What I’m Reading (2.21.22)

Happy Monday, friends! I am jealous of anyone who is enjoying a long weekend today. 🙂

I have two wonderful book reviews for you today! While I finally had my first non-5-star read of the month this week, these books were still ones I enjoyed. They just won’t be making my favorites list at the end of the year! Let’s dive in.

Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian (★★★☆☆)

I’m generally not a fan of slow-burn romances, but I decided to give this one a try because I wanted to finish out Sebastian’s Seducing the Sedgwicks series. And it was fine. Not life-changing, not particularly memorable, but fine. It’s a queer historical novel following Will and Martin, who were best friends as children but grew apart when Will was sent away by Martin’s father. When the novel begins, Will is nursing Martin back to health after finding him convalescing in his brother’s attic. Martin has consumption (in today’s terms, tuberculosis) and he has spent his life knowing that he may never live a long, full life like other men his age. It could make a book feel morbid but I appreciated an entirely new perspective (especially in a romance novel!) and the sweet ways in which Will cared for him. Their love story was slow-moving, but they found a way to be together in a way that felt natural and right and beautiful. (e-book, Libby)

Side note: I did a lot of research about consumption/tuberculosis after reading this book. Some facts:

• Tuberculosis is the 13th-leading cause of death worldwide.
• It’s the second-leading cause of death of infectious diseases worldwide. (I’ll let you guess which infectious disease is the first.)
• It’s possible to be infected with TB bacteria and not know it—a third of the world’s population has a TB infection—but it is only transmittable if you fall ill with it. (It’s transmitted from person to person through the air after someone with a TB illness coughs, spits, or sneezes, propelling TB germs through the air.)
• There’s only a 5-10% chance of falling ill with TB after being infected. Those most at risk are people with compromised immune systems.
• TB is curable and treatable—since 2000, 66 million lives have been saved with TB treatment.
• People with HIV are up to 21 times more likely to develop an active TB disease than those without HIV.
• Sanatoriums were notorious for helping people with TB illnesses in the early-to-mid 20th century, giving them a place to recover, be in fresh air, and even have their lungs collapsed or partially removed.
• In 1949, a TB patient received the first-ever TB treatment, and the patient was cured. After much research and patient trials, three different antibacterial medications were developed that had a cure rate of up to 90%.
• Treatment for TB is long; most patients will need to take antibacterial medication for 6-12 months.

Stats from World Health Organization, the American Lung Association, and National Jewish Health.

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell (★★★☆☆)

This book was a fascinating exploration of linguistics and how culture shapes language in so many different ways. Montell covers a wide range of topics in this book, going far beyond what I expected of a book about linguistics. She discusses the gay voice, vocal fry, using the word “like” in conversation, personal pronouns, cat-calling, women who curse, how we talk about our genitalia, and so much more. What I learned most from this book is how patriarchal language is, how it has been standardized and continues to be standardized by men, and the ways in which women and non-binary people are working towards making language less patriarchal. All that said, I can’t say I loved this book. I thought the writing was a little weak and I wanted it to be a bit more scientifically based than it was. (Surveying your Facebook friends does not count.) I also felt like the book could have used a more diverse perspective (Montell is a straight white woman) because there was a lot about language and the way it is used against marginalized communities that were missing from this book. But all in all, I gave this book 3.5 stars and it’s one I’d happily hand off to other readers. (print, Amazon)

Think of people’s pronouns just like you think of their names. You can’t tell a person’s name just by looking at them: if you want to know it, you have to ask, and to argue with their answer would be weird and rude. Everyone has their own individual name, and it may be difficult to remember or pronounce, but it is common courtesy to try your best to learn it.

What I’m Reading This Week

• When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton (audio) – I am halfway through this audiobook that takes place in 1960s Miami, about a Cuban woman intent on avenging her brother’s death at the hands of Fidel Castro. It’s really engaging so far!
• The Bastard’s Betrayal by Katee Robert (e-book) – Katee Robert’s romances are always a bit on the darker side, which I don’t normally enjoy but I just can’t get enough of her mob families and their romances! I’m a sucker for them. This romance is hot, hot, hot and I am here for this enemies-to-lovers trope.
• All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle (print) – This book came highly recommended by Kaytee of the Currently Reading podcast. It has strong A Man Called Ove vibes, which is a novel I loved, and I’m really enjoying this novel so far.

What are you reading?