sabotabby | Reading Wednesday

Just finished: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. You will not be surprised when I say I love love loved this one. It had all the depth and magic that I want from fantasy, the moments of surprise, the weirdness, and all of it grounded in detailed historical research. The characters were vivid and fully formed and the world felt lived-in. The prose was gorgeous. It's one of the few novels that I've read lately where I was carried along by the stories and characters and didn't immediately want to edit and fix. I'm psyched for the sequel and placed a hold even though it's not out yet.

Currently reading: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book is a revelation. It's by a Potawatomi botany professor and it links Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western biology. Kimmerer writes from a deep love of the land and its plants, and writes as both a scientist and a poet. I am learning so much from this collection of essays and it's just a pure delight to read from a literary perspective.