The Last 10 Books Tag

Shannen at Rekindled Bibliophile recently posted this book list, and I was inspired to do the same.

1. Last Book I Bought

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. It isn’t a queer book and therefore won’t be making an appearance on Roar Cat Reads, but I’m glad I get to plug it here! It is an awesome sci-fi novella that everyone should buy.

2. Last Book I Re-Read

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. I first read it over a year ago and wanted to reread it before writing my review on it. I had loved it the first time I read it, but it was even better upon re-read (and after having read its sequel Harrow the Ninth). There was so much groundwork laid and hints given that I totally missed the first time I read it!

3. Last Book I Gave Up On

Cleanness by Garth Greenwell. It’s nominated for a Lambda Literary award, so I was excited to read it. However, there was an explicit sexual assault in the second chapter that just really turned my stomach. It seemed to be written in a series of vignettes, so there is a good chance the rest of the book didn’t include more of the same. But I had lost my interest in the book, so back to the library it went!

4. Last Book I Said I Read But Didn’t

I don’t remember ever saying I’d read a book that I hadn’t. I do this about internet posts that people send me all the time though. “Oh yeah, I read that!” really means “I opened the link and skimmed the first paragraph.”

5. Last Book I Wrote in the Margins Of

I have no idea. It would likely have been a book I read for grad school, because in general, I don’t write in the margins. I don’t even like to underline things. I used to because I thought that was what bookish people do, but I’m far too much of a perfectionistic neat freak to intentionally deface my books. Haha, strong opinions much?

6. Last Book That I Had Signed

Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner. I bought this at VanCaf 2019 and had the author sign it right then and there! Man, I miss conventions.

7. Last Book I Lost

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. I was convinced I lost this book for months and was about to buy a new one when I suddenly remembered that I had leant it to a friend. This is why libraries record things that are checked out!

8. Last Book I Had to Replace

Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce. Every time I move, I do a huge purge of books. In the subsequent years, my favorite books make themselves known by slowly returning to my bookshelves. This is one of my all time favorites, and I only purged it because I want more people to read this little known series!

9. Last Book I Argued Over

Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie. Rachel loves grimdark fantasy, and I read it occasionally to support her interests. We argued for two days about whether the darkness was “realistic” or “unnecessary,” before I finally admitted that it was a pretty excellent book for stimulating so much conversation.

10. Last Book You Couldn’t Find

Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe by Thomas Cahill. Cahill is one of my favorite history non-fiction authors, and I’ve loved his books How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews, and Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea. Every time I go to a bookshop I look to see if they have something by him that I haven’t read, but unfortunately, his books are rarely available. Gah!