Wants to read Man Standing Behind
book
Rated The Empusium 8/10
<div>It was really only in the second half where I fully signed on to this book, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I were more familiar with The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. While reading, I would occasionally understand that some details were significant somehow, but would not know the specifics. That's on me, since otherwise, The Empusium is compellingly written. Loved the ending.</div>
Rated Gender Queer: A Memoir 9/10
<div>Finally read this excellent graphic novel that has been at the center of so much book censorship. The memoir very clearly demonstrates one person's struggles with gender dysphoria, the power of having representation, and a vocabulary to describe oneself. It's a shame, to put it mildly, that some people don't want young people to have that information and secure sense of self. I wouldn't 100% say this is a book for younger teenagers (ymmv; I'd have been fine with it), but 16+? Definitely a good book, especially for the young adults who NEED to see that being genderqueer and/or asexual is a perfectly fine and normal way to be. Seeing the support Kobabe's family provides is great.<br><br>Some NOT-young adults need this education too. It's as much a memoir as it is informational, and Kobabe's artwork is wonderful.<br><br>This was published in 2019, and alas, the Harry Potter and Neil Gaiman references certainly do NOT hold up, but that is not the fault of the author.</div><div><br></div>
Rated It Chooses You 10/10
Not to get too heavy-handed with the metaphor, but despite a stack of books at home, this book chose me.<br><br>(My full review can be found at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-chooses-you-by-miranda-july.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated Into This World 8/10
I read from page 40-ish until the end in one evening, despite the fact that I should've gone to sleep. So that should give you an indicator of its appeal.<br><br>Read my full review at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/05/into-this-world-by-sybil-baker.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.
Wants to read Edgar Allan Poe: Collected Works
Rated The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School 8/10
<div>It was the cover and title that drew me to this book initially. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but I have an iffy tolerance for people who can't communicate and are so wrapped up in what other people think — normal teenage stuff, to be sure! But also part of the reason why I don't read a lot of YA. That said, by the second half, as Yami gains confidence and the story really starts to kick off, I was much more into it. And I definitely know this will have a lot of value to younger readers who are trying to figure out who they are and how to navigate the world.</div>
Rated Hamnet 10/10
<div>Beautiful, sad, and immersive. One of the most accurate depictions of grief I have ever read, but also one of the better descriptions of the panicked love a mother can feel for her children.</div>
Wants to read Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
Rated Outlawed 8/10
<div>I wouldn't say I'm generally a "Western" fan, but if you involve women, especially queer women, I'm going to pay attention. Though the protagonist is a straight white woman, she at least has the good sense to pay attention to those around her who are different, and her naiveté becomes more a thing of the past. Set in a somewhat alternate western U.S., much parallels our present day struggles.</div>
Rated What Is Punk? 8/10
Great artwork. Could have done with more equality with the women, bit otherwise it is a fun kids' book. My 7 and 11 year old enjoyed it too.
Rated True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America 8/10
<div>This is a fairly solid look at how some western states have become the somewhat difficult places they are now —both politically and in lifestyle— and how that plays into broader myths about the West. Though the idea of "sitting down face to face will help solve our problems" is agreeable in theory, it is a privilege that not everyone can afford, and I do wish the book engaged a bit more with that. However, Quammen approaches her subject matter clearly, and she has a far greater stomach for researching the vile than I would.</div>
Rated Doctor Who: Last of the Gaderene 8/10
(Well, if I'm honest, it might be between 3 and 4 stars, but I'm a hopeless Who apologist, so I'm rounding up.)<br><br>This Third Doctor story, despite its problems (so many, many adverbs and characters' POV), feels very much in the spirit of Jon Pertwee’s time on the show. It’s interesting to see Mark Gatiss at an earlier writing stage, and it’s to our viewing benefit that he’s progressed so well. I still recommend <i>Last of The Gaderene</i> to fans of the show, and I’m hoping to further expand my knowledge of the Doctor’s literary universe.<br><br>Catch my full review over at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2014/01/doctor-who-last-of-gaderene-by-mark.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.
Rated Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama 10/10
Wants to read Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space
Rated Desperate Characters 4/10
While I didn't hate it, and there were some good/interesting lines, I was so very bored.
Wants to read The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human