Book mural at the Kansas City Public Library - Central Branch 

It just keeps. snowing. And I'm over it. I've been in full hibernation mode, a perk of working from home. I'm ready for spring in so many ways! I did take a break from the precipitation with a trip to see a friend in Kansas City and it made my bookish heart glad.

Read and Reading 

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (Albertalli)  was such a sweet and funny read! I absolutely loved it, start to finish. I'm so impressed with Albertalli's characterization, particularly all the small details and inside jokes that made the characters seem so real. I guessed Blue's identity pretty early on but there was enough misdirection that I wasn't convinced until further in- and even then it didn't matter because of how happy the book made me feel. Simon doesn't always get it right- he's very much a teen boy. But he keeps trying and I loved experiencing the world through his eyes. We all want to be loved and appreciated for who we are and I enjoyed seeing how his family and friends responded to him coming out and the way he and Blue supported one another through email. The author doesn't shy away from the homophobia you might expect to find in the Atlanta suburbs but the overall note is one of hope and acceptance. Watching Simon and Blue's budding relationship simply made me smile. I cannot wait to see this as a movie!

The Lady Travelers Guide To Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen (Alexander) was so much fun! Crisp writing with a lovely sense of humor. I adored India's character arc and how she evolved as the novel progressed. She was so sure of herself and her opinions but comes to realize how this comes across to others and chooses to learn from the experience. (Methinks she's an Enneagram Type One.) And I loved how Derek tried to look out for his aunt, while trying to take care of India and help her find her cousin. Watching them fall for each other, even as much as they first resisted it, was pure delight! 

A heartbreaking and moving read, When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir shows how the events of Patrisse Khan-Cullors' life, as well as her family's experiences, put her on the trajectory to become an activist. It's not until the last few chapters that she shares how the Black Lives Matter movement was born. Cullors depicts one marginalizing experience after another, all the ways her school, her city, and society at large told her her life did not matter, her brother Monte's life did not matter, her father's life did not matter, her husband's life did not matter, and so on. It was maddening to see all they endured but sadly it was not surprising. This is the lived reality for people of color and this is why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important. It could not have been easy for Cullors and her coauthor to write this book but I'm so glad they did. It's an essential account. Not only is it beautifully written, I appreciated how intentional she was in naming people, from activists to her loved ones to those who were killed. It's rather telling which names are not there and I hope it serves as reminder to center the voices of the BLM founders and women of color in general who are all too easily left out of the narrative.

My reading goal for 2018 is to read a good chunk of my unread books so every month I'm designating several books to read. These were my picks for February and it turned out to be a great batch of books. Persuasion was a re-read. (I bought the Penguin Classics Clothbound version.)

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: Divine Intuition (Robinson), This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), You Are A Badass (Sincero), Level Hands (Cousins), How To Walk Away (Center), The Radical Element: 12 Stories Of  Daredevils, Debutantes, and Other Dauntless Girls (editor Spotswood)

TV

I'm loving David Letterman's show on Netflix: My Next Guess Needs No Introduction! First President Obama, then George Clooney. Hoping his next guest will be a similarly amazing woman!

Podcasts:

I went back on Sorta Awesome to discuss the Enneagram and the energy of each type. This is something I first heard about fairly early on in my studies but it's not something I've encountered much in my go-to resources. It's really just another way of recognizing each types' strengths and weaknesses. Meg, Kelly, and I had such a fascinating conversation and I hope our discussion will be helpful for you and your relationships. 

I loved listening to Labyrinth, Girl Scout Cookies, and Good Book Noise: An Interview with S. Jae-Jones on Smart Podcast Trashy Books! I loved JJ's book Wintersong and I'm so mad I haven't yet had a chance to pick up the conclusion Shadowsong since it released earlier this month. I also really enjoyed their interview with Chanel Cleeton. I adored her book Next Year In Havana and it was so interesting to learn more about her writing process and her Cuban American roots.

I've been listening to various episodes from 88 Cups Of Tea, all interviews with writers. So interesting to hear them discuss how their careers began, how they developed their novels, and son on!

It's Not Just About The Blood on Code Switch delves into what defines Native American identity. This is something I've been hearing more about in recent months, specifically about blood quantums. The more I learn, the more I'm ashamed about our country's treatment of Native Americans.

Matthew Perryman Jones is one of my favorite singers and it turns out he's a fellow Four! I was elated to listen to him on Typology, especially when he played one of my favorite songs. It makes perfect sense why I've responded so strongly to his music.

10 Secrets For Friendship Revealed was a fantastic episode from Meg of Sorta Awesome! Such great practical advice.

Highlights:  

• One of my greatest accomplishments of this month was finishing the copyedits for my novel. Why do I procrastinate when I don't have a deadline?! I basically crammed 174 pages of edits into a week because I was committed to finishing. If I want this novel to go out into the world, I have to do the work! It honestly felt good to see it through and realize anew how much I love the story I created.

• Also great: my editor's feedback. It has been wonderful to work with Lindsay Tweedle of Bright Lights Editing. She said the kindest things when she returned my final proofread and it's bolstering me as I figure out the next steps of self-publishing.

• All this to say: no set release date yet but I'm hoping you'll be able to buy A Storied Life sometime in May. Fingers crossed!

• Lindsay at Pen & Paint surprised me with a thoughtful gift: tea and notecards and chocolate. It made my day!

• I visited my friend Annie in Kansas City! I've never been to Kansas City nor Kansas before and it was really interesting to see how a city can operate when it's part of two states.

• Annie and I both work from home so it was nice to have an office companion so to speak. We worked at Monarch Coffee one morning and I loved the ambience there.

• The first thing I did when Annie invited me to visit was look up independent bookstores in KC. Enter Rainy Day Books. It was even more delightful in person! Great selection, displays, friendly staff. Well worth stopping by!

• We stopped by the Kansas City Library- Central Branch and clearly the book mural on the parking garage is the most amazing thing ever. I gasped out loud when I first saw it and then I couldn’t stop smiling. 

• But the inside of the library was also wonderful! This is the entry to the children's section. SO MAGICAL.

• I got to stop at Tea Market, which is darling. If I lived in Kansas City, I would stop there regularly. I picked up some Irish Breakfast and Meyer Lemon Chai and both are fantastic.

• We saw I, Tonya and it was incredible. Give Allison Janney all the awards! Everyone was wonderful and it was interesting to see a sympathetic portrayal of Tonya Harding. No matter what the truth is about the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, Harding got a raw deal.

• Mostly, it was just fun to hang out with Annie and her wonder dog Foxy. I'm so glad I got to visit!

• Petsitting for Abby the dog and new kitten Zoe, who keeps sleeping in my lap and is such a good snuggler.

• A fresh haircut! Amy at Rue 48 Salon treats me right.
    

Favorite Instagram:

I’m eight chapters in to my re-read of Persuasion. It’s taken some time to adjust to Austen’s prose after several years away but now my heart is right there in it with poor Anne. 

I thought this re-read called for one of my Pride & Prejudice fake tattoos. Because why not? 

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

On The Blog:

I added a page about the Enneagram to my navigation bar. It's the easiest way to find my posts and resources. Happy exploring!

What's Saving My Life Right Now

Book reviews: Text Me When You Get Home (Shaefer), By The Book (Sonneborn), Next Year In Havana (Cleeton), Dreaming In Chocolate (Crispell), Confessions Of A Funeral Director (Wilde), The Day The Angels Fell (Smucker)

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. This link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Monday April 2. 

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What have you been into this month? 

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