Stuff We Like :: 7.1.16

Hooray! Suzanne is back with this week’s edition of Stuff We Like, most of which I plan to borrow for my own homeschool life, stat.

Around the Web

What’s better than a summer reading list? A LIST of summer reading lists!

As a long-­time reader of science fiction and fantasy­ mostly written by white men ­ I’ve really been enjoying the new books by authors like .N.K.Jemisin, Karen Lord, and Zen Cho. And (speaking of lists) here’s a great list of authors past and present to help diversify your sf/fantasy reading: 

I’m also enjoying Black Nerd Problems, a website with commentary, news, and reviews about diversity in comics, television, movies, video games, and all things geeky. (For a sample, check out this recent article on cultural appropriation.)

One of each, please! (My birthday is in October, but don’t feel you have to wait ‘til then.)

At home | school | life

in the magazine: The summer issue is coming out any minute. That means even more summer reading lists. Time to clear out some room on your library card!

on the blog: If you can’t wait another minute to fill up your library tote, there are some great summer readaloud ideas in the July Pep Talk.

in the classroom: The fall class schedule isn’t officially out yet, so I’ll just mention that if you are looking for a U.S. History class that is pretty much based around Broadway musical numbers, you are in luck. (Hamilton and 1776, together at last!)

on instagram: A much better comeback than the classic “only boring people are bored." (Though what's so bad about being bored anyway?)

Reading List

Just finished Nimona, the much praised web comic collection about teen shapeshifter Nimona, sidekick to the evil Lord Blackheart, and am ready to pass it on to the 13­-year-­old, who has discovered (after reading Persepolis that she really likes graphic novels. (Did I mention that Lord Blackheart’s hero nemesis is Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin?)

In the category of “Arrgh! What do you MEAN the third book isn’t out yet?!?”, I’d like to encourage Robert Jackson Bennett to hurry up with the final book (following City of Stairs and City of Blades) of his Divine Cities trilogy. I’m in love with these books and this world, not to mention Bennett’s smart, strong, and in­-charge female protagonists.

Fortunately, Jane Smiley recently did finish her Last Hundred Years trilogy, a multi­-generational saga following one Iowa farming family from 1920 to 2020, so I was able to power through all three (wonderful) books, me Some Luck, Early Warning, nd Golden Age, in one (long) go.

And Amy tells me I’ve been sorely remiss in leaving it this long, but I finally got around to reading some Chuck Klosterman, specifically his I Wear the Black Hat, essays on the nature of villainy. I’m glad I’ve got more by him to look forward to!

At Home—Special Board Game Edition!

We’re heading off for our annual vacation to meet up with family and do as little as possible for a week, so it’s time to pack the boardgames! ndemic s one of my all-time-favorites, so I’m excited to try out Pandemic Legacy, hich is an “epic twist” on the game with “ever­-changing elements”! I have no idea what that means, but I’m in.

For a person who can’t read Stephen King or watch a horror movie, I’m remarkably fond of “horrific” games, so we’ll definitely play a couple of rounds of Arkham Horror and and Betrayal at House on the Hill.

These days, I mostly prefer cooperative games, but I’ll make an exception for Portal: The Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game.

And of course, there’s always room to pack various Munchkin card sets and maybe a deck or two of Gloom.

---