Published : 2021 || Format : print || Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El
I can't believe we are already into February. Another month and we'll have hit the one-year mark (in the US) since the lockdown started. In so many ways, it still feels like March 2020 around here, minus some of that initial confusion, but plus a lot more frustration and angst.
February reading plans
On the reading front, I've been eyeing a few books that I'd like to get to. Some of these are new releases and others are books I want to read for a challenge.
That said, for the most part, this month, I want to finish all the books I've started and not finished so far. Every few days over the last few weeks, I kept getting a library hold come through and that messed with my reading plans. This means, I now need to finish So You Want To Talk About Race, Black Buck, and The Bad Muslim Discount. In addition, I need to make progress on A Promised Land (which is a long-term read).
There are two new and recent releases I'm hoping to get my hands on - Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters is one that I am very excited to read. This may be my first book featuring a central trans character, and while I wish it didn't take me this long, I'm glad it has crossed my path. The other book I'm looking forward to it Outlawed by Anna North. The premise of this book is thrilling (women outcasts in the Wild West and potential for adventure), but I read a recent article by the author that makes me wonder if there are any trigger topics for me.
With all that on the reading horizon, February is also a short month and a historical slow reading one for me. It comes right after an exhaustive January filled with ambitions and goals, and the slowness in February usually leads to a better March. We'll see if that pattern holds this time around as well.
January snapshot
I definitely started way more books in January than I could keep up with. It got to a point where I began to dread the 'hold available' notifications, but I did extensively use Libby's 'Deliver Later' feature, (and maybe too many times for some books), so I am still waiting in line for some of those. Of all the books I did read in January, there were two memorable reads - All Systems Red and Barely Functional Adult (reviews still pending).
Overall, I read 19 books, bulk of those being picture books. I thought that with my kids going back to preschool/school in person, I may be having many moments of reading in my easy lounge chair during a lazy lunch break from work, but the reality was that most days, I barely got off my chair except to get coffee or grab a snack. I won't even try to share what my lunch was on some days. Let's just be glad that the kids didn't need to be a part of that.
Well, here's hoping for a better February? Likely not but at least it won't be a surprising one. I'm going to place my bets on March for now.
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