![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: My Soul to Keep (African Immortals Book 1)
Author: Tananarive Due
Narrator: Peter Francis James
Published: Recorded Books, 1997
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 345
Total Page Count: 205,965
Text Number: 628
Read Because: personal enjoyment, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Jessica's marriage is endangered by the revelation that her perfect husband is immortal. The supernatural elements here are surprisingly low-concept; the real focus is the psychological effects of immortality, a study which is convincing but not particularly exciting. There's more drama in the suspense, which is set against domestic details that are alternately idyllic and ominous—a balance that can tip towards the prosaic but has a strong finish. I think I would've had better luck with this book had I enjoyed either protagonist (or tolerated their child)—the psychological focus depends on personal engagement to be successful. But while I didn't love it, I did like it. It's a solid effort, thoughtfully conceived, grounded by researched details, and successfully paced. I give it a mild recommendation. (I don't feel compelled to pick up the sequels, but my impression from the ending is that they have stronger speculative elements—so we'll see.)
A few years ago (2013?) I set out to read more female authors than male authors, a goal I've met and far exceeded every year since (last year I read 126 books, 78% by female authors, 33% by male authors) because it fits my natural tendencies re: the creators I want to support and the content I enjoy (or, more often, desperately wish to avoid) and because it's relatively easy to discern gender from a name. In the last few years, I've also been trying to read more queer/non-binary/non-neurotypical authors—a goal I also haven't found difficult to meet, in large part because those are circles and issues in which I'm already engaged. But the road to white feminism is paved with failed intersectionality: I read a lot of cis white women, and last year only 10% of books I read were by PoC. This year, I'm explicitly trying to read more PoC—which is harder, because those are circles with which I'm less engaged, because it isn't as easy to read race or ethnicity from a name and so requires more research, and because I'm still reading via audio and that limits my choices. But I'm aiming at every other book by an author of color, and giving myself leeway to fuck it up so that I don't get discouraged. These are voices I want to support and be receptive to, so it's time I prioritize them.
Author: Tananarive Due
Narrator: Peter Francis James
Published: Recorded Books, 1997
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 345
Total Page Count: 205,965
Text Number: 628
Read Because: personal enjoyment, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Jessica's marriage is endangered by the revelation that her perfect husband is immortal. The supernatural elements here are surprisingly low-concept; the real focus is the psychological effects of immortality, a study which is convincing but not particularly exciting. There's more drama in the suspense, which is set against domestic details that are alternately idyllic and ominous—a balance that can tip towards the prosaic but has a strong finish. I think I would've had better luck with this book had I enjoyed either protagonist (or tolerated their child)—the psychological focus depends on personal engagement to be successful. But while I didn't love it, I did like it. It's a solid effort, thoughtfully conceived, grounded by researched details, and successfully paced. I give it a mild recommendation. (I don't feel compelled to pick up the sequels, but my impression from the ending is that they have stronger speculative elements—so we'll see.)
A few years ago (2013?) I set out to read more female authors than male authors, a goal I've met and far exceeded every year since (last year I read 126 books, 78% by female authors, 33% by male authors) because it fits my natural tendencies re: the creators I want to support and the content I enjoy (or, more often, desperately wish to avoid) and because it's relatively easy to discern gender from a name. In the last few years, I've also been trying to read more queer/non-binary/non-neurotypical authors—a goal I also haven't found difficult to meet, in large part because those are circles and issues in which I'm already engaged. But the road to white feminism is paved with failed intersectionality: I read a lot of cis white women, and last year only 10% of books I read were by PoC. This year, I'm explicitly trying to read more PoC—which is harder, because those are circles with which I'm less engaged, because it isn't as easy to read race or ethnicity from a name and so requires more research, and because I'm still reading via audio and that limits my choices. But I'm aiming at every other book by an author of color, and giving myself leeway to fuck it up so that I don't get discouraged. These are voices I want to support and be receptive to, so it's time I prioritize them.
