The Sunday Post #208

As foretold by Nostradamus . . .

The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and The Sunday Salon is hosted by Readerbuzz. They’re a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, and share news. It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Date. I get to tell you what I’ve read recently. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

On The Blog Last Week

• On Tuesday I listed some 2020 young adult book releases that I’m excited about.
• On Wednesday I talked about the books that are coming out in the second half of January.
• On Thursday I blathered about my (overly ambitious) 2020 goals.

On The Blog This Week

• On Tuesday I show you my Christmas book haul. (Yes, I realize that Christmas was a month ago. Yes, I’m still excited about my Christmas gifts.)

In My Reading Life

I read a lot last week, but I didn’t finish any books because I’ve been plowing through Best-Loved Folktales of the World by Joanna Cole. I made it through the folktales of Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. My favorite story from Asia is “Simple Wang” (China). It’s about Wang, who buys a mirror. His family does not understand what a mirror does. When his wife looks into it, she cries because she thinks Wang has brought home a beautiful new wife. When Wang’s mother-in-law looks into the mirror to see the new wife, she wonders why Wang has chosen to marry an ugly old hag.

My favorite story from the Pacific is “How Platypuses Came to Australia” (Australia, obviously). It’s a clever story, but it’s also about a rat raping a duck, so . . . weird, Australia. Weird.

Africa has my favorite stories in the world (so far). Most of them focus on animals. I have a lot of favorites. “Anansi’s Hat-Shaking Dance” (Ashanti Tribe) is about how funerals aren’t ideal places for showing off. “The Wise Dog” (Yoruba Tribe) is about why dogs beg for food and why it’s not a good idea to murder your family.

Right now, I’m reading folktales from North America. I actually know some of these already!

I’m also nearly finished with Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. Is it too early to be thinking about my favorite books of 2020? This book is intense. How are any of these people alive? I like that the book is terrifying and hopeful at the same time.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy last week:

1. I read a lot of folktales. If I put effort into it, I might be able to finish Best-Loved Folktales of the World this week. People, I started this book on December 1. I’m enjoying it, but it’s past time for it to be over. It’s starting to feel like those textbooks that took me a whole semester to slog through.
2. Pizza!
3. Also, ice cream!
4. I’m having fun learning about Pinterest and how to design awesome pins. I haven’t made any awesome pins yet, but I’m trying! It’ll happen someday.
5. I think the blog’s future makeover is coming along nicely. There might be a COLOR on here soon. (Shock! Horror!)

My New Year’s Resolution Is To Acquire Friends

Pinterest || Bloglovin’ || Goodreads || Instagram || Twitter || Donate

Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other! See you around the blogosphere!