In an effort to post more regularly and stay actively reading, I’m hoping to do weekly updates from my reading list. As you’ll see in what follows, there’ll be some overlap between books, and some repeated discussions perhaps, but I feel there’s no real way to avoid that. Plus, one thing I noticed when I keep a reading journal, which is sort of the vibe I’m going for here, is that your perspective about a book can change as you continue to read through the book. Yes, this should be obvious, but even the most avid readers (myself included) often make the mistake of judging a book by its cover.
And I think this might be the best space for me to process what I’m reading (and hopefully pick up a few reading recommendations, too).
So let’s start with what I recently finished: Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa. This is probably the fastest I’ve read through a new book and that’s because it was hard to put this one down. Starting in Ein Hod, the story focuses on one Palestinian family in the years leading up to 1948, when Israel began its aggressive occupation of the land. And as the Zionists become more violent, life for this family becomes a living hell. The descriptions are vivid and thorough, and there were points where it felt as though I were reading a current event out of Gaza or the West Bank. While the events this family faces are frequently horrifying and occasionally catastrophic, their devotion to each other and the dream of a free Palestine make this a tragically beautiful read.
Next up are my current reads. I’m still working through The Hundred Year’s War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi, but it’s honestly been tough. Every day since October 7th, 2023 has brought a new hellish story out of Gaza. It’s impacted my reading trends where I feel drawn to reading more novels rather than non-fiction stories. It seems easier to wade into the realities Palestinians face when I read Palestinian novels; it’s not as easy when reading non-fiction accounts of Israel’s atrocities. It’s like I need a narrative structure to tether me through the hellish world forced upon Palestinians. All this to say it’s been difficult to read Rashid’s historical account because I might read a chapter, then open Instagram or TikTok and see that Israel has yet again committed war crimes and advanced their blood-thirsty genocide. That things have only grown worse. But yet it’s still a critical read for those who’d like to deconstruct the US/Israeli propaganda and learn how Palestine is being systematically erased from their homeland.
I’m also making good progress with Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty. This is quickly becoming a book I can’t put down. It’s a collection of Morgan’s own short-stories (kind of like Never Whistle at Night where Talty also has a short story), and they’re not all horror, either. Some are just depictions of everyday life for Indigenous people, and that’s what makes the horror elements that much more chilling. Talty uses subtle little details to carry a lot of weight in turning an everyday event – walking to the store and back, hanging out with your friend at the bar – into a flashpoint where the story shifts to a thriller. But by the end of each story (so far), I’m also left reflecting on the painful realities that inspired these stories.
Lastly, I’ve got one more book queued up called The Cherokee Rose: A Novel of Gardens & Ghosts by Tiya Miles. This was a recommendation from a professor I had during my MFA program and I’ve been meaning to read it for a while. I had actually kind of forgotten about it until I saw it on the shelves behind a BookTok creator I watched a week or so ago. The professor I’d had recommended it after I had asked for books that blend the discussions of Critical Race Theory with discussions of Indigenous identity. I may not get to this one right away, but I’m quite excited for it.
In light of my last post about how I miss studying theology, I’m also contemplating dusting off one of my books from seminary that’s probably academically outdated, but might stir my curiosity. Blending in something that keeps me reflecting on my time as an evangelical should definitely help with my own novel I’m working on – I’m aiming for psychological thriller that doubles as a story of deconstruction from evangelicalism. Thus, it’d be autofiction, but with a psychological thriller flare.
Upon mentioning keeping a reading journal, I might make that another blogging series where once a week I take a single text I’m reading and I work through the questions I developed for the reading journal I kept through my MFA program. Generally speaking, the journals were intended to get us to connect what we were reading with what we were writing. And I think that might stir some helpful discussions here.
That’s all for now. If you’ve got reading recommendations similar to the ones I mention here, please let me know in the comments. Or if you want to share what you’ve been reading, feel free to comment with that as well.
Keep calm and read on!
Scribal Practices 