Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty: Book Review

5 Stars. Oh my goodness! I loved this book! I love the way the illustrations subvert the text. If I were only reading the words, I would expect a stereotypical princess playing tea with her dolls (I love those little girls but that doesn’t reflect every girl’s interests). For example […]

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Ten Quotes about Making a Difference

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share quotes from books on a theme of our choice this week. I glanced through the quotes I’ve saved on GoodReads. I thought about a “Girl Power” theme or “Friendship” but I settled on ten quotes about making a difference in the world. These may or […]

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Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists by Mikki Kendall: Book Review

4 Stars. The framework for this graphic novel seems a bit odd at first. An artificial intelligence guides the girls through important times and places, beginning with Sumer in 3000 BCE. That framework does serve to tie everything together though. The “story” basically consists of brief biographical sketches of women from all over […]

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The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend: Book Review

4 Stars. First of all, who can resist that cover? I just love it! This was a fun, quick read. It definitely starts off pretty dark. Morrigan’s father makes it clear that he finds her and her curse to be nuisances at best. Her stepmother couldn’t be less interested in Morrigan. Everyone else is happy to have a scapegoat for their […]

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The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson: Book Review

3 Stars. I can see the reason that this book is rated so highly on GoodReads. I understand why the author included some events, but my own history of grief led me to interpret them in a different way than intended. To explain further would give away some major plot points so I’ll have to leave it there. Part of me admires […]

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The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark: Book Review

4 Stars. This was a short, accessible classic but it packed a punch. I would love to discuss it with a book group. I looked around to find out if it’s ever been banned (references to “sexual intercourse” in a book published in the 1960s seems like a recipe for a challenge) but if it has, I can’t find evidence of it. The group of

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Weekly Update for May 16, 2021

Welcome to my weekly update for May 16, 2021! Well, the CDC announcement that fully-vaccinated people in the US can pretty much go back to life as usual was a bit of a surprise, wasn’t it? My husband and I will probably continue wearing our masks inside for a while but at least we won’t […]

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Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: Book Review

4.5 Stars. If you look at all six of the genres I’ve placed this book in, you can tell that it defies description. The title sounds boring to me. I had to take a plant taxonomy class in college. While I enjoyed learning the names of things, I didn’t like learning about the plants themselves. Photosynthesis, xylem and phloem, or […]

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Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston: Book Review

4.5 Stars. Oh my goodness. This was so much fun! But it also had a lot of depth. And just look at that gorgeous cover!I loved Amari. She’s a fighter. Life is hard and unfair for her, largely because of things completely outside her control, but she keeps hanging in there. Cruel adults or mean girls, she meets each challenge the […]

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