Friday Reads 05/02 Asian & African diasporas, books for adults, teens & kids

In this May 2 2025 episode, I talk about 8 books I’ve read—the usual eclectic mix—as well as Red Dress Day, OperationBabylift, a #BookHaul #PeopleApril, #PictureThis2025, Asian Heritage Month, Mental Health May, #MiseryMay #poetry

00:00 Intro: my activities this week

03:00 Independent Bookstore Day Book haul

08:34 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸🇨🇦 Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights edited by Ashley Hope Pérez and illustrated by Debbie Fong

12:19 🇬🇧🎧 Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers; audiobook read by Lucy Scott; published by HarperAudio

15:28 May 5 is Red Dress Day
Little Moons by Jen Storm and Ryan Howe

16:37 May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada

🇻🇳🇨🇦 Em by Kim Thuy translation by Sheila Fischman

18:04 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸 Turning Japanese: Expanded Edition by MariNaomi; published by Oni Press

19:41 🏳️‍🌈🇨🇦🎧 And What Can I Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed; audiobook read by Elana Dunkelman; published by Bespeak Audio

21:32 🏳️‍🌈🇩🇪🇺🇸 What I Must Tell the World: How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice by Jay Leslie and Loveis Wise; published by Zando

23:36 🇺🇬🇰🇪🇨🇦 We, the Kindling by Otonya J Okot Bitek; published by Alchemy

26:34 🏳️‍🌈🇹🇹🇨🇦 Salvage: Readings from the Wreck by Dionne Brand; published by Alfred A Knopf Canada

33:44 🏳️‍🌈🇹🇹🇨🇦 Inventory by Dionne Brand; published by McClelland and Stewart

36:54 Outro
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Other mentions:

A trip to Tim Hortons with Mark Carney:
   • A trip to Tim Hortons with Prime Minister ...  

​⁠‪@shawnbreathesbooks‬ Shawn’s mystery guest is Kendra in this video, which is where she talks about The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating:    • Friday Reads: A fabulously geeky bookish time  

​⁠‪@KendraWinchester‬

​⁠‪@booksatthebottomofthestair8446‬

Marilyn ​⁠‪@MarilynMayaMendoza‬ (Mental Health May)

Kim ​⁠‪@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH‬ (Mental Health May)

Ros ​⁠‪@scallydandlingaboutthebooks‬ (People April)

Elisabeth ​⁠‪@bouquinsbooks‬ (People April)

Brian ​⁠‪@BookishTexan‬ (People April)

Jack ​⁠‪@spreadbookjoy‬ (Picture This)

Shelly ​⁠‪@Shellyish‬ (Picture This)

Angelia ​⁠‪@readandre-read‬ (Endless Drama)

Scott ​⁠‪@GunpowderFictionPlot‬ (Misery May)

Gemma ​⁠‪@GemofBooks‬ (Misery May)

​⁠‪@jacquelinemcmenamin8204‬

I join 9 other booktubers in recommending books for Misery May here:    • Booktubers Recommend a Miserable Reads!  

The Third Population by Aurélien Ducoudray and Jeff Pourquié, translated by Jeremy Melloul

The Talk by Darrin Bell
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Book haul:

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Journeys to the Nearby by Elspeth Bradbury

Trees of Victoria by Collin Varner

Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo

A Body More Tolerance by Jaye Simpson

South Side of a Kinless River by Marilyn Dumont

Leaving Now by Arleen Paré

Wild Life by Amanda Leduc

The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien