Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Hello, all, and happy Martin Luther King Day!

I hope you're having a good day off from work or school, and if you aren't, I hope you're still having a good day. I got to see a friend this morning who I haven't seen in a while, so I've had a good morning.

For me, MLK day is typically a day where I can relax somewhat and see friends. I'm not alone in this; I know a lot of my friends take the day the same way. I don't think there's anything wrong with this. In fact, I think it can be very much in keeping in honoring Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory.

One thing about the world that bugs me is how quick we are to divide and ridicule those who we see as on the other side of the divide. I won't get into this too much today; I'm sure it's a long blog post for a future day. But today I'll just say that approaching this holiday remembering the man it's named for and also seeking to befriend and show compassion, regardless of race and also gender, religion, etc., instead of ridicule and hate is a good way, I think, to celebrate it.

It's a good message to remember as divisions seem to grow and enemies seem to multiply. Granted, I don't know enough about Martin Luther King to really say much about the "true meaning" of the holiday, but I like to at least try to make it about more than just having a day off, even if I get it a little wrong.

Final note, somewhat related to MLK Day: has anyone seen Hidden Figures yet? I was going to see it today but too many things that I needed to do popped up and I couldn't. I'll have to see it tomorrow or later this week.

Is it good? Should I see it? I'd like to. I hear good things, but even if I didn't, I probably would because the movie is:

- About space travel.
- About women of color.
- About BRILLIANT women of color (I like movies about smart people).
- An Oscar-bait movie that is RATED PG! Not PG-13 or R!

I'd go for the last one alone, honestly, but all the rest together really intrigues me. Sooner or later I'll have to do a post about Oscar movies, since I think there's some fun things to be said there.

Here's a list of authors debuting this week:

Middle Grade:
Jennifer Torres - Stef Soto, Taco Queen (1/17)