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Book Bans: Why We Need to Care
Hello Everyone, Did you know that in 2022, there were over 2000 individual book bans implemented in the United States, covering over 1500 titles? Today, I am hopping on the soapbox a bit to talk about the alarming level of book banning that is currently happening right now in the United States. We should all be angered by this, and even if we don’t live in areas where this is an issue, it is still something we can help fight. Before I share some articles which do a much more comprehensive and well-researched job of talking about this than I can, I wanted to share a personal story about this,…
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Reading and Climate Activism: What Young People Are Reading Now
A month or so ago, I came across a great article written by Kelly Jenson about what young climate activists are reading (and writing!) today. In light of the fact that Greta Thunberg has a book out this week, I wanted to share these additional climate books with you. I find it really interesting to see how the current young generation’s climate activism is subtly different than even the activism I was raised with, and I am curious to pick up some of the books below, especially the fiction books, to see what they are like. As an aside, Kelly Jenson, is also a writer and the editor of three…
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Recent(ish) Award Winners: New Awards and Weird Books
I recently updated the Current Book Award Winners page of my website, which I try to do every few months (it’s been 2 years now…), and it was fun to see what has been getting the spotlight. Some I had read, some I had heard of, but many were new to me, which was fun! The page linked above looks at your standard mainstream book awards, but it also tracks book awards for specific formats, or that give awards for regional authors, genre book or authors and protagonists who have a typically underrepresented background, and you might have fun exploring some prizes that you didn’t know about! Today, I have…
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A Can’t Miss Author: Tamora Pierce
Hello everyone, In the past month, I have continued to dive deep into some rereads, especially as I use audiobooks to alleviate anxiety. There is something really calming about listening to books you know and love when your brain is going a million miles an hour, and for the past few weeks, Tamora Pierce has been that for me. So today, I want to take some time to explore the world(s) of Tamora Pierce, along with looking at what it is that makes her books SO great. These are absolutely my favorite middle grade/young adult books, and I especially love the way they encourage positive behaviors and normalize diverse identities…
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November: Old Favorites, Graphic Novels and American Voices
Hello Everyone, November was a big month for me in terms of my 2020 reading. It started with a lot of escapist reading as we waited with bated breath for the results of the election, and ended with a lot of escapist reading when I got hit by Covid-19 and spent about a week in bed. I also started leading a graphic novel book club, and had a great time doing “research” for it! Today I have three pairs of books for you that fall into some fun categories. These books cover YA to adult, brand new to old classics, and I hope there is something for everyone for you!…
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Summer Genre Awards – The Hugos
This is the award I was the most excited for by far! Awarded by the World Science Fiction Society, the Hugo Awards are the Emmys of the Science Fiction and Fantasy community, with awards going to books, TV shows and more and winners being decided by members of the society, who are often readers. They were also the center of a controversy a few years ago in which a group of science fiction readers, self titled as the “Sad Puppies” hijacked the awards in an effort to promote a right-wing, anti-diversity agenda that aimed to remove the “political” and “message-fic” books by diverse authors and women that were “taking over”…
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My Reading Month: June
Audiobook Gold, Great Sequels and Old Friends
because stories are important
