Feminist Nonfiction Haul (I mean, you can't say you're surprised)

In this post, I talked about how out of control my feminist nonfiction TBR list was, so naturally, I bought some of the books off of it. I thought it was about time I got around to reading some of these books, and the first step to that is having them on hand. I've now got quite a pile on my unread shelves, but I have been really loving reading nonfiction lately. I think nonfiction is easier to read than fiction when I'm super busy because I can go a week without picking up my book and not feel totally lost. Here's a look at the three new nonfiction additions to my immediate TBR.

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon

I've had my eye on this doorstop of a novel about this mother-daughter literary duo for a while now. 650 pages seems about right for these two literary ladies who had such exciting literary and love lives. I am really interested in both authors personally, as well as their works, so I think I will really enjoy this one. I can see this one being the perfect winter read. 

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

I actually had this one out from my library as an ebook and read fifty pages before I knew I had to own a copy of this because I was itching to mark and tab every chapter. I loved how insightful Steinem is in this novel, and I am really looking forward to reading more about her and her work. I'm also looking to pick up her essays sometime in the near future. 

Savage Beauty  by Nancy Milford

Yet another doorstop of a biography I have had my eye on for ages. Millay is one of my all-time favorite poets and typing up my Literary Look post on her had me itching to read more about her. I know she was pretty unique for her time and I'm really interested to read more about the tidbits I already know and learn completely new things. 

Happy Banned Books Week!

Artwork courtesy of the ALA

As per tradition, I'm here to share a quick post in support of Banned Books Weeks sponsored by the American Library Association. I have always been a reader of banned and challenged books, but as of this year, I am also a teacher of banned and challenged books. In our current political climate, which seems to be made up of extremes, discussing censorship and information withholding is more important than ever. 

Looking at the list of the most frequently challenged books of the past year from the ALA website, makes it clear that book challenging is not about protecting children as it is so often sited as, but about restricting reader's abilities to see themselves and others that differ from themselves in literature. Of the top ten, half were challenged because of their honest portrayal of gender and sexual orientation diversity. While this is not surprising, it is disheartening. 

As always, I encourage you to check out the American Library Association's website (linked above under the picture) and I will leave the link to report the removal or ban of a book or piece of work in your area.

Have a happy week (and life) of reading banned books! 

Banned Books Week Posts:

2016 Here and Here

2015

2014

2013

Recently Read: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Author: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Genre: Nonfiction
Page Count: 222
Publication Date: 2017
Rating: 4/5

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I put in a hold for this audiobook from my library when the book first came out, and it finally came in a week or so ago at the perfect time. I have a half-hour commute to and from my school and I just couldn't take the radio anymore. I listened to this in about a week and I loved it. It is narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who of course has a lovely narrator voice, and contained just enough information about a range of topics to be interesting without being boring.

I am both terrified and fascinated by space. I took an astronomy class in college to fulfill my science credit, and I lost some sleep that semester over the scary happenings of space, but I was also so fascinated by space and the idea of humans working so hard to find the answers to the biggest questions concerning us. This book covers a range of space topics in a shallow way that makes for easy reading (or in my case listening) I did not understand everything in this book (and probably never will) but not because of the way it was presented, just because that is the nature of  the science of space. Neil DeGrasse Tyson uses beautiful metaphors and humor to make the complexities of space more manageable. This book is the perfect mix of science, theory, and antidotes. Tyson makes science sound like an art form, which I really loved. 

My thoughts and thinking about science has really changed over recent years. Past me would have turned my nose up at science as something that I just couldn't understand, relate to, or even care about. But in the past two years or so, I have begun to see the beauty and poetic nature of science; it's not at odds with art or other forms of human creation. My language and literature centered brain can in fact appreciate and understand elements of the scientific world. 

If you are interested in astronomy at any level, I recommend this book. This is a book I can see myself rereading in the future in order to experience Tyson's beautiful metaphors again as well as to receive the information again to help it stick. Listening to this book while driving to work in the dark of the early morning was a great way to start my day and has cemented my desire to pick up more audiobooks for my commute. 

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall TBR

I'm not sure how much reading I will be getting done this fall as I have just started teaching. I am writing up this post quite far in advance, so I have no idea how much reading current me is doing! Here's some books that I would like to curl up with this fall. You'll notice I crave historical fiction and mysteries in the fall and winter seasons!
Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling 
I have been working my way through this series, and this is the next in line. I really want to dive into this one and continue with this reread, but the size mixed with my limited reading time is making me hesitant. I might find myself diving into this comfort read in the midst of things anyways.

2. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, Stephanie Barron
Fall is the perfect time to read mysteries! I have been wanting to dig into this series where Jane Austen solves mysteries for a while because it sounds so cute! I think fall will be the perfect time to start this series.

3. More than This, Patrick Ness
This book has been calling my name from my shelf for a long time.

 

4. A Tyranny of Petticoats, Jessica Spotswood
I really think I will love this collection, but for whatever reason, I haven't dug into it yet. With a second volume coming out next year, I really want to get into this one!

5. Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel  
This book is number one on my buy list right now! I've heard that this is a decent start to the series but that the second one is better and I really want to dig in! I've really been craving some quality science fiction lately.

6. The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue, Mackenzi Lee
I've been hearing lots of great things about this one, and I love the sound of the premise. I really want to pick this one up and dig in!

7. Dust Tracks on a Road, Zora Neal Hurston
I've been loading up my TBR with feminist nonfiction, and this is one I want to get to very soon!

8. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters 
I loved Water's Fingersmith so I'm eager to read more from her. Her books always have a mysterious element to them, and a great historical atmosphere, which screams fall to me.

9. Other Voices, Other Rooms, Truman Capote 
I've been meaning to read more of Capote's fiction since I have only read his short stories. I think this novel will be perfect for fall as it sounds a bit creepy and strange.

10.  All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doer
Another book that has been on my TBR forever and would be perfect for the fall weather! 

My Feminist Non-Fiction TBR List is Out of Control, Ya'll!

The other day, I was going through my Goodreads TBR shelf, and realized I had a lot of nonfiction on my TBR that I really wanted to get to, upon further inspection, I noticed that most of that nonfiction had feminist themes. Now, this isn't really surprising since I love to read about and study gender and gender issues, but it did remind me of a number of really interesting sounding books I want to get to very soon. So, here's a look at a few of the feminist nonfiction novels on my TBR. Check out my Goodreads to see both my feminist and nonfiction shelves.

My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem

Steinem is a feminist icon that I admittedly don't know much about. I will be picking this one up first, as I have an ebook copy from my library, and I'm hoping it will serve as a good introduction to Steinmen. I have spent a lot more time reading about the first wave of feminism, as compared to the second, so I'm interested to read more about the second wave and hear it from someone who was there!  

Savage Beauty, Nancy Milford

If you read my most recent Poetry Spotlight on Millay, you'll know she is one of my favorite poets, and she lived a very interesting and unconventional life. She was openly bisexual, had many public affairs during her long-time marriage, and was an activist in the political sphere, all while remaining one of the best and most recognized poets of her time as well as the the twentieth century. I'm really eager to learn more about Millay, and this 600-plus page biography seems perfect for that. 

Train Wreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear.. and Why

by Sady Doyle

This one sounds really interesting as it covers the way women in the public eye are viewed and discussed by the general public. It covers a range of women including Britney Spears, Billie Holiday, Hillary Clinton, and more. With the more recent tendencies to examine the sexist language and thought patterns in the media towards women, I think this book will be both interesting and important. 

And of course, leave me some recommendations of feminist nonfiction in the comments! 

Recently Reread: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (and thoughts on comfort)

Author: J.K. Rowling
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: 2000
Page Count: 734
Rating: 5/5

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If you read this post, you will know that I am starting a new endeavor as a student teacher and completing my internship to receive my teaching degree. Because this is a big, scary, and unpredictable experience, I have been feeling nervous lately. So, I decided to pick up one of my favorite comfort reads, Harry Potter. 

I've been rereading this series for the past year or so, picking one up every once and a while, and this was the next in line for my reread. I took this one to the beach with me when I went for a long weekend, and I loved getting back into this world. Goblet of Fire is the novel where the books start to take a dark turn, and the plot really kicks into high gear. I remember reading that one line in the novel (the one where the first death takes place) over and over when I first read this book, because I thought that I had to have read it wrong. I was shocked to read that line, and completely enthralled with this book. That was the first time I really understood the evil that was in this novel, and I think that the ending of this book is one of the best endings in the series.    

One of the reasons I think Harry Potter is such a comfort read for me, is that each time I reread one of the books, I remember reading them for the first time as a young kid. It invokes the joy of being a kid, staying up way past your bedtime, curled in bed, and reading a book that you can't put down. Each time I reread these books, they get funnier, and the genius of Rowling's character development and symbols become more apparent. I love that I loved these novels for the story as a kid, and now as an adult, I love them for the story and the literary elements that they display so well. I find new things in this story every time I read it, and they truly are timeless. 

Of course, after finishing this I was itching to pick up Order of the Phoenix but I decided to wait on it a bit since that is the largest novel in the series. But I see myself picking it up very soon! 

A Few of my Favorite Unreliable Narrators

One of my favorite elements to find in a book is an unreliable narrator. Although it is difficult to get just right, unreliable narrators and unlikeable characters are fascinating to read about, and you know an author is good when they master these elements. A well-done unreliable narrator will keep the reader on their toes and prevent them from getting comfortable and solid footing at times, which I love. Here's a compilation of some of my favorite unreliable narrators, and please leave me your recommendations for similar books below!

Book Titles Link to Reviews!

The Dumb House by John Burnside

I was totally captured by this novel. It was violent and dramatic, but I couldn't stop reading! Luke is a great narrator, as like any good unreliable narrator, he is crazy yet believes himself totally justified! I really enjoyed writing the review for this one as I had a LOT of thoughts after finishing this one!

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

It's been quite a while since I have read this one and I would love to reread it soon, but I remember being enthralled with the beautiful writing in this novel. Nabokov just wrote this novel to prove the power of beautiful words, and trust me, he is successful. You end up feeling for Humbert Humbert during the course of the novel even though you know you shouldn't. Nabokov was truly a master of the written word.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

I am becoming a huge fan of Jackson's writing, and this short novel was so thought provoking and eerie. Merrikat is the perfect unreliable narrator; the narration and mysterious atmosphere keeps you guessing at the truth for the whole novel.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is one of my all-time favorite novels, and a novel I will die to defend! A lot of people dislike this book or think it's overrated and I couldn't disagree more! This book is full of unlikable characters, that serve a purpose to the story and themes, and Nick (while not crazy like a lot of unreliable narrators) is not always truthful. His biased and unchecked narration is essential to the reader's 'larger-than-life' perception of Gatsby and the unflattering perceptions of the novel's other characters. Man, I could write a book about this novel, which is how you know it's worth the hype! 

What unreliable narrators do you love?  Introduce me to my new favorite unreliable narrator!

Recently Read: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Modern Classic
Page Count: 146
Publication Date: 1962
Rating: 4/5

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Also by Shirley Jackson:
The Lottery and Other Stories

The Blackwood family has lived in their mansion house for generations. New women move in each generation, bringing their own dishware with them, adding layers to the house, but the newest layer added to the Blackwood mansion is murder. Mary Kathrine's sister Constance has been accused of murdering her family, and although she was found innocent, the town refuses to forget it. 

As soon as I finished Jackson's short story collection, I treated myself to the beautiful Penguin Deluxe Edition of this novel as I knew I would love it, and I did. I am now eager to read everything Jackson put out. I read this one in two sittings because I couldn't put it down. 

This novel is eerie in the same vein as Jackson's short stories; Jackson doesn't rely on the supernatural or the paranormal to make the reader uneasy, instead she uses the everyday, and ordinary people, to create the eerieness of her stories. Jackson is a master at showcasing that the real monster is man (think Twilight Zone) and I love every minute of it. This story was extremely character driven, and I lover Merrikat as a narrator. Merrikat's narration of the story added a prefect veil of mystery over the story that mixed beautifully with the Gothic atmosphere of the mansion. 

This novel deals with themes of isolation and suspicion as well as loyalty and guilt. The novel leaves many questions unanswered, but gives you enough clues to come to a conclusion of your own. Many critics site this as Jackson's most personal novel as she was dealing with agoraphobia (fear of leaving her house) while she wrote this novel, which happens to have been her last completed project. Jackson's works are always an intimate and unsettling look into the human mind and human tendencies, and leave me feeling creeped out but so entertained. This is a book that would be great to discuss with other people, and something I would love to see on film. I know there is one film adaptation, but I don't know anything about it. Let me know it you have seen it! 

What's your favorite Jackson novel? I'll be on the look-out for her novels every time I visit a bookstore now!