July 2021 Reading List

 I was able to read a ton in July mostly because Bobby and the kids were gone for almost a week (I read 4 books during that time) and also because the kids and I went on vacation for a week (I read 1 book during that time). I was a bit behind on hitting my goal of reading 52 books throughout 2021, but after July I am actually ahead of my goal. 

I have noticed that I have begun to shift my reading focus a bit and am now including more books about Black Americans' history. I feel pulled to these books especially now that I am living in the South. While I know that racism is alive and well in all parts of this country, I feel the weight of the history of the South and feel called to read as much as I can about the Black American experience in a way that was not so imperative to me before. I am completely uneducated in what it means to be anything other than privileged, so I have no opinions to offer on what I am reading other than I am learning a lot. 

Here is what I read during the month of July:

S.C. Gwynne is one of my favorite writers. I have read all of his books and have enjoyed them all. (My absolute favorite of his though is Empire of the Summer Moon.) History books are what I love to read the most and this book did not disappoint. I find that S.C. Gwynne is able to present topics that have been covered over and over again (such as the Civil War) in a unique way. I will forever be looking for new books of his to come out so that I can read them. 

I am fascinated by women of the Middle East and thought I had read this book before, but after reading it I am not sure that I have (or if I have I don't remember reading it which I suppose will happen from time to time because I read so many different books on the same topics). I liked this book, I didn't love it. I do love Azadeh Moaveni and her writing style. Charlotte (or maybe North Carolina in general) has a pretty dated and disappointing library system, so this was the only book of her I have been able to get my hands on through the library that she authors solely on her own. She has a couple of other books that I just may purchase on abebooks.com without reading them first because I enjoyed her writing style so much. 

I read the Alchemist years ago and enjoyed the book, but have not really read any of Paulo's books since then. I came across this book while we still lived in Indiana and just never borrowed it, but after browsing the library catalog here in North Carolina, I came across this book again and decided to read it. I liked this book a lot because the ending was not what I thought it was going to be. After reading most of the book, I thought I knew exactly how it was going to end and wasn't too keen on the book, but after finishing it I remembered why Paulo is such a good writer and why he is a bestselling author. I would probably read this book again. 

This was an eye opening really good book. It shocked me, educated me, saddened me, angered me, and required me to think. 

I think my favorite time periods to read about in history are the 1700-1800's. I also love a good love story. This book had both the time period I enjoy reading about the most and also a love story. I am glad I stumbled across this book. 

As I mentioned above one of my favorite books is called Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne. It follows the story of the Comanche tribe with a focus on Quanah Parker, the son of the woman in the upper right picture of this book. I have not found too many books on the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, but have been trying because I loved S.C. Gwynne's telling of this piece of history. I ended up stumbling upon this book. It was something that I was glad to read, but definitely won't read again. It didn't really provide much in terms of what I didn't already know and felt that the story was much better told in Empire of the Summer Moon. 

This book was a good find. I have been trying to get my hands on books about the Blackfeet tribe for forever, but have been unable to do so. When I came across this book, I thought it was about the Blackfeet tribe. It was only after reading it that I understood that the Blackfoot was a different (but related) tribe to the Blackfeet. The Blackfoot tribe was based mostly in Canada while the Blackfeet tribe was based mostly in the United States. I would have liked to have learned more about the daily lives of the Blackfoot tribe rather than the history of Canada and their oppression of this tribe (although that is important to me as well.) I am definitely glad I read this book, but it has only whetted my appetite for more books on these two tribes and I am not sure I am going to be able to satiate that appetite. 

So, I ended up reading this book because Azadeh Moavemi coauthored it. Like I mentioned above I am really trying to get my hands on any and all of her books. This was a great read. Probably one I would read again. 

This book scared me. The bravery that Black Americans had (and have) is amazing and inspiring. I was disgusted by my whiteness when reading about the appalling things that have been done to Black Americans  at the hands of white Americans. Had I been a Black American during this time, I don't think I would have had the courage to stand up for my rights the way the author was able to. I was both inspired and appalled while reading this book. 

Numbers of Books Read in 2021:

January: 5

Feb/March: 8

April/May: 6

June: 5

July: 9

Total: 33