What am I reading this month: March

 Hello everyone! here is what I will be reading this month...or at least what I am planing to be reading.

For my Diversifying 2015 challenge (you can sign up here) and  reading more in Spanish goal: Mi abuelo explicaba muy bien a los Pájaros (My grandfather explained the birds very well) by Colombian author Ivan Castro Rodelo.

For the Sword and Laser Book Club, we will be reading The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.

For my "reading more CanLit" goal, the Hello Hemlock book club will be reading Moving Forward Sideways like a Crab by Shani Mootoo. It also touches LGBTQ subjects, which adds to my reading diversely

On nonfiction, and as a "self-help" book for the Read Harder challenge I will be reading Popular by Maya Van Wagenen. For this challenge, but for poetry, I will also read Wife of the House by Gudrun Mouw

To continue the Southern Trilogy, I also got Authority by Jeff Vandermeer.

Out of those 6 books, I own 4 of them, so I am also working on my "reading more of the books I already own" goal. 

What about your reading for this month? what are you reading? Let me know in the comments and have a nice week.

Challenges and goals update: How did I do in February?

 

Hello to all ! Once again here is my update for the month of February. Let us start:

Diversifying 2015:

Of the 8 books I read on February 2 of them where by a nonwhite author, and both had POCs as main characters. Lock In had several LGQBT characters, so that was good, but the book itself wasn't either about nor by someone identifying as LGQBT. Only 2 of the books I read were written by male authors, which takes me so far to 65% of my reading coming from female authors.

Read Harder:

This month I didn't read ANY of the books I have in line for the RH challenge, so I will have to work on that.

My goals:

Read at least 1 POC author per month: Done with Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me and Las Hijas de Juarez

Read at least 1 book in Spanish per month: Done with Las Hijas de Juarez

Read CanLit book per month: Done with Oryx and Crate

Read at least 1 book of nonfiction per month: Done with Las Hijas de Juarez

Finished series: No series finished this month...I started 2 though, MaddAddam and The Southern Trilogy

Keeping track of my reading (Country represented, Makomori test, etc): done, but this one I will do a total update at the end of the year.

Read more already owned books: Only 1 of the books read this month wasn't a previously owned book!

Read the picks of the month for each book club: done!

I feel like, in general I am having a good progression on my reading. This month I had my first DNF of the year, but at least I know I gave it a fair try.

Reviews wise, I only posted 5 reviews this month in the site; I did send some short reviews for the books I had from either NetGalley or LybraryThing; I think I might stop doing full reviews for ALL the books I read or maybe start doing a series of short reviews for a couple of them, together, particularly those that I don't have a lot to say. 

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Format: Audiobook

Pages: NA

Series: NA

Source: Own (Audible)

Genres: Non fiction, Memoir

Publisher: Harper Audio

Publication date: October 28, 2014

First impression

I've like Amy Poehler for a while now; I first saw her on SNL and enjoyed most of her characters, but mostly her and Tina Fey on Weekend Update. I read Bossypants and enjoyed it, so when I first heard about Poehler getting her own book out I knew I was going to read it. That said, I am very happy I went for the audio, since it is read, not only by her, but she has several guest narrators, that made the experience even more delightful. The book is funny without being solely that, it has very honest moments and a lot of heartfelt messages, about her career but also her personal life.

If you are lucky, there is a moment in your life when you have some say as to what your currency is going to be.

Final thoughts

I liked this book better than Bossypants , and I truly believe is because it didn't go just to be funny. Bossypants has parts that are thoughtful, but always with the hint of funny with it. And this is a good thing, but when you get a bit of both spectrums, funny and serious, I feel like it's more of a complete package and hence you receive more from the book.

I've noticed a lot of other reviewers in GR that were surprised with the fact that the book touched them so personally. I had the same feeling. I was a couple of minutes in the book and I knew I was in for an emotional ride, almost like what I felt with Tiny Beautiful Things, except less tears on the horizon.

With guests like Patrick Stewart (reading an amazing haiku), Kathleen Turner and Amy's parents; the book takes extra tones that make it even more fun to listen to. She talks about her childhood, about her career path, from humble beginnings to where she is now. She talks about regrets, and admitting to errors (the whole situation about her Hurricane Mary sketch in SNL showed me a whole different side of her) and trying to repair them.

If you are looking for juicy bits of gossip...this is not the book for you. I loved how she mentions and talks about Will Arnett; and the fact that, very matter-of-fact she establishes that she will not be discussing her divorce except from the fact that they are being there for their kids. Her kids! The way she talks about them is very sweet and endearing, and listening about their traditions is absolutely endearing. I think most of the people that disliked the book were either hoping for more funny stuff or more of the nitty-gritty of her personal stuff. But for me, it was a good balance of entertaining stories and personal thoughts (don't want to call it necessarily wisdom) about going through life and taking what it gives you. I've already recommended it for people who enjoyed Bossypants or to people who I feel would appreciate the bits of insight she offers.

I woke up to this

In the past week I've seen a lot of bloggers speaking out about plagiarism and a lot of us opened up about the type of stress we all have to our side (here is my post) and how even then, there is no excuse to steal other people's posts and use them as your own.

Now, some might tell me, Caro, what do you know? you've only been blogging consistently for less than 4 years. But as a relative new book blogger here are some of the things I do know:

1. It takes time to find your voice

You know something? I am still struggling to find my right voice in this community, not only because we are so many, but because finding what makes you unique takes time and work. My posts have changed over the years, and that is a good thing, I am only now starting to really like the way I talk about a book and the way my discussions take place. Would I love to be as eloquent as some of the big time bloggers? Sure I would! So I read them, and I learn from them. Taking their posts wouldn't improve my style, it would just make me a copycat.

Having original content is hard, sure. Sometimes it feels like all the subjects have been already discussed, that doesn't mean that you don't have something to say about it. As with reviews, not all posts are (nor should) be the same. We can gather inspiration from others, always giving credit where credit is due, but we are all perfectly capable of building something different from it. We all have different experiences everyday and this shapes our posts and our reading. Don't lose that.

2. It shouldn't be about the pageviews/followers

I will admit I look at my stats way more than I should. But I started this blog to have fun with it, to have a record of what I read, not to have a mass of adoring fans. It is fun to have followers, especially those who comment and then spark and good discussion on your site. I know some people have publicity on their sites (I chose not to) and hence have a small income from it, so I guess I understand the pressure or desire to have more followers, more clicks, etc. But guys, I don't know you, but for me there is a lot of excitement when I get a new follower solely because this person liked my site, because they honestly found something interesting that I made. Buying followers just increase some of your numbers, is it really worth it? I certainly don't think it does. 

We all try to get more viewers, we check infographics to know when should we post, and what makes a post more interesting, and what can we do to get more clicks...but it really shouldn't defeat the idea of doing this for us, not for the clicks!


3. Making it "big" in this community takes time

Again, the big time bloggers I follow, they've been at it for years, 10 or more! So they've built their audience, they have worked at it. I said it before, but we are a big community, and hence not all of them will make it "big". But that shouldn't be the point either, finding that niche that makes you grow as a reader and as a blogger is always a plus, but don't do it to be "famous", do it because you are having fun and you want to share your voice.

You know what I've always said to people who asked me about the book blogger community? That people are supportive, that they are sweet as can be, and funny and that so far I hadn't encounter that much nastiness. 

And then these things happened and some people are being just plain bitchy (say it Trish!). So you are being called out for doing something that is plain wrong, and your answer is to be like that? No, no I say!. This hurt me a lot, and in my way to work all I could think is, we are better than this aren't we? We have the tools to have a better conversation, to no fall into just calling names and meanness.

As I said, I knew eventually I would see a not so pretty side of the community, but golly, this has been so much in so little time. I still think that most of us can have a better conversation as to why these things are happening; and informed and well constructed conversation, not one where we are just yelling at each other.

That's all I have to say for now. That and that I am so sad to see this happening to our happy place.

Las Hijas de Juarez (Daughters of Juarez): Un auténtico relato de asesinatos en serie al sur de la frontera by Teresa Rodriguez

Format: Paperback

Pages: 368

Series: NA

Source: Own (Book Depository)

Genres: Non fiction, True Crime

Publisher: Atria books (Simon and Schuster)

Publication date: June 26th 2007 (first published March 27th 2007)

First impression

I stumbled upon this book on Book Depository almost by mistake, while looking for something interesting in the nonfiction section. A gruesome subject, I felt like I barely knew anything about the mass murders that happened in Juarez, so I decided to read it. While I did get more information on the subject, the delivery was far from what I expected. Partly, I believe due to the translation to Spanish, but mostly because there was a serious lack of flow and abrupt cuts between ideas and paragraphs.

Final thoughts

I won’t talk much about what the book is about, since the title pretty much explains it. A case study beginning with the first murders in the early 1990s, the book will not only tell the story of some of the women killed and their families, but also of some of the people involved in the investigation and alleged culprits. I say alleged for every time the authorities seemed to catch the murder(s), women continued being attacked and horribly killed.

The smaller issue I had with the book was the translation. While Teresa Rodiguez is from a Cuban family, she wrote the book originally in English, and then it was translated by Vicente Echerri. But the translation wasn’t consistent, sometimes using the English acronym and sometimes using the translated one; sentences like “las muchachas fueron muertas” made no sense in a Spanish construction, rather it should’ve been “fueron asesinadas”. I realize this might seem like a picky thing to point out, but when similar issues appear constantly it affects the reading experience.

Either from the original manuscript or during the translation, there was also a big lack of consistency when referring to people or institutions. As rule, if you are going to refer to a person by a nickname or use the acronym of an institution, you should at least use the full name when they are first introduced. This was not the case in the book creating a lot of unnecessary backs and forwards when reading it.

While the author wanted to give a voice to the women who lost their lives, the lack of organization, the unnecessary repetition and lack of flow made their names and voices felt really faint. One thing that is for sure transmitted through the book is the lack of a proper investigation through the years and the insane amount of corruption lurking in this town.

If anyone else is interested in the book, I wouldn’t recommend this translation. Maybe without this factor, I would’ve given the book a 3, since it did give me more information about the subject, albeit in a very all over the place manner.

Sunday Salon: A bit of Sharing

I was going to post today about how tired I am of winter…but then, as you probably know, there has been a huge conversation around book bloggers starting with plagiarism and now going to the fact of unrealistic expectations. The thought that we are Super Women (or Men) and can do 5 posts a week, not just reviews, do great at work, have a Pinterest worthy house…is just too much! On this I would suggest you read Andi’s post (she is great by the way) on how this is just not right.

As I mentioned on Twitter, I feel very lucky as a relative young blogger to see examples like Andi or Trish (visit her here)  Examples of wonderful bloggers that are witty, entertaining, share a bit of their lives and are perfectly ok with saying: you know what? I am not perfect. But still, the pressure can add up. You want to have more readers and more page views and more galleys and be able to say that you read that book before it was officially out…so you strain yourself and post, and post…and then life catches up, you can’t post for a while and for sure, your next post will be: I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while, but you know, life. We shouldn’t be sorry about this, and yet we are. I think we feel guilty mostly with ourselves and then a crazy circle starts.

Today a lot of my favorite bloggers are talking truths, about themselves and about book blogging life. And so I figure I would add some of mine too.

1.  I don’t do a lot of personal posts. For a while it was because I felt I had nothing “interesting” to say and because in general I am a bit hesitant to open up. Now I am wondering more and more often about doing so.
2.  I did open a new blog about PhD life, but I am trying very hard for it not to become a venting site, since there are already a lot of them. I want it to be a place where people thinking of doing a science PhD can get a bit more ideas of what it can be.
3. That being said, I am happy with my life outside the lab, but in the past months I have cried so much due to the lab. Project has hit some walls, and the PI is not happy and hence…I am getting frustrated.
4. I come from a country that has so many beauty pageants it would be an understatement to say that image is quite important…and so I have huge image issues. I still have some stress acne and since my body doesn’t fit a mold, it is very often that I feel simply ugly. Oh Trish had the most wonderful post about this and I want to take a moment to thank her for that. I try hard to improve my self-image every day, but it is a struggle.
5. Besides my figure I doubt myself about my usage of English (or French since my institute is francophone). I started my blogs in English because I wanted to reach a wider audience, but you have no idea the amount of time it takes me to write a single post, and to check it over and over…and when I miss a mistake it can haunt me for days.
6. I am addicted to checking my stats, even when I keep telling myself is not productive…I still do it.
7. I don’t have kids yet…but I will be honest with you, I am terrified about being pregnant. Not being a mom, I had to raise my brothers when my mom died…no, the pregnancy is what scares me the most.
8. While I try to act like I don’t care, it does affect me a lot the fact that a lot of people don’t like me at my lab...I know I am not easy to like, and I am happy for the people who have taken the time to know me, but in IRL, these “colleagues” just find me annoying and to tell you the truth, it hurts.
9. Very often I feel that all the work I do at the lab passes unappreciated by my boss.
10. I hate people seeing me cry because I don’t want them to think I am not strong enough…even though that is exactly why I am crying.

I am going to stop there. In part because it is getting harder to write this stuff and in part because I am sure you get the point. We are all humans, we are all fragile and we all have things going on besides our blogs. We cannot nor should we be perfect as bloggers or as humans. Let’s keep blogging because we like it, because it is a fun community to be part of. Let’s reach for help when we need it and let’s not forget to give credit where credit is due.

Have a lovely week!

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Format: Paperback

Pages: 408

Series: The Sparrow #1

Source: Library

Genres: Science Fiction

Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)

Publication date: September 8th 1997 (first published January 1st 1996) 

There is a difference between being responsible and being culpable

First impression

When I first finished this book I needed some time to re gather my ideas. I fell for the narrative and continued reading because at every step of the book the typical interpretation of things is questioned. How relationships are built and what makes a sentient society. How we define culture and friendship and abuse. The end (no spoilers, don't worry) of Sandoz's story made me cringe uncomfortably mostly because it made so much sense and the sorrow and hatred he had developed suddenly fell right in place with all the context. While I liked this book in general, I cannot bring myself to go for the sequel. 

It's like all sickness [...] His heart desires something he cannot have

Final thoughts

The Sparrow jumps from different time points: Early in time the discovery of extraterrestrial life and the quest to find it in person and in the future the story told by the only survivor who makes it back to Earth, Emilio Sandoz. He is a changed man and through the book we learn what type of person he was before joining priesthood, while on Earth and after traveling to Rakhat.

As I advanced in the book I noticed that I just needed to know more about each character, even if at first they would feel secondary to the story; while I admit that the beginning was quite a slow start for me, once the pace picked up I was passing pages like there was no tomorrow.

My favorite characters were by far were Anne and George Edwards, not only as a couple (a very nice and complex couple) but as individuals they were so interesting. How I would love to have dinner parties like theirs all the time! Imagine the fun of it. I cannot say that there was a character that I didn't like, even the priest (and I just forgot his name) that was so against Sandoz. Because all of the characters come from such different backgrounds, they add to the complexity of the team in an intricate way that for me at least made it even more involving and more touching as I learned more about them.

I absolutely loved the way the author deals with the subjects of faith, love, friendship and off course, culture. Particularly when presented with the 2 main alien groups. Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I didn’t cry but I have to admit that it was a very emotionally charged book, for all the subjects I mentioned before. Every character that left the story did it in a way that you would remember them.

More than a religion questioning, I feel the main point of the book is an anthropological question. That said, and as interesting as I found this first installment, I can’t find it in me to go for the sequel. I keep feeling that The Sparrow moved me as much as it could and it genuinely scares me to ruin the experience if the sequel doesn’t live up to expectations. I would recommend this book for fans of Science Fiction with a lot of philosophical questioning behind.