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This month's Diversity Challenge is focused on LGBT+ books because it's PRIDE! You can click any of the titles under "Reviewed" to read my review. Book Club / Personal / First to Read / Kindle Unlimited / Library / Netgalley / Review Request
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About the Book
Want to know why your stomach does a flip-flop when you run into your crush in the hallway? Or how the food you put in your body now will affect you in the future? What about the best ways to stop freaking out about your next math test?
Using scientific facts, personal anecdotes, and wisdom gained from the world around us, Mayim Bialik, the star of The Big Bang Theory, shares what she has learned from her life and her many years studying neuroscience to tell you how you grow from a girl to a woman biologically, psychologically and sociologically. And as an added bonus, Girling Up is chock-full of charts, graphs and illustrations -- all designed in a soft gray to set them apart from the main text and make them easy to find and read. Want to be strong? Want to be smart? Want to be spectacular? You can! Start by reading this book. Review
Because of who I am as a person, I absolutely didn't read anything about this book before putting a hold on it at my library. I liked the title and I respect many of the beliefs of Mayim Bialik, so I just grabbed it on a whim. Turns out this is a book for young woman, explaining many of their body’s emotional and physical developments. And I am not ashamed to admit that I learned a few things about my own body from reading this.
This is the book I wish existed for me back in the day. I have only just recently realized that my views on sexuality, or the lack thereof, isn't just me being crazy. And I appreciate how Mayim mentions that not all girls want to experience sexy times until later on. But she did so in a way that doesn't shame those who do decide to partake in such activities. I also enjoyed her personal stories that she added into this. It helped make it more relatable. But the thing that makes me want to recommend this book is how upfront it is about things. She offers up different choices for the topics she covers. This includes, but is not limited to, diet options, period choices, and how to handle the topic of sex. If you're a parent that likes for their children to make informed decisions, this is the perfect book for your daughter. I also suggest teenaged boys read this so they get a better understanding of the subject. About the Book
His first attempt is Loopy Lou, a hyperactive goofball who loves writing rubbish rap songs. But Martin soon gets fed up with Lou's loopiness and decides to trade in his IF for someone a little less wacky. Enter Sean "Caution" Murphy, an imaginary office clerk in a bad suit with a passion for laziness and a head full of dodgy jokes. Sean is full of tips and tricks to guide Martin through the perils of the playground, from dealing with his sisters' pranks to besting the bullying Bonner boys. But getting rid of Lou is not that easy, and having TWO imaginary friends is a recipe for trouble!
Review
A bit of background information: my husband is a huge Chris O’Dowd fan. It’s pretty much to the level of me needed to be actually worried if he showed interest in my husband. But that’s beside the point. Anyway, I found this book at Half Priced Books while I was avoiding a situation I didn’t want to be in. My husband was about to nag me about it, until I showed him this book. And everything was good again.
He actually read the first chapter to me and our spawn that day, and that was great. Especially because we all really liked Moone Boy. This is a prequel to that show, although it also gets a bit into season one as well - filling in some things not mentioned in it. There’s also a smidge of contradiction. But it’s totally okay. As Douglas Adams once said: Moving something from one medium to another is very interesting — it’s a lot like carrying a picture or a piece of clothing from one bit of lighting to another. Suddenly it looks very different. What interests me a bit further down the line is the way in which the different media interrelate — you can hand things off from one to another, you can exploit each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
So I accepted the differences. Also I totally liked the book more than the series, but don’t tell my husband. Maybe if I get him the audiobook version he’ll approve of my insolence.
I will warn that there is a bit of sexual exploitation in here. Same situation as the show, if you haven’t seen it yet. But I will argue that Martin is too young to realize that you can’t sell a grope of your sister’s boob for bully protection. Thankfully that’s all resolved in an acceptable way. I shan’t get into that, but that was a scene that bothered me in the show. So I’m mentioning it here too. You’re welcome. Okay, so this book was hilarious. I highly recommend it, even if you haven’t seen the series. It’s ridiculous and silly and I laughed at least once on every page. I can’t wait for my spawnling to be a bit older so I can force it upon him. About the BookShe couldn't imagine why there was such a difference between those children and her. She couldn't imagine why she and all these other people with her had to be treated this way. Who decided this, and what for? Review
My older sister had pointed out a site to me she found, www.recommendmeabook.com, about a month ago. I had a lot of fun playing with it. Although I’d read a good deal of the books I saw on it, there was only one of them I was interested in that was also available at one of my libraries. So I put a hold on it and totally forgot about it until I got the email. So it was like a surprise to myself!
This book is split into two parts. One is about a little girl, Sarah, in 1942 France. The other is a grown woman, Julia, 60 years later. Sarah and her family are Jewish, and I don’t think I need to explain more about how that went. I will say that before this book I had never heard of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup. It is horrific. Much of Julia’s story is researching about the roundup for the 60th anniversary. So much happens in Sarah’s story that is heartbreaking. It’s truly an awful thing that happened. And I appreciate this book for bringing it to my attention. Personally I’d have preferred for the entire thing being about Sarah and her story. Julia’s story, on the other hand, was a bit of an annoyance for me. Especially as the story progressed. And I’m just going to be blunt about it. The ending was dumb. My eyes probably fell out at least 5 times because I was rolling them so hard. If I hadn’t like the first 3/4th so much, I’d have just stopped reading it. Actually, I highly recommend everyone stop around 250ish. It’s a lot better that way. About the Book
Desperate to run away, the world outside her oppressive brownstone calls to naive, eighteen-year-old Nora the privileged daughter of a controlling and violent civil rights lawyer who is building a compensation case for the interned Japanese Americans. But she is trapped, enduring abuse to protect her younger sister Frankie and wishing on the stars every night for things to change.
For months, they've lived side by side, their paths crossing yet never meeting. But when Nora is nearly killed and her sister taken away, their worlds collide as Kettle, grief stricken at the loss of a friend, angrily pulls Nora from her window. In her honeyed eyes, Kettle sees sadness and suffering. In his, Nora sees the chance to take to the window and fly away. Set in 1953, Nora & Kettle explores the collision of two teenagers facing extraordinary hardship. Their meeting is inevitable, devastating, and ultimately healing. Their stories, "a collection of events, are each on their own harmless. But together, one after the other, they change the world." His eyes are intense. Dark. They look like they’ve seen things I don’t want to know about. Review
I was given this book to review about a year ago. I tried to read it then, but I just couldn't finish it. I wasn't sure if it was me or the book, so I put it down and decided to come back to it later. Sad to say that it didn't help.
There was a lot of hype for this book last year, at least among some of the blogs I follow. Plus I'm a fan of the author from her series The Woodlands. So I had high expectations. But this book just didn't meet them. I'm sad to say that the most interesting part of the book was the abuse from Nora's father. And that sounds truly awful. But it was really the only time I felt something with the characters I was reading. The characters were just so boring. And the story just didn't keep me interested. This frustrated me, because it's a story that deals with an incredibly important topic - what happened after the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States. About the Book
Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.
That’s the cost. That’s the price. Get ready, because when you crush the humanity out of humans, you’re left with humans with no humanity. Review
I was a bit disappointed with the beginning of this. It felt kind of slow. And I almost didn't want to continue reading it. But it was an audiobook that someone else was reading to me, so I put up with it. Yay for being unable to stop a book because of driving!
Anyway, despite the issues I had with the beginning it does pick up. And much like the first book, I ended up being drawn mostly to Ringer. I would actually get annoyed when it would switch to someone else. Honestly this is more of a 3.5, but I'm raising it up because I can. Anyway, I liked it enough to want to continue the series. And that's really what matters here. I just hope it's a bit better than this one. About the Book
When fate intervenes, both Pen and Benedict end up at the same vacation resort for winter break. Despite their differences, the two are drawn together. But is there such a thing as happily ever after for a nympho and a nerd?
Review
If you haven't yet figured this out about me, I am a sucker for nerdy romances. Which meant I had to place a hold on this at my library as soon as I saw it. Another thing to note about me, once I read a synopsis and decide to read a book, I don't do it again before reading said book. This usually means I have very little idea of what to expect when I finally start reading the book. This was one of those times.
Okay, I totally got sucked into this book. I don't know if it's because of how much I feel like I relate to the socially awkward male character, but I could not put this book down. It was the same for me when I read The Rosie Project, and Benedict was similar in many aspects to Don. That's pretty much the only comparison to those two books though. Anyway, in both cases I was completely absorbed while reading and didn't want to do anything else. I just needed to know what was going to happen! There's all sorts of abuse in this: physical, emotional, religious, and mentions of sexual. Some of which are caused by the character's parents. And some of them are glossed over in some regards. The two biggest ones are religious - this effects how Pen sees herself - and emotional - this is what directs Benedict's choices. Both of which are things I grew up experiencing, so I understand many of their issues. I will admit there are a number of cliches in here. Especially at the end when everything was being wrapped up. But you know what? I don't even care. I loved them and I needed them. And they were glorious and perfect. Anyway, I freaking loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to read. And now I would like to check out his other book to see if that one is comparable. About the Book
With her razor-sharp wit, Anna recounts the absurdities she’s experienced on her way to and from the heart of pop culture as only she can—from her unusual path to the performing arts (Vanilla Ice and baggy neon pants may have played a role) to her double life as a middle-school student who also starred on Broadway to her initial “dating experiments” (including only liking boys who didn’t like her back) to reviewing a binder full of butt doubles to her struggle to live like an adult woman instead of a perpetual “man-child.”
Enter Anna’s world and follow her rise from “scrappy little nobody” to somebody who dazzles on the stage, the screen, and now the page—with an electric, singular voice, at once familiar and surprising, sharp and sweet, funny and serious (well, not that serious). If you think girls are supposed to object to sex until they find themselves incapable of resisting your magic penis, fuck you. Review
I put a hold on this at my library as soon as I realized it existed, it just took forever for me to get it. Blast all of the people who put a hold on it before me!
Anyway, Anna Kendrick is fecking hilarious. Not only that, but she’s got some really great advice in here for woman. Especially those of the younger varieties. And I appreciate her putting those thoughts into this book. But mostly this book was hilarious. I’ve not been a fan of some of her work, but I never had an issue with her character or acting. Just the script/character she played. I do like her singing. Those are my favorites of her movies. Except for Trolls. I’m glad I did not pay for Trolls when I watched it (I was given free movie tickets). And why is there another one of those coming out?! But that’s another subject entirely. I think she’s one of the most relatable of celebrities for me. And I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend listening to the audio version if you’re wanting to read this. About the Book
But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . . .
“It all goes back and back," Tyrion thought, "to our mothers and fathers and theirs before them. We are puppets dancing on the strings of those who came before us, and one day our own children will take up our strings and dance in our steads.” Review
Oh my holy gawd, this book!
I don’t even have words after reading it. But, wow. This one has surpassed the first one in epicness. I was worried that I might have been losing interest, because I didn’t like the second one as much as the first. I WAS SO WRONG! There is so much going on. AND THAT ENDING! I had to go back and reread that chapter to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Damn. I feel like I owe the person who recommended this series to me FIVE YEARS AGO an apology for telling him I doubted I’d like them. I was young and naive. My husband is reading them now. Which is pretty big, because he’s not into fiction. So I’m excited about that as well. Reading is sexy. About the Book
Alan grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan's father, whom Alan had not seen or spoken to for more than a decade when he reconnected just before filming for Who Do You Think You Are? began. He had a secret he had to share, one that would shock his son to his very core and set into motion a journey that would change Alan's life forever.
With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest, Not My Father's Son is a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside. ...the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues it can begin to feel commonplace and eventually acceptable. Review
I saw this was on sale on amazon, and I couldn’t not get it. It was like $6 for this ebook and audio book. And if that’s not one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen recently, I don’t know what is. But I got them both, because I needed them. And there’s nothing you can say that’ll convince me otherwise.
I’m just going to say this now, to get it out of the way. I absolutely love the Scottish accent. It is my favorite. I am not ashamed! That’s part of the reason I needed this book. And the audio. Also because I both enjoy and respect the author, Alan Cumming. And, just in case I needed another excuse, it’s PRIDE MONTH and he’s bisexual, so I really would have been doing myself a disservice by NOT buying it. I am welcome. This book started after Alan Cumming filmed his episode of Who Do You Think You Are, which I absolutely watched after finishing reading this. Because obviously is why. There’s so much from reading this that made me both sad and boosted my respect for this man. He’s been through a lot, but he made it past these ordeals and became the man that he is. And I love him more than I already did. I am also incredibly grateful for him standing up for mental illness, despite the stigma that is still associated with it. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, because he reads it and he’s fabulous. Read this immediately! And then message me, so we can discuss it. |
Current Soundtrack:Rating Guide:No longer used5 Platypires - Oh my holy fluff, this book was amazing and everyone needs to read it immediately!
4 Platypires - Great book. Enjoyed it a lot. Minor issues. Highly recommend. 3 Platypires - Good book, but I would have enjoyed it more if there weren't so many issues. 2 Platypires - The book was okay, but it needs a lot of work. 1 Platypire - I didn't like the book. Major changes needed. DNF - I couldn't finish. Too many issues. Categories
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