culture consumed (May, 2018) -- felt like not a lot

[hermionesviolin]

The bulk of my picturebook reading was at the end of the month and was driven by the fact that I had an excessive number of books out from the library (9 thematic stacks in my bedroom, trying to keep my "currently checked out" total under 50), and I felt like I hadn't consumed much media the rest of the month (in part because what I did consume was concentrated at the beginning and end of the month), but I looked at last month's post and apparently I'm basically on par.

books

• 40 kids' books -- assorted, including:
  • the "Best History" (4 -- I'd already read 2 of the 6) and "Funniest" (6) books from GRed Minh Lê's "Best Picture Books of 2017
    
  • a bunch of Inuit kids' books (7) by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak
    
  • 4 dinosaur picture books from the Explore•a•Saurus exhibit at the Boston Children's Museum
    
  • a bunch of books (5) off of Medium's "13 Recommended #OwnVoices Reads for Ramadan" -- would particularly rec:
    • Mommy's Khimar written by by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow & illustrated by Ebony Glenn [Black Muslim girl]
      
    • Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Lea Lyon [Emirati immigrant to Atlanta, Georgia]
      
    • Moon Watchers: Shirin’s Ramadan Miracle by Reza Jalali, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien [9-year-old Arab girl]
  • assorted others, of which I would rec:
    • Islandborn written by Junot Díaz & illustrated by Leo Espinosa (Afro-Latina Dominican protagonist) [N.B. You can make your own choices as to whether you still want to consume and/or purchase Díaz's work given the allegations about his bullying, misogynistic, and sexually assaultative behavior.]
      
    • Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas written by Gwendolyn Hooks & illustrated by Colin Bootman [for older readers, Black male biography]
      
    • Take a Picture of Me, James VanDerZee! written by Andrea J. Loney & illustrated by Keith Mallett [Black male biography]
      
    • I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark written by Debbie Levy & illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
      
    • Mother Jones: Labor Leader written by Connie Colwell Miller & illustrated by Steve Erwin and Charles Barnett III
• adult fiction: The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch for feminist sci-fi bookclub (would not recommend)
  
• adult nonfiction:
  • Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg by Kate Evans (socialist badass!)
    
  • Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life by Francesca Gino (I prob wouldn't have read this if I hadn't been gifted a copy by the author, whom I work with and will be working more closely with next year, but it's pretty good)

movies

• RBG (would recommend this documentary, am bummed it's only getting a limited release)
  
• Lu Over the Wall (mermaid, middle school rock band, Japanese animated, subtitled)
  
• Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (a French ~rock musical)
  
• I Am Not a Witch (part of the film festival portion of Boston Calling, Zambian)

tv

• while the Florida family was visiting, we watched the Call the Midwife Season 7 holiday special
  
• and the royal wedding, if that counts as culture consumed

podcasts

• more of the Mabel audio drama -- I'm now up through Episode Twenty-Two: Eternal Return (so partway through Season 3)

MOOC

• I continued University of Alberta's Coursera Indigenous Canada -- now through Module 6

museums

• while the Florida family was visiting, we spent a day at the Boston Children's Museum with the 23-month-old

Edit: oh, and I forgot:

music

• I went to part of Club Passim's campfire festival