Worlds of Ink and Shadow

Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed reading this book: It made me believe that many fictional characters are living real lives in alternate realities. Great way to understand the inspirations for the novels of the Bronte sisters. Worlds of Ink and Shadow is a YA book, but as an adult reader, I am frustrated that some of the darker aspects of the Brontes (repressed sexuality, ambition, and rivalry) isn't explored more fully. Hmmm, guess I should pick up a copy of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre.

4.5 stars - keep thinking about this book

View all my reviews

The Best Kind of People

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Solid, crafted writing from an unusual perspective: the wife, son and daughter of someone accused of sex crimes. The book details their year of living in isolation and suspension.

View all my reviews

Reading List for a Trumpish America

Some context, after the election. Five new books and one oldie, but a goodie. 

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

“Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, once the United States of America” (back cover).

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse

“America is on the verge of anarchy. Survival is all that matters now” (front cover).

We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang

“Trump, the silver spoon-fed child who, as a second grader, punched his music teacher in the eye, aspired ‘to be the toughest kid in the neighborhood’” (5).

The Return of History: Conflict, Migration, and Geopolitics in the Twenty-First Century by Jennifer Welsh

“The public utterances of almost every populist politician today include the refrain ‘Take back control’” (31).

The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America by Michael Eric Dyson

“The birthers cut straight to the chase and argued that Obama’s birth certificate was phony and that he was not born in America, a claim amplified by billionaire political huckster...Donald Trump” (135).

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

“During World War II, America’s fledgling aeronautics industry hired black female mathematicians to fill a labor shortage. These ‘human computers’ stayed on to work to NASA and made sure America won the Space Race. They fought for their country’s future, and for their share of the American dream. This is their untold story” (front cover).

Do You Need Help?

I've noticed something lately. Cars parked awkwardly at the side of the road, sometimes in places (such as a roundabout) where it's not really safe to stop.

It turns out there's no emergency. I see the driver a few feet away holding up his phone. It's October and since everyone is carrying a phone with them at all times, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to stop and capture the beauty of the leaves.

Girl Mans Up

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a great way to spend a weekend. M-E Girard's Girl Mans Up first impressed me with its universalism on how we all have to deal with the vagaries of love. The book deals with gender, sexuality, family drama, high school bullies, peer pressure, friendship, videogames! and grabbing your own power.

The protagonist, Pen, is a girl who is mistaken for a boy, but defies categorization. When someone asks her if she is a gay girl, Pen thinks: "I don't think of myself as being gay, because that word sounds like it belongs to some guy. Lesbian makes me think of some forty-year-old woman. And queer feels like it can mean anything" (65). The one thing that Pen is adamant about is that she is a girl.

Out of the two female relationships Pen has in the book, I find her friendship with Olivia the most interesting. There's more growth between those characters, maybe because there is much more at stake. The love interest, Blake, is definitely kick-ass, but restricted in her role as the object of desire. That said, their scenes together are well written: not graphic, but plenty to activate the imagination.

The guys in the book don't come off well. The opening chapters of Pen hanging out with the boys have a greasy feel. Maybe those guys just need to Woman Up.

Except Johnny, of course. I love Johnny. We all need a big brother like Johnny.

View all my reviews