The Jot Down – December 17, 2022

Happy Saturday y’all! Phew! This week was a myriad of things. If I had to give it a title, it would be “Different: The Scripted and Unscripted.” I didn’t get around to posting a WWW Wednesday this week because I had some extraneous tasks outside of my normally scheduled program to tend to. One of them being a stressful journey running errands on Fannin at UTHealth Houston and another being a task that took longer than expected. By the time I finished both, Wednesday was gone. It would’ve been fruitless of me to post a WWW Wednesday near midnight (lol).

Other than having a far from lazy Wednesday, I did get quite a bit of reading done this week.

But before we get into that, let’s catch you up to speed, babes and piggyback off of last week’s ‘The Jot Down’ post.

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Ketchup

Last week I started Underneath the Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste and observed that it may take some work for me to get into the story.
- Update: I was right. Getting to know the main character influenced my interest in the story. It just took some time. I appreciate that.
On Freevee we watched Hansel & Gretel Get Baked, an interesting take on the fairytale. I’d categorize it as a dark comedy, retelling.

If you’re interested in keeping up with the movies I watch, feel free to follow me on Letterboxd (https://letterboxd.com/django_j/). That is where I frequently infrequently log and review films I’ve watched.

Books

Since I didn’t participate in WWW Wednesday, I have more reading updates than expected.

For my “recently read” shelf, I finished Underneath the Sycamore Tree and have so many thoughts running through my head about it. Let’s just say my habit of going into books blindly has caught up to me. I don’t think I would’ve picked this book up if I had read a review with spoilers. Details of that will be in my full length review, but I will mention here, that I err on the unsure/neutral end of the spectrum of acceptance of non-traditional or taboo relationships. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars and my rating and recommendation of this book is heavily weighted on the main subject matter and the representation of people with chronic illnesses.

In addition to that, this morning I finished Fibbed by Elizabeth Agyemang. I decided to pick up this book up after seeing Chloe at Thistle and Verse haul it in one of her recent videos. Fibbed is a middle-grade graphic novel inspired by the Ghanaian lore of Ananse, the trickster spider. I enjoyed it for its heartfelt, clever, and culturally rich storytelling. Its vibrant illustrations and story of self-discovery intertwined with other Ghanaian stories make for an entertaining and inspiring read. I rated it a 4 out of 5 and hope that others will add this to their shelves.

On my ‘currently reading’ shelf is another NetGalley ARC with a scheduled release date of January 10, 2023, For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome. I’m about 28% into it and so far it has been a medium to fast paced, challenging and reflective read for me. The location and setting, 1940s Jackson, Mississippi is a welcomed change of scenery that’s made a significant difference in my initial reception of the book. Fingers crossed that I finish it by tomorrow night.

As for what’s “up next,” I will be juggling two short story collections for the remainder of 2022 and maybe squeeze in a banned or challenged children’s book. I’m not sure which children’s book I’ll be reaching for, but the two short stories I’ll be reading in tandem are, Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field by João Melo, translated by Lusia Venturini and Call and Response by Gothataone Moeng. Both are ARCs I committed to and due to release January 30th and 31st, respectively, in 2023.

Blogging

I’m shamed, y’all. I still haven’t posted my November Reading Wrap-Up (cringe). I really want to post it with stats. The good news is that I finally have my raw data together, and I’m super happy about that. Now I’m putting aside time to compile everything for my 2022 Year in Reading post.

I’m not going to make an empty promise this time around (lol). I’m forever thankful for your patience.

TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read)

Underneath the Sycamore Tree has taboo elements that I’m still mentally processing.
Fibbed is a recommended read for readers that enjoy stories with stories.
For Lamb is off to a good start.
Blogging is a process, and for my work style, I’m learning that committing to posts are easier said than done.

How My Day’s Been So Far

In the early part of my day, me and hubby watched Black Adam (2022) on HBO Max. I would’ve seen it when it was released in theaters if I knew that Shazam! (2019) was connected to Black Adam (2022). Shazam! (2019) is easily one of my favorite DC films. I’ve watched it more times than I can count.

For the remainder of my day, I may continue reading chapters of For Lamb in between watching the FX series, Kindred (2022) on Hulu. The graphic novel adaptation of Kindred is one of my all time favorite reads and I’m due for a reread of it. I forwent binge watching and decided to take a more leisurely approach to viewing the FX series. All episodes released on December 13, 2022 and I’ve only made it to episode 3. So far, it’s immersive, admittedly a little stressful, but more importantly entertaining to watch, and it’s the inspiration behind today’s QOTD. I’m really curious to see your responses.

QOTD (Question Of The Day)

How would you survive if you were transported through time, to pre-Civil War South in the United States of America? Your ability to time travel is uncontrollable and its occurrence is unpredictable, how would you prepare for it if you knew that your stay becomes longer with each time you travel?