Welcome to Banned Books

The past two weeks have been... a lot. Work has kept me busy and prevented me from doom scrolling as much as I normally would. I am keeping informed of the many, many situations going on around the world right now. However, there's very little I can do to directly impact things as they stand. Spending all my time online reading every new news bulletin that pops up is detrimental to my mental health. 

So, instead, I spend my time reading books.

Some of these books are digital, most are paperbacks won in GoodReads competitions. 

I've spent so much time reading early this year, that I'm (currently) four books ahead of my reading goal for the year. (Let's see if this momentum continues through the rest of 2022). I'm not super picky about genre - I'll even read romance under the right circumstances (sadly I just don't like most romance tropes). Cozy mysteries have long been my go to genre and my family likes to pass them around like candy on Halloween. I'm also fond of poetry, episodic fantasy, and horror. 

I've even made a point to read more non-fiction (usually business or science related) books.

Occasionally, I mix in a "classic" book. Last year I had a lot of fun reading "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" along with my annual reread of "Alice in Wonderland". Sometimes I agree with the book's status as a classic (like "Treasure Island" or "A Christmas Carol"), other times I wonder why they are considered classics (sorry "Great Gatsby"). 

This year, I think I'll try to include some "banned" books as well.

Why would I want to include "banned" or "challenged" books? Mostly to see for myself what the fuss is about. 

I've actually read quite a few books that have been "banned" - usually at school. In fact one of those books I read in twelfth grade English class has been cycling in the news again because my newly elected state's governor ran on a campaign to ban it.

 "Beloved" was one of those books that I was either not mature enough to understand or the literary prowess went completely over my head. That doesn't mean that I disliked the book or felt uncomfortable by it (no, this book was very uncomfortable for MANY reasons). I mean that I didn't fully get or appreciate it. I maintain that if I had been introduced to "Beloved" as a horror novel, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more (it's still uncomfortable and at times disturbing, but a seventeen/eighteen year old can handle the material just fine).

This call to ban "Beloved" and a few other titles I was familiar with, got me curious as to how many banned books I'd actually read. 

Unfortunately, I haven't found a reliable list of banned books. The lists usually include books that have been banned throughout different years or decades for one reason or another. Sometimes the books are only banned in one state or county, but easily obtained in book stores. 

So I picked the list Business Insider shared from The American Library Association (ALA) which list the top 21 books challenged in 2021. On this list of 21 books, I'd read 4.5 (as long as we count the one series of books listed as "one" book, otherwise its 10.5). 

That half book I read was "A Handmaid's Tale" which I tried reading the summer between Freshmen and Sophomore year for summer homework because it was an iconic feminist work, but was so disturbed by it that I just couldn't finish it. That doesn't mean it should be banned, just that I couldn't finish it. Instead, I ended up reading "The Bluest Eye" which is also on the list for 2021. It's also disturbing in some places.

However, the fact that a book is disturbing shouldn't mean that it ends up on a banned list. Sometimes we need to read disturbing material to learn empathy, understand history, and change the future. I didn't like "A Handmaid's Tale", but I did like "The Bluest Eye". I (for the life of me) didn't understand "Beloved" at age seventeen. Maybe if I read it over a decade later, I finally will. 

In recent years, a lot of banned or challenged books have focused on issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation. This seems to reflect what's going on politically in certain states whom I'm most disappointed in. The books I'm not seeing on these lists are the ones that actually advocate for harming others (none of those books will be listed in this blog post).

If you're wondering whether or not I believe in banning books, you've come to the wrong blog post. Yes, there are some books that I find hateful and would not recommend reading. There are also books that are just poorly written and probably shouldn't have gotten passed the editor.

It's not my place to say whether or not these books should be banned.

Because I sometimes find that once you "ban" something or restrict access to it, people (particularly kids who love defying authority figures) will find some way to get their hands on it any way. I'm definitely more interested in "Captain Underpants" now that I know it's been challenged so many times than when it first saw copies of it.

How many "banned" books have you guys read? Any on the 2021 list? Are you interested in reading any of these "banned" books? I know there are other lists out there that have different books on them (and some of those books I've also read), so don't feel limited by the list I've used for this post. 

I think I'm most interested in reading "George" by Alex Gino, "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas (it's been on my to read list for a while), and "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo" by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller which was commissioned by Jon Oliver.

If you enjoyed this blog post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week. 

Welcome to Machiavelli

A few years ago, I picked up a copy of Machiavelli's The Prince. In popular culture, Machiavelli is seen as one of history's most controversial political figures who wrote things like "it is better to be feared rather than love". Most of this perception comes from analysis done on his most famous work: The Prince. 

However, if you read any of his other work or understand the circumstances that lead him to write The Prince in the first place, you'll find that Machiavelli wasn't the tyrannical power mad ruler people usually associate with his name. He was actually a realist. A realist who loved his home city-state of Florence.  

Machiavelli's most famous work, The Prince, was actually written after he'd been tortured and exiled by a new government that steamrolled in to conquer his beloved republic. It was essentially a very long cover letter telling the new ruler "hey, I actually know what I'm doing and can help you out." 

Unfortunately, (like so many written cover letters by job seekers) the guy Machiavelli wrote The Prince for likely never read it. Though the Vatican did and they promptly banned it - which naturally meant that everyone wanted to read it. 

This is perfect example of how banning a book can backfire.

If you want a brief summary on Machiavelli, I recommend checking out The Overly Sarcastic Productions video on YouTube (click here). Their video was what actually got me interested in reading The Prince in the first place. Prior to their synopsis, my only knowledge of him was through pop culture and his (evil) portrayal in the Immortal Diaries of Nicolas Flamel series. 

My take on The Prince was that I needed to know more Italian pre-renaissance history to understand what was going on and that Machiavelli could be a sarcastic realist to the extreme.

Now, this was my take on the job application that would end of up in the garbage bin. Other people have read The Prince and taken it quite literally or as a way to navigate the worst of humanity.

Stacy Vanek Smith, a reporter from NPR, had her own take on The Prince. One that heavily leaned on the idea that Machiavelli was a realist who genuinely understood how good and bad people can be. She recently released her book: Machiavelli for Women: Defend your Worth, Grow your Ambition, and Win the Workplace. It's a modern take on Machiavelli, adapted for the work place. Princes are now bosses and co-workers fighting for a spot beyond middle management. 

Overall, I thought the book was good for workplace advice, but lacked enough Machiavelli to satisfy me. However, I will concede that she found a lot of great parallels between Machiavelli's observations on princes and the work place. When she incorporated Machiavelli in her analysis and advice, I thought it was spot on.

It also helped me revaluate some of my reading of The Prince. 

I admit that 15th and 16th century Italian history is not something I am an expert in. I know the great artistic masters like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rafael (the guys the Teenage Ninja Turtles are named for). I am also aware that Italy was a mishmash of city states that wouldn't be united for at least another few centuries. Oh, and Pope Alexander VI had kids - one of which, Cesare Borgia, is heavily referenced in The Prince because he conquered the Republic of San Marino in 1503. Popes aren't supposed to have kids and their family dynamic was super messed up.

Smith's book added even more historical context around the Italian political climate of 15th and 16th centuries that Machiavelli lived through. Machiavelli had to be a realist when your entire life could be flipped in an instant. Italian republics rose and fell at the same rate Italian Princes did - often and with little stability. He wanted what was best for his home, Florence.

Machiavelli wasn't evil. He was a smart man hoping to do right by his home. In some ways he succeeded. People still read The Prince - though it is often taken out of context.

Smith's book shows that not all conquerors are found on the battlefield. I think she succeeded in writing a modern workplace take on The Prince and has a great understanding of Machiavelli. There are many things we want in this work, but we can't have any of them without taking a hard look at reality.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Social Art Time

It seems the best way for me to branch out of my bubble and make new friends, is to use the website Meetup.com. For those of you unfamiliar with the site (and, no, this is not an ad - no one pays me to write blog posts), it’s a place for people to find groups filled with people that have a similar interest. I started using the website in New Jersey - which is how I found a hiking group and my writers group.

Now that the pandemic appears to be winding down, I feel more comfortable meeting new people who share my interests. Last summer, I joined a group that does a lot of hikes and walks in my area. It was outside and there was less stress about masks. Since it’s currently winter, they’ve gone on hiatus until it starts warming up again.

However, I’ve been getting bored spending most of my time at home and somewhat socially isolated. Zoom is a great way for me to still interact with my friends I no longer live close to, but it doesn’t get me out of the house. I needed a new location with other humans.

Queue me finding an art group.

I mean I am an artist no?

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this group. The original location was a local coffee shop, but the RSVPs grew too large for the space and the organizers changed the locations to the local library. It was a really nice space that had enough room for all the people who came (more than 30). Some people had sketchbook, others watercolor paints, and a few borrowed a pencil and paper from their neighbors. Most people had their phone out looking at references to help them draw. 

I had my tablet and stylus - working on some digital blackout poetry (which I’m not sure what to do with yet). 

An example of my blackout poetry that is not digital.

Part of the time I was at the table, I was lost in my drawing. Completely absorbed. Conversation would go on around me and I didn’t feel a need to engage with anyone. There was no pressure.

Other times I would jump in with the conversation. No one shut down my opinion or said that my art wasn’t “real art”. It was fun and easy going.

A few people would get up and wander around, looking at what everyone was working on. I never stood up to walk around (unusual for me as I love pacing and moving). I didn’t mind when someone looked over my shoulder. I didn’t feel judged. It was more like being in a gallery with someone looking at a masterpiece while it was being created.

Granted I can’t speak for the other people there, but I didn’t hear anyone raise an objection.

Actually, most of the artists were excited to share what they were working on (myself included). There was a general sense of fun. A few people said they came because they wanted to get back into drawing, or sketching, or painting.

The time I spent with the art group was relaxing, stress free, and a positive social interaction. I was surprised by how quickly timed passed.

I probably will join the group again. One of the organizers wants to have outdoor art events and possibly organize trips to the museums in DC. I like the casual nature of this group and hope I make some fun new friends.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to a Book of Many References

 No, I'm not talking about Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentleman (the graphic novels not the movie).

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I was reading a book called Persephone's Station by Stina Leicht. I recently finished it with a 5 star (it was actually 4.5 stars, but I rounded up since you can't leave a 0.5 on GoodReads) rating. 

I wont this book from a GoodReads giveaway and was very excited to check out the slightly over 500 page novel that is described as a mash up of Casablanca meetings The Magnificent Seven - though I would say that that reviewer missed the more obvious Seven Samurai comparison. 

It also takes place in space.

The first thing I want to note about this novel is that it is very female and very queer. All of the main characters are either women or non-binary. There are several prominent lesbian or bisexual characters and the main character lives next to a gay couple. There is representation for everyone in this story.

And yes, the story is very racial diverse as well.

The main plot revolves around three point of view characters. 

The first is Rosie, a non-binary character who owns Monk's Bar and may or may not be the head of a mafia. There's a lot more to Rosie than first meets the eye. For starters, they've been helping to hide a highly advanced civilization on the colonized world they live on. They are basically the Rick character from Casablanca.

Next, is Angel. An ex-marine with a past. She can't return home, so she's found a place for herself working for Rosie. Her team is quickly framed for the assassination of a high ranking corporate vice president and need to take a dangerous job while laying low. Angel and her crew are the Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai piece of this story. She even has a ship called Kurosawa (the director of Seven Samurai). 

Finally, we have Kennedy Liu. She's a highly advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) that's been programed to have empathy and has a human body. This isn't a spoiler, we learn this right off the bat. She also has AI sisters who don't have a body, but she can "talk to" when connected to their world's version of the Internet. I found her to be the least interesting of the three main characters and wasn't sure of her point to the plot until the very end.

There's also a point of view chapter with a person named Paulie - one of the native sentient people known as the Emissaries hiding on the planet the majority of the story takes place on. She's more of a secondary character and is the opening point of view chapter.

Though not a point of view character, but still important is our antagonist/villain, Vissia. Vissia is behind the assassination Angel's team is blamed for, the person trying to wipe out the Emissaries, and the person behind the murder of Kennedy Liu's creator (I'm going to also not count this as a spoiler because its a given early in the story). She also has a connection to Rosie - who is actively working to stop Vissia's hostile take over.

All in all - Vissia is bad news.

The story kick's off when Angel's team is hired by Rosie to assassinate the head of another crime family. The back and forth here is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and Star Wars with the former being directly called out in text (and an appearance by someone called Mrs. Hudson). Angel's team pull off the assassination, but uh oh, someone else was also killed during the deed. Rosie takes the opportunity to hire Angel and team to protect the Emissaries before Vissia shows up with a squad of mercenaries to destroy one of their cities (Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven references away). Meanwhile, Rosie takes the opportunity to end Vissia's plans.

Oh, and Kennedy Liu is looking for another sentient AI system and gets mixed up in the excitement. 

It's not that complicated of a plot with each event flowing into the next in a way that makes sense in-universe. I found it a thrilling read - though slow early on. The world building is fantastic and I really want to read more stories from it. There's a lot of background stuff (and a few characters) I haven't touched on that I want to have information on. 

What got me to knock off that half a point though was the ending. It felt a little rushed and though it made sense in-universe, seemed anti-climatic - almost an afterthought compared to the middle part of the story. There seemed to be more focus on the references rather than neatly tying the plot together in a way that feels satisfying.

This is very much a space opera fantasy. I do recommend it and hope to read more from the author. It's got great representation and world building. There's a lot of fun references and Easter eggs if you're looking for them, but they can be distracting in the early part of the book. And the final third of the book isn't nearly as good as it's setup. 

If you pick up a copy, let me know what you think.  

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to Untranslatable

For Christmas, my friend gave me a book called Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders. Sanders compiled the untranslatable words, provided definitions, created explanations, and drew beautiful illustrations. I enjoyed going through this book very much.

Some of my favorite words included: 

• Hiraeth (Welsh) - a homesickness for somewhere you cannot return to, the nostalgia and the grief for the lost places of your past, places that never were. 
• Tíma (Icelandic) - not being ready to spend time or money on a specific thing, despite being able to afford it.
•  Nunchi (Korean) - the subtle, often unnoticed art of listening and gauging another's mind.
• Tsundoku (Japanese) - leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other unread books.
• Kalpa (Sanskrit) - the passing of time in a grand, cosmological scale.
• Komorebi (Japanese) - the sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees.
• Jayus (Indonesian) - refers to a joke so terrible and so unfunny that you can't help but laugh.
• Kabelsalat (German) - describes a mess of very tangled cables literally a "cable-salad".

These are just a few of the words that really stood out to me. If you're curious (and like fun illustrations), I recommend the book. 

I'm certain there are words in the English language that are unique and can't be easily translated. They're probably mostly slang and only make sense in a particular context. 

An example is the word "vex" which means to make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters. However, I've rarely heard "vex" used in day-to-day (American) English to the point where it might be considered archaic by this point. I like this word and would love to know if there's an equivalent outside of English.

Another example I've never heard an equivalent for, is the word "ferhoodle" which means to confuse or mix-up (wait that isn't an English word - it's Pennsylvania Dutch). 

Honestly, English loves snagging words from other languages, horribly mangling their pronunciation, and making them uniquely English.  An example would be the word "karaoke". Trust me, it's not pronounced the same way we do it in English.

This has also got me wondering, how often do we experience something and don't have words to describe it?

I've experienced it a few times. In my inability to put words to what I experience or feel has lead me to either make up my own words or turn to poetry. In some cases, creating a name for what is happening makes the feeling or experience easier to process. Even borrowing certain words to use in a different context can be helpful. 

One word that I sometimes use when I'm sick is "milky". If I say "I'm feeling milky", it means that there's a thick liquid like feeling in my stomach. I'm not feeling nausea or pain. I don't think I'm going to puke my guts out or start crying. I feel like thick, possibly spoiled milk is sitting in my stomach.

Having the ability to describe or put a name to a thing, experience, or feeling is important. It gives us the ability to process or understand what we are confronted with. Though we might not find a word in our native language, there might be one in another language that better fits your descriptions. Heck, even making up a word can be better than no word.

What about you guys? Are there any words you've found are uniquely English? I'm sure one of my linguist friends could happily give me a list. Are there any words you've come across in another language that you feel aren't well translated or completely untranslatable to your native language?

Leave a comment if you're so inclined. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to What Plans

Planning and being on top of a schedule has become a key part adulthood - for work and my personal life. If I want to see a friend or go out of town,  I need to plan for it and make sure that everyone's schedule is clear and that I can take time away from work. 

I sometimes have to plan brunch or a coffee trip months in advance to make sure I'll be able to see a specific person. It's not like high school or college when you could text someone "you free?" and then head over to Wawa. 

Having a plan is super important, but having flexibility is equally key to not going crazy. Especially when your plan is so far off the rails, it's not clear which direction you're headed in anymore. 

My motto since 2019 has been to "roll with it".

I have a preference to plan out my year well in advance. I like to know when I'm taking a trip or going on one of my mini-adventures not too far from home. I even like planning when I go on one of my cleaning sprees. I once planned an entire trip to Disney World with spreadsheets detailing where and when we had to be somewhere. I made sure to build in "spontaneous time" (though is it really spontaneous if you plan for it?).

However, even my best laid plans have blown up in my face.

No one expected the pandemic shutting everything down in March 2020. It seriously upended my life (along with most people's lives). 

At the start of the pandemic, I thought I had some security. But security is a luxury if I've ever known one.  

Despite my good fortune landing a full time job, I'm still a little on edge. I thought that my last job few jobs would be long term, but two layoffs have taught me that few things are truly long term. I've started wondering if I am just living for the next set back or (worse) disaster. 

That's not a healthy way to think. It's kept me anxious and on edge - unable to relax when I really need to.

We've started seeing some hope. With the introduction of the vaccine, things began to open back up and people felt safer. That was until Delta and then Omicron showed up to shut everything down again. Though it feels never ending, the patterns we're seeing with COVID are similar to what happened with the Spanish Flu. 

However, what might happen after COVID? Could there be another pandemic? What about what's going on with the economy? There's already reports that a recession is likely to show up within the next four years. How will that affect my life?

I can't answer these questions. I can't plan around them.

I can only hope that I'm prepared to "roll with it" again.

I know this post isn't the happiest or most optimistic, but sometimes writing out the things that bother us helps us work through them. I wish I had a crystal ball that would let me know everything would work itself out, but I don't. 

I just have to take things one day at a time.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope my readers like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Books of 2021

 I had a conversation last night with a friend of mine. She asked me what my favorite books were. That's a tough answer as it varies from moment to moment and genre to genre. We ended up talking a lot about books in the fantasy and science fiction genres with a heavy lean towards queer and LGBTQ+ narratives - likely helped by the fact that I'm currently reading Stina Leicht's science fiction and very queer Persephone Station.

The cover art is amazing for this book!

Growing up my book list tended to be comprised of cozy mysteries and most things written by Agatha Christie. There were a few fantasy books here and there (naturally I was big into Harry Potter - though I am currently greatly displeased with the author). My family also seemed to favor mysteries and I ended up with a whole collection of Nancy Drew books and the "Cat Who" series. 

With few exceptions, it wasn't until high school and college that I began to branch out and read other genres. While in Japan at 11, I read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series since they were a few of the only English books in my aunt and uncle's home. In high school, I received my first science fiction books with Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series (I did not read Extras) and branched out to the fantasy series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (the first few books are great - I don't know what happened in books five and six, but I was too invested by that point not to finish them) by Michael Scott. I even picked up the mid-grade Disney series The Kingdome Keepers by Ridley Pearson.

The only genre I can't seem to get into is Romance. 

I'm fairly certain it's because Romance as a genre relies on trope (all genres have them stop groaning) that I don't enjoy. Lack of communication skills, sappy situations, and important information from people isn't how I like my drama to unroll. 

That's not to say I don't like romance or pairings in my stories. When done well, I love a nice sweet romance. I just want other outside factors to play a roll - like a dragon, scary ghost, or social issues that need to be confronted (*cough* LGBTQ+ *cough*). 

This is just a sampling of the books I like to read and doesn't include my (extensive) manga, graphic novel, or poetry collection. I've collected Astrix comics since I was a little kid and my collection continues to grow.  Yu Yu Hakusho and Fruits Basket (see I do read some Romance) were my jam in high school. In college is was Black Cat and Ronin Kenshin. Now, I've included the works of Junji Ito to my shelf, right next My Brother's Husband and Another. 

My poetry collection is a monster unto itself and I find that I like modern and traditionally studied poets.

The books I read in 2021 reflected my eclectic taste in literature. Some how, in the stressful 12 months that are currently a blur in my mind, I found the time to read 34 books - surpassing my goal of 32. This is 3 more books than 2020.

The books I read consisted of several Goodreads giveaways (mostly non-fiction, but there was a very long horror novel in there somewhere), a poetry collection that featured one of my poems (it needed editing), several graphic novels I found at used books stores, a lot of poetry, a novella that I beta-read for a friend (and I plan on rereading this year), a short novel about ghosts at one of my favorite railroad museums, a couple of classics, and one book about birds with lots of swear words (this one was a lot of fun to read before going hiking in the Shenandoah).

Some standouts from last year include: 

• Harpyness is Only Skin Deep, Hazelhearth Hires Heroes, and Love, Death, or Mermaid all by my friend D. H. Willison. His books and series, Tales of Arvia, are a lot of fun. They're episodic D'n'D style adventures that are engaging and funny. And guess what! He now has a merch store. Go check it out.
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - probably my favorite read of 2021 this book is queer, Hispanic, and takes place around El Día De Los Muertos. It has ghosts, murder, mystery, fantasy, and (gasp) a great teenage romance. I highly recommend it.
• Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall - a YA novel that takes place on Jamaica and deals with the struggles of poverty, racism, and gangs. 
• Living in Data: A Citizen's Guide to a Better Information Future by Jer Thorp - a mixed back of Thorp's incredible career, how to visualize data, and understanding how data shapes our world. I really liked it.
• Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans which was robbed of it's Goodreads award for best poetry of 2021.
• I am The Rage: A Black Poetry Collection by Martina McGowan.
• Doggolescence: Poems by Kyra The Staffy by Kyra The Staffy and her mama Rachel Oates - I bought this one because I like the YouTuber Rachel Oats and she ran into some trouble when another YouTuber couldn't handle the (very valid) criticism Rachel gave them. I wasn't expecting much, but found that I really liked reading poetry from a dog's point of view. 
• Some Things I Still Can't Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins - actor Misha Collins released a poetry collect? Why yes, I will be adding it to my collection. Fans of the actor will enjoy his poetry - that I can guarantee.

The above list is only a sample of the books I read. 

One of my goals for 2022 is to read 35 books (one more than 2021). I've already mentioned that I'm knee deep in Persephone Station, but I've also started Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps by Hank Quense who is a member of my writer's group in New Jersey. I received a copy in exchange for a review (which I'm happy to provide). 

I have a huge stack of books that need to be read next to my bed - not including all of the books recommended to me by my friend last night. Some are carry over books from last year I haven't gotten to. Some are books that have been in my "to read" pile for multiple years. 

Maybe this year, I can make a decent dent in the stake (before obtaining more books) and surpass my 35 book goal.

Happy 2022 everyone! May you find peace and joy in the new year.