Currently Reading Introduction: 3/22/21

I’d like to start a reoccurring post where I talk about what I’m currently reading. Reading has always been a much loved hobby. During college I didn’t read very much, but now as an adult I’ve rediscovered that love. I love to buy new books (*inhales that new book smell*), but let’s be honest, that’s just not feasible at this point in my life. So the library and Scribd are my favorite places to borrow books. I use Libby and Hoopla from my library (thank you library 🙌) and then Scribd pretty much fills in any of those other digital book needs. I track my reading on these different apps: Goodreads, Litsy, and the new StoryGraph.

On Litsy I’m a part of this group called #FoodandLit where each month we focus on a different country. During each month we read any book(s) relating to or by authors from that month’s chosen country. We also learn about the culture and food from that country. I’ve had lots of fun trying new foods and recipes from the different countries, while also learning and reading about the cultures. So far we’ve “visited” Brazil and Vietnam. For March we are exploring Ethiopia. One of the staples in Ethiopia is a sour flatbread called injera. It’s made with teff flour, which I’ve never used before. I wanted to make my own so I found a recipe on Pinterest. I also made a version of misir wat (lentil stew) using the traditional spice mix called berbere. The wat was delicious, very similar to a curry. The injera was not my favorite, it was fine with the stew, but on its own it left an after taste I wasn’t fond of. It was fun to eat it with my hands though, in the traditional way. For my book, I’ve chosen to read Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera. It’s a LGBTQ romance where a young man named Desta is returning to Ethiopia for work after being away for a long time. Through work he meets Elias who opens his eyes to the beautiful country. I’m not very far into the book yet, but sparks are already flying.

Book subscriptions- basically I want to subscribe to them all, cause who doesn’t love getting things in the mail and even more so when they’re books! Currently, I’m trying Fairy Loot and have only gotten one box so far. I’m also interested in Owlcrate and might try them later in the year. I have subscribed to Book of the Month since February of 2018, but recently I’ve decided to take a break because I have such a large backlog. In order to get through that backlog, I’ve made it a goal this year to read at least one BOTM book a month. For March, I am reading The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles. It’s the story of two girls, Dores and Graça, one an orphaned servant and the other a spoiled, wealthy daughter of a sugar baron, respectively. The two bond over their love of music and form a lifelong friendship that begins in Brazil in the 1930s. 

The last book I’ve recently started is Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (thank you Libby holds 🙏). I’m listening to it as an audiobook, which is my favorite way to read a memoir. It’s not a traditional memoir, as he ties his stories to “greenlights,” or things that have led to his success or path forward in life. He also scatters little life lessons and words of wisdom in between his stories. He has a certain type of cadence that makes him a great storyteller and I sure am enjoying listening to his voice. 😉

Bookish Favorites

• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/38192277-leila-pisani
• Litsy: https://www.litsy.com/web/user/Catsandbooks
• StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/b255cf2d-ac96-4317-9ab9-6b4cb18cde1c