Recently Read: Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers who Changed the World

Author: Rachel Ignotofsky
Genre: Nonfiction- Young Readers
Publication Date: 2016
Page Count: 128
Rating: 4/5

Add on Goodreads 

This is an anthology aimed at younger readers featuring short biographies and facts about fifty women who have made important advances in the STEM field. Each woman is accompanied by an illustration, facts about themselves, and details regarding her findings. 

This book is so cool! Every elements of it is so well-done and compelling. The art work is adorable, but it doesn't make the book feel too cutesy or take away from the amazing work these woman have done. The bios are short enough to make this a fast read, but have enough detail to spark interest and curiosity. I have to admit, I spent longer looking up more information about these women than I spent reading the book. I was introduced to so many new awesome ladies that I will be researching in the future! I was only familiar with a handful of the women in this book, which was great because it meant I was introduced to so many new names. 

Check out the author's website to see this image and 

others from the book here. 

I really appreciated the range of women that were included in this book. The book ranges from Hypatia, born in 350 C.E., to Maryam Mirzakhani, born in 1977. Women from all around the world are included, and their achievements outside of science are also included. A large number of these women are honored suffragettes, civil rights activists, and peace ambassadors, and I loved that this information was included alongside their scientific achievements. Although this book is aimed at younger readers, it did not feel simple. The author does not shy away from including the science and math involved in these women's findings, and the information is engaging but easy to understand.

I also loved that the author included the struggles that many of these women faced in order to be accepted in colleges and graduate programs, as well of those who were snubbed of their rightful acknowledgments because they were women working in the scientific field. One of the only things I remember from my high school science classes is the fact that Rosalind Franklin discovered and proved DNA's double helix structure, not Watson and Crick. I was surprised at some of the treatment that these women endured at the hands of higher-education institutions, and I'm really glad that information was included in this book. Another, and more positive, common theme I saw between a lot of these women, were husbands who doubled as research partners. Some of the couples in this book are seriously #relationshipgoals. As soon as I read about Gerty Cori's husband carrying her around her lab when she became to ill to move around it herself, I immediately Googled books about them, and unfortunately, came up short.    

I hope that with books like this, and the recent success of novels/films such as Hidden Figures and The Imitation Game we continue to tell the stories of these unknown women who have helped to build our society. I know I'm dying to hear these stories, and I think that big media companies are realizing that other people are interested in these stories too. I checked this book out from the library, but will be searching out my own copy ASAP. I also recommend checking out the author's website as she does beautiful illustrations and sells prints of them, including prints from the book. I am dreaming of putting her Women Activists poster in my classroom. 

If you have any recommendations of books/movies/documentaries similar to this, let me know! 

Need Something to Watch? Try This!

I've been wanting to write up a post about what I have been watching and loving recently on Netflix, but haven't gotten around to it. In the past half-year or so, I've watched a lot of things that I want to recommend to other people, but I thought I would just highlight a couple today in this post. As always, my to-watch list is a mile long, but I'm really into supernatural T.V. shows right now (the older the better) so leave me your recommendations if you have some!

Twin Peaks

I have recently rewatched the original Twin Peaks in preparation for the reboot with my brother who had never seen the show. (I haven't started the reboot yet, so no spoilers please!) This show took over my life the first time I watched it, which was this past winter right around the end of the semester. I finished the whole series in about four days and was floored by the supernatural scenes. This show is so interesting and was groundbreaking for 1990 when it first aired. If you are unfamiliar, it is part soap-opera parody part supernatural thriller and entertaining as all get out. If you haven't watched this yet, it's a must. The juxtaposition of the soap-opera drama with David Lynch's dream-logic supernatural scenes are so jarring in the best way possible. I'll never forget the first time I watched the second episode in the series and experienced the Black Lodge; I was floored. This show really started my obsession with old supernatural T.V. shows, and now that's all I want to watch. This show is funny, over-the-top dramatic, and creepy. It's a must watch. 

The Crown

 

The Netflix original The Crown about Queen Elizabeth II took over my life last semester as well. This show had a HUGE budget, and it really shows. I loved the cast chosen for each part and the drama. I'm a history minor, so I love a good historical drama and this one delivered! I flew through this season and then immediately Googled when to expect season two. I discovered that they will cast new cast members to play the cast as they age on the show, which I think is a brilliant idea, and I'm eager to see how it turns out. I'll definitely be rewatching the first season before the second one comes out. This show left me in the mood to read all of the historical biographies and historical fiction on my shelves. 

The Keepers

*TW: SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE*

The Keepers is a multiple part true-crime documentary made for Netflix revolving around the decades old murder of a nun turned public school teacher. My mom and I have been watching a lot of true-crime documentaries lately, and when this one came out, we decided to start it on a whim. All I can say about this one is WOW. This documentary deals with a lot of very heavy and heartbreaking topics, including sexual and physical abuse within the Catholic Church. This was so heart breaking to watch, but so worth it. There are so many fearless and strong women in this series. While I didn't enjoy this in the traditional sense of a light T.V. show, it was such a powerful and engaging watch. I highly recommend this one, just be ready for some tears and anger. 

Packed in a Trunk 

This lovely documentary was discovered on a whim by my mom, and I'm so glad she discovered it. It's about a woman's search to understand the life story of her great-aunt, Edith Lake, who was an amazing artist before she was institutionalized in her early 50s. This documentary has smart and witty real-life women, amazing art, history, and the discovery of forgotten female artists; is there anything else you could ask for? This is a hidden gem that I highly recommend you check out. It will leave you feeling inspired and determined. 

What have you been watching lately? Any good old Sci-fi to recommend?  

Literary Look: Modernism

I'm finally bringing back one of my favorite series I've started on the blog: Literary Look. If you are new to these posts, I use them to take a look at the authors and works (and sometimes art pieces in other forms such as traditional art and music) that make up an artistic/literary movement.

Today, I was interested in the Modernist moment, so I decided to record my findings in a post.

You can see the past Literary Look posts here

General Information

The Modernist movement is set in the early 1900s with beginnings in the late 1800s. The movement really picks up momentum after the end of WWI in the 1910s. This movement was of course a response and rejection of earlier movements, such as Realism, as well as a physical representation of the distress caused the utter destruction and violence of WWI. The slogan of this movement was coined by Ezra Pound: "Make it new" and the movement desired to do just that. Authors explored the complexities of the human mind in new narrative styles. Literary terms such as stream of consciousness, the unreliable narrator (one of my personal favorites), and multiple points of view narration were introduced and used by many of the prominent authors in this movement. Many in this movement were inspired by the works of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, as well as the idea of questioning the rationality of the human mind. Works of psychology and philosophy were of particular importance and influence to this movement because of how heavily the works dealt with the human mind and the stream of consciousness narrative style. 

Many historians have chosen 1910 as the start date for this movement, but earlier works can be fit into the movement as well. 

Major Authors and Works 

James Joyce

Joyce's most well-known works include Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Yong Man, The Dubliners, and Finnegan's Wake. Joyce is one of the most well-known contributors to the Modernist Movement, and his novels were highly experimental for the time. Many of his works use the stream of consciousness narrative style, which adds to the difficulty of their reading. Ulysses covers the events in the life of the main character over a twenty-four hour period, in the style of Homer's The Odyssey, in a stream of consciousness narrative style. Finnegan's Wake is a stream of consciousness narrative written in puns and word-plays, much in the style of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. Joyce's short stories are much easier to read and less intimidating than these two huge works, and they are all I have read of Joyce myself.   

Virginia Woolf 

Woolf is an author that interests me greatly, as I have not read many of her works. Her fiction pieces such as To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway are two of the most popular Modernist novels. Both use a stream of consciousness narrative style and focus on the inner thoughts of her characters. Her works were popular while she was alive and tend to focus on lyrical inner-narratives rather than plot. Woolf was also a pioneer in the literary world of writing about gender, her essay A Room of One's Own illustrates the difficulties that women writers face because of their gender, and her novel Orlando deals with gender and society's black-and-white view of it. Woolf suffered from depression and mental illness, and killed herself in 1941 by drowning.

Franz Kafka

Kafka's works, originally written in German, have come to define the Modernism Movement and Surrealist Literature. His works deal with themes of isolation, anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include, The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle. I read The Metamorphosis quite a while ago, you can read my old review here, but I would like to read it again to see how I feel about it now that I have been studying literature for such a long time. I am also eager to try The Trial. Kafka also has a very interesting collection of drawings that accompany the Modernist Movement quite well.    

Poetry and Poets 

T.S. Elliot

You can read my poetry spotlight on The Wasteland here. 

Carlos Williams Carlos 

Carlos William Carlos' poems are very interesting, and much like the poems of Pound below. His poems are short and without a lot of poetic language and devices. His most famous poem is The Red Wheel Barrow, which you have probably read, but also check out This is Just to Say and Complete Destruction.

Ezra Pound 

Pound was a silent leader of the Modernism movement, offering advice and council to many authors including Elliot, but never published anything too well-known himself. He has published quite a few poems and of course they fit in with the Modernism movement. His poems are quite accessible compared to Elliot's. His poems include In a Station of the Metro, "A Girl", and A Pact. 

Other Art Pieces

Picasso and Cubism

Les Demoiselles D'avignon

Georgia O'Keeffe 

Ram's Head with Hollyhock 

The Treachery of Images by Rene Magritte 

 More Information

Wikepeida's Modernism Page

Modernism Art Pieces

Norton's Anthology of English Literature- Modernism

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? 

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? 

Reflections on Comic Con, Loot, and Reflections on Women in Comics

This past Saturday, I went to my third Comic Con which is always a lot of fun. If you aren't familiar with comic con, it's basically an event to celebrate all things fandom and comic. People dress up in amazing quality costumes, actors from T.V. shows and movies (usually minor actors and actresses at my state's comic con) sign autographs and take pictures with fans, people are selling comics and tshirts every where, and artists sell all kinds of art. The comic con in my state is much smaller than say the San Diego Comic Con, but it's still a lot of fun.

I thought I would show you what I picked up this year for art and comics because I'm pretty excited about my finds.

I got two small art pieces this year, both by the same artist. I was really excited to see this Ms. Marvel art, as this was the only time I had come across her on any art at the convention. Oddly enough, right before I saw this art, I saw an actual girl dressed up as Ms. Marvel and I was so happy to see that because I love this new series and the way women are represented in the comic. I was on the hunt for Wonder Woman art that day, but everything I saw was pretty generic and was just copies of original artwork, so I decided to go with this smaller piece until I found a larger one I really like in the future. I also picked up this metal Rey bookmark with a print of someone's original art, and I am soooo excited to use it in my next read!

These are the Wonder Woman comics I picked up (featuring my sleeping cat.) I used to read and buy comics all the time as a kid because my dad was (and still is to some extent) a huge comic collector, but it's been years since I have read one or picked one out. I just picked these up pretty randomly, I have no idea of their place in a bigger series or timeline, but I'm not really too worried about that as I'm just picking them up for fun. I would have loved to spend more time at the comic booths and get a ton more, and I think next year I will! These comics have quite a range of dates, and I would love to display the covers of a few of them because I love the art. I will be displaying the top right and bottom left corner covers for sure.

I also picked up this Robin collection in hardback for five dollars (the original price on the back is fifty dollars) with original comics from the late 40's. These should be a lot of fun to read, as the premise of some of them are so cheesy (for instance, the atom bomb gets stolen and must be recovered by Robin in one issue.)

Being at a comic convention made me do a lot of thinking about women in comics, particularly as I was skimming the cover of hundreds of Wonder Woman comics. Obviously male superheros dominated the comic selection, white, male superheros that is, and they also dominated the art work at the vendor booths, but many of the Wonder Woman comic covers were quite interesting to me. Even though Wonder Woman is the main hero of her comic series and kicks some major behind, many of the covers portrayed her at moments of weakness while fighting an opponent, I found that quite interesting when placed side-by-side with say Batman and Superman covers where they almost always appear to be concurring evil with minimal effort. I think comics have come a long way, and the New 52 does a great job with the woman characters, the ones I have read anyways, and that's really great to see. Here's a couple example covers that I saw at comic con and thought were quite interesting.

1968 Text bubble on both: "Next to these Wonder Men-- I'm not a Wonder Woman"

1975 bubble: "Take a look at your beautiful face Wonder Woman. In a moment, I'll have it."

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on women in comics, comics in general, (where do you buy them, do you read them in order, etc,) and Comic Con! I really want to start building a collection of recent comics in graphic novel form and older comics in single issues.

Things I'm Loving Lately

I thought I would compile a little list of things that I have been loving lately. I would love to know what you have been loving lately, in any or all categories, so let me know!
T.V. Gilmore Girls 
I'm currently making my way through Gilmore Girls on Netflix, I'm on season three right now, and I'm obsessed! I love the humor and heart in this show and the complex dynamics of all the different relationships. I love Stars Hollow and Rory's reading taste. I'm planning to watch more over break, but so far I have been resisting so I can get some reading done. I will be so sad to finish this show, as I love it so much, but I have heard a few details about a reboot in the near future which makes me very, very happy!

People Frida Kahlo 
Over the summer, I went to see the Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera exhibit at The Detroit Art Institute and ever since seeing her artwork and learning more about her life, I have been really interested in her. She was such an exceptional painter, and all of her works are so personal and moving. A lot of her works deal with pregnancy and the miscarriage she suffered and it's heartbreaking but I love the raw element of womanhood that it brings to her art. I would really love to read some biographies on her and have added a few to my Goodreads TBR.

The Two Fridas 

Music Justin Beiber and The Neighbourhood
I have been loving Beiber's newest album Purpose which I think we can all agree that everyone was surprised at how enjoyable it was. But I have also been loving The Neighbourhood, who I have been listening to for years. I just bought their latest release from earlier this year, Wiped Out! and I have been playing it on constant repeat. I really like these guys, their lyrics double as poetry and have a darkness to them, but just a hint. They are the band that sings Sweater Weather which you may remember from a few years ago as it was on the radio every other second for a while. So check them out if you are looking for some new music!

Movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens and particularly BB8  
I grew up in a Star Wars home. My younger brother has loved, and I mean LOVED, the series since he was about four (he's almost 18 now) so my house has always been covered in memorabilia and talk about Star Wars. I have of course seen all the movies, but I never considered myself a mega-fan, but I really loved the new movie. I loved the strong female lead (amazing, amazing!) and I loved the nostalgic feeling I got while watching the movie even though I was never a mega-fan myself. I think it's amazing when stories can bring so many different people together for so long like this franchise has, and the energy and loyalty that comes with it is amazing. It was cool to see my brother so excited and nervous for it, and BB8 is the cutest thing I have seen in forever! I'm on a mission to buy myself a plush BB8 for my bed now. So, if you haven't seen The Force Awakens yet, I recommend that you do, even if you aren't a super-fan. 

Recently Read: In the Shadow of Blackbirds

Author: Cat Winters
Genre: Young Adult/ Paranormal Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 2013
Page Count: 387
Rating: 5/5

Add on Goodreads

Also by Cat Winters:
The Cure for Dreaming 

Mary Shelley Black is named after, you guessed it, the author of Frankenstein. She is living in America during the Spanish Flu of 1918 and WWI; the country is paranoid about spies and germs and no one rests easy. After her father is arrested for voicing his political opinion Mary Shelly is sent to live with her young widowed aunt where she is reunited with her childhood crush Steven and his older brother who is a spirit photographer claiming to capture spirits of the dead in the photographs of loved ones. Mary Shelley doesn't believe in spirit photography, she prefers science, but events begin to change her mind.

First of all, I love Cat Winters' novels. She is so great at paranormal historical fiction, and this novel along with The Cure for Dreaming weaves in old photographs into the story that really add to the creepy atmosphere of the novel. The second thing I love about Cat Winters is the way she writes young female characters that defy their time-period and seek independence. Mary Shelley is a young woman interested in science, something quite uncommon and frowned upon by 1918 standards. She is outspoken and never shy about voicing her opinion. 

This book was actually much darker and more emotional than I expected it to be. The added element of WWI and Mary Shelley's childhood crush going off to war added a depth of emotion to the creepy elements of the story. I think I would go as far as to say that I liked this one more than The Cure for Dreaming which is saying a lot. I loved the science elements and how they mixed with the spiritual elements of the novel. I loved the part where Mary Shelley goes to the library and reads poems and first hand accounts of the war (naturally) and I loved the photographs chosen for this novel.    

This is a perfect Halloween read for those who like historical fiction or paranormal. Winters builds the terrified and death-filled atmosphere of 1918 America perfectly, and the mystery element of the plot is quite intense and hard to put down. 

Literary Look: The Gothic Novel

Finally back with another Literary Look post, and one that I'm very excited for: (although I'm always excited for these posts) The Gothic literary movement! Make sure you check out my other Literary Look posts (linked below) for more literary fun! (Yay!)

Read my Previous Literary Look Posts Here

It may be helpful to read my two posts, European Romanticism and American Romanticism before this one, as Gothic Literature is a branch off of Romanticism, but you won't have to in order to follow this post.


General Information:
Gothic literature falls under the larger umbrella of Romantic literature, and was mainly popular in England from 1790-1830. Gothic literature is characterized by a combination of Romantic elements with horror, and inspiration was drawn from horror stories from the Medieval Ages. Gothic novels often explore the idea of "the fallen world" through the story, setting, themes, and characters. The 'horrors' in these novels often turn out to elements of humanity more than the supernatural creature that is used to display these elements. The setting is usually dark, gloomy, and reminds the reader of this fallen world idea through ruins and decrepit castles and abbeys.

The Gothic Hero has become an archetype present in novels from this movement. The protagonist is usually isolated either by choice or force. Then there is the Villain who is the embodiment of evil because of a fall from grace (usually) and the two must meet in the end, usually after the protagonist has fallen from grace as well. The Wanderer is another common charter type in Gothic novels; this character wanders the earth in permanent exile as a form of (divine or otherwise) punishment.

American magazines that would reprint Gothic horror tales would become known as Pulp Magazines. The covers of these magazines have become very recognizable and are often parodied today.  This element of dramatic horror was often parodied by other writers as well while the genre was still popular.

 

Weird Tales was a popular Pulp mag, that republished the stories of Poe, Conan Doyle, and published new tales by Lovecraft.

Authors and Novels:

Early Gothic Lit.

Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto: This is widely regarded as the first gothic novel. and was published in 1764. Warpole wished to combine elements of the Medieval Romance with elements of the modern day novel. This book contained the first appearance of Gothic's most well-known elements: mystery, ancestral curses, hidden passageways, and the oft- fainting heroine. Warpole disguised the first edition of this novel as a newly discovered and translated Medieval romance, and because of good reviews and acclaim, Warpole claimed authorship on the second edition. But of course, this new claim to authorship brought about a large string of rejections. This incident started out the Gothic novel with a bad rep.

Ann Radcliffe: Ann Radcliffe is known for developing what is called the "explained supernatural." The seemingly supernatural elements of her novels would turn out to be completely explainable at the end of the novel. Radcliffe also introduced the archetype for the Gothic Villain which would develop into the Byronic Hero. Many of Radcliffe's novels were best-sellers, and her two literary devices would be borrowed and imitated by many authors, but her novels were generally dismissed by critics and academics because of the Gothic element. Her most popular novels include: A Sicilian Romance, and The Mysteries of Udolpho.

Matthew Gregory Lewis' The Monk: The idea of Gothic literature spread from England to the European continent, and Lewis' The Monk was a major Gothic published during the time of expansion. Lewis wrote this novel in just ten weeks, and before his twentieth birthday, but the scandalous plot made it one of Lewis' and Gothic's most popular novels. Published in 1796, the book contains morality themes and violence, common to the Gothic novel.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the one of the novels most often associated with the Gothic Novel. Mary Shelley (wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley) wrote Frankenstein, one the most well-known English novels, and one of the first science fiction novels, at the age of nineteen. The novel started as a short story that was composed over a short span of a few weeks while Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Mary Shelley (Godwin), and her step sister Claire (who was pregnant with Lord Byron's baby) were stuck inside because of the heavy rains in Geneva. The novel has a really interesting origin story, that includes Shelley's "Waking dream" of a student looking over the "Thing" he had created. All of the elements mentioned above as common to Gothic novels can be found in this novel.  

1880's Revival 

Bram Stoker's Dracula: Stoker's novel was published in 1897 as part of the resurgence of Gothic Literature. This novel is about traditional values clashing with new age values, as well as questions of morality, supernatural creatures, and fainting women. The settings of this novel are perfect examples of Gothic Literature settings.

Other novels from this period with Gothic influences include Oliver Twist, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wuthering Heights and The Phantom of the Opera. 

Parodies:

Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey: The ever brilliant Austen wrote Northanger Abbey as a parody of Gothic novels. The main character Catherine spends the majority of her time reading Gothic Novels, and her imagination runs away with her. She begins to see the people in her life as Gothic heroes and villains. Interestingly, the publication of this novel and the list of Gothic Novels it contained brought about a new interest in the Gothic, when it was discovered that the book titles mentioned by Catherine were not made up by Austen, but actual books. Catherine was a huge fan of Anne Radcliffe's novels, and fancied that she was a heroine from one of her Gothic romances.

Thomas Love Peacock's Nightmare Abbey: Peacock's novel satires the Romantic movement and particularly the Gothic movement's obsession with violence and morbidity. Peacock based many of the characters on historical figures that he wished to poke fun at. Many classical authors and novels are alluded to during the course of the novel.

Sources:
The Gothic Novel
Norton's Website

What's your favorite Gothic Novel?

The Cinderella Tag!

I was tagged by the lovely Jess @ Curiouser and Curiouser  to do the Cinderella tag! This tag is quite cute, so let's get started!

Evil Stepsisters- 

A book with characters you hate 

Review

I hated so many characters in this world! The women who were working with the system to oppress the other women made my blood boil! But I love this book and the world is so convincing, so possible, and terrifying. 

Prince Charming

A book with a gentlemen 

Review

Mr. Knightly is so sweet and such a gentleman! He has recently secured himself a spot of my favorite Austen love interest.

Cinderella

A character that is kind, graceful, and defiant 

Review

Anne is so graceful and kind. I really like her as a character, and I really love this novel. 

Fairy Godmother

A Character who always has someone looking out for them

Harry has so many loyal people in his life willing to look out for him and help him. That is one of my favorite things about this series: the amount of love and loyalty between the characters. 

Helpful Creatures 

Something that makes you happy when you are sad

Peter Pan is my favorite novel of all-time, and the Disney adaptation always makes the world seem a little brighter. I get so emotional when I watch an adaptation of Peter because of how much love I have for the story. 

Ashes

A book you didn't care for 

 

Belzhar Review                   Mosquitoland Review

I thought that both of these books were alright, but I was a little disappointed with each of them. I was expecting big things from Belzhar because of how much I love Plath's The Bell Jar which plays a large role in this novel, but I found the twist in the story to be really weird and way too dramatic. Mosquitoland's narrator was way too over-the-top quirky for me, and I was a little uncomfortable with the message this book was sending about mental illness and medication. 

Pumpkin

A Character with a transformation

This book really impressed me, and the main character's transformation was rough, and difficult to witness, but powerful. Lia battles with an eating disorder, and she hits rock bottom in this novel before she begins her journey back to health. 

Impossible

A book with an ending you didn't see coming

Review

I'm still in awe of this book, and the ending in particular. The end was weird (but in a good way) and I really need to reread this book. I loved it. 

Just Breathe 

Something that inspires you 

I recently saw a Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, and I learned so much about Kahlo's life and her art. She really was a revolutionary woman for her time. Her art is full of self-expression and pain, and seeing her art made me feel so connected to her. I would love to learn more about her, and I am on the search for a great biography as we speak.  

Happily Ever After

A book with a perfect ending

Review

Everything about this book was perfect, but the ending was so hopeful and full of love, which to me, is the perfect ending. 

Thanks again to Jess for tagging me!