tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31716913983561525552024-02-19T00:01:57.920-08:00Möbius DreamsCrazy book lady with a yarn and tea problem. And some cats.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-73396096245220118772017-09-15T01:17:00.003-07:002017-09-15T01:17:44.250-07:00The Resistance Will be LiterateGiven the political state of my country right now - the country that my parents immigrated to, and the country I love - it is easy to sink into despair. When I need reflection or a mental pause, I turn to books, as I'm sure many of you do as well.<br />
<br />
I just finished a short book - an extended essay, really - that struck me. <i style="font-weight: bold;">On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century</i> by historian Timothy Snyder is a direct response to recent and current events. He never names our president, but it is obvious that these lessons are a both cautionary and a call for resistance. After the election, I started gathering a list of books that are important, particularly now. These books, mainly non-fiction, celebrate diversity, acknowledge the struggles (and triumphs) of the under-represented and minorities, remind us of our history, and provide a guiding path forward. So I was particularly taken with lesson number 9: <i>Be kind to our language. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.</i></blockquote>
Snyder briefly expands on this, noting that information from "screens" - mainly televised news - causes its consumers to fall into the "collective trance." He mentions both <i>Fahrenheit 451</i> and <i>Nineteen Eighty-Four</i>, noting that classic totalitarian dystopian novels have "warned of the domination of screens, the suppression of books, the narrowing of vocabularies, and the associated difficulties of thought."<br />
<br />
On the flip side, books stimulate the brain. Many studies have shown that reading books have beneficial effects, such as increased cognitive ability, critical thinking skills, imagination, and (notably) empathy. Readers are more empathic to others.<br />
<br />
Again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/novel-finding-reading-literary-fiction-improves-empathy/">Reading improves empathy.</a> Specifically, reading literary fiction, which exposes readers to explorations of relationships and psychology of characters.<br />
<br />
It's also been shown that being exposed to diversity in media can change how one thinks and views the world, and can make one more tolerant and accepting of others. I know we're talking about books here, but <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17135126">this 2006 study</a> looking at how just <i>watching </i>a TV show featuring gay characters -- not directly interacting with gay people, just watching a show where their existence is normalized -- correlates with decreased prejudice towards gays and lesbians.<br />
<br />
Once more for those in the back.<br />
REPRESENTATION MATTERS!<br />
<br />
Earlier this year, it was a BIG FUCKING DEAL when a judge sentenced some teen vandals to read after they had graffitied a historical African American school. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/07/vandals-sentenced-to-read-books-about-racism-and-antisemitism">The full reading list can be found here</a> but it's full of diverse books, both fiction and non-fiction, that will hopefully provide these kids with some much needed perspective in their lives. This sentencing was an acknowledgement that reading diversely -- being exposed to diverse people, cultures, histories, and viewpoints -- can counter hate and ignorance.<br />
<br />
So here's my list: my "resist-list" if you will. This is by no means exhaustive. I have read some of these, but many more are on my to-read list. I am rationing them out for now because as important as these books are to read, it is also important for my own mental and emotional health that these are not <i>all</i> that I read.<br />
<br />
But, it is also important that I <i>read</i>. Because <u>the resistance will be literate</u>. That is my rallying cry.<br />
<br />
<b><i>March </i>by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Hope in the Dark: </i></b><i><b>Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities </b></i><b>by Rebecca Solnit</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b><i>We Should All Be Feminists</i> by <span itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 19.8px; text-decoration: none;">Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>A People's History of the United States </i>by Howard Zinn</b><br />
<b><br /><i>Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman </i>by Lindy West</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine,and the Foundations of a Movement</i> by Angela Y. Davis</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness</i> by Michelle Alexander</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World</i> edited by Kelly Jensen</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Inauguration </i>by Idris Goodwin and Nico Wilkinson</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey </i></b><i><b>on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity</b></i> <b>by Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boys' Club</i> by Eileen Pollack</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States</i> by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Sex Object</i> by Jessica Valenti</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Bad Feminist: Essays</i> by Roxane Gay</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain</i> by Phoebe Robinson</b><b><br /></b>
<b><i>The Green Collar Economy </i>by Van Jones</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<i><b>A Colony in a Nation </b></i><b>by Chris Hayes</b><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><i>It Can't Happen Here</i> by Sinclair Lewis</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><i>White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide </i>by Carol Anderson</b></div>
<br /><b><i>Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right </i>by Arlie Russell Hochschild</b><br /><br /><b><i>White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America </i>by Nancy Isenberg</b><br /><div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
What's on your resist-list?</div>
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-48449607926382522132016-07-01T07:18:00.003-07:002016-07-01T07:18:59.874-07:00Reading SlumpI am finding myself in a reading slump and I'm not sure how to get out of it. I'm in the middle of a lackluster book from NetGalley that I feel like I really should push to finish, but it's not holding my attention at all. I'm in the middle of 6 other books (at least) and don't feel the drive to continue any of them.<br />
<br />
Ho hum.<br />
<br />
I hate reading slumps. Hate them.<br />
<br />
A large part of my quality of and satisfaction with life is tied up in books and when I'm not reading, I'm prone to depression, ennui, and the doldrums.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, this has been bleeding into my professional life and I've been letting deadlines slide, which isn't a good thing given that I like being able to pay my mortgage, buy food, and keep my cats in litter.<br />
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Hopefully this passes soon.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-46381343259717947842016-04-22T21:51:00.000-07:002016-04-22T21:51:32.066-07:00Book SynchronicityThere are moments when the book you're reading just resonates with something else in my life. I am reading a historical fiction and the next day, read an article about the very same topic. Or I am reading a novel which heavily involves spinning yarn, soon after I learned to spin myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpnVHMHLhqTp6g8UsUfXLseORG4mredgqX5WXOVla8Q72cirYHtj-4eDNQnTU0Ub21iY3_1GhojZ_8MfeitCyBuLuuOvkwnhITz-y-ZBduEnzRG0vyciH0IBdWFYtunLA9m9d25jGkXLd/s1600/societyschild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpnVHMHLhqTp6g8UsUfXLseORG4mredgqX5WXOVla8Q72cirYHtj-4eDNQnTU0Ub21iY3_1GhojZ_8MfeitCyBuLuuOvkwnhITz-y-ZBduEnzRG0vyciH0IBdWFYtunLA9m9d25jGkXLd/s200/societyschild.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
But it is very odd when two books I'm reading complement each other. It just happened to me and it was magical. I had just finished listening to Janis Ian's autobiography <i>Society's Child</i>. Ian, for those who may not know, was a pretty famous folk and pop singer in the 60's and 70's, and rubbed elbows people like Janis Joplin and Bruce Springsteen. She was heavily involved in the folk music movement with the likes of Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie. She talked a lot about the other performers she sang with, toured with, and befriended. I really enjoyed hearing her tell her story, peppered with bits of her songs, some of which I knew, and others which I hadn't.<br />
<br />
In her autobiography, Ian is pretty frank about how the music industry has changed through the decades since she started recording, and in her opinion, not for the better. She implies heavily that the industry has lost its heart and instead of fostering and nurturing its artists, it is too focused on money and protecting the bottom line. As she had to make a comeback several times in her career and had been performing since she was a teenager, she has many thoughts on this subject.<br />
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While I was finishing up <i>Society's Child</i>, I picked up a review copy of a young adult novel that is coming out in May called <i>Devil and the Bluebird</i>. It is the debut novel of Jennifer Mason-Black, and if this first book is any indication, she will have a place on my insta-buy list. It is just that good and my first solid five-star read of 2016.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOccZno1nhrHCGM9CUhSYuk4Z6C5LPcevYpFwKfxUdp4-dq-aY68gl3MgqilxWw2j3Qn0AlKlPAQFoQoidxzWQQBvrvuWZxW2u8VvE4QdUkBszdTaYZqvyy-fMCL6mbERTN-bJFSTyCsCM/s1600/devilbluebird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOccZno1nhrHCGM9CUhSYuk4Z6C5LPcevYpFwKfxUdp4-dq-aY68gl3MgqilxWw2j3Qn0AlKlPAQFoQoidxzWQQBvrvuWZxW2u8VvE4QdUkBszdTaYZqvyy-fMCL6mbERTN-bJFSTyCsCM/s200/devilbluebird.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
In <i>Devil and the Bluebird</i>, we start off at the crossroads at midnight and watch Blue Ridley make a deal with the devil: her voice in exchange for magic boots that will lead her to her missing older sister, who had run away from home shortly after their mother had died. Armed only with her guitar, she follows the path the boots lead her. The story is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's <i>American Gods</i> and Seanan McGuire's <i>Sparrow Hill Road</i>, but is still completely unique. Unlike a lot of young adult books these days, <i>Devil and the Bluebird</i> is not focused on the here or the future. There are no name droppings of current movie stars or pop artists. There aren't worries about designer clothes or the latest iProduct. Instead, this book is nostalgia personified, and takes place in a part of America that still remembers people busking by the side of the road, exchanging a meal for a story or a song, and finding a shared language in music.<br />
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Reading this on the coattails of <i>Society's Child</i> was pure book synchronicity. It was kismet. The folk revolution that Janis Ian described and took part in was still going on in the roads Blue traveled in <i>Devil and the Bluebird</i>. The ghosts of folk music past are in these pages, and Blue learns the difference between making music for fame and fortune (the real deal with the devil) and making music from the heart and the soul.<br />
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I cannot recommend both books enough. And if you read them back-to-back, you may find your own moment of book synchronicity.<br />
<br />
<i>Society's Child </i>by Janis Ian is available in audiobook from Audible, and in print at all major retailers.<br />
<i>Devil and the Bluebird</i> by Jennifer Mason-Black is out May 17th from Amulet Books.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-37821261787192668832016-03-05T20:31:00.001-08:002016-03-05T20:31:29.052-08:00Losing a Local Yarn ShopLast month, my LYS closed its doors for good. I cannot put into words just how much this has affected me emotionally. That store was my home away from home - cliche, but true. I knew that no matter what, I could always drop by and find a welcome. The owners and the other regulars were my friends and I loved knowing that Lee, Liz, and Lindsay would always be in on a Friday night, and that Marianne worked on Saturday, and Teresa and Victoria would be there on Sunday.<br />
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The store was open for over six years, which is admittedly a good run for a yarn store.<br />
<br />
But this does leave a giant hole in my life. There are other LYS in the area but none as convenient. I visited a few this past weekend, hoping to find the same welcoming atmosphere but failed.<br />
<br />
The first I went to was (1) too far away to be a regular spot, and (2) made me extremely uncomfortable because of how the owner was behaving toward her daughter, who was helping out in the store.<br />
<br />
The second was (1) not as far away as the first but still farther than I wanted to travel, (2) very small and (3) probably related to #2, full of mostly high-end yarn. I'm used to pricey yarn but I like stores to have a range of product. Instead, most of the shelf space was full of Madelinetosh, which is lovely and I own many skeins of it myself - but does set the tone a bit for the feel of the store.<br />
<br />
While there is one more store I want to try, to the north of me by about 20 minutes, I am not very hopeful that I'll find a new LYS. There is two stores I particularly like - one in the city and one in Northern Virgnia - but are far too much effort to travel to regularly.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, some of the regulars have opened their homes for regular get-togethers so I'm still seeing my friends and chatting over yarn. But... it's honestly just not the same.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-29178490784814268542016-01-19T22:55:00.000-08:002016-01-19T22:55:23.364-08:00Book Review: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25573977-the-readers-of-broken-wheel-recommend" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1452107441m/25573977.jpg" /></a><b><i>The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend</i> by Katarina Bivald</b><br />
My rating: 4 of 5 stars<br />
<br />
<em>Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.</em><br />
<br />
This is not Swedish literature as I have known it. It's not dark, or heavy, or full of deep introspection, or grisly, or creepy. This book, is in fact, the antitheses of what I would have thought of when I think of Swedish literature. It is charming and sweet, quirky and fun. It made me smile a lot, laugh a few times, and wish I could actually meet the people of Broken Wheel in real life.<br />
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<em>The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend</em> is a love letter to books. It is about how books and reading can enrich a person's life, while at the same time, about Sara's personal journey to live a life beyond her books. <br />
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The story is a familiar one, of an outsider walking into an insular community and upsetting things and breathing new life into the community and its people. It's been done before, but Bivald made it her own. Sara is a consummate bookworm who travels to small-town USA to visit her pen pal--only to arrive and find that Amy had just died. She decides to try staying in Broken Wheel, and eventually opens up a bookshop in Amy's memory, determined to turn the citizens of Broken Wheel into readers.<br />
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I fell in love with Bivald's characters and cheered for them all. I loved watching them move out of their comfort zones and become happier with life because of Sara and the changes she causes in the town, both directly and indirectly. <br />
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Because, books broaden horizons. Readers of fiction have more empathy and are more open to new ideas and people -- this is something that has been shown in scientific studies. And the people in Broken Wheel found their horizons broadened <em>and how</em>. In return, they taught Sara that there was life outside of books, and that human connections were as important as fictional ones. I like to think that Sara was Amy's dying gift to Broken Wheel and vice versa.<br />
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Lastly, I love quotes. Adore them. I like my wisdom pithy. And <i>The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend</i> was full of wonderful, amazing quotable quotes about reading, books, and life.<br />
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For example:
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<blockquote>
Never live your life according to the idiots' rules. Because they'll drag you down to their level, they'll win, and you'll have a damned awful time in the process.</blockquote>
I greatly enjoyed this book and hope that Bivald writes more, and that we see her future works translated for the US market.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-44985399486455078432016-01-11T15:51:00.001-08:002016-01-11T15:51:27.722-08:00Reading from StashLooking back over the books I read last year, I realized I need some accountability for how many books I purchase. Last year, it was a lot. I don't even want to count how many because the number may cause me to hide in shame.<br />
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This year, I'm determined to read from my stash. Of course, there will be new books coming out and I've already earmarked some space on my TBR list for books some of my favorite authors are releasing. But the fact of the matter is, I have too many unread books in my collection, and getting an ebook reader has not helped that at all. Those cheap or free books are hard to resist.<br />
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In 2015, I read 116 books, novellas, or graphic novels. Of those 116, I only owned about 20 of them prior to the start of the year. All the others were new purchases, borrowed, review copies, or read via my Oyster subscription. 20 out of 116. That's about 17%. Eesh.<br />
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Now that Oyster has sunsetted, that avenue for new books is closed to me. But my impulse purchases really are books. Between how ridiculously easy it is to buy an ebook and the slew of review copies I can get, it's difficult to keep my resolution to only read from stash. I know because I recall that was my resolution last year, as well.<br />
<br />
Whoops.<br />
<br />
Okay. New year; new resolve.<br />
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I still have:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Review copies. So many review copies. So I'll stop requesting so many and work through the backlog.</li>
<li>Two book subscription boxes. These are going to keep coming because I enjoy them a lot, and I feel that only two new books a month is doable.</li>
<li>Some books that will be instant-buys as soon as they are available for purchase. These are ongoing series I'm reading or favorite authors. They will just happen</li>
</ul>
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But I'm going to think twice before hitting the "Buy Now" button at Amazon when that book which has been on my TBR list is on sale. I will accept it is okay to walk out of a bookstore without buying a book. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And lastly, I <i>will </i>read from stash. I have a wall of books I stare at every day while I'm sitting at home working. It really shouldn't be hard to find a new book to read once I finish one. </div>
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<br />So. Fingers crossed.</div>
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-78504197445747136232016-01-09T21:00:00.002-08:002016-01-09T21:49:46.434-08:00<blockquote>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">
Amy might not have had the most exciting life over the past few years, up here in her room, but she must have been fighting death to the very end. Sara could understand why she had been in denial or so long. It must have been a frightening realization: so many books she would never get to pick up, so many stories that would happen without her, so many authors she would never get to discover.</i></span></h2>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">That night, Sara sat in Amy's library for hours, thinking about how tragic it was that the written word was immortal while people were not, and grieving for her, the woman she had never met.</i></span></h2>
</blockquote>
-- Katarina Bivald, <i>The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend</i>Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-22450151999106212692016-01-05T13:53:00.000-08:002016-01-05T13:53:29.962-08:00Top 10 of 2015Last year, I read <i>a lot</i>. According to my count, I read 116 books, including graphic novels and novellas. That's a lot of books. It helped that I wasn't fully employed for a number of months and had insomnia for a few weeks in the fall, dropping me into a vicious cycle of staying up until 4 reading, napping, and then not being able to fall asleep at night so I pick up a book...
<p>
Side note: That was seriously unhealthy and I destroyed my immune system. Don't do that.
<p>
Looking back at those 116 books, I decided to whittle that down to my top ten books of the year. This was hard, as you can imagine, but not as hard as I expected. Despite reading a lot, many of the books were not that memorable or were easy to drop from my short list once I had a short list of seventeen books.
<p>
So, without further ado: my top books of 2015. These are in no particular order because asking me to do that would be infinitely more difficult than just picking ten.
<ol>
<li><b><i>The Martian</i> by Andy Weir</b> - Unless you've been living under a rock, you have heard of this book. I adored and devoured this book and commend it for not being afraid of being full of science!geekery. I loved that Weir had a diverse cast gender-wise, did not make a big deal about this, and did not describe anybody's physical characteristics. Also, it was a damn good book.
<li><b><i>Akata Witch</i> by Nnedio Okorafor</b> - This was the first Okorafor I read and I'm thankful that my public library had this book available as an ebook. If it hadn't I don't know if I'd had ever discovered Okorafor's books which are full of wonder and beautiful prose. <i>Akata Witch</i> tells the story of a young girl learning she has magic and going off to learn magic. Sound familiar? Think again. The book takes a well-known story trope and recasts it in a completely unique way.
<li><b><i>Saga, Deluxe Edition, Volume 1</i> by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples</b> - I borrowed this from a friend, and need my own copy now. This Deluxe Edition collects the first three trades of <i>Saga</i>, which I had been hearing good things about for years but never picked up. Once I started, this blew me completely away. I fell into the story and fell in love with the characters. It's incredibly smart, unique, and quirky.
<li><b><i>The Royal We</i> by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan</b> - This is unabashedly British royal family fanfiction. It's also incredibly well-written and compelling with truly likable and human characters. I started this one night and did not get any sleep at all.
<li><b><i>Returning My Sisters Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice</i> by Eugie Foster</b> - I don't normally like short stories, but the late Eugie Foster's stories are these perfect gems that eat into my brain and warm me up. This collection is my favorite of all her books. All the stories are firmly grounded in the history, culture, folklore, and mythology of China and Japan. These stories were like coming home for me. I grew up with these stories, this history, and Foster took the familiar and made them new with a veneer of adult sensibility.
<li><b><i>Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen</i> by Lois McMaster Bujold</b> - A new Vorkosigan novel! This isn't due to be published for another month but I happily gave Baen money for the eARC. I read this repeatedly for about a week; I loved it so. This is Cordelia's story, post-Aral. It's a story of life and love and moving on. It was a giant hug.
<li><b><i>You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)</i> by Felicia Day</b> - Felicia Day is my spirit animal. Her memoir of growing up a geek and nerd resonated heavily with me.
<li><b><i>Winter</i> by Marissa Meyer</b> - I adore the Lunar Chronicles and had this, the last book of the series, pre-ordered since it was available for pre-order. It was a perfect end to a perfect and amazing series that started with a cyborg mechanic who befriended a prince.
<li><b><i>The Lost Girl</i> by Sangu Mandanna</b> - This book showcases the best of what YA and science fiction can be, tackling some heavy philosophical questions of self, identity, and free will. The main character is an echo (aka, clone) of a girl in India, and if that girl dies, the echo will take her place.
<li><b><i>Cinder and Ella</i> by Kelly Oram</b> - A modern re-telling of Cinderella in which the prince is a famous movie star who is already best friends with Ella but she doesn't know who he is. I loved it.
</ol>Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-75380321359673335212016-01-02T14:57:00.001-08:002016-01-02T14:57:04.677-08:00Happy New YearWishing everybody a happy new year! May 2016 be full of love, fiber, and books.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-65164121107471924032015-12-26T19:17:00.001-08:002015-12-26T19:17:15.128-08:00Lessons from horseshoe crabs<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br />Come September, where will I fit in? Thanks to Chad, I know now that I'm stronger than I thought. I'll get through it. Adapt or die. That </i>is<i> science and one of the first lessons I learned in biology. And it's so true. Ask any horseshoe crab. They've only been around for three hundred million years.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-- Jennier Salvato Doktorki, <i>The Summer After You + Me</i> </blockquote>
I just have to love a main character who compares human relationships with marine animals.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-56926419269654832762015-12-26T01:22:00.002-08:002015-12-26T01:24:37.863-08:00Goodreads and Design FAILA little over a week ago, Goodreads rolled out some new design elements on their website - some “much-needed visual design cleanup” according to GR staffer Emily (see: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/17887316-visual-design-changes?page=1">this forum thread</a>). How needed this change was is a point of contention with Goodreads users, who immediately began complaining of eyestrain, headaches, and nausea.
<p>
Since then, I’m sure there has been behind-the-scenes scrambling to make the site more user-friendly, but it’s been too-little, too-late. And I, for one, am completely fed up with the whole thing. GR seems completely unwilling to change back to the old site design -- or even the old fonts. Instead, they have been tweaking the current fonts while ignoring the background’s blinding whiteness.
<p>
Now, I will admit, the site looks better...on Chrome. Because, one thing that has become obvious is that the developers never looked at the site they were coding in that browser. Of course, the site now looks ugly as all get-out on IE/Edge. Because that’s what happens when you use a new font that hasn’t been fully tested for all platforms, browsers, and languages! (Yes, the font GR choose -- Merriweather -- was not 100% compatible with non-Western languages. Hooray.
<p>
Here is what the site looks like in Chrome today. The font is faint and thin, making it hard to read for long periods of time. I start feeling a headache after about 15 minutes. Bear in mind, this is a vast <i>improvement</i> from a week ago, when the font was even lighter and thinner. (Click to enlarge.)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QUitNfsi5kYSKk4S7OyuNBdlrj8Kubux-C0JAgxRSTy3yBVBfLhf7pJF9K8K0xrqbl3SB0MAACVoNyOQ5Oas0SwihGOl6Mjp_2T8ihoiZyQT2HtHF5tSMlJpVSzMkLzEfc5I1S5Q5Xmf/s1600/chrome.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QUitNfsi5kYSKk4S7OyuNBdlrj8Kubux-C0JAgxRSTy3yBVBfLhf7pJF9K8K0xrqbl3SB0MAACVoNyOQ5Oas0SwihGOl6Mjp_2T8ihoiZyQT2HtHF5tSMlJpVSzMkLzEfc5I1S5Q5Xmf/s320/chrome.PNG" /></a></div>
<p>
Here’s the site in Firefox. Better. Of the three browsers, the best of the bunch. Still eye-glaringly bright, though, with the background and the lack of gradients/contrast. (Again, click to enlarge.)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDhh0H7eZdKB1Y6k6SBViN_xBkC7AZXaN58v0lqurQ2Pp1EICvxKJKQCW635SfPLsx7DbxhMiWSM7bOo2fosmUlkmYuJ_Ph1L5kHUCzcForhMfJdyDkEduPEHo3b7Ix6i2HlijWytimuF/s1600/Firefox.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDhh0H7eZdKB1Y6k6SBViN_xBkC7AZXaN58v0lqurQ2Pp1EICvxKJKQCW635SfPLsx7DbxhMiWSM7bOo2fosmUlkmYuJ_Ph1L5kHUCzcForhMfJdyDkEduPEHo3b7Ix6i2HlijWytimuF/s320/Firefox.PNG" /></a></div>
<p>
Now, here's Goodreads in Microsoft Edge -- basically, the Windows 10 version of Internet Explorer. The font is horrible. It's bolded to the point of looking "double-printed", and that boldness is making the stark white of the background even worse, if that can be possible.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3_UH2pFuAYk_H76yiIv0PL90s0Cfpco4RjQb8vHAuKpjPE8dFHuNCItAMsy823SHBaKSLj6iYU2HBtjaPLPPp2BGikelxkFYTyuJbrOYgot7yTOwBMjqBehC59MWmvwbYHgZywzT4mtp/s1600/Edge.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3_UH2pFuAYk_H76yiIv0PL90s0Cfpco4RjQb8vHAuKpjPE8dFHuNCItAMsy823SHBaKSLj6iYU2HBtjaPLPPp2BGikelxkFYTyuJbrOYgot7yTOwBMjqBehC59MWmvwbYHgZywzT4mtp/s320/Edge.PNG" /></a></div>
<p>
Now, some questions for Goodreads:
<ol>
<li>Who the hell decided this was a change that needed to be made? And then decided the best way for Goodreads to look was bland, flat, stark, and visually unappealing?</li>
<li>Who okayed the new design without checking how it looked on different browsers, platforms, and set-ups? That's just basic common sense when it comes to web development.</li>
<li>Why did it take so long for GR customer service to even <i>acknowledge</i> there were a large number of users vocally complaining (myself included) of physical discomfort and pain when looking at the site, let alone working to do something about it?</li>
<li>Why the hell is GR wedded to this new godawful Merriweather font? Bring back Georgia!</li>
</ol>
<p>
In the meantime, I've spent more time time these past few days than I cared to cleaning up my shelves so I could get a nice export to import into Leafmarks. It's smaller than Goodreads. The interface will take a little bit of getting used to. There aren't enough active librarians so the database is a mess (though getting librarian status appears relatively easy; I got it when I sent off an email asking for it). BUT. It doesn't hurt my eyes. I can stay there for hours without having to install a browser plug-in to overwrite the site's CSS regarding font and background color.
<a href="https://www.leafmarks.com/silentrequiem">Come find me there.</a>Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-29429380517033730202015-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:002015-11-10T09:12:15.891-08:00Review: The Spawn<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25025945-the-spawn" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Spawn" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424972923m/25025945.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25025945-the-spawn">The Spawn</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/31207.Ken_Nolan">Ken Nolan</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1437517787">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
It really says something about my reading taste that I had to add a new bookshelf to my GR shelves in order to shelve this horror book. When I opened my first Lit-Cube box and saw this book, I immediately wanted to toss it directly into the donation box. Because NOPE. Not a fan of horror. Not even close. And there were weird demon monster hands on the cover. <br><br>But I reminded myself that I joined these boxes to expand my reading, so I kept it. It sat on my shelf for a few weeks until I finally forced myself to start reading.<br><br>And...it wasn't scary. At all. I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or not. <br><br>It was an engaging book and the author kept the story moving along at a pretty fast clip. I read this in a day. I started it in the afternoon, went out with some friends for a few hours, and then finished it before bed.<br><br>That said: Boy did Nolan need an editor. There were paragraph breaks in the middle of sentences. Lines of dialogue without a paragraph break. And then at the end, at the pivotal scene, a magically reappearing gun which had gone missing just the page before.<br><br><a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none">[I also did not like how the author used Charles's demon rape as a platform to make a gay sex joke. Because super poor taste. And the fact that he used Charles's <em>doctor</em> to do so was even worse. Just UGH. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/58940-debbie">View all my reviews</a>
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-3735713120284749282015-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:002015-11-10T09:12:33.318-08:00Book Subscription BoxesFor the month of October, I decided to try an experiment. I subscribed to two different book subscription boxes. A friend of mine had been getting Lootcrates and I was interested to see what else was out there in the world of subscription boxes where cool stuff magically showed up at my doorstep. I looked around at several boxes, discounted a few out of hand because of the cost, though they looked super shiny and cool, and settled on my two: <a href="http://www.lit-cube.com/">Lit-Cube</a> and <a href="https://www.uppercasebox.com/">Uppercase Box</a>.
<p>
They both came this past week and I was super excited to see what I got. Let's start with Uppercase, since it arrived first.
<p>
<b><u>Uppercase Box</u></b>
<br><i>Monthly Book Subscription Box For Young Adult Book Lovers</i>
<br>Cost: $23/month
<p>
I first noticed that the box was less of a box and more of a bag. Actually, it wasn't more of a bag. It was a bag.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyS2AsmQBk5gm_7VrQSOXLxg0gn0BEikp6FaO85U_nA-o1Hzn16SOih4a2tIPCyRo0z3dLZxNag4-ASJwZa04QvEUF5Ot2EQrCilfdFozpkJh2fqB_DSMLyMgrdkFBZ74MiOvW9fG2OPDE/s1600/uppercase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyS2AsmQBk5gm_7VrQSOXLxg0gn0BEikp6FaO85U_nA-o1Hzn16SOih4a2tIPCyRo0z3dLZxNag4-ASJwZa04QvEUF5Ot2EQrCilfdFozpkJh2fqB_DSMLyMgrdkFBZ74MiOvW9fG2OPDE/s320/uppercase.jpg" /></a></div>
Which was actually fine because I can always use another cloth bag. At the very least, some yarn can fit in there.
<p>
What was inside?
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjKchdJoSf194LBlnXrKqRxTYtaKNGgSpda0PEY6_e7xvmabOrvvEsDk3Hq0OprzDXBbMUyhXeKbeUewsj7HEM5G5UAjV-7Fo19bglP5BIUox594-HtAkryw7-QsgvKmwKkC42hHMeEvs/s1600/uppercase_unboxed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjKchdJoSf194LBlnXrKqRxTYtaKNGgSpda0PEY6_e7xvmabOrvvEsDk3Hq0OprzDXBbMUyhXeKbeUewsj7HEM5G5UAjV-7Fo19bglP5BIUox594-HtAkryw7-QsgvKmwKkC42hHMeEvs/s320/uppercase_unboxed.jpg" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><i>First & Then</i> by Emma Mills, with signed book plate.
<br>This is not a book I would have picked myself. I don't read contemporary YA very often, and when I do, it's usually because it's generating a ton of buzz or there's a geeky theme. This was neither. The cool thing about this box is that there are post-it notes throughout the book with a URL and a code to type in, taking the reader to extra content, a video, poll, or some other interactive online component. Which is pretty damn cool. I haven't gotten too far into the book but the first post-it code leads to a short video from the author.
<li>A tiny tin Alice's Enchantmints (<i>Get it? Ha! So punny.</i>) peppermint mints from The Unemployed Philosophers Guild
<br>Super cute tin. After these mints are gone, this will be the good tin to store spare stitch markers in a project bag, if a bit smaller than I'd prefer.
<li>A Mad Hatter change purse<br>I like this a lot, but I'm a bit of a loss as to what to do with it. It's a bit too small to use as a project bag. And a bit too large to actually stick in my purse. Also, it's yellow, which is not a color I generally gravitate toward.
<li>a sheet of temporary tattoos inspired by The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
<br>Okay, these are cute, but not something I would ever use, even when I was younger. I will probably end up giving this to my goddaughters, who at 2 and 5, may appreciate them more.
</ul>
So a pretty eclectic bag, which is kind of cool, but also a bit odd at the same time. A contemporary novel and then two items inspired by a classic fantasy book and some swag to promote a SF series. I'm honestly a little disappointed because while it looked like the book may have been carefully selected (there's a hand-written note from Lisa, the owner of Uppercase, on why she loved it), the rest of it seems random. I had assumed that the box items would be curated around the month's book but it looks like I may be wrong.
<p>
I'm not dismissing this box out of hand. Part of this experiment is to try reading more outside my comfort zone, so a contemporary YA novel definitely fits. I'm looking forward to seeing what next month brings.
<p>
Onto box number two!
<p>
<b><u>Lit-Cube</u></b>
<br><i>Surprise boxes filled with awesome book geekery</i>
<br>Cost: $34.95/month, with shipping
<p>
First, look at this adorable box! Look at it!
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What was inside:
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Unlike Uppercase, Lit-Cube curates each box around a chosen theme. The theme or October was "Supernatural, Idjits." There's even a little trading card in the box with the theme's logo (a faceless drawing of Bobby Singer's face). Obviously, this box is based around the TV show, <i>Supernatural</i>, which features two incredibly easy-on-the-eyes brothers driving around America fighting demons and ghosts and other supernatural beasties. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
<p>
In the box was:
<ul>
<li><i>The Spawn</i> by Ken Nolan
<br>YIKES. Okay, 100% not a book I would have <i>ever</i> in a million years picked up to read. One: horror? Not my thing. AT ALL. And there are creepy demon hands on the cover. I immediately wanted to nope that book away, but I reminded myself that part of this madcap experiment (which I'm spending actual money on, by the way, so I really should read the damn book!) was to expose myself to books I wouldn't have necessarily picked-up myself, so I'll read it, I guess. In the daytime. With all the blinds open. And possibly in public. With lots of people around.
<li>An ebook reader sleeve that reads "books MY DRUG OF CHOICE"
<br>I'm good on ebook reader cases, having bought one for every one I own already. It's neat but I'm honestly not sure what to do with it. I may end up giving it away.
<br>(As an aside, at last count, I owned four ebook readers. I have two Sony Readers, model PRC-650, one for my primary reader and one as back-up in case that first one breaks. You will never convince me that any other reader is better, and I am still bitter that Amazon undercut Sony in the market, causing them to decide it wasn't economically viable to keep manufacturing the Readers. I also have a Kindle Fire, a birthday/holiday present from my BFF and her husband from a few years back. It had honestly been collecting dust until this past year when I got an Oyster subscription and sideloaded the Oyster app onto it. I also, after much soul-searching, bought one regular Kindle with no bells or whistles. It was $9 because Amazon had some magic algorithm to determine who bought a ton of books but didn't have a kindle and offered all these people coupons. I wasn't one of them, but my office mate was and let me use it because I was desperately afraid my Sony was going to kick the bucket at any moment. I loathe the UI and only used it for the free loan I get from Amazon Prime every month, but it's getting shelved now that I'm using the Fire more.)
<li>A keychain with a dangle that reads, "ALWAYS KEEP FIGHTING," two boxing glove dangles, and two mini corked bottles: one with salt and the other that did have water in it but the cork soaked it all up (rock salt and holy water, for fighting angry spirits, natch).
<br>This is, according to the card that came in the box, a tribute to a cause actor Jared Padalecki is supporting to bring awareness to mental health issues. I appreciate the sentiment. Really not sure what I'm going to do with the keychain.
<li>Three mini-bottles of nail polish from Spellbound Nails
<br>I like nail polish, so I'm actually pretty excited about these.
<li>Cards for free ebook downloads of <i>Caelum</i> by Mandie Stevens, and <i>It's a Ghoul Thing</i>, a paranormal anthology.
<li>Promotional buttons for <i>The Edge of Eden</i> by Mandie Stevens and <i>Namaste</i> by Melissa Lumis
<br>I had just gone through a huge crafting project to turn the collection of useless pin buttons I've collected over the years into useful magnets. Most of them had sentimental value; some of them didn't and I will probably end up throwing them away. I have a feeling these two will also end up in the rubbish bin. I love the idea of buttons as free promotional swag but in practice, pin buttons are one of some of the most useless things on the face of the planet.
<li>Speaking of buttons... a larger button that reads," SAVING PEOPLE. KILLING THINGS. THE FAMILY BUSINESS."
<br>THIS IS SO GOING ON MY FRIDGE.
<li>A promotional postcard for <i>The Dream Slayer</i> series by Jill Cooper
<br>These books actually sound pretty cool. The first one was a freebie so I downloaded it. I was hoping there was a special deal for lit-cube subscribers but I'm totally willing to buy them all if the first one is good.
</ul>
I'm well aware my feelings about this particular box are mainly stemming from the fact I keep looking over at the book expecting it to eat my face and suck my soul to hell. (Actually, that may be part of the plot. I'm not fully sure. I'm kind of scared to investigate.) But other than the nail polish, it's not really stuff I will use. However, I do love the concept of this box and it's obvious each item was selected with care and with the theme in mind.
<p>
Next month's theme is "Immortal Kiss," which is admittedly making my heart sink a little since I don't read paranormal romance much (at all). But it may surprise me. And I keep reminding myself about expanding boundaries yadda yadda. It's good for me.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-56322278183817629732015-10-23T20:19:00.003-07:002015-10-23T20:19:19.719-07:00The Problem with CinderellaI recently got around to watching the new Disney live action <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/"><i>Cinderella</i></a> movie, starring Lily James as the title character. It was visually a fantastic movie, with lovely special effects, costumes, and sets. Plot-wise, it followed the Cinderella story that we all know by heart, thanks to the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042332/">original 1950 Disney movie</a>, with some additional elements thrown in to increase the role of the prince and to provide some political backstory. I enjoyed the movie well enough, but I was disappointed that in 2015, Disney is still perpetuating the passive Cinderella character, essentially a pushover who waits for others to decide the course of her life. The 2015 Cinderella is, in fact, worse than the 1950 one in that way, by constantly telling herself to be nice and good in the face of her stepmother's cruelty and abuse. After she's locked in the attic, she resigns herself to continuing to live under the status quo and does not fight for herself. And even, after finding the prince again and leaving her old life, telling Lady Tremaine she forgives her.
<p>
Now, I have no issue with being good-natured and kind-hearted. But that has to be balanced with independence, courage, and -- yes -- the ability to know when to stand up for oneself.
<p>
In the Grimm brothers' retelling of the tale, Cinderella is still a passive character, but (as was true with almost all their tales), the wicked are punished. The stepsisters are blinded by birds at the end of the tale. (Oddly enough, Cinderella's father was not dead in the original tale, but did not protect his daughter either. I think it's fitting that history has forgotten about him and let him mercifully pass away.)
<p>
I love fairy tales. I always have. I remember a big red hardback book with gorgeous illustrations that I'd read over and over as a child. My favorite stories were Donkeyskin and Cinderella. (As an aside, there seriously needs to be more retellings of Donkeyskin. That story is amazing. If anybody knows of another retelling other than Robin McKinley's <i>Deerskin</i>, please let me know!) And since then, I've read many Cinderella retellings and watched many movies based on the tale. I like most of them but my favorites are the ones which breathe life into Cinderella the character, giving her agency and intelligence and, importantly, a spine. And, I admit, I love the ones where the stepmother and stepsisters get their just desserts.
<p>
Below are some of my favorites:
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zDNv_4bPeLmaQJ0G0c1vzwVM4iiluyzr_esUOtPWf1Q8531gSycPBQWsIXHcE-TnggPYSYpJ97fBlrRUBU6DGdmKAneUeEakiZVd7KUBPVHXhNFnhyphenhyphenoxfXO69hfd8rq7TrrqlY0WyBh-/s1600/cinder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zDNv_4bPeLmaQJ0G0c1vzwVM4iiluyzr_esUOtPWf1Q8531gSycPBQWsIXHcE-TnggPYSYpJ97fBlrRUBU6DGdmKAneUeEakiZVd7KUBPVHXhNFnhyphenhyphenoxfXO69hfd8rq7TrrqlY0WyBh-/s320/cinder.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cinder by Marissa Meyer</b>
<br>The last book in this series is coming out next month and I am super excited because I have loved every single one so far. <i>Cinder</i> is the book that started it all. Cinder is a cyborg, and her glass slipper is her cybernetic foot. There's a handsome prince, a cruel stepmother and stepsister, a sympathetic stepsister, one kick-ass robotic sidekick, and an evil queen. Highly recommended.
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OQdmKlPuaBdcKx5AvdEWKQBYcKn-7qFLyFrRQejDH_anrhpcgrdGZpyGQL6KWcABmqP-uUZF8Avktc2jjD5Kl7v5xQhy6IeEmUz0XI8RcNcx35y9raOQZYXG31AYSxXzNEdD_IvhpHXr/s1600/ellaenchanted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OQdmKlPuaBdcKx5AvdEWKQBYcKn-7qFLyFrRQejDH_anrhpcgrdGZpyGQL6KWcABmqP-uUZF8Avktc2jjD5Kl7v5xQhy6IeEmUz0XI8RcNcx35y9raOQZYXG31AYSxXzNEdD_IvhpHXr/s320/ellaenchanted.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine</b>
<br>I remember when this book first came out and I loved it to pieces (not literally, though--I treat my books very well). Ella is cursed at birth by a fairy with obedience, which just doesn't sit well with her naturally independent and free-willed spirit. Her stepmother and stepsisters are appropriately horrible, the prince suitably charming, but it's Ella who steals the show. She's smart and determined to do the right thing, even if it means losing her own happily ever after.
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBxE-fs0bUEXnWJ8hl2ua1llMPt71lM79AweU8xnI3m2klXcGicVnZfy5UT14nA8fUljjHaxoQ60a1FPuBGdNgnE9PCTqFOLEb7MTF6DCFhd2tfuPrHUBbs7JNDl4q7esKQ2JqWjgHElW/s1600/justella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBxE-fs0bUEXnWJ8hl2ua1llMPt71lM79AweU8xnI3m2klXcGicVnZfy5UT14nA8fUljjHaxoQ60a1FPuBGdNgnE9PCTqFOLEb7MTF6DCFhd2tfuPrHUBbs7JNDl4q7esKQ2JqWjgHElW/s320/justella.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix</b>
<br>This one is a bit different. It starts after where Cinderella-the-fairy-tale ends. Ella finds palace life too restrictive and boring, and decides being a princess might not be for her.
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6Tx5qXz_Bp7rKn2InjdlluRwLfjfQKYez_cRyQVbYTpyvDsV7Pgk9PzFB1izem8Zp51FrGSdQJEBGflyhufLOqvoRgiJw8xde7_UV6C9YYewafLndlbcZiTspVpvHVu_48Rt6bmij_T7/s1600/stepsisterscheme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6Tx5qXz_Bp7rKn2InjdlluRwLfjfQKYez_cRyQVbYTpyvDsV7Pgk9PzFB1izem8Zp51FrGSdQJEBGflyhufLOqvoRgiJw8xde7_UV6C9YYewafLndlbcZiTspVpvHVu_48Rt6bmij_T7/s320/stepsisterscheme.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines</b>
<br>I describe this book, and it's subsequent sequels, as the Brothers Grimm meet <i>Charlie's Angels</i>. Danielle (aka, Cinderella), finds out her new mother-in-law is the leader of a group of operatives, who just happen to be Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (but not as we know them), on missions of importance to the kingdom. Lots of action, some pretty dark moments, and some hints that Snow and Talia's fairy tale pasts were not so happily ever after.
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wfKaWC3FUShdfbyqAn-kYEXMZzBgdwPUp8RGxqN_6yKcIFgYzxJVwJBKkPhVVKJsMd3E6NM-B18WkBnO8q1bd2iQ4iZuW1c8dOyclj88inMm9htnRqtGrNZU3lLayngAVP28KMvqpyac/s1600/everafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wfKaWC3FUShdfbyqAn-kYEXMZzBgdwPUp8RGxqN_6yKcIFgYzxJVwJBKkPhVVKJsMd3E6NM-B18WkBnO8q1bd2iQ4iZuW1c8dOyclj88inMm9htnRqtGrNZU3lLayngAVP28KMvqpyac/s320/everafter.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Ever After</b>
<br>This is hands-down my favorite Cinderella movie. I remember watching this in theaters as a teenager, soaking up every wonderful moment like a sponge. It wasn't until I was older that I realized just how amazing the story was because this Cinderella movie broke from the passive heroine trope and made Danielle (Drew Barrymore) a fiercely independent and intelligent woman who went behind her stepmother's back to try and save her family's legacy and those she considered hers. And she didn't need a prince to ride in to save the day. No, she saved herself, grabbing a sword and demanding her own freedom. And, very importantly, the evil stepmother and the wicked stepsister got suitably humiliated and punished. If you haven't seen it, go watch it.
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ASjR2pw8aU0gq9ita1l9B2fRELZgWFTQxV-W9KgsdWppPlwRQ_pshPvgR-JzHY_7bOo6hVlRVlRtWshsNhjUlSgf7L7vRBV7ZrHcYcq-OtRC09zYUfHUGHnABYlSCBbw9O4ByA8bScdM/s1600/cinderellastory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ASjR2pw8aU0gq9ita1l9B2fRELZgWFTQxV-W9KgsdWppPlwRQ_pshPvgR-JzHY_7bOo6hVlRVlRtWshsNhjUlSgf7L7vRBV7ZrHcYcq-OtRC09zYUfHUGHnABYlSCBbw9O4ByA8bScdM/s320/cinderellastory.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>A Cinderella Story</b>
<br>Yes, I'm talking about the Hilary Duff movie. Yes, it's a teen movie. No, I'm not ashamed how much I love it. Sam (Duff) has spirit, hopes, and aspirations. She's intelligent, and it's shown that the only reason for her passivity is how downtrodden she is by being bullied at school and by her step-family. Once she is given something to fight for, however, she stops being a passive character in her own life and begins to assert her control.
<p>
I love that all the above stories show that being a good person, a good-natured person, even a nice person, is not mutually exclusive with being independent and strong. I really wish Disney had not regressed in message in its newest film and presented us with a new Cinderella: one who can proudly march forward into the future on her own two feet instead of sitting in a cold and empty attic, merely a plot-point for other people's stories, and a grossly ill-conceived parable for young girls.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-4205045707697922292015-10-17T20:14:00.000-07:002015-10-17T20:14:48.463-07:00Presented Without CommentUgh. The week go away from me. I'll post an update soon, but in the meantime...
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Gu0zVHEXUJJWfJVAIdpG-VbK2k6fVc5uFTzDMtwJGWO52o6fyGJJ0XQIJpKByj5avTKQCuPzOy1VrwXrF50y3CZQda3jtLONQbyDdHooVcC-nbe07s14c-Gp8EiUktzqBGY_ksX6o03z/s1600/cas_books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Gu0zVHEXUJJWfJVAIdpG-VbK2k6fVc5uFTzDMtwJGWO52o6fyGJJ0XQIJpKByj5avTKQCuPzOy1VrwXrF50y3CZQda3jtLONQbyDdHooVcC-nbe07s14c-Gp8EiUktzqBGY_ksX6o03z/s320/cas_books.jpg" /></a></div>Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-50065806716551156562015-10-09T20:59:00.000-07:002015-10-09T20:59:16.357-07:00Friday AccountabilityOh hey. Friday again. How'd that happen. I swear I meant to post something this week, and actually have some drafts in-progress.
<p>
Ebooks:
<ul>
<li><b>Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures</b> by Virginia Morrell
<br>I've had this one my to-read list for awhile and snatched it up when it came up on sale. I find animal psychology fascinating and always want to learn more.
<li><b>This is the Night</b> by Jonah C. Sirott
<br>This was my Amazon Prime First Reads choice for October. The selection was a bit ho-hum. I'm now sure I'll get around to this.
<li><b>The Summoning</b> by Kelley Armstrong
<br>I've never read this but it seems to be super popular amongst the YA-set. I picked it up on sale. Let's see what the fuss is about.
<li><b>Snow Like Ashes</b> by Sara Raasch
<br>This has been getting some nice buzz and the second book is coming out soon, apparently. I decided it was time to read it.
<li><b>An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States</b> by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
<br>Insta-buy as soon as I saw this was on sale. I love Howard Zinn and have a penchant to love anything that pays homage to his great <i>A People's History of the United States</i>, but I was further moved to purchase the because of the topic.
<li><b>The Invasion of the Tearling</b> by Erika Johansen
<br>I own the first one but haven't read it yet. So of course it makes total sense to purchase the next in the series...
<li><b>Ash</b> by Malinda Lo
<br>I've been hearing about Malinda Lo for awhile and have been meaning to read her. I've determined to read more by authors of color, particularly of Asian descent (do you know how hard it is to find genre fiction written by Asian authors? Try it sometime), so this was an easy purchase.
</ul>
<p>
Audiobook:
<ul>
<li><b>Yes Please</b> by Amy Poelher
<br>I got this for free from the Goodread's Ford Audio Club. I've already started listening to this and am enjoying it immensely.
</ul>
<p>
Also...
<ul>
<li><b>Silver Phoenix</b> by Cindy Pon
<br>I had this on hold at the library and it finally came in. (See note for <i>Ash</i> by Malinda Lo above.)
</ul>
<p>
I'm still acquiring books faster than I'm reading. Eek. I must work on that.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-49842717536897614312015-10-05T11:29:00.002-07:002015-10-05T11:29:52.515-07:00Review: Tiger Heart<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25831489-tiger-heart" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Tiger Heart: My Unexpected Adventures to Make a Difference in Darjeeling, and What I Learned about Fate, Fortitude, and Finding Family Half a World Away" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437606681m/25831489.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25831489-tiger-heart">Tiger Heart: My Unexpected Adventures to Make a Difference in Darjeeling, and What I Learned about Fate, Fortitude, and Finding Family Half a World Away</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14136752.Katrell_Christie">Katrell Christie</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1342580354">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<em>Disclaimer: I received a free advanced review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.</em><br><blockquote>"Today, our teacher told us about the number zero, which has no worth," she said.<br>"But put it next to another number, and it makes that number important. The more zeros you add, the bigger the number gets. So know that if you are feeling like a zero, you do have great worth with teamwork."</blockquote><br>That quote basically sums up the entire message of the book for me. Katrell Christie's mission of bettering the lives of these girls in Darjeeling, India would be impossible without help.<br><br>I've heard of The Learning Tea before. I'm a bit of a tea obsessive, with cupboard overflowing with the dried leaf. I remember finding the website at some point, looking at the tea and considering buying some. I ended up not, only because I am not a fan of darjeeling tea, finding it lacking the depth and subtlety of flavor that I find in teas from China, Japan, and Taiwan. But The Learning Tea stayed somewhere in the back of my mind and when I saw this book on Netgalley, I immediately requested it.<br><br><em>Tiger Heart</em> is part memoir, part call to action, part marketing material, and part feel-good "find the good in the world" missive. It's deceptively simple, with clear writing and short chapters interspersed with motivational quotes from well-known thinkers or writers. On the surface, the book is simply Christie's journey that led her to create The Learning Tea, and where The Learning Tea is today. But it's more. It's also the story of one person making a difference -- but not on her own.<br><br>I think that's the most powerful message in this book. Unlike another international development NGO founder who was outed to be a fraud after writing several best-selling books, Christie never portrays herself as the hero, single-handedly moving mountains. She's honest in what she doesn't know, what she had to learn. She's humble in her quest, focusing on helping the individuals she can. And she's upfront with her failures.<br><br>She could have very easily sensationalized her story, and it was a bit of a shock when I came across this:<br><blockquote>I’ve made it through two armed robberies, one attempted carjacking at gunpoint, one knife holdup, and one hijacked train. I was smuggled through a political war zone in the hatchback of a car covered in burlap. I’ve tossed on a burka to be able to ride the train by myself. Throw in a handful of death threats. And then there’s bullying from people who don’t want my low-caste scholars to take seats away from their rich kids at school.</blockquote><br>Because Christie, while making it clear throughout the book that it was incredibly difficult and draining to do what she does, never up until that point toward the end of the book, mentioned it was also dangerous. <br><br>But the story wasn't about her and her being the hero. It's about the girls who are being helped, and India.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/58940-debbie">View all my reviews</a>
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-83764171292171410732015-10-02T15:44:00.000-07:002015-10-02T15:58:44.422-07:00Friday AccountabilityEither this Friday accountability thing is working, or there just weren't as many books on sale I wanted to buy this past week... Probably the latter.
<p>
Ebooks:
<ul>
<li><b>The Alchemy of Murder</b> by Carol McCleary
<br>Basically Nellie Bly teams up with Oscar Wilde and Louis Pasteur to solve crime. Sold.
<li><b>Rebecca</b> by Daphne du Maurier
<br>It's hard to believe I'd never read this book. I'd bought in paperback from a used book store years ago, and never touched it. Bought it on audiobook but never listened to it. Might as well finish the trifecta and buy it in ebook form, especially since it was on sale. Hopefully this time I'll read it.
<li><b>The Phantom of the Earth</b> by Raeden Zen
<br>This was a freebie that I got from Netgalley. This looks potentially interesting, though I'm not in a mad rush to read this.
</ul>
<p>
Dead-tree:
<ul>
<li><b>I am Princess X</b> by Cherie Priest
<br>This has been on my to-read list since before it came out, and I knew I needed it. I was prepared to buy it in electronic form but had heard that because of the illustrations and the fact the story was partly told through graphic novel format, the files didn't display well. I finally picked it up during my last B&N order. I've already started and finished this; review to come.
<li><b>Dirty Magic</b> by Jaye Wells
<br>I fully admit I bought this because I needed to hit the free shipping minimum and it was on sale. Still, it looks interesting enough I'll probably read it eventually.
<li><b>A Turn of Light</b> by Julie E. Czerneda
<br>This was an impulse purchase when I went to Barnes & Noble. The store didn't have the books I came in for in stock, so I wandered the SFF section. This caught my eye, and seemed more old-school epic fantasy than what I normally see on the shelves these days. Also, Julie Czerneda is awesome.
<li><b>Snow White Red-Handed</b> and <b>Cinderella Six Feet Under</b> by Maia Chance
<br>This purchase is proof that those end-cap displays really do work. During my wandering of B&N, I saw <i>Cinderella Six Feet Under</i> and was intrigued. Fairy tale murder mystery? Sign me up! But it was book 2. So of course, I had to hunt down book 1 and buy both.
</ul>
<p>
Audiobook:
<ul>
<li><b>The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet</b> by Kate Rorick and Rachel Kiley
<br>I LOVE <i>The Lizzie Bennet Diaries</i>, and listened to the audiobook of the first spin-off novel, <i>The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet</i>, which was read by the actress who played Lizzie, Ashley Clements. I heard there was going to be a second book about Lydia. I crossed my fingers, hoping for an audiobook read by Mary Kate Wiles (it is!). I hoarded a last audible credit long after my membership had expired just to pick it up. And now I have it. And it will be amazing.
</ul>
<p>
Also...
<ul>
<li><b>An Ember in the Ashes</b> by Sabaa Tahir
<br>My hold on this at the library came in. This looked interesting enough to read, but not necessarily to purchase. I had honestly forgotten I'd put a library hold on this until I got the email.
</ul>Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-40272459277785780052015-10-02T14:11:00.003-07:002015-10-02T15:44:27.314-07:00The Martian: Book vs. Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc9ZX_en3gWPIOj8gfNhyphenhyphen8ttiPGTYvrokIVNFn6FnOhd4vchkY1HxII2x4HAqmuEvZmsfab4xf5wjp5-4PZhly0EyQni98pf-lQ6S36OH_D_Jd0KzQV-LTIbg8T4DKc_ivywVstXksAXR/s1600/martian_book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc9ZX_en3gWPIOj8gfNhyphenhyphen8ttiPGTYvrokIVNFn6FnOhd4vchkY1HxII2x4HAqmuEvZmsfab4xf5wjp5-4PZhly0EyQni98pf-lQ6S36OH_D_Jd0KzQV-LTIbg8T4DKc_ivywVstXksAXR/s320/martian_book.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>
I had read <i>The Martian</i> by Andy Weir earlier this year and it was hands-down one of the best reads I'd read in a long, long time. There are so many things I loved about the book.
<ol>
<li>I adored Mark Watney, who we really only see in his mission logs and in some communications he has with NASA and his crew. He is snarky as hell and I loved it.
<li>Science. Science saves the day and it's freaking amazing and awesome.
<li>The supporting cast. They are smart, driven people who I'm sure all hold higher-level degrees, mostly in the hard sciences.
<li>Did I mention science? 'CAUSE SCIENCE!
</ol>
<p>
After already falling in love with the book because of the plotting and the characters, I realized something that made me fall in love even more. The cast of characters, this group of highly intelligent, highly capable people, <i>are never defined by Weir by their looks, race, or ethnicity</i>. And that? Is really awesome. No one's physical appearance is ever described, so it's left up to the reader to determine how these people looked like. There are obvious context clues from names (Mindy Park as Korean, and Venkat Kapoor as Indian, Bruce Ng as Vietnamese, and Martinez as Hispanic), but for the most park, these characters are blank slates regarding their ethnic backgrounds. They are defined by their names, their jobs, and their competencies.
<p>
The other really amazing thing was that the characters' genders are also fairly glossed over. We find out Commander Lewis is a woman because Watney mentions he is part of "her" crew. The fact that the commander of the Ares mission is a woman is <i>no big deal</i>. Weir doesn't focus on the gender of any of the characters, male or female, other than using the correct pronouns and their names. And I loved this. Because the fact that there were women on the mission (one leading the mission), working at NASA, etc. isn't a big deal in the future world of <i>The Martian</i>. It just <i>is</i>.
<p>
Which brings me to my thoughts on <i>The Martian</i>, the movie.
<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRvcHor22_lbpfL7TPu0lW3EAdFCVFRtYQ1qkSDWJiRvJWeL-XiCZwJpJPrFS0R-lXLvSd7HQoUOV6O9gQsQkCqlvHzVoUvnCw8c6UEbfKjANGW8bzGQxSFvOOujJEa21qdoD8UtsTBJM/s1600/martian_movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRvcHor22_lbpfL7TPu0lW3EAdFCVFRtYQ1qkSDWJiRvJWeL-XiCZwJpJPrFS0R-lXLvSd7HQoUOV6O9gQsQkCqlvHzVoUvnCw8c6UEbfKjANGW8bzGQxSFvOOujJEa21qdoD8UtsTBJM/s320/martian_movie.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>
I was super excited when I learned there was going to be a movie. I obsessively read the articles, watched the promo spots, and made plans to see the movie with everybody I knew who had read and loved the book. But the one thing I was hesitant about was the casting choices. Which appeared rather ... white.
<p>
Disappointingly white. Overwhelmingly white.
<p>
Yes, Michael Peña and Chiwetel Ejiofor were cast as Martinez and Kapoor, respectively. I was delighted to see Donald Glover as Rich Purnell. But there was a white woman cast as Mindy Park, taking away some diversity I thought had been assured because of the character's name. Every other major character, with the exception of Bruce Ng and the Chinese scientists, were white.
<p>
So the movie missed the opportunity to add additional much-needed diversity not just to Hollywood, but to STEM.
<p>
That said, I loved the movie. Adored it. Will be seeing it again this weekend, and nagging everybody I know to do the same. Because at the end of the day, it is a story about science, ingenuity, perseverance, and intellect winning the day. If you loved the book, you will love the movie. It was not 100% faithful, but it was pretty damn close. There were a few things that were cut out, the movie neglected to mention that Watney was an engineer in addition to being a botanist (Why? It would have been so easy to just slip in), and one scene was rewritten to add additional drama. But overall, it was the book translated to the screen in a way that preserved both the story and the spirit, while being entertaining.
<p>
And I was heartened to see that while the main cast was not as diverse as I wanted, there was diversity in the background characters/extras.
<p>
<i>The Martian</i> is a nerd's movie. I loved it.
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-19267539754533657682015-09-25T12:34:00.001-07:002015-10-02T15:45:44.746-07:00Friday AccountabilityDear readers, I have a problem. It manifests in overflowing bookcases, in me hauling boxes of books to the library book sale to donate on a biannual basis, in me worrying about a harddrive failure.
<p>
Readers, I buy books. I buy books in bulk. I used to haunt used bookstores until I deliberately began avoiding them (my groaning bookshelves thanked me). I am pathologically unable to leave a bookstore without purchasing one book--usually more. Frequent ebook sales have become my weakness, with their annoyingly easy one-click purchasing.
<p>
So what has entered into the Möbius Dreams book den this week?
<p>
In ebook form:<br>
<ul>
<li><b>Prisoners in the Palace</b> by Michaela MacColl<br>
A YA historical fiction about Queen Victoria before she was queen, as told by her lady's maid, Liza. For 99 cents, it was an easy decision. I adore historical fiction, though I don't read nearly enough of it, and I realized I don't know much about Victoria's life pre-coronation.
<li><b>The Girl of Fire and Thorns</b> by Rae Carson<br>
Rae Carson has been on my radar for a bit. She's an author who consistently gets rave reviews, and her books just look amazing. Her <i>Walk on Earth a Stranger</i> has been on my TBR list for awhile. When this went on sale, I snapped it up. I look forward to this a lot.
<li><b>The Shell Collector</b> by Hugh Howey<br>
<i>Wool Omnibus</i> and its sequels ate my brain, and I will read anything this man writes. I already own and am slowly working through his backlist. I read <i>Sand</i> as soon as it was released. For some reason, I missed this one so was happy to buy it when it was a Kindle Daily Deal.
<li><b>Falling in Deep: 14 Tales from the Sea</b> from Clockpunk Press<br>
I was exploring book subscription boxes, and one of the past boxes I was considering included hard copies of two of the novellas included in this collection. I love mermaids, and was immediately intrigued. A bit of investigation later, I had pre-ordered the anthology that collected all fourteen stories. I'm still a bit unclear if all the tales are novella-length, or some are shorter. But still a huge amount of content for not a lot of money.
<li><b>Night Sky</b> by Suzanne and Melanie Brockmann<br>
Brockmann's Troubleshooters series of Navy SEALS and anti-terrorism operatives (and the FBI agent ever, Jules Cassidy!) is one of my favorite series. I had stopped following what she has been up to since she announced she was taking a break from them, so I hadn't realized she had written a YA thriller with her daughter. Wicked cool.
<li><b>A Bollywood Affair</b> by Sonali Dev<br>
I had reviewed <a href="http://mobiusdreams.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-bollywood-bride-by-sonali-dev.html"><i>The Bollywood Bride</i></a> by the author and liked it enough to hunt out the author's first book, which takes place in the same world.
<li><b>The Magician's Lie</b> by Greer Macallister<br>
You had me at "<i>Water for Elephants</i> meets <i>The Night Circus</i>." <i>The Night Circus</i> by Erin Morgenstern is one of my favorite books, and I hope the comparison is a good one.
<li><b>Faking It</b> by Leah Marie Brown<br>
I'm currently reading the sequel, <i>Finding It</i>, which I received from the publisher via NetGalley, and am liking it so much I bought this one.
</ul>
Also...
<ul>
<li><b>Letters to Zell</b> by Camille Griep<br>
This is my monthly borrowed book from the Kindle Lending Library. The story combines two of my weaknesses: an epistolary novel and fairy tales. Swoon!
<li><b>Indexing: Reflections</b> by Seanan McGuire<br>
This is a Kindle Serial novel, meaning I have to sit impatiently for two weeks after each new installment for the next one. If you haven't read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indexing-Series-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00CDXPL3I">the first one</a>, you really <i>really</i> should. It's like CSI and the Brother Grimm had a one-night-stand, and the resulting love child was raised by Joss Whedon.
</ul>
Three new ARCs also came in. Plus my backlog of my existing book collection.
<p>
Oh, and I did break down and subscribe to two of monthly book boxes.
<p>
I know I have a problem. I know.Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-64770556503371251492015-09-24T13:17:00.000-07:002015-09-24T13:17:21.545-07:00View from a HammockI recently returned from a much-needed vacation at Hilton Head Island, SC. Having been born and raised in the mid-Atlantic, and lived here for most of my life, it is always odd to visit a different ecosystem. The plants look so different! The wildlife is strange! It's nice going to a place like Hilton Head after Labor Day. It's technically the "off" season for tourism so it's not crowded. The weather is wonderful: not oppressively hot and humid, but not chilly. And there is still plenty to see and do.
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Like:
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I stood on an oyster bar.<br>
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Went kayaking.<br>
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Took a boat tour and saw dolphins. (Including baby dolphins! SQUEE!)<br>
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Held live sand dollars. Which was SO COOL. I'd never really thought of them as living creatures before, which is stupid in hindsight, because they obviously are.<br>
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Saw some new butterfly species. (My biologist friend IDed this as a long-tailed skipper.)<br>
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And, of course, spent as much time as I could laying in a hammock reading. I didn't get as much reading done as I expected. I discovered hammocks were <i>extremely</i> comfortable and very conducive to napping.<br>
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I'm glad to be home, though sad at the same time. It was paradise down there. But I have my kitties again, and a stack of books to read, and I'm in the middle of knitting a skirt that I'm very excited about.
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Until next time.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-3IdfeuxvionqMQf7p41-eYFpOFFzsRJyRfgOKdzBfeIRTREvS7hysFRHzxgb_jzvTm7Z1ZLAAuuXTuUTSkbfQpq-kkmypJBY5Pm_d_1l6-PomcABdiJcBu3YDZswm2e7rIiv1MMLhdl/s1600/sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-3IdfeuxvionqMQf7p41-eYFpOFFzsRJyRfgOKdzBfeIRTREvS7hysFRHzxgb_jzvTm7Z1ZLAAuuXTuUTSkbfQpq-kkmypJBY5Pm_d_1l6-PomcABdiJcBu3YDZswm2e7rIiv1MMLhdl/s320/sunset.jpg" /></a></div>Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-66485821117186547012015-09-22T21:52:00.002-07:002015-09-22T21:52:42.308-07:00Review: The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18938929-the-bollywood-bride" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Bollywood Bride" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427380617m/18938929.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18938929-the-bollywood-bride">The Bollywood Bride</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7025918.Sonali_Dev">Sonali Dev</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1342579202">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<em>Disclaimer: I received a free advanced review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.</em><br><br>Ria Parkar is a Bollywood star. She returns home to Chicago for her cousin's wedding, and comes face-to-face with her first love, Vikram, whose heart she broke in the most horrible way.<br><br>I waffled between three or four stars for this book. I did really enjoy reading this and liked the characters. Ria was so broken that I wanted to reach into the book and give her a big hug. But at the same time, the angst reached almost unbearable levels a number of times, and much of the problems could have resolved themselves easily if Ria actually opened up to somebody instead of defaulting to avoiding her feelings or running away.<br><br>I liked this book enough to go buy Dev's first book, which one the main characters I noticed had a brief cameo in this one. So readers who enjoyed <em>A Bollywood Affair</em> would get a nice smile from that. <br><br>I appreciated that Dev avoided many of the pitfalls of the romance genre, with characters and plots that seemed cliched and fake. Her characters were human, with flaws and real emotions that despite all the drama in their backstories, never veered into soap opera levels of unbelievable. The obstacles between Ria and Vikram's happily ever after are personal and self-inflicted. There are no outside forces keeping them apart. It would have been very easy for Vikram's meddling mother to have been given a larger part in the story, and I appreciated that she wasn't. Instead, the main characters had to work through their own issues and come to terms with them.<br><br>This was a very warm book, despite the darkness in Ria's past. Dev showcases love in many forms, not just romantic love. Familial love, friend-love, and love within a community are all present. And throughout the entire book, there is love of culture. Dev, through Ria, shows the love and respet she has for Indian and Hindu culture, and it was enlightening as an outsider to see it through Ria's eyes.<br><br>So I obviously appreciated the book a lot, and enjoyed reading it. Why then did I choose 3 stars instead of 4? Because at the end of the day, as invested as I was in the character and the story, I still felt there was a veneer of shallowness to everything. Not that the book was superficial - it wasn't. "Ice Princess" Ria as the POV character seemed as stand-offish to the reader as she was to the other characters in the book. Her voice made me feel as if there was an invisible wall between me and the story, which made me unable to fully immerse myself as I would have liked.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/58940-debbie">View all my reviews</a>
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-20277668529484104102015-09-17T22:17:00.002-07:002015-09-17T22:18:32.130-07:00Review: The Only Woman in the Room by Eileen Pollack<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23995384-the-only-woman-in-the-room" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys' Club" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429119952m/23995384.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23995384-the-only-woman-in-the-room">The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys' Club</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/351658.Eileen_Pollack">Eileen Pollack</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1342575902">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<em>Disclaimer: I received a free advanced review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.</em><br><br>The description for this book is a bit misleading. The first half is Pollack's memoir of her own experiences as a student from childhood in public school in a predominantly Jewish area through college at Yale as one of the few female physics majors. The second half of the book is more in line with what I had been expecting given the description, and includes anecdata from other women who Pollack had known or interviewed from her own generation and the later generation of female science majors and scientists, as well as recaps of interviews with her former professors and teachers who we had met in the first half of the book.<br><br>This is a deeply personal story for Pollack, but at the same time it is also deeply personal for every girl who thought she wasn't smart enough, or every woman who decided to drop out of a science major, or every student who didn't even try for a science degree in the first place. This book was deeply personal for me.<br><br>Pollack's experiences are not every woman's or minorities' experiences, but they are similar enough that many can relate. One of my criticisms of this book is Pollack's weakness in connecting women's experiences with the similar experiences of minorities and economically disadvantaged students. She does mention that several times, but it is definitely a message that can be strengthened. Towards the end of the book, Pollack noted that some students, even if they enter into college at the top of their high school graduating class, find themselves floundering and behind other students because they were not privileged enough for their schools to offer certain courses. I wish Pollack had highlighted that more because it's a problem that systemically places students from under-served, poorer schools at a disadvantage in college.<br><br>I write this review the day after a 14-year-old Muslim boy with brown skin was detained by his school and arrested for bringing in a homemade clock to show off to his science teacher, which another teacher reported as a bomb. That is an extreme case of the educational culture discouraging a minority from entering a STEM field, but it highlights the challenges that some students face by virtue of their sex or ethnicity.<br><br>Pollack's story is an important one, and both its strength and weakness is its reliance on anecdotes (what I referred to as "anecdata" earlier) from her own experiences and gleaned from interviews or missives with other women or minorities. She does mention the results of a few studies of bias against women in STEM, but the bulk of the book are anecdata rather than empirical controlled studies. The anecdata bring the problems to life in a way that pure numbers don't, yet at the same time anecdotes are easy for those in the sciences to discount because they are not data (hence why I have been referring to them as "anecdata" because, well, it can be argued that the plural for anecdote is data).<br><br>Given the larger conversation that has been on-going for the past few years of women in the sciences, and the blatant misogyny that I keep running up against from big names (Google "Richard Dawkins women"), <em>The Only Woman in the Room</em> is an important book, and very timely. Remember in June when Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Tim Hunt said at a science conference in South Korea, “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them they cry”? Or last November when European Space Agency Rosetta Project scientist Matt Taylor gave public interviews after the Philae space probe landed on a comet while wearing a shirt covered in nearly naked women? It is heartening, I guess, that all of these incidents have lead to huge public outcries and public apologies (in the case of Taylor) or firings (in the case of Hunt). A decade or two earlier, they would have been the status quo.<br><br>I hope that Pollack's book inspires change in STEM education at all levels, and I hope that it also inspires women to pursue STEM educations and careers.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/58940-debbie">View all my reviews</a>
Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-29182698743323439442015-07-22T23:30:00.000-07:002015-07-22T23:30:00.559-07:00A New ChapterMuch has happened since I last updated this blog. I've left jobs, acquired new pets, learnt new skills, acquired new hobbies, and realized just how difficult it is for me to maintain constant blog updates in a world where I have many distractions.
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Today is July 23, 2015, and I endeavor to remember that this blog exists and to update it regularly.
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So an update in list format:
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<ol>
<li>I am a hooker no more. Or, at least, not only a hooker. I am now also a knitter and a spinner. The crochet hook is an insidious gateway drug to the rest of the fiber world. My stash overfloweth to include not just yarn now, but spinning fiber. And to my consternation, is not shrinking because spinning results in the creation of <i>new yarn</i> and does not actually decrease the stash.</li>
<li>My household has increased by a net of two cats. Zephyr passed shortly after my last post, and I adopted two brothers from the same litter soon after, and then a year later, another cat. Samm the bun is still kicking, albeit a tad slower than in her younger days. I enjoy my little menagerie, though wish Ginger (one of the brothers) is a little less of an asshole at times (all the time).</li>
<li>My bookshelf is as full as ever, despite my efforts to keep it manageable. As I try to crochet/knit/spin from stash, I suppose I should try reading from stash too. (Yeah, I'm laughing at myself too.)</li>
<li>New hobby! I've rediscovered my love of tabletop gaming and hope to have some game reviews in addition to book reviews and my random musings on cats, yarn, and life in general.</li>
</ol>
Until next time, I remain your friendly neighborhood reader, dreamer, and creator.
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<i>Image by Alex Colmedo</i></center>
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Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3171691398356152555.post-77774311803097323872012-11-08T08:04:00.000-08:002012-11-08T11:40:02.054-08:00November 2012 - History in the MakingThis past election had a number of amazing historic firsts:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Mazie Hirono (HI) is the first Asian-American woman, first Japanese immigrant, and the first Buddhist elected to the Senate. </li>
<li>Tulsi Gabbard (HI) is the first practicing Hindu to Congress (and she's going to take her oath on the Bhagavad Gita.) </li>
<li>Tammy Duckworth (IL) will be the first Thai-American, tthe first disabled woman, and the first disabled female vet in Congress. She is also biracial and trilingual.</li>
<li>Tammy Baldwin (WI) will be the first openly gay senator.
</li>
<li>New Hampshire is the first state to have an all-female delegation to the US Congress. (New Hampshire also elected a woman governor.)</li>
<li>This next Congress will have a record-breaking 20 female Senators. </li>
<li>Mary Gonzalez is the first openly LGBT female to be elected to the Texas legislature (she identifies as pansexual).</li>
<li>Maryland and Maine are the first states to approve marriage equality by popular vote, followed shortly by Washington a few hours later.</li>
<li>Puerto Rico votes in support of statehood. </li>
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We truly are a diverse and beautiful country!Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635367912403785892noreply@blogger.com0