Typically, when reading for the Book of the Month Club, I finish before my partner. I have a strict timeline for finishing. My partner, not so much. Sometimes, if he’s unsure about a genre or author, he’ll wait for me to finish first. When I finished Somebody’s Daughter, my bookmark was the only one wedged…
“Don’t sleep on the city that never sleeps, son, and don’t fucking bring your squamous eldritch bullshit here.”N.K. Jemisin I’ve lived within train distance of Chicago my whole life. None of the towns qualified as suburbs (the people who live in the suburbs would have my head if I’d claimed that). Most don’t even qualify…
Hello all, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! If you were a little surprised to see a notification pop up today, I can understand. Christmas festivities often involve pushed-back obligations and a weekend full of festivities. Many log off, spend time with friends or family, or spend a long, quiet weekend indulging in some…
Something strange happens between 11:59 PM and 12:00 AM on the night of Thanksgiving. Immediately, every brand and store in America becomes laser-focused on Christmas. Black Friday deals, Christmas trees in every window, holiday music blaring on loudspeakers. Any store you go in is packed. Invites to holiday parties, familial and work-related, jostle for our…
Some loves are born out of necessity. As one of four children in a one-car household, I walked everywhere I could: elementary, middle, and high school; my first job; friend’s houses; dates. It didn’t matter if it was a block away or across town, I’d meander through the streets of my city, dressed for work…
This Halloween, I gave out candy to more trick-or-treaters than ever. Princesses in pink tutus, mummies in toilet paper, anime characters with lopsided wigs, and movie villains with bright orange buckets lined up at my doorstep. I commented on my favorites, admiring the thought and effort, but something bugged me. It wasn’t until the end…
“I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds. I am not some misunderstood mutant from a comic book or a horror movie, although some have treated me as such. I am simply able to see any issue from both…
TeaReads has been up for nine months. I’ve written for this blog in snowstorms, in torrential rain, on sunny spring days, and on warm summer nights. The leaves are changing now, and the nights are getting longer. My morning walks require a coat to keep the chill out. Fall isn’t my favorite time of year,…
Gothic literature has been following the same tropes for centuries: old, dilapidated mansions filled with secrets; wealthy families fallen from grace; oil paintings illuminated by candelabra in a thunderstorm; young heroines, fleeing into the night in terror. Since the late eighteenth century, these tropes have been used time and time again to critique power, gender,…
September’s book literally fell into my lap. I started planning this blog about a year ago. I created lists of topics, themes, pictures, and, most importantly, books. The book list ebbed and flowed. Some titles stood steadfast from their initial inclusion; others fell victim to the backspace key within an hour. A few books stayed…
Tea Reads 