revisit a book about the lap-steel guitar on the busiest weekend of the semester? "People have run objects along strings for millennia." Reconsidering this book for a big deal pop music book prize. As of this AM, my counter is at around 3 hours. #24in48

Adding to my TBR after all the books. 😍

Reading this one again, this time as an audiobook. I adore how central music is to the protagonist's oddness as a former ship, and this narrator is kind enough to try and sing.

Appropriate sight while listening to the opening of this book. This is far from normal for early January.

Bummer! It's obvious that Coates started the process of writing for Marvel not understanding the medium. What's troubling about this is how his collaborator explains the difficulty of following the story in volume 1 via some sort of unrefined genius. I'm sure the next volumes will be better, but I'm just having a hard time with how the company chose to spin "learning as he goes." The art is gorgeous, tho. #letsgetgraphicweeklongmarathon

Wondering if I should mention the invocation of the Orishas in my course this semester. #letsgetgraphicweeklongreadathon

Rock on, Rainbow Rowell. She sure knows how to write characters with some serious sticking power. As an homage to Harry Potter, I also detected some indirect critiques of Rowling's writing. Why only hint at gay characters? Why resolve light and dark with a spectacular battle? I loved that the magical conflict wasn't the driving force of the novel, and I adored the mundane details about daily life in England.

I turned onto an icy footpath just as the audiobook portrayed the "icy breath" of a ghost. I couldn't choose a better setting.

Home sweet home with the weighted blanket and a giant graphic novel.

I absolutely loved this book. My feelings are perhaps best summed up by this figure that shows the difference between the volume of messages straight women and men receive on OKCupid (by "attractiveness," whatever that means). I've never been so happy to be queer...

While drinking tea from my "nice" mug, I came across this passage about sex motels in Buenos Aires. The same practice occurs in Rio de Janeiro for many of the same reasons. I used one back in 2007 when my whole family was visiting, and I remember how classy the place was. Fancy room service, swank showers, super soft sheets. Hotels that charge by the hour are super important for adults still living with their parents. Feeling less "nice" now. ?

For the first audiobook to accompany me on my runs in 2018, I chose Rainbow Rowell. The first day, I got a bit of hypothermia. Yesterday was fine. Today's listening was limited to hiding from the cyclone bomb indoors. So far the narration by Euan Morton is very entertaining.

This mug may no longer be relevant, but it is an excellent companion to my AM reading. In this passage, Ansari makes a funny-yet-anachronistic joke about picking someone up in 1990: "Hey, girl, come back here with that fine butt that's in them fly-ass acid-washed jeans and let me take you to a Spin Doctors/Better Than Ezra concert." Bonus points if you can spot the problem without Wikipedia. #pedantic

OMG this book is hilarious AND academic.

My favorite thing about this book is that the trans-ness of one of the characters is both central and not so much. Her mistakes aren't reducible to that fact, nor is her appeal. Yay!! The book depends on a world of pop culture knowledge, and there were some weird sentence level writing issues. I wonder if the publisher rushed it out in time for last summer's pride... Anyway, it's a fun character study with some clever twists.

With more than a week left, I have met my reading challenge on Goodreads! I wonder what my final reading total will be. Also, I loved Long Black Veil, but odds are my biases relate to gender identity. I'll post more on that book in a minute.

This book features an ethnography of astounding richness about a genre that captured the world music blogosphere a few years ago. I found it to be incredibly astute and worthwhile. It's too bad that the author chose to spend so much space picking a fight with Critical/"New" Musicology. That fight was litigated decades ago. That Steingo kept returning to it throughout the book was odd and frustrating. Sadly, it detracted from the book's power.

Ok, so I really enjoyed parts of this book and felt incredibly frustrated at others. It's very clear that this book was written with monogamous straight people in mind, and frankly that's just disappointing. I absolutely hated some of the rhetorical moves towards the end, but I found the overall point about evolutionary history compelling. Someone needs to write a queer version of this book and call it a day.

There is a non-monogamy book on audible, so of course I had to try it out. So far it reads like a massive complaint against the prevailing assumptions in evolutionary psychology. What I like most (so far) is how the authors confront the lack of historical and social sensitivity that has mostly informed scholarship on the evolution of human sexuality.

This book is fun and it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: a giant love letter to geek culture of the '80s. Yeah, the plot is eerily familiar which leads to many predictable moments. That's fine because so much of '80s pop culture was like that. It doesn't take itself too seriously which is what allows it to be such an enjoyable read. My only complaint is that I wanted much more about H. But I guess that's predictable.

Reading this passage in the middle of a mystery novel feels like a revolutionary act.

This description of reinvention made me so happy.

Whenever the book makes statements like this, I want to throw it across the room. Do we really demystify when we attempt to interpret what we see?

Just started this one as an evening break from an academic book that makes me very grumpy. I'm only 20 pages in, but I'm already enjoying the shifting POV chapters and the character detail. I already feel like I know these people.

My stack of to-read fiction is bound to get larger on a weekend like this.

The depiction of the fundamental conflict between our two queer lovebirds and one of the character's religious beliefs is so real. I hope they reconcile soon.

I absolutely loved this book once I recognized that it's not a passive read. What outstanding world building. It was a really pleasant surprise to see so many feminist characters. I want more.

I'm enjoying this book much more than I thought I would. The best reading for getting over a nasty week of work. It's funny and imaginative. Also, one of the main characters is bisexual.

I wish this book existed 25 years ago... I can't wait to see how this queer romance develops. Nell feels like a kindred spirit.

Falconry wasn't a particularly queer sport though some of the falconers White corresponded with, like Jack Mavrogordato and Ronald Stevens, were gay. Perhaps Blaine, too: he never married. But falconers were a fellowship of men, a 'monkish elite', a 'small, tenacious sect', as Lord Tweedsmuir described then, who felt a love that other people did not understand. It was a love that was not considered normal, and it was not something they could help.

The background on Nell has me sold on this book. My mother sure objected to my childhood fashion choices. #babybutch #tomboy #queerya

Honestly, this book is kind of a perfect creepy story for October (and for air travel). I liked the retelling of Hamlet from the perspective of a fetus, and I really enjoyed the ending. It made the whole of the rest of it make far more sense. Also Rory Kinnear does the creepiness of this story justice.

I enjoyed aspects of this book, but I got the distinct impression that the author didn't really care whether or not the plot was comprehensible. It was very funny at parts, but maddeningly slow at others. I'm pretty happy that I only paid $3 for it, considering how uneven it was for me.

123 pages in, and I seriously wish I had read this book about six months ago... I just may have to adjust the last chapter of the book I'm writing to include Clayton's perspective.

Beautiful exegesis on melisma and Whitney Houston's recording of "I Will Always Love You." This book...

Finally someone has something smart to say about "Auto-Tune" that isn't just hand-wringing! I'm wondering how long this book will take me...

Joe Morton is making this book for me. I first read bits of this book as a teenager, but this audiobook performance is just so vivid.

A slow start and convoluted plot meant that I didn't read this as quickly as I normally would have. Honestly, the badass cats as "masters" helped to push me through the middle section. Now I'm really glad I finished Volume 1 and can't wait to read more. Hooray!

This book is full of detailed salsa history, Latin music gossip, and a touch of cultural criticism. I loved it, and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in post-War Latinx music and culture. Be warned -- you are going to want easy access to an extensive online Latin music library as you read.

Best summary of the power of marketing in describing the salsa story on page 178. So very suspicious. Have I mentioned how much I am loving this book?

Over the next few days, I'm basically racing through all of the newest books on Latin American / Latinx music to get some inspiration for my Introduction. So far, Salsa Rising reads like a raw statement, likely due to Flores' sudden passing during the publication process.

That whole insecurity trap...