This weekly meme is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words and all you need to do to participate is answer the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What have you recently finished?
• What do you think you will read next?

What are you currently reading?

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Since November started I have only picked up North and South once but I do hope to get back to it soon. I’m still really enjoying Gaskell’s writing and immersing myself in this world.

I started Real Life last night because it is due back to the library in a few days. Before going in I was a little worried I wouldn’t finish in time but I was instantly hooked on Brandon Taylors stunning way of writing. He has such a grasp of language and I love the way he describes events and emotions. So far this seems to be a very character driven novel as we follow Wallace who faces adversity and surprises during a weekend at college. I’m sure there will be more but for now there is a trigger warning for abuse (possible all kinds). I expect to finish this tomorrow since I really had to fight myself to do the things I needed to do today and not just drop it all and read this.

Loathe Thy Neighbor was a book I started for the Halloween Smutathon and I am loving it. This is a book that could easily be read in one sitting since it is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. However, I am absolutely swooning over the romance and I’m trying to read it slowly so I can savor it.

I’m reading The Matzah Ball for a blog tour post at the end of the month and I am in love with this story. I didn’t know going into it that our main character has a chronic illness (chronic fatigue) and our hero’s mom had MS. This book has brought me to tears a few times with the way the author puts into words what the reality of these illnesses is like. I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it, but it is so incredibly important to see yourself reflected in the books, movies, shows, etc that we consume. Besides all of the important chronic illness representation this also has the beginnings of a sweet romance. The premise is that our Jewish heroine is not only obsessed with Christmas but she is also a secret bestselling author of Christmas romance books. When she shows up to a meeting with her editor and publishing house she is told that they want her to write a Jewish holiday romance or nothing at all. And this funny and zany story kicks off from there.

Recently finished

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My oldest son is reading The Giver in school and he was talking to me about it and I could hardly remember it from when I read it in school so I picked up a copy at the library. It is a utopian book with simplistic writing but the themes of the story make it great for school. My son hasn’t finished it yet because his teacher has them working on a project or assignment that coincides with something that happened in each chapter but he is towards the end and doesn’t really like how dark the book became. I gave this 3.5 stars because it brings up important topics to think about but the writing is so simple and the pacing is way off.

I picked up Rick for Believethon (a month long middle grade readathon hosted by How to Train Your Gavin on YouTube). The prompt I picked had something to do with POC or LGBT+ rep and so I picked up Alex Gino’s next book in the George Melissa series. It isn’t really a series but Rick is a companion to Melissa and she is featured in both books. I think it was last week that Gino announced that their publisher has taken their advice to rerelease George under the more suitable name of Melissa. I’m so happy that Scholastic understood where Gino was coming from and decided to put the time and money into rereleasing Melissa. Rick is another important novel that focuses on asexuality and toxic friends. These books are so incredibly valuable and I highly encourage everyone to read them. I gave this five stars because the last third brought me to tears many times.

What do you think you’ll read next?

*My next Believeathon prompt is to read a contemporary and at first I was stumped and then I remembered my son gave me this book to read since he really enjoyed it.

Running. That’s all that Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But never for a track team. Nope, his game has always been ball. But when Ghost impulsively challenges an elite sprinter to a race—and wins—the Olympic medalist track coach sees he has something: crazy natural talent. Thing is, Ghost has something else: a lot of anger, and a past that he is trying to outrun. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed and meld with the team, or will his past finally catch up to him?

~Cassie