Real Book

Author George R. R. Martin, who wrote the Song of Ice and Fire saga that the TV show Game of Thrones is based on, says that he regrets the way the show turned out on HBO and that the end of the saga will differ from the show's ending. To be clear, he hasn't yet finished writing not only the final book, but the second to the last book as well.

Does this news make you want to read the last two books? I'm in the tired of waiting camp myself. I did appreciate the books more than the show--the books are actually less violent towards women, something that HBO embellished way too much, adding sexual violence to many characters' stories that didn't even have it in the first place--but I also like to read things one after another lest I forget what happened. It's been MANY years since I've done that and I'm not sure I'd want to re-read them.

What about you? Will you be reading the books? What kind of ending do you hope for? I don't think we'll get the one that many fans had wished for but you never know.

How's your June reading going so far? Like every summer, I have a pretty varied TBR and way too many to actually read, but I'm reading Why Bother? and I'm Still Here right now and enjoying both. I'm also reading A Queer History of the United States and I brought home a bunch of books from the library about psychology and trauma--ranging from Siegel to Beckwith to Van Der Kolk--because I'm training to work a helpline and am feeling super interested in these subjects as a result.

As far as fiction goes, we're finally reading The Hunger Games aloud as a family, which I sort of wish we'd already done even though I never get tired of it. My teen just doesn't enjoy family read-alouds as much anymore. My partner and I actually read the trilogy when he was laid off years ago and really enjoyed that time together.

I just downloaded the new Talia Hibbert and Christina Lauren releases from the library and can't wait to devour both. Once you start anything by those authors, you really can't stop.

So what are you reading? What are you anticipating most this summer? Share them in the chat!

Oh, Saga. I won't give spoilers but as much as I want to re-read it this summer, I may have to pass. I don't think my heart can handle it. Brian K. Vaughan is even promising it will be "worth the wait," which makes me even more nervous about it returning "soon" after a three-year hiatus. Has it really been that long?

Instead, I'm looking for other graphic novel sagas to peruse this summer. I'm thinking of trying Fable again since I made it about halfway through and never finished the series. I just finished the second volume of Spell on Wheels, which also had a lengthy break between it and its predecessor, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first volume, which was filled with action and fantasy. One summer I read all of the Lucifer comics so I'm thinking of catching up on Sandman, but that is SUCH a vast volume and I don't remember where I left off, either!

Are there any graphic novels you're planning on reading this summer? Which ones are must-reads?

Every week there is a new antiracist book out and I just want to devour them all. My family and I have been learning so much through our reading, classes and podcasts. Even though we've considered ourselves as allies for years, there is always so much more to learn, unpack and decolonize. There always will be. If you're open to staying curious, making mistakes and taking actual action in your community, you can definitely do this very necessary work.

This week I'm reading I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown, which has been just as eye-opening as other books we've been reading. But I'm also reading the different works of Krissy Coggins, who offers parenting advice from a de-colonizing perspective. This week I learned more about whiteness, which includes so much toxicity that harms not only people of color but white people themselves (just like toxic masculinity!). For example, perfectionism and individualism are both examples of whiteness.

What antiracist books are you reading right now? Share the authors, books and things you've learned in the chat.