Recently Purchased: Here's What I Bought to Console Myself About the Start of School

While you're reading this, I am currently on my third day of my last semester before I student teach (hopefully, don't want to jinx myself here.) So to fight off the back-to-school-blues, I have purchased a few new reads.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

I have been seeing this poetry collection everywhere, as I am sure you have too, and I have been meaning to pick it up forever. I finally treated myself so I would have a quick read for the beginning of the semester. I am trying to get into modern poetry, as I usually read classic poetry, so leave me any recommendations you may have below. I have flipped through this and loved the illustrations and the few poems I have read. I have had a hard time saving this one for the start of the new semester.  

The Dumb House by John Burnside

I have heard lots of things about this one too, it sounds quite disturbing and I'm interested to see what themes it deals with and how it deals with them. 

Just Add Color Circus

My mom treated me to a new coloring book for the new school year, and I love this one. The images inside are so beautiful! I highly recommend checking this one out if you see it in the bookstore. I can't wait to listen to an audiobook and color during my homework breaks. 

What have you bought lately? Any modern poetry recommendations? How about coloring book recommendations? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Classic Female Writers 101

It would be my dream to take a class composed of solely female writers. I have talked about the lack of diversity on my required reading lists as an English major many times here on the blog. So today I have composed a reading list that I would love to see in a female writers class. I have read all these and will link you to my reviews. 

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

There are many improvements I would love to make to this list and many books by women I need to read yet. You will notice that there is only one woman of color on this list, which of course means I need to get to my giant TBR pile of books by women of color. 

 

1.  Persuasion by Jane Austen- 1817

Of course Austen had to make this list, this is one of my favorite Austen's and after studying it in class, I have really come to appreciate it and think about it quite often. This is a great Austen to start with, but of course I recommend all of her other works as well. 

2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- 1818

The only word to describe this novel is masterpiece; Shelley wrote this when she was only nineteen and it is one of the most brilliant novels I have ever read. The themes in this novel are so in-depth but the writing and plot are so easy to follow. This is a must read.

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte-1847

Jane Eyre is one of the most resilient characters in all of literature. I love this character-study novel and Jane's bravery. This is the only Charlotte Bronte I have read so far, but of course I have plans to read more.  

 

4. The Awakening by Kate Chopin- 1899

Kate Chopin is my home-girl. Her short stories will blow you away, and The Awakening is such a brave piece of writing for its time. I first read it in high school and hated it because I couldn't connect to it at the time, but reading it again while in my early-twenties blew me away. 

5. Trifles by Susan Glaspell- 1916 (Scroll to the bottom of the post for thoughts on this one)

This is a brilliant one act play that I am itching to reread. It has the cutting wit that great feminist pieces often have.

6. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf- 1929

This classic essay touches on the struggles of the woman artist and scholar. Trust me, it will have you nodding your head along in agreement the entire way through. 

 

7. Passing by Nella Larson-1929

This is a book that doesn't get enough love! This is a novel about race and women and has a great ending. I was so engaged the entire time I read this. 

8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath- 1963

One of my all-time favorite novels and one of my all-time favorite authors, Plath is a must read. If you are a young female student, this book will save your life. The brunt honestly that Plath writes with shocks and pleases me oh-so-much. 

9. Memoirs of a Beatnik by Diane di Prima- 1969

This is the memoir that di Prima was asked to write by her male publisher and not her real memoir (read my review for more info. on this because it's so interesting and infuriating.) This novel is a must read because of the commentary it makes on what is considered "interesting" from women writers. I'm really eager to read di Prima's real memoir, and make sure you check out her poetry too because its great.

10. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- 1985

Atwood is a modern staple in women writers, and this novel is disturbing and so important. If I could put one book in the hands of every human, it would be this one. 

What books did I miss? What did you think about any of these reads? 

Have a great school year if you're headed back to school! 

Recently Read: Only Ever Yours

Author: Louise O'Neill
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: 2014
Page Count: 406
Rating: 4.5/5

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Frieda lives in a world both different and very similar to the world we live in. Girls are no longer born but created in a lab and trained their entire lives to fit into one of three duties: a companion, a concubine, or a chaisty. The duty of companion and mother of sons is the most sought after, and every girl at Frieda's school is fighting for one of the ten spots available. Frieda has always been ranked second, underneath her best friend Isabel, until suddenly Isabel begins to pull away and Frieda begins to slip in the rankings. Her only options are get back on top anyway she can, or live her life in one of the other thirds, or worse, be sent underground. 

I bought this book a couple of years ago when I heard it described as the YA version of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, which is one of my favorite novels of all-time, and I finally got around to reading it. I follow Louise O'Neill on Twitter where she is such a vocal supporter of women's rights that it reminded me of this book sitting on my shelf and inspired me to pick it up. 

I agree that this novel has similar themes to Atwood's, but I don't think this is a "rip-off" or "teenage version" of that novel (as some of the reviews I have seen claim) as it deals with a lot of different ideas and themes as well as the overall common themes of feminism. I feel like some readers just lump every book that has a theme of feminism as one-in-the-same which is of course not true. Within the topic of feminism there are tons of different ideas, theories, themes, and challenges, and this novel does a great job of showcasing that.  

This is a dystopian future where females are valued for their beauty above all else, and secondly comes reproduction. This book is disturbing and jarring and a little too real. This book has so many elements of our current society in it that it begins to become more reality than fiction. This book deals with female-female competition, body image, relationships with food/ harmful eating habits/ sex and consent and so much more. It's a difficult read at times, but it's so compelling you won't be able to put it down. I read it in two sittings because I had to know how it was going to end. 

The end of this novel was fantastic. I really didn't know what was going to happen, and what did happen was jarring and impactful in the perfect way. This book is a great addition to the conversation around women's rights, and I think it's a great YA read. I love both this book and The Handmaid's Tale and young girls reading either of these novels makes me very happy. I respect YA novels that deal with heavy topics like this because it allows young readers to access and think about themes that they wouldn't discover if they didn't read adult books. I see no reason that adult and young adult can't cross-over and deal with heavy topics. 

I'm really interested in O'Neill's works and plan on picking up her second novel (also dealing with feminism in regards to rape and consent) very soon. I'm excited to see what she does in the future as I think she has a lot of potential and the courage to say what needs to be said. 

Poetry Spotlight: Spoken Word/Slam Poetry

In my second year of college I took an Introduction to Poetry class and I fell in love with reading poetry. Before then, poetry was always a little intimidating and a medium that I didn't have much experience with. But after that class, I became addicted to reading poetry, and during the class I actually found myself thinking in and expressing myself in poetry- which I never would have guessed would happen in a million years. So, with this series I'm here to share some of my favorite poems in a way that I'm sure will turn out rambley and unorganized.

See the Rest of the Poetry Spotlight Posts Here

I discovered the world of Youtube slam poetry by accident and haven't looked back since. I love seeing slam poets read existing poems as well as their own and here I've rounded up some of my favorite slam poetry performances for those wishing to dip their toes into the world of slam poetry. If you have a favorite slam poetry or poetry performance, I would love to hear about it!

One of my favorite elements of slam is the strong feminist themes that are a part of many of the poems. Many of these poems have feminist themes but because they are modern and the poets are so young, the perspective on feminism is so modern and relevant (not that feminism is ever not relevant but you know what I mean.) I love that spoken poetry is a place for young women's voices to be heard in such an honest and uncensored way.

If you want to enter the world of slam/spoken word poetry, the first name you need to know is Rhiannon McGavin. She is the current teen-poet laureate of Los Angles (which is a position I didn't even know existed) and is one of the better known slam poets. She has a Youtube channel and you can see her perform there as well as on other slam channels. Some of my favorite of her works include:

This poem she did with drawtheline.org for reproduction rights

This is the video I was introduced to Rhiannon through. Her she recites a poem by Charles Bukowski and then her original poem written in response.

The last one I will link is this one titled "Hereditary."

This is the accidentally discovered video that got me into slam. It's Alyssa Paul performing one of my all-time favorite poems by Plath "Daddy" and then her original response poem. This Plath poem really comes alive when it is read aloud and she does a great job.

Some of my favorite poems with feminist themes include:
"The Rape Poem to End All Rape Poems" (mature language in this one)
Kait Rokowski's "How to Cure a Feminist" (language again)
Karina Stow's "Trigger Warning"

So there's a list of my current favorite slam poems. I would love to update this list in this future when I have more to add, and I would also love for you to leave recommendations of your favorites!

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books That Have Been on my Shelves for Way too Long

I own a lot of books. I own a lot of books that have been unread for a long, long time. Here's ten of them. Someone make me read them!

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

*Book Titles Link to Goodreads*

 

1. Cold Mountain, Charles Fraizer 

2. Chronicles vol. 1, Bob Dylan

3. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers

 

4. Atonement, Ian McEwan  

5. The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

6. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Leslye Walton

7. Juliet Immortal, Stacey Jay

8. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden 

9. The Aviators Wife, Melanie Benjamin 

10. Emma Brown, Claire Boylan 

Recently Read: The Astronaut Wives Club

Author: Lilly Koppel
Genre: Nonfiction
Publication Date: 2013
Page Count: 265
Rating: 3/5

Add on Goodreads 

With the creation of NASA and the first astronauts in 1950s America in the midst of the Space Race, came the first astronaut's wives. The wives of the Mercury Seven became the focus of the media and the nation right alongside their husbands, and the title became a full-time job. Koppel tells the story of the wives of America's final frontier explorers, highlighting the often over-looked contributors to the Space Race.

This book has been on my radar and my shelves for a while, but I just decided to pick it up on a whim the other day. Space exploration is a subject that I don't really know a lot about, but I'm always interested in hearing the untold stories of women throughout history, so this book caught my attention. This was recently made into a T.V. show in the U.S. that was canceled after one season, which is a shame. After reading the book, I think this is a topic I would love to see a show on, but you know, majority female cast shows have to meet much higher ratings than other shows in order to stay on the air.

I found this book really interesting, I learned a lot about the Space Race and the wives and their astronauts. The 1950s were such an oppressive time for women in America and it was even more so for these wives who were expected to be the epitome of happy, middle-class America. Many of these women had professions and college degrees before marrying and dedicating themselves to their husband's career. It was really interesting to her about the talents and accomplishments on these women from both before and after their husband's fame. 

I wasn't crazy about the writing style of this book. The writing style seemed too personal and almost a little immature at times. It's hard for me to put my finger on the exact word to describe it, but it just seemed a little off to me. The organization of the book was also pretty lose, The narrative jumps around from wife-to-wife and jumps around in time. It's difficult to keep all of the wives straight because some are casually mentioned once or twice while others are focused on for a lengthy period of time, but because I was just reading this for leisure, I didn't mind being a little confused on which wife was married to which astronaut from time-to-time.

I was fascinated by the wives of the Mercury Seven and spent quite a long time researching them after finishing the book. The book includes two sections of color-photographs which I also loved seeing and spent an afternoon looking for more. This book has definitely peaked my interest in the space race, and was a nice addition to my history research mental bank. Studying the celebrity of these families and the image NASA wanted the wives to portray would be a great lens through which to examine the 1950's. 

If you're interested to see some pictures of the wives and families, here's a link.

As always, leave me your nonfiction recommendations below!

Theme Spotlight: Fictional Novels Featuring Real People

It's been a while since I have done a theme spotlight so here I am back at it today with fictional novels that feature real people. Many of these have female main characters because I love reading more about the women who have been pushed to the sidelines over the years. I have lots more on my TBR so you can expect a part two in the near future. 

Previous Theme-Spotlights:

Unique Form

Self-Discovery

Family Relationships

Faith and Spirituality in Classics

Gender in Young Adult

Review

McLain is one of my favorite adult historical fiction writers. She tells the story of real women so well. This is her second novel that was released this year and I loved it! I think I liked her debut a bit better but I think that's because it's about the literary world. This one is about Beryl Markham, a female pilot living in colonized Africa. I loved that this followed her from childhood to adulthood and how much of a free-spirit Markham was. This one has a connection with Out of Africa if you are interested in that.  

Review

This is a fictionalized account of Zelda Fitzgerald and her life with F. Scott. I find the Fitzgeralds just as fascinating as the next person so this was a great read. Again, this is one of those books that tells a well-known story from the woman's side. Foweler paints an amazing picture of the Lost Generation's Paris as does the next book on my list. 

This is McLain's debut which focuses on Hadley Hemingway, the first wife of the infamously masculine and jerkish Ernest Hemingway. Before reading this, I was not a fan of Hemingway as a person, I can't deny the quality of his writing but I don't like anything about him personally. This book did not change my mind but instead showed me the strength and class of his first wife. This book features a lot of 20's Paris literary and artistic legends and I was absolutely sucked in. In fact, it may be time for a reread. 

Another favorite from before blogging, this series contains Oscar Wilde as the solver of murders along with his circle of literary figures including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker. I love this series and how well Brandreth has captured Wilde's character. Another series I am hoping to revisit soon. 

Bonus: Inspired by a real woman

Review

More information about the inspiration for the book

This one is inspired by a true story and a real woman, but the characters did not exist. I had to add this one because it's a great female lead historical fiction novel that will make you feel every single emotion at once. 

Leave me your recommendations for fictional books about real people in the comments!

Recently Read: Places No One Knows

Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Genre: Young Adult/ Magical Realism
Publication Date: 2016
Page Count: 384
Rating: 4/5

Add on Goodreads 

On the surface Waverly is perfect. Best friend to the alpha female at school, track star, and wielding an extra-curricular list a mile-long. But at night, she doesn't sleep; she runs. Until one night she runs through her dreams to the house of Marshall the mysterious burn-out. Waverly continues to visit Marshall when she dreams and the two build a relationship, but can they bring their relationship into the day?

I've been on a pretty big magical realism kick lately and when I saw Maggie Stiefvater recommend this one on Goodreads, I immediately requested it from my library. I was really interested in the dream element of this novel, and I thought it was done super well.

This novel's strongest feature is the characters. Waverly is a sociopath. She's a genius, and a robot. She suffers from insomnia and presents a fake version of herself to others all day. Marshall is loveable and troubled. His character isn't as strong as Waverly because she is just so much more interesting than him, but he is fully developed and likeable in the way that burn-out-boys-who-are-having-trouble-at-home always are.

I thought the magical realism element was really well done and blended seamlessly with the contemporary story-line. The dynamic between characters was really interesting and hearing Waverly narrate her high school experience was interesting because of her personality. I thought this novel touched on some really great themes and I really liked how the topic of outgrowing friendships and faking it to fit in was addressed as it wasn't too dramatic. I also liked the the magical realism element was turned into a relatable situation; Waverly and Marshall's connection and relationship exists when they are alone but not when they are with other people. I would have liked to see a few of the side characters explored a bit more, particularly Autumn because she was so interesting to me.  

Also, this book has my new all-time-favorite and most-relatable quote of life:

"I've spent my life wishing gay dead men could be my boyfriend."

(cough, cough Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, James Dean etc. etc.)

This is the first work of Yovanoff''s I have read, but I am interested to read more as I have heard her other works are quite dark. As always, leave me recommendations for magical realism in the comments as well as which Yovanoff book I should read next!  

TBR Spotlight: Books About Art

I have been watching a series on Netflix called Raiders of the Lost Art which is a T.V. show about lost and stolen art and how it has been recovered. I have always been interested in art history and took an art history class a few years ago in college and loved it. Watching the show has reawakened my interest in the art world and art history so I have been itching to pick up the books on my TBR that involve art or the art world. Here's a few on my list! Also recommend you check out the T.V. show. 

The painting on the front of this one was actually just mentioned in an episode I watched about The Girl with the Pearl Earring as the book cover has drawn interest to the painting in a similar way that the book with the same title drew attention to Vermeer's painting. I have of course heard nothing but praise for Tart so I really need to get to her. 

I've heard good things about this one which was nominated for the Bailey's Prize and the art world element really intrigues me.  

I haven't read anything by Smith yet, but I have heard nothing but great reviews of her works. This one tells two stories, one of which is a story about a Renaissance artist.  

This is a nonfiction work about the team that recovered stolen and seized art after WWII. I have been fascinated with the saga of stolen art taken by Hitler and his officers during the War and would love to read more about it and the team that recovered these priceless works of art.  

What's your favorite novel that revolves around art of the art world? 

Recently Read: The Serpent King

Author: Jeff Zentner
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: 2016
Page Count: 384
Rating: 4/5

Add on Goodreads

Dill lives in small-town, religious America. His father is a Pentecostal minister of a church that deals in dangerous trusts with God, well he was until he was arrested. Now Dill is feeling stuck in his life and town, trying to make ends meet with his mom and shouldering guilt for his father's actions. The two bright spots in his life are his best friends Travis and Lydia. The three teens battle to both accept and escape their small town as they graduate from high school,

I had heard a lot of good things about this book but didn't really know what it was about when I picked it up so I was pleasantly surprised with the themes that it dealt with. I loved the theme of the small-town struggle and how religion was dealt with in this novel. I haven't read a lot of YA novels that deal with questioning and accepting religion the way this one does. I come from a small rural town myself and know the large part religion plays in the lives of many that live this way. The religion in this novel is intense, bordering on a cult, and it's hold is a vital part of Dill and his character development. I am not religious myself, but I found this element of the novel really fascinating and it felt very authentic.

I loved Travis; he was unashamedly himself at all times, which I admired very much. He is fiercely loyal and adds great contrast to Dill. Lydia, I had some issues with. To me, she almost felt a little too typical teenage-girl-in-a-YA-novel but at times she had moments of growth and development that I appreciated. Dill was a great character, he was real and complicated and deserving of sympathy; he made real and important growth. 

This book did a great job of honestly portraying the struggle that many kids from small towns face when trying to move on to better and bigger things. I really felt for Dill and was happy for the progress he made in this novel; I thought this was a great and unique coming of age novel that dealt with issues beyond the typical YA issues that were still very much real. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporaries, but I really enjoyed this and flew threw it in two days. I would recommend picking this one up if you are a contemporary buff looking for something a little different, or if you aren't a fan of the typical contemporary. I'm very interested to see what Zentner will do in the future. 

End of the Summer (Hopeful) TBR

AH! August is the beginning of the end for summer vacation. At the end of August I start my last semester of classes before student teaching, which means my reading time for the next year (or really the rest of my life) will be limited. So here's a quick list of books that I want to squeeze in before the end of the summer in between finishing my online class and studying for certification tests (big sad/stressed face.)

 

Trying to knock a couple of books off on my Classics Club Women's Lit event TBR with these two. I haven't made a lot of progress with this list this year as last semester was so much busier than I expected, but I want to keep going and carry over whatever I don't get done to next year. George Elliot's essay Silly Novels by Lady Novelists caught my attention when I came across it while writing a paper on the Domestic Novel for a lit class last fall and Elizabeth Bowen is an author I really think I'm going to like.

 

I still haven't gotten to this much beloved sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury, because I forgot pretty much everything about book one. I think this will be a great book to end the summer with (after I find a recap of the first book) as it's a fun series with a kick-butt female and some sexy times. I've heard over-and-over that this is way better than book one. Bone Gap won the Printz award recently and is magical realism. That's really all I need to hear to want to pick it up.

What are you trying to squeeze in before the end of the summer?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books at the Top of My Wishlist

Books are always at the top of my wishlist so the hardest part about this week's topic was narrowing it down to just ten! Let me know which ones I should buy right this very second! You can add me on Goodreads to see the rest of the books on my wishlist. 

Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish 

Book Titles Link to Goodreads! 

1. So Sad Today, Melissa Broder

I don't have a lot of experience with modern essays, but this collection has caught my eye! I love the Twitter account, so I would love to experience Broder's writing in full. 

2. Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen 

I have been wanting to pick this one up ever since reading McLain's newest novel Circling the Sun which features the author (Karen Blixen) and Beryl Markham (who has her own character in this novel and is the main character in McLain's novel). 

3. Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susana Clarke
I have heard great things about this one, and almost picked it up the other day, but it's so huge I know I won't be getting to it anytime soon! I really want to read it and watch the mini-series soon though!

4. Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and her Daughter Mary Shelley, Charlotte Gordon 
Another chunker of a novel I've had in my hands many times in the bookstore; this one is right up my alley. I spent a lot of time with Shelley and her masterpiece Frankenstein last semester and I find her and her mother fascinating women much before their time. I will pick this one up soon!

5. Wonder Woman the New 52 Vol 1-4
I've read vol. 1-3 and really enjoyed them and picked up vol. 5 and 6 from Bookoutlet so I would like to collect the series so I can reread and continue to read them. Why must graphic novels be so expensive??

6. Cat Woman the New 52 Vol 1-2
Same story here. I have vol 3 from Bookoutlet but need 1 and 2 since I haven't started this series yet.

 

7. Their Fractured Light, Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
I really liked These Broken Stars and bought the second book but haven't read it yet. I need to get the third one in hardcover to match my other two because they are just too pretty. 

8. Air Awakens, Elise Kova 
This series looks like a lot of fun. I love a kick-ass female lead and I think this series will deliver. 

9. And I Darken, Kirsten White
I've heard lots of good things about this one, and I love the idea of gender-bet historical retellings. Plus see love for kick-ass female leads mentioned above.

10. Recollections of My Life as a Woman: The New York Years, Diane di Prima 
I read di Prima's fake memoir Memoirs of a Beatnik (the content was influenced by male editors as di Prima needed the money) and was so interested to hear the real story of this female Beat poet that I immediately put her real memoir on my wishlist. The Beat scene was dominated by men and masculinity so I would love to hear how di Prima forged herself a path in the scene.

Let me know which of these I should buy first! What's on your wishlist? Let me know so I can add it to my ever-growing wishlist!