Happy Friday, readers! I thought I’d add a piece this week, and do a #FridayReads in addition to Book Beginnings (hosted by Rose City Reader) and The Friday 56 (hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice). Really, it’s an excuse to make a video since I haven’t done that yet this week. So here’s what I’m reading now, and what I’ll be reading next in 60 seconds or less.

I’ve had a few books come off of hold this week, so I’m going to read the one that’s due the soonest: Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera. I think I saw this one on the story of someone I follow on Instagram, and another of my booktube buddies said that it was pretty good. I trust this reader, so it’ll be my next read after I finish The Sellout.

So let’s start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start.

Preface
03/04/2003

Dear Harlowe,

Hi, my name is Juliet Palante. I’ve been reading your book Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind. No lie, I started reading it so I could make people uncomfortable on the subway. I especially enjoyed whipping it out during impromptu sermons given by old sour-faced men on the #2 train. It amused me to watch men confront the word pussy in a context outside of their control; you know, like in bright pink letters on the cover of some girl’s paperback book.

I read the preface when I was with my wife in the ER a few nights ago, and let’s just say this was not what I was expecting at 3am. I think I wasn’t awake enough to process what I read, but now I’m thinking Juliet seems like she’s one who has no effs to give. I like those kinds of characters, so I’m excited to get back to it.

Now let’s take a look at 56% on Kindle for The Friday 56.

For three full days, I hid in Harlowe’s home, under blankets in the attic. No library. No showering. Cell phone off. My stomach ejected most of what I put into it, which was almost nothing.

This was actually pretty hard to do without spoilers. At this point, because I didn’t read any more than what was going on at 56%, Juliet is either super sick with something, or heartbroken. It seems to be a stark contrast from the brazen girl in the preface, so I wonder what happened to cause said shift.

So here’s my question to those of you who got this far: Have you ever done anything like Juliet from the Preface? Something to deliberately make people uncomfortable?