Friday Fave

I'm trying something new (to blog a bit more spontaneously) and drop a quick post about something I loved from the week on Fridays.

I'm kicking it off with a rec for the fantastic Netflix series - Lupin. 

"Inspired by the adventures of Arsene Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy) sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family."

French (subtitled), 5 episodes, Season 1

It's hard to put in a genre box but Lupin is clever, fun!, flirty, twisty and oh so addictive. 

At 5 episodes it's the perfect binge show. Omar Sy's name is being thrown out there as a possibility for the next James Bond and all I can say to that is YES!!! He definitely gives off that vibe.

Warning: There's a cliffie (I just saw that this will be a 5 part series) but it wasn't a killer cliffie - IMO. I'll be happy to give you a heads up in more detail if you want to know.

#CurrentlyReading - Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

As I’ve mentioned, my reading is slooooooow right now and I don’t always get to a review anymore.

I thought I might talk about what I’m currently reading so the book at least gets some attention and give you my thoughts so far.

#CurrentlyReading

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Narrated by Ethan Herrise

The story that I thought
was my life
didn’t start on the day
I was born

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white.

The story that I think
will be my life
starts today

Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? ~ Goodreads

My thoughts so far (@ 52%): I’m listening to this on audio and the narrator – Ethan Herrise – has such a soft soothing voice but it also contains such an intense urgency.

He tells Amal's story calmly but underneath you can feel the terror, anger, despair and the tiniest bit of hope as he tries to survive his sentence in juvenile prison, after being falsely accused of a violent crime.

This book is told in verse and, to be honest, I didn’t even realize that because it doesn’t have that rhythmic quality like, Elizabeth Acevedo, for example. I do love the narrator's voice but I think I might finish this one using my hardcopy that I also have. Once I cracked it open, the words landed like a punch to the heart because I can still hear Amal’s voice thanks to the audio, but can now also see the verse and the healing power of poetry and art that the book is trying to convey.

*Note: Co-author Yusef Salaam was part of the wrongfully convicted Central Park 5 (the Central Park jogger case back in the 90's). I remember that case well and Salaam brings many of his experiences to this story. 

Have you read Punching the Air yet?

What are you currently reading?

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general.

Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.

If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM. TMST is a laid back meme – join in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.

Question: Resolutions/words of the year – do you do them? What are they for 2021?

Answer: I don't do resolutions because I can never keep them and it makes me feel pressured. 

Starting several years ago, I started doing a word or phrase that kind of put me in a frame of mind to guide me through the year.

Some of my past words have been disconnect, laugh, simplify, joy.

I knew what my phrase for this year would be as soon as I heard when I was watching Queen's Gambit (great show btw) a few months ago.

I spent most of 2020 feeling completely out of sorts and drained. As I'm sure applies to 99.9999999% of the population. So this phrase struck a chord and here it is....

My tranquility needs to be refurbished

I laughed so hard when I heard that but also YES. My tranquility needs to be refurbished! Ha! I'm not sure how it's even possible in our current climate but I know I need to make time for tranquility and quiet and do more of the things that make me happy - even if they don't look like they used to. 

You know that (overused) line - "I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding."? That....I want to let out that breath that I feel like I'm always holding, waiting for the next (or yet another) shoe to drop. Life always feels like it's right on the precipice of disaster. 

So more puppy time, more hikes, more eating lol, more trying new things. Less social media, less noise. 

Do you have a resolution, word or phrase for this year?