18 Comments
User's avatar
Órla's avatar

"dreaded self-help and self optimization phase (do not recommend)" haha, love it

Chrissy King's avatar

It was a dark time lololololol

Elizabeth's avatar

I had a similar experience with a reading contest when I was in about 3rd grade. I lived in Japan at the time and attended an international school. I was in heavy competition for a medal for a reading competition with a boy in my class. I was not going to let a boy beat me! Haha. He called my apartment on our landline (oh, the good old days) and my mom thought he was a girl because his voice was so high. He was determined to beat me, but I won out in the end and I think I still have the medal somewhere in my old memory boxes.

I read about 300 books per year now, so I like to think I’d still trounce him about 25 years later.😂

Chrissy King's avatar

Wait I love this story so much!! Also, 300 books a year.....my mind is blown!

Amara D Brown's avatar

Kin was sooooo good! I loved that book. I added the other books to my "want to read" list. Thanks for the recommendations.

Chrissy King's avatar

I will never stop talking about Kin! It was so beautifully written.

Amara D Brown's avatar

It really was. It’s amazing how books can have such an emotionally heavy story yet be written so beautifully. I don’t re-read books but this one might be worth it

Dana Ernest's avatar

Thanks for the book recs! I just finished Love by the Book and loved it. We need more stories like that, about platonic love (and with childfree characters).

Chrissy King's avatar

Yay! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it. I can't wait for it.

Morgen Schroeder, MV Cheesery's avatar

Thank you for this post!!

Chrissy King's avatar

Thank you for reading!

petra mikulan | time ecology's avatar

Yes! Reading is political! I wish teachers understood this better. Thank you for sharing!

Chrissy King's avatar

Same! I wish everyone understood this better. Thank you for reading!

thingsofing's avatar

Here for the books and the politics, all the books and all the politics, all the time. (And on that, thank you for the recommendations that have gone straight to my list 🫶)

Chrissy King's avatar

Yay! I hope you find at least some of them enjoyable....reading is so subjective.

Black Girl Seen's avatar

thank you for these. added to the list immediately!

Chrissy King's avatar

Yay! I hope you like!!

Chantel Grant's avatar

Every book choice is a statement about whose story you think matters. I don't think most readers realize that yet — or maybe they do and just haven't had language for it. The list here is solid. Adding a few of these to my own pile.