tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40084776397978836932024-03-12T18:18:00.709-06:00Laina Has Too Much Spare TimeLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.comBlogger854125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-65190525654941101862019-03-07T11:51:00.000-06:002019-03-07T11:51:06.163-06:00I've Moved!This Blogger blog is going to remain up and searchable. (Though I'll probably turn off comments after a while.) I used to use the Wordpress for back-up, but what I'm going to do is any post before 2017, I'm going to make private on Wordpress. It'll still be here on Blogger but... I need some space from 15 year old Laina. She was great, but she was a lot. (She also thought she was straight, which was weird.) I'm not going to erase everything I did as a teenager from the internet, but some of this is going to get some distance.<br />
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Also, just fyi, because of how backing up a blog works, my comments did transfer so don't feel weird if you commented here and see it there.</div>
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I do still have a post listing all my reviews on Wordpress. Those links will go to this blog for anything before the move. Any review after the move will link to Wordpress. The Anne of Green Gables posts will be mirrored there since they're new so the masterpost there will just link to posts on Wordpress. </div>
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Long story short, follow me on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a>!</div>
Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-61244910761723137862019-02-27T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-27T09:00:02.099-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (48)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
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And remember, after February 28th this blog will no longer be updating. Follow me on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a> to continue reading (please!).<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517514322l/36952571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517514322l/36952571.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum</span><br />
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<i>Release date: </i>March 19th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Weight-Stars-K-Ancrum/dp/1250101638/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327859&sr=8-1&keywords=weight+of+stars&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=ce9eb16594f1c1ce22f37a7f3bdce0d1&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Weight-Stars-K-Ancrum/9781250101631?ref=grid-view&qid=1545327378894&sr=1-2/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250101631?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36952571-the-weight-of-the-stars">goodreads</a>): </i>Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends. <br />
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One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the two misfits are brought together despite themselves—and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria’s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system. <br />
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Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And its up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more... <br />
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<i>The part where I talk:</i> How pretty is this cover? It also sounds really good, and also queer, so like I'm kind of here for it already.<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529340157l/35828100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529340157l/35828100.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway</span><br />
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<i>Release date:</i> April 16th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Thousand-Pies-Margaret-Dilloway/dp/0062803468/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327955&sr=8-1&keywords=summer+thousand+pies&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=59dc88a49baeb701ae97e5c34d2c0d70&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Summer-of-Thousand-Pies-Margaret-Dilloway/9780062803467/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062803467?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35828100-summer-of-a-thousand-pies">goodreads</a>):</i> When twelve-year-old Cady Bennett is sent to live with the aunt she didn’t even know she had in the quaint mountain town of Julian, she doesn’t know what to expect. Cady isn’t used to stability, or even living inside, after growing up homeless in San Diego with her dad.<br />
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Now she’s staying in her mother’s old room, exploring the countryside filled with apple orchards and pie shops, making friends, and working in Aunt Shell’s own pie shop—and soon, Cady starts to feel like she belongs. Then she finds out that Aunt Shell’s pie shop is failing. Saving the business and protecting the first place she’s ever really felt safe will take everything she’s learned and the help of all her new friends. But are there some things even the perfect pie just can’t fix?<br />
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<i>The part where I talk:</i> Hey this is blue, too. Kinda matches! That was an accident, lol.<br />
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I really like the sound of this. Probably gonna make me cry, but that's okay.<br />
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What are you looking forward to this week? Not just in books. Tell me something in March you're looking forward to happening.<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-81904666303780808022019-02-23T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-23T09:00:02.795-06:00Anne of Green Gables Read-Along: Chapters 7-9At some point I'll probably figure out an intro to this, but I can always edit that in. And remember, after February 28th this blog will no longer be updating. Follow me on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a> to continue reading (please!).<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="318" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>(Link to Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1083780327061938181">thread</a>) Chapter Seven: Anne Says Her Prayers</b><br />
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When we closed the last chapter, Marilla had decided to allow Anne to stay but not to tell her til the next day. She now goes in to tell Anne it's time for bed. Unlike last night, tonight Marilla tells Anne that she must pick her clothes up each night and fold them on the chair, not leave them on the floor.<br />
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Honestly this kind of confirms to me that she was being gentler with Anne because she could tell Anne was so upset. The secret soft spots of Marilla Cuthbert could be a whole essay in itself lol.<br />
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She is, however, horrified to hear that Anne has never prayed before bed. This is one of the parts of the book that is really Christian-heavy, just FYI.<br />
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Anne has gone to Sunday school at the asylum, but she has "never cared about" God since Mrs Thomas told her He made Anne's hair red on purpose. All her life Anne has basically been told that her red hair makes her bad or worth less than others, so that's a lot to hear. Reminder that she is 11 years old and for most of her life has been raising other peoples' children and is a victim of neglect and very likely abuse, but sure, SHE'S the bad one.<br />
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I'm not religious, but I do find this scene interesting anyways. Anne talks about how if she really wanted to pray, she'd go out into nature and look up at the sky to feel close to God. This is very true to Montgomery's experience, I think. She later married a minister, but some of her very important moments in her faith weren't in church or anything. She often spoke of something she called "the flash". Montgomery often went for walks alone in nature, and she'd describe a moment of tranquility and clarity where she was inspired by the feeling of a higher spiritual power running through nature.<br />
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Anne's feelings are pretty clearly inspired by that.<br />
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It's interesting because I don't think this kind of thing would really be considered proper? But while people have interesting responses, it's framed similarly to other things Anne does that we're supposed to approve of even if others around her don't. VERY MUCH not my area of expertise, but an interesting scene.<br />
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Marilla is too embarassed to teach Anne "Now I lay me down to sleep" like she had planned, thinking it doesn't really suit her at all.<br />
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I also kinda like this line. Anne "knew and cared nothing about God's love, since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of human love." I like that Marilla blames people for not treating her well? Like I don't think every child needs to be raised with religion in their life, but Marilla very clearly considers it part of the foundation of child-rearing, and she feels the people in Anne's life have failed her on that.<br />
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And I do think it's nice that she doesn't think that Anne should just have magically figured this out on her own and been perfectly pious when the world and people were being terrible to her. It just feels more fair somehow. You know what I think it is? It's that it's about peoples' actions, not just what they say.<br />
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Anne basically ad-libs a prayer, and Marilla says goodnight and leaves. When she gets downstairs, she is super riled up and glares at Matthew, and she's now even more certain of her decision to keep Anne. According to Marilla, Anne CLEARLY needs people in her life to help her not be almost a heathen and it's about time someone adopted her.<br />
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Frankly I think Marilla is just glad to have a plan again, and that she can be in control of something.<br />
I think she likes having a "problem" to solve, too.<br />
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And that's the end of the chapter!! We might do another tonight - we'll see what else I get done today. Honestly of religious things I've read, this chapter is by far not the worst. Montgomery injects enough humour into this (Marilla being so flustered) that even though it's not my thing, it's fun to read.<br />
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<b>(Link to Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1084200560247500801">thread</a>) Chapter Eight: Anne's Bringing-up is Begun</b><br />
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It's now the next day, and Marilla still hasn't told Anne she's staying. She's not really sure why. Maybe she's nervous, even. <br />
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She has been having Anne do chores all morning though - not to the extant of the other people she lived with. Just normal chores. Like, Anne's 11 and she's just moved to a farm. A certain amount of work was expected of children that age back then, and really should be of most kids now, and she's not raising peoples' children or anything.<br />
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Marilla concludes that Anne is "smart and obedient, willing to work and quick to learn", but she has a tendancy to stop to daydream in the middle of a task.<br />
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Two side notes here. One, forenoon" is a cool word. Means morning. Two, is this a thing in the US too where the means used to be "breakfast, dinner, supper"? Lot of older people here still call the noon-time meal "dinner". I'll probably say "dinner" as they use it in these threads, fyi.<br />
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So after washing the dinner dishes, Anne breaks down and begs just to know if she can stay or not. Not knowing either way is killing her, which, SAME. It me for real. Marilla FINALLY tells her yes, and Anne happy cries. Which has never happened to her before in her life.<br />
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Marilla doesn't approve of this, lol. And it's not that she doesn't feel things - she's just a more private person emotionally. Marilla very much keeps her emotions inside and doesn't display them very much.<br />
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Anne worries about being good enough because Mrs Thomas told her she was "desperately wicked". Like a lot. And again I hate these women so much.<br />
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Since it's only two weeks til summer vacation, Anne won't be starting school til September. So I don't know when summer breaks used to be, but it does make me feel like this is around mid-May since like. You'd want June free because kids would be working, right?<b> Editing Laina: It's confirmed to be June by the book in later chapters.</b><br />
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</b> This part is quite interesting. Marilla isn't big on being called "Miss Cuthbert". Most people in Avonlea don't call her that, and she doesn't want Anne to, either. Anne, however, worries very deeply that just plain Marilla is disrespectful.<br />
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This is something I really get. When I grew up, I didn't call adults "Miss" or "Mr" anything besides teachers, but also no one TOLD me what to call them so I kinda just didn't say names at all for most adults. When I worked at the library, I would always introduce myself as my first name to the kids I worked with, but their parents sometimes called me "Miss (MyName)" and I didn't mind that or anything.<br />
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However, I think I've talked before about how when I'm emailing (i.e. mostly querying) I really dislike when people decide I'm a "Ms" without asking. Makes me really uncomfortable. But also I know that my perspective is like. Like I'm white, clearly. And I know that definitely changes things as to what's respectful, culturally and also location based?<br />
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The attitude of the book is almost a modern attitude, though. Marilla says that if you speak respectfully, there's nothing disrespectful about calling someone by their name if that's what they want you to call them. Like I said, almost a modern attitude! Marilla also does not like the idea of Anne calling her "Aunt Marilla", as she doesn't believe in "calling people names that don't belong to them", and this leads into Anne being rather shocked that Marilla isn't big on imagining things.<br />
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We go a bit religious again as Marilla decides Anne should learn the Lord's Prayer instead of winging it at night. Anne does go off on a tangent here and Marilla says when she tells Anne to do something, she should do it and not ramble on.<br />
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This is one of those things that sounds harsh but honestly isn't unreasonable. They live on a farm! Sometimes you need to do things in a timely manner. Like... milk the cows... or something. I do not live on a farm.<br />
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Plus, what about emergencies?<br />
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Rather demonstrating this point, when sent to get something from another room, Anne immediately gets distracted by a picture in the sitting room. It's called "Christ Blessing Little Children" which seems to be kind of a popular title for paintings. I don't think it's meant to be important which specific painting it is, if it's a real one, more that Anne is very drawn to it.<br />
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Marilla mildly scolds her for being "irreverant" when she talks about how Jesus is depicted in it. You can tell Marilla isn't really angry though. Anne thinks that pictures of Jesus shouldn't make him look so sad because if he really looked like that, children would have been afraid of him.<br />
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Which is kind of an interesting idea tbh???<br />
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And I can see how so much of the religion stuff can get a bit old, but at this point I like the idea that they might allow Anne to explore religion in her own way a bit, and see things a little differently. Might not play out that way, but there's the hints.<br />
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Anne likes the Lord's Prayer because it makes her feel like poetry does, and also she memorizes it in a couple minutes? How long is that thing, is that impressive? I'm not familiar with it. Like, Anne can memorize something I assume is semi-long in just a few minutes and then immediately gets distracted by the flowers on the table. We also know she used to borrow the older girl's books at the asylum. At the very least, we can say she's probably not being challenged academically enough, yeah???<br />
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Also, about said flowers, it's a jugful of apple blossoms that Marilla "eyed (...) askance" but didn't comment on when Anne brought them inside. Marilla soft spot again.<br />
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Poor Marilla is trying to get Anne to focus but it is a lost cause because Anne has moved on to wondering if she'll ever have a "bosom friend" - a best friend. A kindred spirit. A @soveryqueer, even.<br />
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Marilla mentions Diana Barry, but says Mrs Barry "won't let Diane play with any little girl who isn't nice and good". Anne is just grateful to learn Diana has black hair and not red. She's seriously messed up about the hair. Marilla, meanwhile, thinks it's more important that Diana is "good and smart", but Anne is very delighted she's pretty and deeply hopes they'll be friends<br />
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Okay look. I realize history changes how we view things.<br />
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But if you look at a girl who immediately asks if another girl is pretty and gets all dreamy over the fact that she is - a modern lens reads that as a touch queer. <br />
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Please enjoy that queer subtext.<br />
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Then Anne shares about the imaginary friends she made up as a child to try and alleviate her loneliness and it's beautifully written, but it's one of those things you look at as an adult and just feel bad for her. She was SO lonely. And I suspect that this is one of those things that is very much based on Montgomery's childhood. Though she grew up near cousins, she was also alone very often as her grandparents were not affectionate people, and she was very imaginative as a result.<br />
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Marilla doesn't approve of all the imagining and thinks it'll be good for Anne to have a real friend. This is a small thing that really does show how differently she intends to treat Anne than the other women. Living with them, Anne didn't have time for friends. Though Marilla expects Anne to do chores around the house, she also thinks that Anne will have time to play and be a normal kid. She's raising a child to be responsible, not keeping a child... I'll say "servant" with heavy sarcasm.<br />
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I also think it's interesting to point out that Anne still feels safe telling Marilla about her daydreams even though Marilla doesn't really approve. She tells her things she wouldn't tell other people, even. She already trusts her.<br />
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Marilla realizes Anne can't concentrate lol and sends her to her room to finish memorizing the one line of the prayer she didn't have down. Anne finishes on the stairs and instead ends the chapter daydreaming. It's much happier, though, and not just an escape. Gosh this was a lot to talk about in this chapter! And again, not actually a lot happening plotwise but it certainly doesn't feel boring, hey?<br />
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<b>(Link to Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1084548598774226944">thread</a>) Chapter Nine: Mrs Lynde is Properly Horrified</b><br />
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So, remember Mrs Rachel Lynde from the first chapter? After Anne has been at Green Gables for two weeks, she's arrived to... snoop, basically, because she's nosy. She's been unable to do so until now due to "grippe" aka the flu. <b>Editing Laina: Like actual influenza - it was quite serious.</b><br />
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</b> Also it's probably June now. <b>Editing Laina: Probably almost July.</b><br />
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Anne has been exploring Green Gables and the surrounding area and is seriously in love with the nature, which is described wonderfully. She has time to play like a normal kid, and that might be a first for her. She talks the ears off Matthew and Marilla about what she sees. Matthew enjoys her chatter and Marilla permits until she finds "herself becoming too interested in it" which is kind of adorable.<br />
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Mrs Rachel spends a great deal of time talking to Marilla about her illness in great detail. And it's so funny how the narrative clearly doesn't like her. Mrs Rachel asks if they couldn't send Anne back. Marilla says probably, but they decided not to because Matthew took a fancy to her. And Marilla admits that though she has her faults, the house seems different already and Anne is a "bright little thing". Marilla didn't actually mean to say all that, but she saw the disapproval in Mrs Rachel's eyes.<br />
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Another piece of evidence for that "Secret Soft Spots of Marilla Cuthbert" essay.<br />
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Mrs Rachel tries to fearmonger more about how "a child like that" will turn out ending with "but I don't want to discourage you". Marilla dryly responds that she's not discouraged, and says, "When I make up my mind to do a thing, it stays made up."<br />
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Which is basically what I've been saying for a while. That is very much one of the foundations of Marilla's personality.<br />
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Anne comes in from playing and Mrs Rachel, having heard how much they like this child and how highly they think of her, immediately calls her ugly. Lovely woman. Should go meet up with a Mrs Thomas and Mrs Hammond. I'm sure they'd get along wonderfully.<br />
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The narrative gets sarcastic here in the best way possible. "Mrs Rachel was one of those delightful and popular people who pride themselves on speaking their mind without fear or favour."<br />
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Buuuuuurn.<br />
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Also, seriously, you're going to insult her for being skinny? She's an ORPHAN. Maybe take a hint that she hasn't had enough to eat over her life.<br />
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This is a part I really don't like. Anne calls her "fat and clumsy" and the narrative describes her as "always waddling". If it's not okay for Mrs Rachel to insult Anne for her weight, then it's not okay for Anne to insult Mrs Rachel for HER weight. It's just very unnecessary.<br />
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Anne is reasonably angry though! She declares she hates Mrs Rachel and asks how dare she be so rude. Also reasonably, Marilla sends Anne to her room. Then, rather unexpectedly (to herself), she scolds Mrs Rachel for insulting Anne's looks! Marilla says Anne needs to have a talking to, but Mrs Rachel WAS too hard on her.<br />
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And this I think is again very reasonable. Anne really can't go around yelling at everyone who insults her, because, unfairly or not, she will get a reputation that way. Yeah it kinda sucks, but that is kind of part of Marilla's responsibilities in raising a child, is teaching her this kind of stuff.<br />
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(Child death/child abuse tw) Mrs Rachel has "brought up ten children and buried two" and she suggests whipping Anne with a birch switch instead of the talking-to Marilla has planned.<br />
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Charming.<br />
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Mrs Rachel leaves in a huff and Marilla goes to talk to Anne. Marilla is more embarassed than anything and has no idea how to punish Anne. She points out Anne has called herself everything Mrs Rachel said. Anne replies there's a difference between saying a thing yourself and having others say it because you hope others don't think it so.<br />
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Suddenly Marilla remembers a time when she overheard an aunt say, "what a pity she is such a dark, homely little thing". It's a memory that has taken until she was fifty to not hurt so much. She admits Mrs Rachel wasn't right in saying what she did, but Anne can't be rude back.<br />
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Again, I don't think this is unreasonable.<br />
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There's a time and a place for everything. Anne's temper can be a tool when something really unjust is happening, but if you fly off the handle every time someone insults you even a little, people are going to judge you for that. And maybe that's not that unfair? If someone calls you a name and you beat them up, say, you're not in the right because you were insulted.<br />
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And honestly Anne needs to learn the balance.<br />
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As punishment, Marilla decides that Anne must go and apologize to Mrs Rachel and ask for her forgiveness. This is a very fitting punishment because it's the absolute last thing Anne wants to do. And this is a relatively small stakes thing!<br />
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I actually think this is a pretty good example? Almost a natural consequence. If Anne has to apologize to a neighbour to smooth things over, and really doesn't like that, maybe it'll make her think about whether the next time is WORTH losing her temper.<br />
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Anne very dramatically says she can't. Seriously, she says they can lock her in a damp, dark dungeon with toads and snakes before she'll do it! Marilla dryly says they're not in the habit of doing that and dungeons are scarce in Avonlea so she'll stay in her room<br />
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Marilla leaves Anne in her room and she's as angry with herself as with Anne because every time she remembers the look on Mrs Rache's face, she finds herself wanting to laugh about it.<br />
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And that's where we end the chapter! And I'm just going to leave it here that each of these chapter recaps take at least an hour, usually more like 2 hours, to do. So if you appreciate them, maybe drop a tip in <a href="http://ko-fi.com/A0602GN">ye ol' tip jar</a>.<br />
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Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-7279425144134946862019-02-22T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-22T09:00:05.120-06:00Waiting on Wednesday Update (5) This is a series where I look at my old Waiting on Wednesday posts and talk about if I actually ever did read the book, if I liked it if I did, and if I haven't, would I or not. That kind of thing. I think it's an interesting idea, and I hope you do, too.<br />
<br />
And remember, after February 28th this blog will no longer be updating. Follow me on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a> to continue reading (please!).<br />
<br />
WoWed September 9th, 2009:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433256714l/6759426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433256714l/6759426.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu</span><br />
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<i>Release date</i>: February 1st, 2010<br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6759426-dirty-little-secrets?from_search=true">goodreads</a>): </i>Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.<br />
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With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.<br />
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<i>Update: </i>I haven't read this, but I did actually <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16164689-the-opposite-of-tidy">read one with a similar premise</a> (minus the dead mother part) that took me about six years to find the title of. And involved actually going to my physical records because I read it before I was good at keeping track of what I read on goodreads. Holy cow, that was an intense search.<br />
<br />
I would still read this if I came across it, totally.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320597728l/6703198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320597728l/6703198.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Sleepless by Cyn Balog</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> July 13th, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6703198-sleepless">goodreads</a>): </i>Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.<br />
<br />
But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .<br />
<br />
Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?<br />
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<i>Update: </i>Apparently I own this? I totally forgot that and it's not even recorded that way on my goodreads shelf. Other than that, I have to stay a bit coy on this one, for reasons. I haven't read it yet, and that's all I can say.<br />
<br />
WoWed September 16th, 2009:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327192241l/6707693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327192241l/6707693.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey, also known as Hearts At Stake</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> January 1st, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6707693-my-love-lies-bleeding">goodreads</a>): </i>On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.<br />
<br />
Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.<br />
<br />
<i>Update:</i> This just isn't my thing so much anymore.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442719136l/6509143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442719136l/6509143.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date: </i>February 9th, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6509143-token-of-darkness">goodreads</a>): </i>Cooper Blake has everything going for him - until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn't know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she's a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.<br />
<br />
No one from Cooper's old life would understand what he can barely grasp himself... But Delilah, the captain of the cheerleading squad, has secrets of her own, like her ability to see beyond the physical world, and her tangled history with Brent, a loner from a neighboring school who can hear strangers' most intimate thoughts. Delilah and Brent know that Cooper is in more trouble than he realizes, and that Samantha may not be as innocent as she has led Cooper to believe. But the only way to figure out where Samantha came from will put them all in more danger than they ever dreamed possible.<br />
<br />
<i>Update:</i> I would love to collect this entire series and maybe even reread the whole thing. I remember it with great fondness.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328839301l/6609769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328839301l/6609769.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Possessed by Kate Cann</span><br />
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<i>Release date:</i> February 1st, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6609769-possessed">goodreads</a> and sorry it's so short): </i>Rayne can't wait to start her summer job at a remote country mansion, far from the crowded, noisy London she so desperately wants to escape.<br />
<br />
But the retreat soon turns into a nightmare -- the mansion is creepy, the legends of ghosts keep Rayne up at night, and she doesn't feel safe anywhere. <br />
<br />
Can Rayne figure out why she's so freaked -- before she becomes a ghost story herself?<br />
<br />
<i>Update:</i> While I didn't read this one, I totally would.<br />
<br />
Actually, honestly, I might order it from the library. It does sound really good and right up my alley.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347599399l/6556855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="286" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347599399l/6556855.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder</span><br />
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<i>Release date:</i> January 5th, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6556855-chasing-brooklyn">goodreads</a>):</i> Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams. <br />
<br />
Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface. <br />
<br />
As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.<br />
<br />
<i>Update: </i>Didn't read this, but I totally would if I found it at a sale or it showed up at my library branch or something. That's a cool premise, and it's apparently told in verse.<br />
<br />
WoWed September 30th, 2009:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442562480l/6909544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="318" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442562480l/6909544.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Birthmarked by Carah M. O'Brien</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> March 30th, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6909544-birthmarked">goodreads</a>): I</i>n the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside.<br />
<br />
Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve.<br />
<br />
Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.<br />
<br />
<i>Update:</i> Oh, this got a new cover since I WoWed it. Hmm, pretty, but points off for not having the MC as visibly scarred on the cover. I like the font choice, though. I'd totally still read this. It sounds neat.<br />
<br />
WoWed October 7th, 2009:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348455680l/7023081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348455680l/7023081.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date: </i>June 15th, 2009<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7023081-the-deathday-letter?from_search=true">goodreads</a>): </i>The clock is ticking... <br />
<br />
Ollie can't be bothered to care about anything but girls until he gets his Deathday Letter and learns he's going to die in twenty-four hours. Bummer. <br />
<br />
Ollie does what he does best: nothing. Then his best friend convinces him to live a little, and go after Ronnie, the girl who recently trampled his about-to-expire heart. Ollie turns to carloads of pudding and over-the-top declarations, but even playing the death card doesn't work. All he wants is to set things right with the girl of his dreams. It's now or never...<br />
<br />
<i>Update: </i>I never read this one, and honestly I'm not a big fan of the author, and I don't read that many books by dudes anymore, so I won't be picking this one up.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328690136l/6422595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328690136l/6422595.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Poison Eaters by Holly Black</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date: </i>February 9th, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6422595-the-poison-eaters-and-other-stories">goodreads</a>):</i> Pick your poison: Vampires, devils, werewolves, faeries, or . . . ? Find them all here in Holly Black’s amazing first collection.<br />
<br />
In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. Some of these stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and many have been reprinted in many “Best of ” anthologies.<br />
<br />
The Poison Eaters is Holly Black’s much-anticipated first collection, and her ability to stare into the void—and to find humanity and humor there—will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.<br />
<br />
<i>Update:</i> Weirdly I haven't read much Holly Black besides the Spiderwick Chronicles. I wouldn't... kick this book out of bed... why did my mind go there?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333400218l/7402393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333400218l/7402393.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Nightshade by Andrea Cremer</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date: </i>October 19th, 2010<br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7402393-nightshade?from_search=true">goodreads</a>):</i> Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers.<br />
<br />
But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. <br />
<br />
By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?<br />
<br />
<i>Update: </i>I actually got an ARC of this trading for an extra UK copy of Harry Potter. Random, I realize, but hey, I didn't need two of them. Have I read it? Nope. Will I? Who knows.<br />
<br />
So out of the ten books in this post, I own two, and I've read none. This batch, not so good. Oh well!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-26046413488371438112019-02-20T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-20T09:00:00.235-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (47)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
And remember, after February 28th this blog will no longer be updating. Follow me on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a> to continue reading (please!).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528465513l/39863434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528465513l/39863434.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">In Another Life by C. C. Hunter</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> March 26th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Another-Life-Novel-C-Hunter/dp/1250312272/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327748&sr=8-1&keywords=in+another+life+cc+hunter&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=8b5204ed3bb695034895537d226c92c3&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Another-Life-C-C-Hunter/9781250312273?ref=grid-view&qid=1545327306198&sr=1-2/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250312273?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863434-in-another-life">goodreads</a>): </i>Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her.<br />
<br />
When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they're kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.<br />
<br />
As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?<br />
<br />
<i>The part where I talk: </i>This sounds just a little trashy, and sometimes I'm into that. It reminds me of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19469.The_Face_on_the_Milk_Carton?ac=1&from_search=true">The Face On the Milk Carton</a> which I was totally into as a kid.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539738862l/42374486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="318" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539738862l/42374486.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Afterwards by A. F. Harrold</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> March 19th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Afterwards-F-Harrold/dp/1547600446/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327810&sr=8-1&keywords=afterwards+harrold&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=e01be94a4f58c287f713ec87779728a9&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Afterwards-F-Harrold/9781408899687?ref=grid-view&qid=1545327330885&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781547600441?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40046086-the-afterwards">goodreads</a>): </i>Ember and Ness are best friends, completely inseparable. Ember can't imagine what life would be without Ness. Until Ness dies, in a most sudden and unexpected way. Ember feels completely empty. How can this even be real?<br />
<br />
Then Ember finds a way into the afterworld-a place where the recently dead reside. She knows there must be a way to bring Ness back, so she decides to find it. Because that's what friends do: rescue each other. But the afterworld holds its own dangers. How far will Ember go to make things the way they were again?<br />
<br />
Paired with enchanting illustrations from Emily Gravett, A. F. Harrold's powerfully woven tale explores the lengths we go to for the people we love.<br />
<br />
The part where I talk: I don't think middle grade has ever shied away from talking about death (Bridge to Terabithia anyone?) and it's good to see that for a modern audience. This sounds really interesting, honestly.<br />
<br />
This is also already out in the UK, but not in North America.<br />
<br />
Okay, that's all I've got today!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-59366800794077122392019-02-18T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-18T09:00:02.543-06:00Things I've Read Recently (85): I'm running out of comic titlesIf you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason. Sometimes I also realize I posted TIRR with volumes 2 and 4 of certain series, but skipped 3 by accident.<br />
<br />
Oops.<br />
<br />
Buy links include affiliate links, and I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them. And remember, after February 28th this blog will no longer be updating. Follow me on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a> to continue reading (please!).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453740622l/25853351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453740622l/25853351.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Commercial Suicide (The Wicked + The Divine, Volume 3) by Kieran Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles, plus a whole bunch of guest artists</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> February 3rd, 2016 by Image Comics<br />
<i>Genre:</i> Adult Fantasy Comic<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count:</i> Goodreads says 200. There was a bunch of bonus material in this one.<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> This collects the Wicked + the Divine issues #12-17<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Divine-Commercial-Suicide/dp/1632156318/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1533523217&sr=8-5&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=b86fb44e0b2ca5c0629c0655953339f1&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Wicked-Divine-3-Commercial-Suicide-Kieron-Gillen/9781632156310?ref=grid-view&qid=1533523178517&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781632156310?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25853351-the-wicked-the-divine-vol-3">goodreads</a>):</i> After the detonation of FANDEMONIUM the gods-as-pop-stars of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE try living in the long dark shadow.<br />
<br />
Team WicDiv are joined by a stellar cast of guest artists to put the spotlight on each of the gods. The multiple Eisner Award nominated series continues in the only way it knows how: darker, weirder, faster. Don't worry. It's going to be okay.<br />
<br />
<i>Thoughts:</i> So for reasons I won't tell you because spoilers, after two volumes mostly following the same narrator with only occasional pops over to other POVs, this has a sudden and drastic POV change. It's expected due to events at the end of volume two, but also manages to be surprising with how they handle that, and I really liked it.<br />
<br />
Basically each issue (or so, I didn't exactly count it or match names or whatever) has a different guest artist, and obviously that changes the art style. I find that art shift incredibly effective in creating very distinct, different POVs. It makes you feel disoriented, and with the stories being told, that's great. They feel like they're all working in the same direction, but at the same time, they're separate as you learn more about the other characters. One of the best ways to use an art shift I've seen, honestly.<br />
<br />
The team really knows how to work with how the issues will be divided when collected, which I really appreciate as someone who doesn't read solo issue and relies on the library for her comic book reading. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine when the division is really bad and leaves you halfway into a plot arc, and then you have to wait like six months until the next one comes out. This works with the breaks and leaves you just enough on a cliffhanger. It teases about what comes next, while not having things be left super unfinished.<br />
<br />
I will make two other notes. One, this one has a bit more nudity/sexual content than the previous volumes have had. Two, there's a page where one of the goddesses' Twitter mentions are shown. They're... not surprsing if you know anything about Twitter harassment, but they're hard to read. It's a full two-page spread, with a <i>ton</i> of content, and I couldn't read them all. If you've any experience with Twitter harassment, it could hit you hard. It's easy to skip most of it and get the gist, but it's better to know going in.<br />
<br />
All in all, though, I'm growing to like this series a lot more than I expected. I'll be ordering more.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497311673l/34504722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497311673l/34504722.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Paper Girls, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson, Jared K. Fletcher</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> August 8th, 2017 by Image Comics<br />
<i>Genre:</i> YA Science Fiction Comic<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count:</i> Goodreads says 128<br />
<i>Part of a series? </i>This volume collects issues 11 through 15 of Paper Girls.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Girls-3-Brian-Vaughan/dp/1534302239/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1549743760&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=16a995dc75082fc231f324e6ccce5206&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Paper-Girls-3-Brian-K-Vaughan/9781534302235?ref=grid-view&qid=1549743761295&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534302235?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34504722-paper-girls-vol-3">goodreads</a>):</i> The multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac and Tiffany finally reunite with their long-lost friend KJ in an unexpected new era, where the girls must uncover the secret origins of time travel... or risk never returning home to 1988.<br />
<br />
<i>Thoughts: </i>Yeah, this is definitely the best one yet. I'm really liking the way this is going, and the way they play with timelines and things being all weird and time-travel-twisty. I do kind of hope that something big happens soon, so we get more of a sense of the plot and where it's heading, but overall I'm enjoying this and I think it's picking up.<br />
<br />
Trigger warnings for antisemitisism, implied rape, and the r-slur, plus a little homomisia which this volume continues to lead me to believe will be addressed eventually. On a non-trigger warning note, props for including a period in this. Like it makes sense that one of the girls around their age would get it at some point, and not just implying it but actually showing it? Nice. Although the drawing of it... makes me believe that the person who drew it has never actually had one. I don't particularly believe that's how it would work in that situation.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466788179l/27163016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466788179l/27163016.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Squirrel, You Really Got Me Now (Squirrel Girl, Volume 3) by Ryan North and Erica Henderson</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published: </i>March 24th, 2016 by Marvel Comics<br />
<i>Genre:</i> YA Science Fiction Comics<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 168, and it was definitely a decent chunk longer than usual.<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> This is the part where comics are annoying. I guess there was a reboot thing? I don't know, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unbeatable_Squirrel_Girl">read the wikipedia</a>. It says 8 issues of the series, and then reboot so. This is why I just go by collected volumes. There's also an issue of Howard the Duck as they crossover.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unbeatable-Squirrel-Girl-Vol-Really/dp/0785196269/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1549743939&sr=8-1&keywords=squirrel+you+really+got+me+now&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=4461ad2e21b1281ed6ba6280ec577910&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Unbeatable-Squirrel-Girl-Vol-3-You-Really-Got-Me-Now-Ryan-North/9780785196266?ref=grid-view&qid=1549743935116&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780785196266?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27163016-the-unbeatable-squirrel-girl-vol-3">goodreads</a>): </i>New series, New Avenger! With her unique combination of wit, empathy and squirrel powers, computer science student Doreen Green - aka the unbeatable Squirrel Girl - is all that stands between the Earth and total destruction. Well, Doreen plus her friends Tippy-Toe (a squirrel) and Nancy (a regular human with no powers).<br />
<br />
So, mainly Squirrel Girl. Then what hope does the Earth have if she gets hurled back in time to the 1960s and erased from history? At least Nancy will never forget her friend, but what invincible armored Avenger can she call on to help, through the magic of social media? Decades apart, can they avert doom, or will everything go wrong forever? Howard the Duck hopes not...he has an appointment for a crossover!<br />
<br />
<i>Thoughts:</i> Okay, frankly, I'm not a big Howard the Duck fan. I find him mostly annoying and a little creepy. Sorry, Howard the Duck fans. Don't worry, my mom likes him. Like she even liked that movie in the 80s or whatever. Luckily for me, there's only two issues with him in this and they were better than I expected. Still not my favourite, but a decent cross up, with a solid premise, and a gag at the end that made me crack up.<br />
<br />
I also really liked the whole of issues one to five in this, so it definitely made up for the parts that weren't my best, and I continue to really enjoy this series. I like the forth-wall breaking, I like how it's taking its time to build character relationships without rushing them, I <i>loved</i> Doreen's mother and the stories about her childhood.<br />
<br />
I've already ordered more and I hope my holds hurry their butts up and get here!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496433799l/32856233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496433799l/32856233.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Smartest There Is (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur vol. 3) by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> July 11th, 2017 by Marvel Comics<br />
<i>Genre:</i> MG Science Fiction Comic<br />
<i>Binding: </i>Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 136 pages.<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> This collects issues 13 to 18.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Girl-Devil-Dinosaur-Vol/dp/1302905341/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1549744089&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=4fce54ea9db69f09dfaa6e26f0f4164a&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Moon-Girl-Devil-Dinosaur-Vol-3-Smartest-There-Is-Amy-Reeder/9781302905347?ref=grid-view&qid=1549744084505&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781302905347?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32856233-moon-girl-and-devil-dinosaur-vol-3?from_search=true">goodreads</a>):</i> That's right, the rumors are true: Lunella Lafayette is the smartest there is!<br />
<br />
Tony Stark, Victor von Doom, T'Challa, Amadeus Cho...the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe all have one thing in common: they're not smarter than a 4th grader! Now it's time to put her unrivaled intellect to the test against some of Marvel's finest--with Devil Dinosaur adding the brawn to her brains! The Thing drops by to defend his missing best pal Reed Richards' pole position! Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, proves there's room for two young gifted gals in the MU! Doctor Strange wants to see what's so magical about Lunella! Storm and the X-Men come to Yancy Street! And all of them and more will join Lunella as she proves herself once and for all against an enemy that can't possibly be Doctor Doom! <br />
<br />
<i>Thoughts: </i>I thought I was only going to take a couple notes since I was almost at the end of the page (comic books, I can generally fit a few on one page of notes, to save paper) and then I took a bunch and it's all squished lol. Anyways, I have a question. So, you have Ironheart, possibly the other Iron Man as well, Thor, Captain America, Spider-Man (possibly, again, more than one), the Hulk, Ms. Marvel, several X-Men, a few Fantastic Four, probably a bunch more, and they all live in New York.<br />
<br />
How does New York have any crime? Who looks at a city with at least a good twenty superheroes and decides they're going to be like, "I wanna cause trouble here!" Why isn't there like a big crime ring in Minnesota or something where there aren't any superheroes?<br />
<br />
Anyways, I liked this one. It's a bit of a filler arc, but it's lovely and I really like watching Lunella's inner growth. There was also a lovely little scene of Lunella's mom doing her hair, and it was a small moment, but it showed a little bit of how much her mom loves her and wants the best for her.<br />
<br />
I want more of these and now I have to wait and I'm sad XD<br />
<br />
What comics do you y'all recommend I get into?<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-92136142871111364712019-02-17T08:00:00.000-06:002019-02-17T08:00:03.100-06:00We're moving, y'all <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a hard post to write and I don't really even know why. First of all just to get it out of the way, my blog isn't disappearing or anything. It's just going to be... elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Let's take this back to the start so this makes any kind of sense.<br />
<br />
I've been blogging on Blogger... well, since it was Blogspot. It's been 10 years, y'all. I have been through things. Remember how everyone had little mp3 player looking things in their sidebars? Remember when it was like a contest to see how many things you could pack into your sidebar and how annoying most of them were? Remember, um... what was it. Pyzam! Remember Pyzam layouts?<br />
<br />
No, seriously, let's look at what screenshots I have in random files and see what we can find.<br />
<br />
My first layout I remember was black because white text on a black background is so great to read. The closest thing I can find online even is this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gKoYrvZvjWVy9QHw5WQdKNqGP-04D2Wi4OIOMU4gZaz9M9ACb7gdwm9IYZam9Td1N3VcWwApoyM99L7jrYP6ylr5T5POLNR8ThBdhid6snHW4S-9VijqqV1IzyWOD3Em_2dIFaIVjic/s1600/splatter-pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gKoYrvZvjWVy9QHw5WQdKNqGP-04D2Wi4OIOMU4gZaz9M9ACb7gdwm9IYZam9Td1N3VcWwApoyM99L7jrYP6ylr5T5POLNR8ThBdhid6snHW4S-9VijqqV1IzyWOD3Em_2dIFaIVjic/s320/splatter-pattern.jpg" /></a></div>
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And I apologize both for the image quality and the fact that I can't even link to a source for this. It seems the blog they were on is gone now. I'm gonna put a <a href="http://blog-layout-templates.blogspot.com/">link</a> here but I warn you to click carefully as it's currently nothing and could be anything in the future.<br />
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The only difference between mine and that one was the background of mine was this picture:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiD3et9_l4Sq_EUdohZN-tW6Qg3xZrUVZygFEPbUhuBHJbbA70eDATQEhNzG1vBGOD9527XwHrz4akt4EjB6iPY9DW5u1rd2p6nFzfJMw1TKoedpr7SFzqHbB5nME4gkdtWjdU2lANF8/s1600/greenfairy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiD3et9_l4Sq_EUdohZN-tW6Qg3xZrUVZygFEPbUhuBHJbbA70eDATQEhNzG1vBGOD9527XwHrz4akt4EjB6iPY9DW5u1rd2p6nFzfJMw1TKoedpr7SFzqHbB5nME4gkdtWjdU2lANF8/s320/greenfairy.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
<br />
Because why wouldn't I keep the background picture from my first layout and not an actual screenshot, past self. Where did Pyzam even get these pictures for all these things? Did they commission artists or were we all going around with stolen artwork on our blogs?<br />
<br />
I mean. We were all going around with stolen artwork on our blogs, lets be real.<br />
<br />
Looking for that layout, I even checked out the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100526185028/http://lainahastoomuchsparetime.blogspot.com/">Wayback Machine</a>, but that only goes back to 2010 on my blog. Wanna see what my blog looked like in 2010? I may need a drink for this. Or at least more tea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ99px3ZHfY2x_2AU1f39ydTsNH3MbX2meaCi9MroY-D_RrgwQsDjS8ec4dp2dHFOepXfBF6bfjHL6W6Qq6sOkLSjMP5OUJe4OJPuNeBvtP-S1lMrmSc7KJ0Dy8j18BKGjfQp9LcFSXi8/s1600/2010+Blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1415" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ99px3ZHfY2x_2AU1f39ydTsNH3MbX2meaCi9MroY-D_RrgwQsDjS8ec4dp2dHFOepXfBF6bfjHL6W6Qq6sOkLSjMP5OUJe4OJPuNeBvtP-S1lMrmSc7KJ0Dy8j18BKGjfQp9LcFSXi8/s400/2010+Blog.png" width="351" /></a></div>
Click this to enlarge it. Trust me, it's worth it. Let's go through this one problem at a time.<br />
<br />
First of all, the main content thing is so tiny. Everything is super squished! I sure had to write less back then to fill the space, though XD Everything had to be squished, though, or you couldn't fit three columns, and of course you needed three columns for all your widgets. Plus I had a way smaller computer screen back then and things didn't use to adjust for smaller screens as well, so if things were really big, they'd look awful on my laptop.<br />
<br />
Should we talk about all the things I could have gotten a takedown notification/possibly sued over? (Do you remember <a href="http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/7/20/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-for-using-pics-on-your-blog.html">that blogger</a> that got sued over using a picture without permission? That was a... thing.) The background - found it on Photobucket. The image on the header - found it on a random site. The hearts in the menu - found 'em on a google image search. The buttons a friend made, but honestly I don't have a clue where they got the images from.<br />
<br />
What else on here should we talk about... the Twitter button site was legit at the time, but I think Twitter kinda made those sites disappear. I'm not entirely sure that 100 book reading challenge ever got updated, and I'm pretty sure I didn't ever hit it. The Blogoversary widget died! I'm still upset about that. It was so nice and small and classy.<br />
<br />
That random website list is so... well, random. A couple of them don't exist, only one still updates. The webcomics, I think I only read one of now. (Also go ahead and judge 17 year old me, I don't mind. Honestly I don't even get some of these anymore.) A couple don't exist anymore. Most of the blogs I used to follow are gone, too.<br />
<br />
Last thing before I get serious: What was even with the chatbox thing? Were comments not good enough, we needed random messaging things? Multiple people mispelling my name, too. I used to get called Liana a ton? Like on my blog, where my name was plastered all over things. Also if you scroll through it... I KNEW IT. I knew people were using the Tweaked review for school work! Oh man, that used to bother me so much XD<br />
<br />
Serious time. The main reason we're talking right now is since Google+ is being taken down, so are <a href="https://blogger.googleblog.com/2019/01/an-update-on-google-and-blogger.html">Google+ followers</a>/the Google+ follower widget. And honestly I can't remember why I have a Google+ follower widget and not a Blogger follower one? Did Blogger followers go away for a while there when Google+ followers became a thing?<br />
<br />
Honestly I'm not sure, but looking at either, my follower numbers haven't moved in a while, frankly, and my stats aren't great. And I feel like a lot of those followers aren't active people who actually come around and interact or anything anymore. And while I'm being honest, Blogger isn't doing it for me very much anymore. There's just a lot of things I don't enjoy about it now or that I find frustrating. I also wouldn't mind a little bit of a fresh start, to kind of rebuild a little and get a little bit of a clean slate in some ways. All of this has just added up to something I've been thinking about for a little while now.<br />
<br />
I want to try something different.<br />
<br />
So, we're moving. For the rest of February, things are going to post both here and on <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/">Wordpress</a>. Same address as this but wordpress instead of blogspot, and I'll link it a lot including this post. I'm not going to link any post hosted here after this to social media - this is just so people can adjust their links as posts come up in whatever reader or service they use. And also to give me time to do all the things you need to do when you move your 10 year old blog to a new platform and also realize all the things you haven't updated in several years.<br />
<br />
This post is long enough so I'm going to end it here.<br />
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There's going to be a lot of changes around here and on the Wordpress blog, so please be patient with me while things are going on. It's a lot of work, and there's only one me.<br />
<br />
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments before and I'll try to answer them as best I can. Thanks for spending 10 years with me here, everyone. I hope we have a lot more together and you make the transition with me, or if you're new, I look forward to seeing you there.<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-1217877802448447622019-02-16T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-16T09:00:12.365-06:00Anne of Green Gables Read-Along: Chapters 4-6Do I need an intro here? Y'all know what's up, right?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="318" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>(Link to Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1082372956326522880">thread</a>) Chapter Four: Morning at Green Gables</b><br />
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So, Anne wakes up in Green Gables and I adore the descriptions at the beginning of this chapter. They're so vivid and detailed and really give you a picture of the the place without being boring or overdrawn.<br />
<br />
There's a cherry tree outside of Anne's room, and she describes the light coming in through the window as "a flood of cherry sunshine", and basically every tree is in bloom outside. So pretty.<br />
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This is also the first real time we've been in Anne's POV. Anne gets lost in looking at how beautiful everything is, and is surprised by Marilla coming in to tell her to get dressed.<br />
<br />
Marilla isn't used to talking to children, and she's a bit curt due to discomfort, though she doesn't mean to be.<br />
<br />
This morning, she tells Anne to get herself cleaned up and to make the bed. This makes me go back to what I was saying yesterday - when Anne was upset, Marilla picked up after her. Now that Anne is feeling better, she has her cleaning up after herself. I do think it's a couple of moments that show her softer side when compared, and that she was sympathetic to how Anne felt and how upset she was.<br />
<br />
Anne comes down to breakfast and goes on a bunch about how mornings are magical and lovely because Anne is totally a morning person and I do feel some sympathy for Marilla when she tells Anne to be quiet and eat, lol. It's early, girl. Anne actually does, which after a couple minutes kinda freaks Marilla out. She realizes Anne is daydreaming and wonders why Matthew would ever want to keep her.<br />
<br />
And she can tell he definitely still does even though he hasn't said anything. In fact, it bothers her more that he hasn't said anything than if he did, because you can't argue with something someone hasn't actually said.<br />
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Anne offers to help with the dishes after breakfast, and Marilla very distrustfully takes her up on it, and also reminds her to make her bed. Apparently Anne has not before encountered a "feather tick", which I actually looked up.<br />
<br />
I realized I wasn't ENTIRELY sure what a feather tick actually was, so I did a bit of research. A feather tick is basically a feather mattress, and each morning they needed to be shaken and fluffed back into shape.<br />
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She manages, though, and when she gets downstairs, Marilla says she can go out and play, but Anne is too scared to get attached to Green Gables. She already doesn't want to leave, though she's resigned herself that this is how things are going to be.<br />
<br />
Marilla is annoyed that she also finds Anne interesting and wonders what she'll say yet. She's trying so hard not to get attached and kinda failing XD Meanwhile Matthew is the king of nonverbal communication and Marilla continues to be vexed at him because she can tell what he's feeling (how much he wants Anne to stay) but she can't argue with it if he doesn't actually say anything.<br />
<br />
They leave to "settle" things with Mrs. Spencer, who brought Anne from the orphanage, and as we close the chapter, Matthew looks wistfully after them from the gate as they leave. Shorter chapter today, with some great descriptions of how beautiful Green Gables is, and I'm very excited to get into the next chapter when there's more backstory and such.<br />
<br />
(Link to <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1082798879446200320">Twitter thread</a>) <b>Chapter Five: Anne's History</b><br />
<br />
Well, I've got a murder game I'd like to play, so let's get today's chapter done. This is Chapter Five and it's a good one!<br />
<br />
Marilla and Anne have just left Green Gables to go see Mrs. Spencer and basically see about returning Anne like the shirt I just returned to Walmart, but Anne has decided to stay positive and enjoy the drive there. I want to point out, though, that this isn't Anne being a Pollyanna. Deciding to enjoy the drive doesn't mean she isn't upset about what's going to happen. This is her trying to get any bit of pleasure out of things that she can.<br />
<br />
And this is going to be very relevant as Marilla decides since Anne is determined to talk through the drive, she might as well tell Marilla about herself. <br />
<br />
Here's what we learn.<br />
<br />
Anne is 11 as of March. A bit of quick googling about tree blossomings suggest that it might be around the middle of end of May currently. So she's probably not been 11 very long. She was born in Nova Scotia to Walter and Bertha Shirley. Anne likes their names. She does not, however, like the name Jedediah and is grateful that was not her name.<br />
<br />
Jedediah's of the world, I am truly sorry.<br />
<br />
Marilla says it doesn't matter what a person's name is as long as they behave themselves, but Anne isn't convinced. She also doesn't think that a rose that was called a thistle or a skunk-cactus would smell as good as a rose called a rose, so, you know, sorry Will.<br />
<br />
That's probably the last joke I'm gonna make for a bit because it gets sad after this. I would honestly suggest a TW for child abuse from here out.<br />
<br />
Anne's parents were both teachers, although her mother stopped when she married Anne's father. The book says she gave it up because "a husband was enough responsibility" but I'm not sure at this time period women were allowed to teach after they married. This does reflect Montgomery's belief that having a family/marriage were most important for a woman<br />
<br />
They were apparently "poor as church mice" according to Mrs Thomas, who Anne describes as "a poor woman who came in to scrub". She mentions that Mrs. Thomas spoke to/knew her mother, so I guess cleaning people were just cheaper to hire back then? I dunno, this is why I don't write historical books.<br />
<br />
<b>Editing Laina: It was suggested to me the hiring of Mrs Thomas was likely only meant to be temporary, during the last few weeks of Bertha's pregnancy and postpartum.</b><br />
<br />
Her parents weren't from the area, and they had no living relatives, so Mrs Thomas took in baby Anne and raised her even though she was poor and had a "drunken husband". Anne stayed with the Thomases until she was 8, and helped look after the four Thomas children until the husband died falling under a train. After, his mother offered to take Mrs Thomas and the children in - but refused to take in Anne.<br />
<br />
Lovely woman.<br />
<br />
A "Mrs Hammond from up the river" says she'll take Anne as Anne was known to be good with kids at this point. <br />
<br />
Let me point out again. She's eight years old.<br />
<br />
These people are also kind of awful.<br />
<br />
The Hammonds had EIGHT children, including three sets of twins in a row. Who Anne cares for. At eight years old. She stays there just over two years, so until she is 10 years old. At this point Mr. Hammond dies. I'm honestly shocked it took this long. After the second set of twins brought me to six kids, I'd be slipping some arsenic into Mr. Hammond's tea myself.<br />
<br />
...his cause of death is unstated in the book. I'm just sayin'.<br />
<br />
I guess Mrs. Hammond decides supporting the eight children she's making the 10 year old orphan raise is too much because she splits her kids up among relatives and hops the border to the US.<br />
<br />
If you do the math, Anne probably hasn't quite turned 11 at this point.<br />
<br />
At this point, she's sent to the orphan asylum because "nobody would take" her. They either told her, or she overheard them saying that they didn't even want to take her in, as they were overcrowded as it is, but they had no choice. She's been there 4 months.<br />
<br />
With the apple and cherry and lilac trees blooming currently, it's probably around May. So she got there about a month before her birthday, probably, and four months total til Mrs. Spencer came to bring her to Green Gables.<br />
<br />
Anne seems to say all this pretty matter-of-factly, but she finishes with a sigh of relief. "Evidently she did not like talking about her experiences in a wolrd that did not want her." And how freaking tragic is that. No wonder she broke down when they told her they didn't want her because she wasn't a boy! It's only the fourth time in 11 years! And this time was even worse, because people told her they DID want her, for the first time in her life!<br />
<br />
And clearly the "to do farm chores" got lost in translation (the Cuthberts told someone who told Mrs Spencer who told the asylum, basically a game of telephone) so as far as Anne knew, it's not even that they want her to mind children AGAIN. It was just a home. The fact that the kid's still standing is a testament to how tough she is.<br />
<br />
Marilla next asks if Anne has been to school, and the answer is, "Not a great deal."<br />
<br />
Rural Canada in the 1910s, y'all. <b>Editing Laina: Probably 1870s. This has become a Thing that we will need to investigate further, but around the 1870s is a good starting point guess.</b><br />
<br />
Anne went to school a little the last year she stayed with Mrs. Thomas (7-8), but at Mrs. Hammond's (8-11), the school was too far away. She couldn't walk there in the winter, and in the summer it was closed obviously, so she only could go in fall and spring. For the four months she's been at the asylum she's been going, though.<br />
<br />
Anne can read well and she loves poetry, even memorizing pieces. She used to borrow the Fifth Reader from the older girls at school, even though she was only on the Fourth one, because she liked some of the pieces in it and she wanted to read more.<br />
<br />
My heart breaks a little there.<br />
<br />
And this is when my heart breaks more.<br />
<br />
Marilla's final question is if the women were good to Anne.<br />
<br />
For the first time in the book, Anne stumbles over her words. She also turns red with embarassment. Anne says she's sure they meant to be good to her, and when people mean to be, it's easier to forgive them when they aren't always, and that they had it very hard having a drunken husband and eight kids.<br />
<br />
Marilla doesn't ask any other questions.<br />
<br />
Honestly the book isn't that subtle about the fact that Anne was probably abused. Marilla begins to feel quite bad for Anne, being "shrewd enough to read between the lines" and realize how much Anne has at the very least been neglected if not worse. She begins to understand why Anne was so happy to finally have a home and for the first time, she considers if they could do as Matthew wanted and keep her.<br />
<br />
Which by the way, Matthew never comes across as creepy or anything. Even with time. Like I wanna make that clear, he truly comes across as very much wanting to be Anne's family, not anything weird.<br />
<br />
Marilla thinks Anne talks to much but can be trained out of that (which frankly it wouldn't be bad for Anne to learn when the right time for things is, and to, you know, read others' nonverbal cues in a conversation) and nothing she says is "rude or slangy".<br />
<br />
Then as they approach the coast, there's a really interesting part of description that's almost, like, Gothic in nature? You know how in Gothic novels, the setting can almost reflect how the character is feeling or set the tone of a scene? The shore road they've been taking is described as "woodsy and wild and lonesome" and there's great descriptions of the sea nearby being bright and shimmering, totally contrasting with that.<br />
<br />
It's a real wonderful piece of writing. That's the kind of writing that makes me really want to read more of Montgomery's work, especially the stuff aimed at a more mature audience. I wanna see some darker stuff eventually!!<br />
<br />
And we close out this chapter as they approach Mrs. Spencer's house. Anne, clearly, is dreading this.<br />
<br />
I'm really excited for tomorrow's chapter, though. I think it's gonna be a good one. Also, craft note? This chapter is a master in how not a ton can happen (they literally just drive on a road) but a ton can happen at the same time (Anne's backstory, they bond, Marilla begins to soften more towards Anne).<br />
<br />
(Link to <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1083094464959115264">Twitter thread</a>.) <b>Chapter Six: Marilla Makes Up Her Mind</b><br />
<br />
When we finished the last chapter, Anne and Marilla had just arrived at Mrs Spencer's house, who was the one who brought Anne from the asylum. She's obviously surprised to see them and is quick to shift the blame for the situation around. I get a weird feeling off her, and I'm not sure why. She's probably fine. There's just something that doesn't sit right about her.<br />
<br />
Anyways, the reason for the mix-up is that the Cuthberts told her brother who told his daughter who told Mrs Spencer. Moral of the story, don't rely on word of mouth/a game of Telephone to pick your orphan for you.<br />
<br />
Marilla wants to know if Anne can be sent back to the asylum and Mrs Spencer says that another woman, a Mrs Blewitt, had just visited saying she wished she'd asked Mrs Spencer to bring home a little girl for her. Her reason? She has a large family and "finds it hard to get help".<br />
<br />
Ya see where this is going? Yeah, I don't like it either.<br />
<br />
Marilla is also uneasy about this idea. She knows Mrs Blewitt to be a "terrble worker and driver" and that "discharged servant girls told fearsome tales of her temper and stinginess, and her family of pert, quarrelsome children."<br />
<br />
Honestly I rather enjoy these chapters where you get some of Marilla's POV. She never says everything she's thinking, and her thoughts are very interesting. There's something interesting, also, about how she's been rather critical of other women so far. I think the parts of it that are the most interesting is that she's not critical of them because of appearance or, like, their choices in having children or anything like that. She is always critical about the way they do their "work".<br />
<br />
When you're talking about housework or homekeeping in this context (or truly, in any context, but let's stick with this) it's not just about how well you vacuum or sweep or whatever. Everything you do affects others. You don't keep your house clean and your children get the plague, they could take out a bunch of other kids getting them sick, too. You treat your housekeeping staff badly - do they have anywhere else to go?<br />
<br />
Though she doesn't seem to like to admit, Marilla especially seems to have a definite soft spot for more vulnerable people being taken advantage of. Montgomery valued this type of work very highly, and I don't think she approve of people not doing it well. It's very interesting to look at.<br />
<br />
So, Marilla is very uneasy with the idea of Anne going with Mrs. Blewitt... who just so happens to be riding up outside at that very moment. DRAMA.<br />
<br />
Anne sits very quietly and watches Mrs Blewitt who's described as a "sharp-faced, sharp-eyed" woman. She's so nervous and on edge and is struggling very hard not to break down in tears. Again, the only other times she's cried was IMMEDIATELY after the home she was expecting to have was ripped away from her, and when she was alone in bed. Anne is a tough cookie.<br />
<br />
Mrs Blewitt basically wants someone to clean and take care of her kids and if that someone is an 11 year old orphaned child, she's fine with that. <br />
<br />
I don't like Mrs Blewitt.<br />
<br />
It doesn't say how children many she has explicitly, but I'm assuming several.<br />
<br />
Marilla sees how miserable Anne is and realizes she can't let Anne go with Mrs Blewitt because she's absolutely terrible, and, in Marilla's words, Anne is a sensitive child.She speaks up and says no, actually they're not so sure they've decided they won't keep her after all and she needs to consult with Matthew first.<br />
<br />
She's TOTALLY using him as an excuse, lol. Marilla has no qualms about making decisions without his imput.<br />
<br />
Anne waits only until the other women leave the room to spring up in joy and ask if she might really be allowed to stay or if she was just imagining it.<br />
<br />
Marilla VERY GRUMPILY tells her to get a hold on her imagination if she can't tell what's real. Things are, of course, not going to plan. And we've discussed that Marilla really does not like when things don't go according to plan. And she gets grumpy when that happens.<br />
<br />
But she tells Anne that, yes, she might be able to stay.<br />
<br />
Anne is OVERJOYED. And she also adds that she'd rather go back to the asylum than with Mrs Blewitt, who "looks like a gimlet", which is a... *googles* Cocktail? No, that can't be right. Ah, there we go. "A small hand tool having a spiraled shank, a screw tip, and a cross handle and used for boring holes." Kinda like a corkscrew but for wood.<br />
<br />
Marilla has to stop herself from laughing at that, which honestly is a struggle anyone who spends time with kids understands. You can tell how much she's amused and kinda agrees, but it's not appropriate for Anne to say things like that. Frankly, she's not wrong again. It's probably not the best time to insult someone when they're just in the other room.<br />
<br />
It's impressive that Marilla often doesn't come off as unreasonable, even if she's being strict.<br />
<br />
They go home and another interesting thing is that Marilla actually seems to do a fair amount of physical labour on the farm. She's out there milking cows with Matthew while they talk. She fills him in on Anne's history, and what happened at Mrs Spencer's and Matthew replies with, "I wouldn't give a dog I liked to that Blewitt woman" which is a much harsher thing than you'd ever expect him to say, especially about a woman.<br />
<br />
It's unexpected and goes to show both how terrible Mrs Blewitt is and how deeply Matthew already cares about Anne.<br />
<br />
They talk and Marilla basically bounces her worries off him until she convinces herself Anne should stay. This scene is really great for showing the dynamic of their relationship. It reminds me of the earlier one where it says Matthew is fond of people who talk to fill the silence so he doesn't have to talk. This chapter is also the first time we're really told they're brother and sister? <b>Editing Laina: Besides that time I missed in the first chapter. </b>Marilla is referred to as "Miss Cuthbert" and she mentions they're an old bachelor and an old maid, lol.<br />
<br />
Just saying there XD<br />
<br />
As the chapter closes, Marilla decides not to tell Anne until the morning, suspecting Anne won't sleep at all due to excitement, and grumps back into the house. Gosh you can tell how much she hates change XD I think that's one of the things that really makes you connect to Marilla even though she's strict and not as approachable, is that you can just feel how uncomfortable she is. When she's thinking about keeping Anne, she worries deeply about doing it wrong.<br />
<br />
She's a creature of habit with a lot of anxiety, and that's relateable. At least to me!<br />
<br />
And that's all I've got for today, lol.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nwGpsSWJ5DoDK-uD3mnuzy1fRLq6v-sPUo8k8v9TieECz_4caWSBCBLdcxxA_0BSB1rrt6Ee1t0in8hNy_cElSh88t5ALOj9GBIBIWheKhpRaoxiuOLa4sGNWjIRcZkB0mFYDgNRyVk/s1600/noun_leaf_800411.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nwGpsSWJ5DoDK-uD3mnuzy1fRLq6v-sPUo8k8v9TieECz_4caWSBCBLdcxxA_0BSB1rrt6Ee1t0in8hNy_cElSh88t5ALOj9GBIBIWheKhpRaoxiuOLa4sGNWjIRcZkB0mFYDgNRyVk/s1600/noun_leaf_800411.png" /></a></div>
<i>Works Cited:</i><br />
<br />
“Gimlet (Tool).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 May 2018, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimlet_(tool)">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimlet_(tool)</a>.<br />
<br />
“History of Featherbeds & Duvets.” Old & Interesting, <a href="http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-feather-beds.aspx">www.oldandinteresting.com/history-feather-beds.aspx</a>.<br />
<br />Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-54615288944436524432019-02-15T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-15T09:00:04.979-06:00Book Blogger Hop (26)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="400" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books and is now hosted by Billy of <a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>This week's question is: Have you ever thought about taking a break from blogging/Booktubing (if you're a Booktuber)? If you have, how long was the break and what did you learn from it?</b><br />
<br />
<i>My answer:</i> I did, in fact. I didn't blog for over a year, from July 2012 to September 2013.<br />
<br />
I learned depression sucks and kills your creativity.<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-3487593857764491102019-02-13T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-13T09:00:04.154-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (46)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531148558l/36233085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531148558l/36233085.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> March 5th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Future-Cori-McCarthy/dp/031644927X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1545327588&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=1c1793fb8156f01213679d280afbe188&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Once-Future-Cori-Mccarthy/9780316449274?ref=grid-view&qid=1545327166090&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316449274?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36233085-once-future">goodreads</a>): "I’ve been chased my whole life. As an illegal immigrant in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>Now I’m done hiding.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> <i>My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start."</i><br />
<br />
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.<br />
<br />
No pressure.<br />
<br />
<i>The part where I talk:</i> This just sounds super fun. I really love this idea of a teen girl being King Arthur, and this really does seem like a cool new spin on the mythology. Really neat cover, too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529118640l/38251243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529118640l/38251243.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date: </i>March 12, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Kind-Trouble-Moore-Ram%C3%A9e/dp/0062836684/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327636&sr=8-1&keywords=a+good+kind+of+trouble&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=8b919ed355792e0d1f211074e79f3cb7&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Good-Kind-Trouble-Lisa-Moore-Ramee/9780062836687?ref=grid-view&qid=1545327231694&sr=1-4/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062836687?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38251243-a-good-kind-of-trouble">goodreads</a>):</i> Twelve-year-old Shayla is allergic to trouble. All she wants to do is to follow the rules. (Oh, and she’d also like to make it through seventh grade with her best friendships intact, learn to run track, and have a cute boy see past her giant forehead.)<br />
<br />
But in junior high, it’s like all the rules have changed. Now she’s suddenly questioning who her best friends are and some people at school are saying she’s not black enough. Wait, what?<br />
<br />
Shay’s sister, Hana, is involved in Black Lives Matter, but Shay doesn't think that's for her. After experiencing a powerful protest, though, Shay decides some rules are worth breaking. She starts wearing an armband to school in support of the Black Lives movement. Soon everyone is taking sides. And she is given an ultimatum.<br />
<br />
Shay is scared to do the wrong thing (and even more scared to do the right thing), but if she doesn't face her fear, she'll be forever tripping over the next hurdle. Now that’s trouble, for real.<br />
<br />
<i>The part where I talk: </i>Remember how I said in my CWW about <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37598648-good-enough?from_search=true">Good Enough</a> that there's some MG that makes my heart hurt because it's so necessary? This is one of them. I don't want police violence to <i>need</i> to be something that's explored in MG, but it is, and I think this, like <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.blogspot.com/2018/11/mg-review-blended.html">Blended</a>, is going to handle it incredibly well.<br />
<br />
Also, I love the cover.<br />
<br />
That's it for me this week!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-51282880602299876072019-02-11T10:00:00.000-06:002019-02-11T10:00:01.761-06:00YA Review: If You're Out There<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529947315l/39333677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529947315l/39333677.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">If You're Out There by Katy Loutzenheiser</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published: </i>March 5th, 2019 by Balzer + Bray<br />
<i>Genre: </i>YA Mystery<br />
<i>Binding:</i> eARC<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 320<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> Standalone<br />
<i>Got via: </i>Edelweiss<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Out-There-Katy-Loutzenhiser/dp/0062865676/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1549741392&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=cfac27e9e789b6c0c11f7635c2a4ccba&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/If-Youre-Out-There-Katy-Loutzenhiser/9780062865670?ref=grid-view&qid=1549741353462&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062865670?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39333677-if-you-re-out-there">goodreads</a>):</i> After Zan’s best friend moves to California, she is baffled and crushed when Priya suddenly ghosts. Worse, Priya’s social media has turned into a stream of ungrammatical posts chronicling a sunny, vapid new life that doesn’t sound like her at all.<br />
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Everyone tells Zan not to be an idiot: Let Priya do her reinvention thing and move on. But until Zan hears Priya say it, she won’t be able to admit that their friendship is finished.<br />
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It’s only when she meets Logan, the compelling new guy in Spanish class, that Zan begins to open up about her sadness, her insecurity, her sense of total betrayal. And he’s just as willing as she is to throw himself into the investigation when everyone else thinks her suspicions are crazy.<br />
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Then a clue hidden in Priya’s latest selfie introduces a new, deeply disturbing possibility:<br />
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Maybe Priya isn’t just not answering Zan’s emails.<br />
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Maybe she can’t. <br />
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<i>Review: </i>Well, this was fun. I really liked the voice in this. It's got just enough of a sense of humour to really contrast with the serious moments, and considering how angsty those things could have gotten, it's rather more enjoyable that most of it keeps the balance of not too heavy. It's also nice to see a book give such weight to how a friend break-up can affect someone. There's a romance, and it's cute, but the friendship is more important and that's not treated as weird or juvenile or anything.<br />
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<i>Plot Talk:</i> This has some pretty good suspense. I'm really glad that it never went the flashback route. I liked much better that it stayed in the present day with only a few times where Zan would remember something from the past, versus alternating past and present timelines, for instance. I think that would have ruined the tension. There was even a moment where I actually kind of gasped because something happened that surprised and startled me so much - in a good, suspenseful way!<br />
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However, there was something that did kind of ruin the tension for me, but since it's a little bit of a spoiler, I'll go into it in my complaints section.<br />
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<i>Characters: </i>Zan is cool. She's kind of floundering when the book starts, not entirely sure who she is if she isn't part of "Priya and Zan", and honestly she's wallowing a little. Understandably! I think how Zan feels is exactly how anyone who has ever had a friendship end by the other person ghosting feels, and it's very relateable. Even though the "maybe something bad is happening" isn't what most people are going to experience, it's kind of cathartic to read anyways. What happens with Priya may not be what happened to <i>your</i> friend, but it feels good to read anyways.<br />
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Or at least that's how I felt.<br />
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Also, props to Logan in general. He was a cool dude character. Kind of that stereotypical thing where there's rumours/a thing in his past that sounds scary or bad, but actually he's really a good guy, but also I kinda don't mind it in his case? Mostly because in his case the rumours were mostly untrue and the thing that did happen was something I could see a lot of teenagers doing. It doesn't ping my pet peeve radar so much.<br />
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I think a lot of that was a combination of two things, too. One, Zan and Logan have really good chemistry and they interact in ways that are really fun. There's a point where Logan says he's doing something "for feminism" and it felt cute and funny, not mean-spirited or insulting. Two, he respects her so much. He believes her no matter what, even when no one else does, even when she's not sure she should believe herself. How much he respects her and how well he treats her - even when she's kind of mean to him! - really makes the romance work.<br />
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This book is really great at characters. Zan is surrounded by a lot of very supportive people from her parents to her boss to her other friends. While she's not as close to her other friends as she was to Priya, they still express concern about her and she realizes she should make more of an effort to hang out with them because they're still important. I kinda adored her boss at the restaurant - he worried that she wasn't spending enough time with her friends, and just worried about her a lot in general.<br />
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Her parents are cool, too. I particularly liked that her mom has a new girlfriend, versus a new boyfriend, as that's not something you see as much in YA. It was nice that it wasn't a huge deal, just new and a little different. They were still all getting used to each other and especially getting used to living together, but it's just normal growing pains of a newly blended family. The book also handles Zan's complicated relationship with her father well.<br />
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<i>PG-13 stuff: </i>There's a little language I believe, and some violence/scary situations, but nothing I would say that's over the top or that would scare a younger reader. Little bit of talk about addiction/drugs.<br />
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<i>Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: </i>I had some minor nitpicks about language that I felt was unnecessary (cracks about a doll's body being "an advertisement for bulimia" or something along those lines) and especially the whole thing about Zan's "chronic boylessness" (good god, some people just don't want to date - that's fine!) but I mainly had one big complaint.<br />
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And it's a spoiler so skip to the cover if you don't want to read it, but it bothered me - about two thirds into the book, it suddenly starts having entries from Priya's journal. It ruins the suspense of not knowing what's happening to her, and I thought it was entirely unnecessary. Very meh.<br />
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<i>Cover comments:</i> Not my favourite cover in the world, but it gets the job done.<br />
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<i>Conclusion:</i> While I had a few complaints in this, it's pretty good nonetheless and I did have a really fun time reading it. It's one of those books you can relax a little while reading and just enjoy the ride. It's not too serious of a read, and that's enjoyable sometimes. Three and a half out of four roses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwsgK1MeuV6X0fjbg0bdS0c9Hjqu6FARANuwyBNtjB0Pn1Se-Kt2gkLoXq8HDYF9_4iJcYV9fe5XeJaLPcTgD837bdssBYGqSkqdX6Z5hdjGCP9lKa771mBcnC97rmpMsbF2iGTEbMLU/s1600/Half+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwsgK1MeuV6X0fjbg0bdS0c9Hjqu6FARANuwyBNtjB0Pn1Se-Kt2gkLoXq8HDYF9_4iJcYV9fe5XeJaLPcTgD837bdssBYGqSkqdX6Z5hdjGCP9lKa771mBcnC97rmpMsbF2iGTEbMLU/s1600/Half+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><br />
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Other notes:<br />
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- How do you all feel about the only cop in the book being Black? Not my lane, but I found it interesting.<br />
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- Random, but I liked that Logan had long hair. Not everyone has to have the same style in YA.<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-28254360240894647372019-02-09T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-09T09:00:07.443-06:00Anne of Green Gables Read-Along: Chapters 1-3This is still a little experimental, so let me know what you think, but I think depending on the length of the thread, I'll combine chapters. I mean, otherwise since I'm going doing these once posts once a week, this'll take almost a year to finish and it'll be <i>way</i> behind where I am on Twitter. Plus some threads aren't very long if the chapter isn't very long, or if there isn't much to talk about.<br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="318" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" width="200" /></a>(Link to <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1081241718035341312">Twitter thread</a>) <b>Chapter One: Mrs Rachel Lynde is Surprised</b><br />
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A quick note - I'm not going to be pointing out every instance of ableist language in this. It was written in 1905. It's there. I think at a certain point, unless you are specifically talking about that aspect, it becomes a bit redundant. Just a heads-up.<br />
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Montgomery's voice is truly great. She has this real subtle sense of sarcasm that slips into her narration that I find hilarious. I legit laughed more than once reading the first chapter. And that leads well into our introduction of Mrs. Rachel Lynde.<br />
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Mrs. Rachel Lynde is described as a "notable housewife" who always has her housework done, and done well, ran the Sewing Circle, helped run the Sunday school, and was heavily involved in charity work.<br />
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Mrs. Rachel Lynde is also described as quite a busybody.<br />
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She's said to sit at her kitchen window knitting, and basically spying on the neighbours. This character is interesting because at first glance she seems almost like the idealized housewife, which was something Montgomery thought was an important role. However, she's clearly seen as, you know, kind of nosy.<br />
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So she's looking out her window when she sees Matthew Cuthbert head by with his horse and buggy in his best suit of clothes, a clear sign he's leaving Avonlea and there might be Hot Gossip for Mrs. Rachel.<br />
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She almost immediately decides to go visit at his home, Green Gables, which is next door but also almost as far back into the woods as you can get without actually being IN the woods, with a long path to get there. It's isolated.<br />
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Matthew Cuthbert is a man of few words, who keeps to himself and doesn't like talking to people. His father, who built Green Gables, was much like him.<br />
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The first impression we get of Green Gables is that it's beautiful, but it's kept almost too tidy. Mrs. Rachel is a little snooty about how often Marilla Cuthbert "sweeps her lawn" and says the Green Gables kitchen could be cheerful, but it was too clean to feel that way.<br />
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The first impression we get of Marilla Cuthbert is that she's strict and impeccably tidy. Mrs. Rachel/the narrative describes her as tall, thin, having lived a life of narrow experience and rigid conscience but with a possible hint of a sense of humour around the corner of her mouth.<br />
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Which honestly is such a great description.<br />
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Mrs. Rachel asks why Matthew has gotten all fancied up and left, and Marilla tells her they've decided to adopt an orphaned boy.<br />
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By the way, Matthew and Marilla are siblings. Not sure if you'd know that if you weren't familiar with AOGG.<br />
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That's something I find really interesting now, too. Montgomery believed marriage was very important for a woman, clearly, but this work, written when she was, what, 30, has one of the most important characters be Marilla, who never married.<br />
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So Marilla and Matthew are looking to adopt a boy to help out around Green Gables since he's getting older and can't do all the work as easily anymore, and apparently it's quite difficult to get hired help. Marilla is particularly disdainful of French boys.<br />
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She also mentions that Matthew suggested getting a "Home boy" and I had to look this up because I wasn't very familiar with it.<br />
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Apparently around this time, Britain was having a really bad time, and children especially were suffering. They sent a huge number of children to Canada and other Commonwealth countries to try and give them better lives. Apparently it's estimated that 10% of Canadians are descendants of these children. You can read more about that <a href="https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/settlement-immigration/history-spotlight-british-home-children">here</a>.<br />
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(Slur tw) Marilla used the phrase "no London street arabs" and I honestly didn't know what that meant, and had to look it up. The definition was something like, "raggedly dressed homeless child wandering the streets".<br />
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Kinda racist obvs.<br />
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Anyways, there was obviously a lot of abuse potential with this whole "adopt an orphan to work for us" thing, but Marilla and Matthew do seem to have good intentions. Marilla states they plan to give him a good home and schooling.<br />
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I think probably one of the more subtle indicators of how they felt about the child in their future was that Marilla had the table set at least 2 hours before Matthew was due home. Maybe that was just how you set dinner, and it is stated it's an "everyday" layout.<br />
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But I feel like it makes it seem like Marilla really wanted to make the child feel like he was at home as soon as he got there, and that she really wanted him to be comfortable with them.<br />
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I mean, imagine going to a new home and everything being super fancy???<br />
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Mrs. Rachel starts fearmongering about orphans and dropping horror stories, and Marilla is all, "There's risks in people's having children of their own if it comes to that - they don't always turn out well."<br />
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One, that is a darn fine shutdown.<br />
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Two, this is something Montgomery would find true for herself. She was rather disappointed in her sons' life choices and had rocky relationships with them both. <br />
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Interesting prediction, that.<br />
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Mrs. Rachel expresses great doubt at the idea that Matthew and Marilla will be capable of raising a child well, and with that, we end chapter one.<br />
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(Link to <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1081599080667635712">Twitter thread</a>.) <b>Chapter Two - Matthew Cuthbert Is Surprised</b><br />
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So, when last we left, Matthew Cuthbert was heading to Bright River to pick up the orphan he plans on adopting with his sister Marilla. Matthew enjoys the drive, but he vehemently dislikes the fact that he must nod hello at other drivers.<br />
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He especially dreads doing this at women, and this is reflective of his general view on them. He often fears they're laughing at him.<br />
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TBH that would probably sound a lot creepier if he didn't hate being around ALL people.<br />
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He gets to Bright River where the train station is and walks past a girl sitting on a pile of shingles, mostly ignoring her as he's wont to do with people in general.<br />
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Except when he asks the stationmaster when the train will be coming in, he's told it already has<br />
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Surprise! The girl waiting at the station is the orphan they were sent.<br />
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Matthew pretty much doesn't know what to do and desperately wishes Marilla was there. He is Very Uncomfortable and does not wish to be in charge, lol. She's very excited about having a home, and he basically decides to take her back to Green Gables because he can't bear to dash her hopes.<br />
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And also because he wants to go home, which you know. I get that.<br />
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In this chapter, our girl isn't given a name yet (we'll get there), but she has been described as "a case" and as having a tongue, and the best description, as having "decidedly red hair". <br />
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Seriously, Montgomery's got descriptions on lock. They're so strong.<br />
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This is one of the parts where our girl starts to talk wonderously about things around her, and it's wonderful prose, but hard to describe in a tweet. She sees things like cherry trees and they are truly magical to her, and she can't help but share that feeling. She's incredibly expressive and also very wordy and talks for most of the drive.<br />
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Matthew, who is actually described as an introvert here, decides he doesn't mind listening to her talk, especially because she doesn't expect him to respond overly much. He likes that she's filling the silence so he doesn't have to, lol. There's also a mention here of him not approving much of how "well-bred" Avonlea girls are raised, because they always act afraid of him.<br />
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Our girl also decides that the beautiful places they pass need prettier names than the ones they have, and decides to rename them, which honestly is kind of adorable.<br />
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As they reach Green Gables, our girl is absolutely in love with the place and so excited to have a new home.<br />
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And Matthew is dreading the idea of having to tell her that she can't stay. He compares it to when he has to kill lambs or calves. He's known her for like 2 hours and he's already gone to mush XD<br />
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And that's the end of the chapter. Not a ton happening in this one plot-wise, but the descriptions are amazing. You truly get a sense of how beautiful Prince Edward Island is.<br />
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I also continue to find it interesting that Marilla and Matthew are siblings. If you were reading it for the first time, I'm not sure if you'd understand that fully at this point. The only real clue is a mention of them being adults when Green Gables was built. <b>(Editing Laina: The station master does say "your sister" to Matthew once.)</b><br />
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OH and one of my favourite things in this chapter - our girl is very depressed that she's so thin. She says she would much rather be "nice and plump", with elbow dimples.<br />
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(Link to <a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1081964131639410688">Twitter thread</a>.) <b>Chapter Three: Marilla Cuthbert Is Surprised</b><br />
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So when last we left off, Matthew Cuthbert had just returned to Green Gables with our girl, who as we know was supposed to be a boy. She has already quite charmed him, and he's dreading telling her she can't stay.<br />
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Time to introduce her to Marilla.<br />
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Marilla is Not Pleased at this development. Now, this is more subtext, but you can tell Marilla likes things a certain way. She plans for things to go a certain way, and she expects them to turn out how she planned.<br />
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Our girl has thrown a hitch into this plan.<br />
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Marilla is by no means CRUEL about saying our girl isn't supposed to be there, but this isn't what she planned, and that simply won't do.<br />
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Our girl, reasonably, gets quite upset that she can't stay.<br />
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When Marilla tries to tell her not be upset, our girl rightfully points out that she very well has the right to be upset when she was expecting to have a home and instead is told that she's not wanted because she's not a boy.<br />
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Marilla has a hint of a smile when she says they won't be kicking our girl out that night or anything, which suggests she thinks our girl is being a little dramatic, but honestly it's a fair point! She was told she was getting a new family and a home! And now, after she's gotten attached to the idea of living here, and seen all the pretty places, she's being told she can't stay? Of course that's upsetting!!! This is perfectly reasonable.<br />
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And this is when we finally get to know her name, and we are introduced to one Anne Shirley.<br />
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Who starts off by saying she would much rather be called Cordelia, because Anne is such a dreadfully plain name. <br />
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Marilla is not here for it.<br />
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Earlier when a neighbour's daughter was brought up and her name was stated to be Diana, Matthew expressed a preference for "plain"/"simple" names, and Marilla also finds them more suitable.<br />
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Anne vehemently disagrees.<br />
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But, she says, if she must be called Anne, it has to be Anne-With-An-E, because just Ann is dreadfully boring.<br />
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Sorry, Anns of the world. <br />
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She says that when she sees names, she sees them spelled out in her mind, and some are prettier than others. Marilla is like "sure, cool, why not" and they go to eat dinner. She's very critical that Anne isn't eating much, but Anne is too upset to eat. Poor thing. Also the food descriptions are very good and I'm getting hungry from reading them XD<br />
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Eventually, it's getting late, and Marilla worries about where to put her. They had originally prepared the "kitchen chamber" for the boy they were expecting, but that is apparently not appropriate for a girl. Ngl, I had to look up what a kitchen chamber was.<br />
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The "spare room" apparently also isn't appropriate for her to stay in (there are so many rules!) so she ends up in the east gable room. The east gable room is described like much of the rest of the house - extremely clean and tidy, but not the least bit welcoming. It's also fairly bare, with plain white walls and only a rug on the floor. It seems like it could be a sweet little room, but not yet.<br />
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Marilla is kind of awkward and doesn't really know what to say to Anne or what to do. Eventually she just tells her to change and she'll be back to blow out the candle.<br />
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Funny moment in linguistic changes - Anne's nightgown and some of her clothes in general are described as "skimpy". By this they mean plain, lacking any kind of frill or lace <b>(editing Laina: It was also pointed out to me that skimpy could mean the material was quite thin and cheap and not warm for sleeping in)</b> but it's funny reading that now because wow would a skimpy nightgown mean something else<br />
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Marilla comes in once she's in bed, and she's awkward saying goodnight, but not unkind. Anne is just very upset, obviously.<br />
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Great character development moment - Marilla picks up the clothes that Anne has left on the floor and folds them. I think that shows both how she likes things to be tidy and in their place, and also that she's not unkind. She doesn't snap at Anne for leaving her things a mess or make her pick them up. She just cleans them up.<br />
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Marilla leaves her and goes to find Matthew in the kitchen. She's unsettled, and he's visibly worried and upset. It doesn't take much prodding for him to admit he doesn't want to send Anne back to the orphanage.<br />
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Marilla asks what good will a girl be for them (as in, farm work) and Matthew suggests they might be good for her, which is so sweet honestly. He's clearly charmed by her, and suggests she'd be good company for Marilla. Marilla is not having this. She says she doesn't need company and they simply can't keep her. Matthew says she's right, but you can also tell he clearly doesn't agree, and he goes to bed upset.<br />
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Marilla is very unsettled by this all.<br />
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And Anne is crying herself to sleep as the chapter ends.<br />
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This is such a good character development chapter, honestly. You really get a solid sense of who these characters are, even though it's still so early in the book. Clearly from the title it's not a surprise she'll eventually stay but you still feel so bad for Anne. And Marilla and Matthew don't come off as the antagonists. Even Marilla, who is the one saying no, you understand why. It's a really interesting dynamic.<br />
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Also, three chapters in, it still has not actually said they're brother and sister, lol. <b>(Editing Laina: Only once in the second chapter.) </b>Which can you imagine reading this for the first time and accidentally putting incest in Anne of Green Gables?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y63kfr_gncB5OmmuHL_0VLTxO5gRoqnC7jjA4T8ybGuttz6utxI57vD36aY8VxuO4DxVowE-k49aeYepb_lRh9n7cKJcmcACG7tMk5cf7RSrGDhwC4ySTlX7lRBPvk-ASuQmEXsfIuE/s1600/noun_leaf_800411.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y63kfr_gncB5OmmuHL_0VLTxO5gRoqnC7jjA4T8ybGuttz6utxI57vD36aY8VxuO4DxVowE-k49aeYepb_lRh9n7cKJcmcACG7tMk5cf7RSrGDhwC4ySTlX7lRBPvk-ASuQmEXsfIuE/s1600/noun_leaf_800411.png" /></a></div>
Works cited:<br />
<br />
“History Spotlight: British Home Children.” Canada's History - Canada's History, 23 June 2010, <a href="http://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/settlement-immigration/history-spotlight-british-home-children">www.canadashistory.ca/explore/settlement-immigration/history-spotlight-british-home-children</a>.<br />
Joyce, Sandra. “The Street Arab.” SANDRA JOYCE, www.sandrajoyce.com/cms/books/the-street-arab/.<br />
<br />
“Street Arabs and Street Urchins.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed, Encyclopedia.com, 1 Feb. 2019, <a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/children/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/street-arabs-and-street-urchins">www.encyclopedia.com/children/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/street-arabs-and-street-urchins</a>.<br />
<br />
“The Wadsworth-Longfellow House - The Children's Room.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Maine Historical Society, 10 Jan. 2017, <a href="http://www.hwlongfellow.org/house_children.shtml">www.hwlongfellow.org/house_children.shtml</a>.Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-84838093183926212172019-02-08T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-08T09:00:02.020-06:00Book Blogger Hop (25)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="400" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books and is now hosted by Billy of <a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>This week's question is: Do you have celebrations for your blog's anniversary such as a giveaway? </b><br />
<br />
I used to, but not so much anymore. I only really do giveaways now in the summer for QSR and those are usually paid for by someone else because I am broke and shipping from Canada is expensive/buying stuff from the US is expensive.<br />
<br />
My blog anniversary is in October. Anyone wanna sponser a giveaway? My blog will be... wow, eleven years old.<br />
<br />
Wow. I'm going to go be stunned by that now.<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-3385920386476939272019-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-06T09:00:00.164-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (45)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
For February only, I have too many books I'm excited about so I'm going to be talking about both a middle grade and a YA title this month!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527523506l/36349389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527523506l/36349389.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Last 8 by Laura Pohl</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date:</i> March 1st, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-8-Laura-Pohl/dp/149266989X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327456&sr=8-9&keywords=last+8&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=2edd7234748b788a9a927ced828b6b67&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Last-8-Laura-Pohl/9781492669890/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781492669890?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36349389-the-last-8">goodreads</a>): Clover Martinez has always been a survivor, which is the only reason she isn't among the dead when aliens invade and destroy Earth as she knows it. <br />
<br />
When Clover hears an inexplicable radio message, she's shocked to learn there are other survivors—and that they're all at the former Area 51. When she arrives, she's greeted by a band of misfits who call themselves The Last Teenagers on Earth.<br />
<br />
Only they aren't the ragtag group of heroes Clover was expecting. The group seems more interested in hiding than fighting back, and Clover starts to wonder if she was better off alone. But then she finds a hidden spaceship, and she doesn't know what to believe…or who to trust. <br />
<br />
<i>The part where I talk:</i> I'm not the biggest sci-fi reader, but this is going to have aro rep and I will read basically anything for that. I can't wait, oh my god.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528415118l/40490993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528415118l/40490993.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather Shumaker</span><br />
<br />
<i>Release date: </i>March 5th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Griffins-Castle-Cary-Heather-Shumaker-ebook/dp/B07GNV4M39/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545327506&sr=8-2&keywords=griffins+castle&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=fcb58adf6913ba1bb674ef92241313c0&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Griffins-Castle-Cary-Heather-Shumaker/9781534430884?ref=grid-view&qid=1545327121307&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534430884?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40490993-the-griffins-of-castle-cary">goodreads</a></i>): Siblings Meg, Will, and Ariel Griffin are off on an adventure! They can’t wait to spend a week vising their eccentric aunt and her giant, tongue-drooling Newfoundland dog in England. But when they finally arrive, they’re faced with a few local secrets that stir up more than a little trouble.<br />
<br />
Add in some very peculiar lights, strange new friends, a police chase and some stampeding sheep, and the Griffin kids are in over their heads—literally. Apparently this town has a ghost problem and the three children must race to solve the mystery before the ghosts take something that doesn’t belong to them.<br />
<br />
<i>The part where I talk: </i>Seriously though, how adorable does this sound?? Like, I would have been so into this as a kid. And the cover is gorgeous.<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-43068952208834416802019-02-04T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-04T09:00:18.814-06:00Mini-ReviewsI know, this sounds weird when I do Things I've Read Recently posts all the time, which are technically mini-reviews, but I have two review books and nowhere to put the reviews of them that's aesthetically pleasing, so I thought I'd just do a post of two mini reviews. They'll be a little longer than my usual Things minis, but shorter than my normal reviews. So this is what we're doing today.<br />
<br />
Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1536296273l/25753113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1536296273l/25753113.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published: </i>January 15th, 2019 by Antheum Books which is a division of Simon and Schuster<br />
<i>Genre:</i> Contemporary MG<br />
<i>Binding:</i> eARC<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 400<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> No, I don't think so.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The publisher approved me for it on NetGalley.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Begins-Again-Alicia-Williams/dp/1481465805/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1548883990&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=99c13fd58e56fe54f15933b9016c7add&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Genesis-Begins-Again-Alicia-D-Williams/9781481465809?ref=grid-view/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481465809?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25753113-genesis-begins-again">goodreads</a>):</i> There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.<br />
<br />
What’s not so regular is that this time they all don’t have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It’s not that Genesis doesn’t like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight—Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she’d married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren’t all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she’s made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.<br />
<br />
But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won’t the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they’re supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?<br />
<br />
<i>Review: </i>Wow, this was beautiful. I don't read ebooks very fast, and I think I finished this entirely in one day. That is possibly the fastest I've ever read an ebook because every time I put it down, I immediately picked it up to read it again. It is so good.<br />
<br />
I feel like there's so much that's going to reflect the experience of so many of its readers, especially the young ones who it's obviously meant for. There's so much in here that I think reflects the experiences and feelings of kids like Genesis and the author takes such care in how they handled those things.<br />
<br />
I will say that if you are recommending this to a child, you may want to think about if that child will need someone to talk to afterwards and if they have a safe someone. There are some things in this that are heavy things for a young reader, and I think as an adult you should take care to think about how those things will affect the children you recommend them to. Not that they shouldn't read it, but maybe don't wallop a kid with something that may trigger them and then leave them floundering in the wind, you know?<br />
<br />
Honestly, that's how I feel about a lot of books and kids - we don't really think about trigger warnings and self-care with middle grade the way we do with YA or adult books, but they may need them just as much. This one especially deals with racism, obviously, both internalized and external, self-harm, bullying, poverty, and a parent who's dealing with addiction and is sometimes abusive.<br />
<br />
Though while we're talking about that, I really want to commend the author for how nuanced the depiction of Genesis' relationships with her parents are, especially with her father. His depiction as a man who is clearly making the wrong choices in a lot of areas, but is still a complicated human being who isn't just villanized is really wonderful. Genesis' journey into asking about family history and learning more about her parents and her grandmother and why they don't talk about a lot of their history is also so good.<br />
<br />
That sometimes the people you love have done things that are harmful, not just to you, or that they have views that are harmful - that's something that could have been treated in a very binary way, and it's not. The book really shows how much those things can hurt the people who feel that way, too, and it doesn't excuse them, but it's... I don't know, I want to say more fair to Genesis, that the book doesn't expect her to stop loving people and caring about them because they're "problematic". It's not that easy sometimes, especially for kids. It doesn't invalidate Genesis' pain, but it doesn't erase her love for people either.<br />
<br />
Wow, I'm not sure that paragraph made a lick of sense. Do you know what I mean?<br />
<br />
My only real complaint to mention is a lack of queer people. Would have been nice if a classmate had had two moms or something. Otherwise, props for her best friend having OCD - it's very normalizing. The character was previously bullied by classmates, but Genesis' reaction is rather similar to if she had asthma or something. She doesn't make a big deal out of it while respecting her friend's needs. I also loved that her music teacher, who is a big positive influence and role model, was fat. It's great to see that.<br />
<br />
I didn't mean to talk so much here but this was so good and I just want to praise so much of it. Obviously there's a lot I'm not qualified to talk about here, but this is such a solid middle grade book, and should be on like all the rec lists. Four and a half roses out of five.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwsgK1MeuV6X0fjbg0bdS0c9Hjqu6FARANuwyBNtjB0Pn1Se-Kt2gkLoXq8HDYF9_4iJcYV9fe5XeJaLPcTgD837bdssBYGqSkqdX6Z5hdjGCP9lKa771mBcnC97rmpMsbF2iGTEbMLU/s1600/Half+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwsgK1MeuV6X0fjbg0bdS0c9Hjqu6FARANuwyBNtjB0Pn1Se-Kt2gkLoXq8HDYF9_4iJcYV9fe5XeJaLPcTgD837bdssBYGqSkqdX6Z5hdjGCP9lKa771mBcnC97rmpMsbF2iGTEbMLU/s1600/Half+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518063637l/38244394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518063637l/38244394.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">North to Benjamin by Alan Cumyn</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> It was originally scheduled for November, but it was released December 4th, 2018 from Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, aka Simon and Schuster.<br />
<i>Genre:</i> I DON'T KNOW except it's middle grade. I'll get into this in the review.<br />
<i>Binding: </i>ARC<br />
<i>Page Count:</i> 291 in my arc plus acknowledgements, but goodreads says 256.<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> No.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> It was sent to me by the publisher for review consideration.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/North-Benjamin-Alan-Cumyn/dp/1481497529/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1548885605&sr=8-1&keywords=north+to+benjamin&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=b081eb300ce935c1d1d79866c23bfe89&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/North-Benjamin-Alan-Cumyn/9781481497527?ref=grid-view&qid=1548883888717&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481497527?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38244394-north-to-benjamin">goodreads</a>):</i> Freezing temperatures. Cracking ice. Ferocious wolves.<br />
<br />
Eleven-year-old Edgar is willing to face them all to stop his mother from upturning their lives once again -- not this time, not this town. He's finally made a friend; he's finally found a teacher who understands him; and then there's Benjamin, an old dog who understands Edgar better than anyone.<br />
<br />
But Edgar's mother's path to destruction is beyond his control, and then Edgar loses control, and Benjamin becomes the only one who understands him. So together they embark on a journey across the unforgiving Yukon wilderness for help. But soon Edgar is no longer looking to stop his mother from ruining their lives, but to save Benjamin's and his own. <br />
<br />
<i>Review: </i>What did I just read. I don't even know what to say. I am so confused by this book. Also, I'm going to put a spoiler about the dog at the end of the book because people want to know that, so be prepared.<br />
<br />
First of all, it's shelved on goodreads as "magical realism". I would love to link to an article here about the history of magical realism and how it's probably sketchy when white dudes claim to be writing it... but I'm more puzzled about why the <a href="http://alancumyn.com/wp/bio/">author's website</a> calls it a "is a psychological thriller that sees a young boy, Edgar, dragged north by his unstable mother, testing his formidable survival skills." This isn't remotely a thriller and Edgar's survival skills insist on him realizing he should put on a jacket before venturing into the Yukon wilderness. And even then I'm not sure he was wearing a hat. And he definitely wasn't wearing snow pants. Or more than one layer on his legs at all.<br />
<br />
Just recently I saw people using the phrase "magical contemporary" and that's probably the more appropriate term for this book? Looking for feedback on that still, but I'm going to link to an <a href="https://bookriot.com/2018/02/08/what-is-magical-realism/">article</a> and two <a href="https://twitter.com/tehlorkay/status/848318848315015168">twitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/justabookeater_/status/865345976399253504">threads</a> that should help explain why magical realism is not an appropriate thing for this book to be called. I'm going to say either "magical contemporary" or "contemporary with fantasy elements" is what should be used on this book.<br />
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As to how those are handled - honestly I found it weird. I went in expecting a contemporary book because that's how the back blurb presented it, and then suddenly the dog started talking. And then Edgar stopped talking and could only bark. And that's the extent of the fantasy elements. Honestly with everything going on in the book it just makes Edgar seem like he's imagining these things as coping method because he has a hard life.<br />
<br />
I didn't particularly like how the author wrote female characters. I can't really put my finger on it, but there was something that just bothered me. There's an incredibly weird subplot about Edgar's friend... I forgot her name. I put this book down like an hour ago and I've already forgotten her name. That honestly says something how little characterization she had. She liked dogs and... I don't know anything about her. Wow. Apparently her name is Caroline.<br />
<br />
So anyways, there's this weird subplot about how this kid who bullies Edgar keeps sexually harassing Caroline. The book kind of victim blames her! There's a weird line comparing the thirteen year old girl to Edgar's mother and how she looks at men and it's just kind of super gross. And I'm not against talking about sex in middle grade books but if you're going to make it like a one page thing, I don't think you're doing that thoughtfully or for a reason besides really shock value.<br />
<br />
I didn't enjoy the writing enough to pull through the rest of the issues I had. It didn't work for me and felt weirdly old fashioned. And last, the ending was super unfinished. None of the issues were actually resolved. It just ends.<br />
<br />
And the freaking dog dies.<br />
<br />
Two out of five roses.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
So that's about everything I have to say! What did we think about this kind of post?<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-79272908386973531852019-02-02T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-02T09:00:00.397-06:00Anne of Green Gables Read-A-Long: Background So lately on Twitter, I've been doing this thing where (almost) every day, I read a chapter of Anne of Green Gables and do a recap of it, with a modern eye and a particular lean towards pointing out how queer some of this stuff sounds now. Since I do wipe my tweets now and then, and I'm putting a lot of work into this, I thought I would do a backup on my blog.<br />
<br />
Plus that way, if your preference is blog posts over Twitter threads, you can do that. I also will eventually be building a masterlist of all my posts about this, and you'll be able to find it <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.blogspot.com/p/anne-of-green-gables-masterpost.html">here</a> when it's done.<br />
<br />
I'm taking inspiration from Ana Mardoll's twitter deconstructions epecially here, as I think xie really has xers organized well. So, thanks!<br />
<br />
Oh, and I am going to edit typoes as I see fit because, well, they're annoying, and probably add in punctuation that character limits didn't allow.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="318" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390604207l/3709710.jpg" width="200" /></a>(<a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1081007352189399040">Link to thread</a>) Let's talk background, starting with L. M. Montgomery, who I did some research on last night.<br />
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Lucy Maud Montgomery was born November 30th, 1874 in Clifton (aka New London), Prince Edward Island. Her mom died of tuberculosis when she was two.<br />
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Honestly her father seems like he was kind of a douche, and he took off to Saskatchewan and left Montgomery with her elderly maternal grandparents. They were not particularly affectionate people, and though she had nearby family, she spent a lot of time alone as a child.<br />
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She read a lot, and started writing very young. Her first published piece was a poem in a PEI newspaper when she was around 16 or 17.<br />
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She completed grade 10 and then got her teacher's licence. She finished a 2 year course in a year with honours, because she was cool like that. Not that she LIKED teaching, mind you. She did not.<br />
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Montgomery left teaching to study English literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was pretty rare in her time period for seeking higher education as a woman, though she had to leave school for financial reasons and didn't complete her degree.<br />
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She began supporting herself with writing. By 1899 she made $96.88 in writing, which I think would be around $4000 Canadian today, and by 1903, she made $500 a year, which would be a tidy sum of about $20,000 Canadian today. <br />
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Which tbh is nothing to sneeze at.<br />
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When her grandfather died, she moved home so her grandmother could stay in their home and lived with her I believe until she passed as well.<br />
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Montgomery had kind of an interesting romantic life as a young adult? I'm not going to go too much into it, but she had a few very hot affairs and more than one secret engagement, one lasting from 1906-1911.<br />
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(Abuse/child death CW) Unfortunately, after she married, her life got rather difficult. Her second son was stillborn. Both she and her husband suffered from depression, and he also became abusive at times, beating her. She almost died of the Spanish flu, and considered him to care so little that she considered divorcing him, which in 1918 was really saying something. However, she thought it was her "Christian duty" to make the marriage work. (He was a minister, also.)<br />
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(Suicide CW) She passed away in 1942, and at the time it was ruled heart failure, but in 2008 her family came out stating that they believed she may have died by suicide. She was on very heavy medications to manager her depression.<br />
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Throughout her life, she totally struggled with Imposter Syndrome. She thought her work wasn't literary or modern enough to compare to her peers. Despite her success, she never felt she wrote her one "great" book and once said she was in writing "to make a living".<br />
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Which, frankly, respect.<br />
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Personally I think she put a whole lot of herself into her work and was very protective of her characters, but those things are not mutally exclusive.<br />
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In her lifetime, Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote 500 short stories, 20 novels, two poetry collections, and numbers journal and essay anthologies.<br />
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I'm nervous this thread is about to break, so we'll talk about her most famous work (and the subject of my hashtag) next.<br />
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(<a href="https://twitter.com/lainasparetime/status/1081023964749549569">Link to second thread</a>) I got a cookie. Let's continue.<br />
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Common themes in Montgomery's work include questions about maternity and motherhood, orphans, children abandoned by/separated from parents, children in the care of unloving relatives, absent mothers/childless women/"spinsters".<br />
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These are things that Montgomery struggled with in her own life, both as a child and as a mother. She believed motherhood was crucial work for women, and that education of girls was very imporant, another theme in her work.<br />
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The best known of her work incorporates many of these themes and that is of course Anne of Green Gables. Montgomery wrote the book in 1905 and sent it to several publishers where it was promptly rejected by all of them. Then she put it in a hatbox for two years<br />
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In 1907, she found the manuscript and decided to try again. It was published in 1908 and was pretty much an immediate success. By 1925, it had been translated into Swedish, Dutch, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, and French. It had also been reprinted in English so many times that the printing plates had to be replaced.<br />
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Anne of Green Gables is one of Canada's most famous and honestly most beloved books. It's a part of our cultural foundation.<br />
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It's also very popular in Poland, and Japan, where it appealed to a population that had been heavily orphaned by the war.<br />
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To this day, Anne of Green Gables is very popular in Japan, and it has actually been mandatory reading in the public school curriculuum since 1952.<br />
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It's been adapted over two dozen times, from everything from movies to tv series and musicals, to anime and musicals and even webseries. A few notable examples.<br />
<br />
Since 1965, the musical has been the longest running annual musical theatre production in Canada. The most well-known in Canada is the 1985 mini-series starring Megan Follows, which was the most-watched television program in Canadian history. I think my mom likes this one, lol. Others include a recent movie trilogy that I'm going to make Luci watch with me<br />
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There was also a cartoon in the early 2000s that aired on PBS that I liked as a kid, and of course, a lot of you may know the recent series known as "Anne" or "Anne with An E", which is produced by and airs on CBC, but is available through Netflix internationally<br />
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After I reread it, I would like to watch a good number of those adaptations and talk about how they worked. I know there was one in 1919 that Montgomery absolutely hated, because they made Anne AMERICAN, and changed PEI to New England. Like what???<br />
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Second wave feminists like Margaret Atwood called Anne feminist, and ahead of her time, which it seems the Netflix adaptation has run with from what little I've seen of it.<br />
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Slate called her "a patron saint of female outsiders".<br />
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I read AOGG several times as a kid. I got it out of a Scholastic book order and I owned very few books and didn't have access to a library consistently. The sequels, I have read many of but I definitely don't think all of them, and I have fewer memories of. Compared to how often I read the first, the sequels I only read once or twice.<br />
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I also haven't reread Green Gables in probably over a decade. I want to look at it with both adult eyes, and with an eye to the common themes in Montgomery's work.<br />
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And just for fun, I grew up with this cover (left), but I had to leave it when we moved, so I'm reading from the 100th anniversary Puffin Classics edition, which itself is actually 11 years old now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnTy2YLDxiT6qLh-_mz4GtLXbZC78JaDSt6fQ_dkkCBR4QRVRga29lt9HHsSKXSqac_89knY-qfLuwtu6iEVixDlVFkR7VAe55HoOhjkGDM5SguO1_APpgR8Ht4mHYbWf18d8Fe1klBA/s1600/Anne+covers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="574" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnTy2YLDxiT6qLh-_mz4GtLXbZC78JaDSt6fQ_dkkCBR4QRVRga29lt9HHsSKXSqac_89knY-qfLuwtu6iEVixDlVFkR7VAe55HoOhjkGDM5SguO1_APpgR8Ht4mHYbWf18d8Fe1klBA/s400/Anne+covers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And that's as far as we are getting today, because it's almost 10pm and I only did background research yesterday because I wasn't sure people would like this. #LainaReadsAnne #LainaIsHonest<br />
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I'm also gonna drop my ko-fi link at the end of this thread, so if you liked this, maybe throw a tip in <a href="https://ko-fi.com/A0602GN">the ole jar</a>.<br />
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#LainaReadsAnne will probably continue tomorrow!<br />
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Works Cited:<br />
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Adams, James. “Lucy Maud Suffered 'Unbearable Psychological Pain'.” The Globe and Mail, The Globe and Mail, 24 Sept. 2008, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/lucy-maud-suffered-unbearable-psychological-pain/article17971634/">www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/lucy-maud-suffered-unbearable-psychological-pain/article17971634/</a>.<br />
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Butler, Katie MacDonald. “The Heartbreaking Truth about Anne's Creator.” The Globe and Mail, The Globe and Mail, 20 Sept. 2008, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/incoming/the-heartbreaking-truth-about-annes-creator/article17971607/">www.theglobeandmail.com/incoming/the-heartbreaking-truth-about-annes-creator/article17971607/</a>.<br />
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Caplan-Bricker, Nora. “Why Anne of Green Gables Is a Patron Saint of Female Outsiders.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 14 Jan. 2016, <a href="http://slate.com/human-interest/2016/01/why-anne-of-green-gables-is-a-patron-saint-of-female-outsiders.html">slate.com/human-interest/2016/01/why-anne-of-green-gables-is-a-patron-saint-of-female-outsiders.html</a>.<br />
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McIntosh, Andrew, and Cecily Devereux. “Lucy Maud Montgomery.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1 Jan. 2013, <a href="http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/montgomery-lucy-maud">www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/montgomery-lucy-maud</a>.<br />
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McIntosh, Andrew, et al. “Anne of Green Gables.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 26 May 2009, <a href="http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/anne-of-green-gables">www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/anne-of-green-gables</a>.Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-21543438315875204382019-02-01T09:00:00.000-06:002019-02-01T09:00:00.356-06:00Book Blogger Hop (24)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="400" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books and is now hosted by Billy of <a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer</a>.<br />
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This week's question is: Audio books vs Ebook? If the world stopped printing books which would you prefer between the two?<br />
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I think I would prefer ebook. I read a lot faster than most people can speak out loud unless you speed them up to sound like a chipmunk or something, and I just don't get as much out of them. Which is a little strange, since I listen to podcasts a ton. Maybe it's just the difference in how they're meant to be taken in. Podcasts are written to be read out loud and performed in a way books aren't.<br />
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Which isn't to say audiobooks can't enjoyable! They're just different mediums and wow, I shouldn't be blogging while I'm feeling under the weather.<br />
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Although to be fair, ebooks do take me a bit longer to read, too. But I really feel that I absorb more information from reading than solely from listening. Which to go back to podcasts, is why I don't listen to nonfiction ones.<br />
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How about you all?<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-42774588384007210892019-01-30T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-30T09:00:03.304-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (44)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1543371280l/36404262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1543371280l/36404262.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillame</span><br />
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<i>Release date: </i>February 26th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760559120/">Publisher's Website</a> 'cause it's not up anywhere else yet and if I wait until it is to schedule this, I'll forget to do it.<br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36404262-what-i-like-about-me">goodreads</a>):</i> The last thing sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin thought she'd be doing this summer is entering a beauty pageant.<br />
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Not when she's spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone.<br />
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Not when her Dad is AWOL for Christmas and her gorgeous older sister has returned to rock Maisie's shaky confidence. And her best friend starts going out with the boy she's always loved.<br />
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But Maisie's got something to prove.<br />
<br />
As she writes down all the ways this summer is going from bad to worse in her school-assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture-device might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn't let anything, or anyone, hold her back...<br />
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<i>The part where I talk:</i> I'm always, always down for fat positive books with fat main characters. Always.<br />
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That's really all I need to say, isn't it? ;)<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-76231639828586975102019-01-28T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-28T09:00:06.776-06:00YA Review: The Cold Is In Her Bones<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528382572l/40240290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528382572l/40240290.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">The Cold Is In Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published: </i>January 22nd, 2019 by Margaret K. McElderry Books<br />
<i>Genre:</i> YA Fantasy<br />
<i>Binding:</i> eARC<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 288 and that seems right.<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> No, I don't believe so.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> Edelweiss<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Her-Bones-Peternelle-Arsdale/dp/1481488449/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1548619259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cold+is+in+her+bones&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=e328a441b4840856ec3308e2980539c8&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Cold-is-Her-Bones-Peternelle-van-Arsdale/9781471160882?ref=grid-view&qid=1548619321043&sr=1-2/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481488440?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40240290-the-cold-is-in-her-bones">goodreads</a>):</i> Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.<br />
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Milla’s whole world is her family’s farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she’s forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.<br />
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Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.<br />
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<i>Review: </i>This is my least favourite kind of review to write. This is one of the books that there's nothing really that I disliked a lot or that's wrong with it but I just have kind of underwhelming feelings about. I think people who like kind of mythology/folktale type books might like this better. It's got a very fairy tale feel, kinda like if Gail Carson Levine wrote dark books, and if that's something that appeals to you, this might be more your thing. But I've talked before about fantasy books can be a hard sell for me and this was one of those cases.<br />
<br />
Also can we talk about the fact that this is supposed to be a Medusa retelling? Because I didn't get that at all. Like okay, I got that there was a snake thing, and at times I went, "Oh this is Medusa inspired," but I never would have called it a Medusa retelling. I don't think having one thing in common makes it a retelling.<br />
<br />
Something I think that really made this not work as well for me is actually how long it is. It's under three hundred pages? Sometimes the plot time-skipped months at a time and yet it didn't feel like time was passing because it happened in a sentence or a paragraph. With that, the characters felt under-developed. They're fine, but they never excited me. I didn't feel like I was getting to know them or understanding them, just... observing them. And what I was observing wasn't that interesting at the beginning.<br />
<br />
I think the thing I thought was most interesting was the idea that anyone in the village Iris came from would use the threat of demon possession against any girl who acts angry or has any sort of spine at all. <i>Of course</i> that would happen. It has happened, again and again, historically. But it's so under-explored that it was honestly disappointing. Most of the girls that happened to don't even get names.<br />
<br />
Plus like, what about queer girls? How does demon possession effect them? Are they targeted by families more? There aren't any in the book, so I couldn't tell you. There's nada for diversity in this, period, and it's kind of dull to read honestly.<br />
<br />
I will say, props to the cover designer for getting a very accurate one. The girl actually looks like Milla, and the snakes are exactly like they are in the book. I also did really enjoy that there was basically no romance in this. It's nice to read books without romance sometimes.<br />
<br />
Overall this just wasn't my favourite book in the world.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKwSZcNFkv6M4wlgyXIkWF1QqevxvC7qR1OlK6JmuerQA_72wJsh4PqKEG1Fm8Z8cd4eUlms9F9VL_TI47W9vXG5noqXy1xnjBFBjicW_mXrQS1Y6sUisUwE8Fsyy2EXA43YVV7hd-8/s1600/Full+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x-ibuqpAXnFz_eDkgB1k525GQC6kJDt8Z97B7BmpDlBn3jbIVMffHpW6MZBrU3lVkDwuM4xp7jlbc6EqBhSKJyMT4YierIZ38xlSxbTuHnXi4ew3d-sLp2Bsczq6Vu5Nu6jyp4geQEM/s1600/Grey+Rose+-+small.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Sorry if this is a little sparse - I'm not feeling the best today!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-45388161546861827192019-01-25T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-25T09:00:06.787-06:00Book Blogger Hop (23)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="400" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZXbH-7JXabX3ln1JWqmlEN8w5xVVnXQKuV7lKBcDOE-sSbd_O0C57AobOobnfIIqQ75sCTnHOJ5B_XNYkUiQG7NGp2S4cjVzxMc7N86g1sasLG-2N4SvF8bxLKl6PGwMBw9MOKfbgQ/s400/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books and is now hosted by Billy of <a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer</a>.<br />
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This week's question is: How many books did you read last year? Will your goal be to match that number or surpass it?<br />
<br />
I read exactly 100 books last year. My goal is to be under that this year! I have other projects I want to do besides only reading, and balance is important to life. I need to go easier on myself. For a full discussion of my reading goals this year, check out this <a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.blogspot.com/2019/01/2018-wrap-up-post-2019-goals.html">post</a>!<br />
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Well, this is a short post. Not much else to say on that though!<br />
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Thanks for reading.<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-17294177525025888742019-01-23T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-23T09:00:07.837-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (43)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527633486l/39280465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527633486l/39280465.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman</span><br />
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<i>Release date:</i> February 26th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-We-Buried-Kate-Boorman-ebook/dp/B07BFCT952/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545168416&sr=8-1&keywords=What+We+Buried+Kate&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=741260ea354de1b52d1630fd84b5e783&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/What-We-Buried-Kate-Boorman/9781250191670?ref=grid-view&qid=1545168410085&sr=1-6/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250191670?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39280465-what-we-buried">goodreads</a>):</i> Siblings Liv and Jory Brewer have grown up resenting one another. Liv—former pageant queen and reality-TV star—was groomed for a life in the spotlight, while her older brother Jory, born with a partial facial paralysis, was left in the shadows. The only thing they have in common is contempt for their parents.<br />
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Now Liv is suing her mom and dad for emancipation, and Jory views the whole thing as yet another attention-getting spectacle. But on the day of the hearing, their parents mysteriously vanish, and the siblings are forced to work together. Liv feels certain she knows where they are and suspects that Jory knows more than he’s telling . . . which is true.<br />
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What starts as a simple overnight road trip soon takes a turn for the dangerous and surreal. And as the duo speeds through the deserts of Nevada, brother and sister will unearth deep family secrets that force them to relive their pasts as they try to retain a grip on the present.<br />
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The part where I talk: Again, I really like thrillers and like mysteries and stuff, and this sounds right up my alley.<br />
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And I do have a question this week - what's your favourite road trip you've ever been on? If you've never been on one, what's your favourite road trip-themed book or movie?<br />
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Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-80487450737327951762019-01-21T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-21T09:00:00.998-06:00Things I've Read Recently (84): Seriously What Do I Call This PostIf you're new around here, Things I've Read Recently is a series of posts I do that are basically mini-reviews of books that I either forgot to review, didn't have enough to say for a full review, or just didn't want to do a full post about for whatever reason. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501538349l/35606631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501538349l/35606631.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Stone Cold (Lumberjanes, Volume 8) by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Carey Pietsch, and Maarta Laiho</span><br />
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<i>Published:</i> February 20th, 2018 by BOOM! Box<br />
<i>Genre:</i> YA Fantasy Comic<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 112<br />
<i>Part of a series? </i>This collects Lumberjanes issues #29-35.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library, as usual.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lumberjanes-Vol-8-Stone-Cold/dp/1684151325/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1523735968&sr=8-1&keywords=lumberjanes+stone+cold&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=93a4b1e776f5e5a721d625cdc4caa4d1">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Lumberjanes-Vol-8-Kat-Leyh/9781684151325?ref=grid-view&qid=1523735962737&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781684151325?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35606631-lumberjanes-vol-8">goodreads</a>):</i> Five best friends at summer camp take friendship to the max when they team up to defeat the strange forces lurking within the surrounding forest.<br />
<br />
Excited to have Barney starting their first week at the camp, the Roanokes run over to the Zodiac cabin, only to find everyone turned to stone! Between strange shadows and Diane being back, it looks like April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are going to have their hands full trying to find a cure for their friends... as long as they don’t look the wrong thing in the eye first. <br />
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<i>Thoughts: </i>I've had some issues with the art change of the last few volumes, and I'm not sure if there was another shift, or if I've just gotten more used to it, but it definitely didn't stand out at all in this one. I was also really excited about this one because of the stuff going on. Barney's everything is just like so lovely, and while they didn't feature as prominently in this due to being turned into stone, it's still just nice to see them being a Lumberjane.<br />
<br />
I also adored that they treat hair as very important, even when big important things are going down. It's really supportive of people looking how they want to look, and that's nice. It was also fun that this one called back on an older arc of the series, and plays with Greek mythology again. I continue to love this series, and can't wait for the next one to come out.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516944299l/35989512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516944299l/35989512.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Paper Girls, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang</span><br />
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<i>Published:</i> April 10th, 2018 by Image comics which basically means I've caught up and I'm going to have to start waiting for them to come out. Siiiigh.<br />
<i>Genre: </i>YA Science Fiction Comic<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count:</i> Goodreads says 128.<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> This collects issues 16 to 20 of Paper Girls.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Girls-Vol-Brian-Vaughan-ebook/dp/B0798X3X1W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1547240383&sr=8-1&keywords=paper+girls+4&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=27d5063478f36a10555b7ac9ca69f755&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Paper-Girls-4-Brian-K-Vaughan/9781534305106?ref=grid-view&qid=1547240246080&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534305106?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35989512-paper-girls-vol-4">goodreads</a>): </i>The mind-bending, time-warping adventure from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as intrepid newspaper deliverer Tiffany is launched from the prehistoric past into the year 2000! In this harrowing version of our past, Y2K was even more of a cataclysm than experts feared, and the only person who can save the future is a 12-year-old girl from 1988.<br />
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<i>Thoughts: </i>It's funny - my review notebook is filled up on one side of the pages and I don't want to waste paper, so I'm using the pages upside down and backwards. Amusingly, the opposite side of my notebook right now has my notes from the first time I read a Paper Girls.<br />
<br />
Anyways, this was a really interesting one. I kind of hope they keep exploring the girls' Future!Selves, as that's a really interesting angle. Tiffany was seriously neat to see in the future. Or, past, as it is, since this is centered around Y2K. They also <i>finally</i> started to do the thing with queerness that I have suspected was comng since the beginning of the series, and I still have hopes about what's to come.<br />
<br />
I'm so bummed that I have to wait for like four months now til the next one of these is released!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531688095l/37173003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531688095l/37173003.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Teenage Wasteland (Ms. Marvel, vol. 9) by G. Willow Wilson and Nico Leon</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> July 31st, 2018 by Marvel Comics<br />
<i>Genre:</i> YA Science Fiction Comic<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count:</i> Goodreads says 136 pages<br />
<i>Part of a series?</i> This collects Ms. Marvel issues 25 to 30.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> The library.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ms-Marvel-Vol-2015-ebook/dp/B07D4S1M6N/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1547240451&sr=8-1&keywords=teenage+wasteland+ms+marvel&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=2acc7eb2eb19e082b5192fe235be1201&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Ms-Marvel-Vol-9-Teenage-Wasteland-G-Willow-Wilson/9781302910785?ref=grid-view&qid=1547240287912&sr=1-1/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781302910785?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37173003-ms-marvel-vol-9">goodreads</a>): </i>Kamala Khan has vanished! But where has she gone, and why? Jersey City still has a need for heroes, and in the wake of Ms. Marvel's disappearance, dozens have begun stepping up to the plate. The city's newest super hero Red Dagger and even ordinary citizens attempt to carry on the brave fight in Kamala's honor. Somehow, Ms. Marvel is nowhere...but also everywhere at once! Absent but not forgotten, Ms. Marvel has forged a heroic legacy to be proud of. But when an old enemy re-emerges, will anyone be powerful enough to truly carry the Ms. Marvel legacy - except Kamala herself?<br />
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<i>Thoughts:</i> I was anxious that this would make me cry, and it kind of did, but not for the angst-y reasons I was expecting. This was just... beautiful. Look, I adore Lumberjanes, I really do, but I think Ms. Marvel might be my favourite comic series. The messages and storytelling that they put into this series are just so good.<br />
<br />
I went into this expecting to read something that would involve a lot of anger or pain or just, you know, angst, and instead it tells a story that's full of understanding and support and healing. Kamala needs a break, and her friends understand and give her space. Ms. Marvel needs a break, and her friends understand and give her break and also <i>take over for her so she doesn't have pressure to save the city on her shoulders when she needs time to heal.</i> (They also don't connect those dots, somehow. Ah, comic books.) It's just... so nice that they give her time to feel like herself again.<br />
<br />
Also, props to this comic book artist. They seem to draw really good fat bodies. Mike's body/size can vary depending on artist, and this one seems to draw her a little larger and more visibly fat than others, and that is great. This one doesn't make her like a perfect hourglass plus-sized model body. You see more of the shape of her stomach and a bit of double chin, and she looks very real. Kamala's sister-in-law's mom is also shown in this one, and she's also fat and she has a very visible, large belly, but is absolutely gorgeous, and seriously, props to that. Good job, artist.<br />
<br />
All in all, I just really loved this. It made me feel really good reading it, and made me feel like Kamala had actually had time to heal a little, along with beginning to work on relationships with others. Very, very good, and I can't wait for more. (I've totally already pre-ordered the next through the library.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1520603996l/35099432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1520603996l/35099432.jpg" width="205" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Girl-Moon (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, vol. 4) by Brandon Montclare and Natasha Bustos</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> January 9th, 2018 by Marvel Comics<br />
<i>Genre: </i>MG comic book<br />
<i>Binding:</i> Paperback<br />
<i>Page Count: </i>Goodreads says 136<br />
<i>Part of a series? </i>This collects Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur numbes 19 to 24.<br />
<i>Got via: </i>The library of course.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Girl-Devil-Dinosaur-Vol-ebook/dp/B077JB5P4Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1547240586&sr=8-1&keywords=moon+girl+girl-moon+volume+4&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=73a8a55dc918a7092d528d77d734b72a&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Moon-Girl-Devil-Dinosaur-Vol-4-Girl-moon-Amy-Reeder/9781302905354?ref=grid-view&qid=1547240333744&sr=1-5/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781302905354?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35099432-moon-girl-and-devil-dinosaur-vol-4">goodreads</a>): </i>Journey to the Living Planet! It's Lunella Lafayette's biggest adventure yet, as a voice from the outer reaches of space beckons her and Devil Dinosaur on a truly fantastic voyage - an Ego trip, if you will! Are you ready for Moon Girl to meet...Girl-Moon? Lunella isn't just smart, she's the smartest person on Earth - but what good is that when the problems she faces are intergalactic?<br />
<br />
And when our incredible duo makes it back to Earth, they might find things a little different than how they remember. What happened to Yancy Street? And who exactly are Devil Girl and Moon Dinosaur?! The story of a young genius and her T. rex pal gets wilder than ever!<br />
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<i>Thoughts:</i> I kind of have already given this one back to the library because it was really overdue and it had a hold on it so I couldn't renew it anymore and it was wracking up the overdue fees something fierce. So it's a bit hard to review it when I don't have it with me.<br />
<br />
However, I really like this volume. There's a little bit of fatmisia at one point, but I really just love Lunella and I really like the journey she's on of learning to perhaps be just a little more empathic and thinking about others' feelings a little more. She is only a kid, after all, but she's a great one.<br />
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There's also a thing that happens in this one that seriously made me look up future volumes of this because I was worried, so let me assure you that there are several more. And I want them!!<br />
<br />
What a good group of comics!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-31255412939271498572019-01-18T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-18T09:00:04.449-06:00This or That Book Tag<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5Nh1gfTNq_HL8731ZpIG-gTI_OHElhCGyOkfjLph28ZULFG1s7bZpdPKyPMV7tKRmzrxpoWv0JBcX7t4HDu3qU-wuWdwj7J7dtbcg-G4N91D8pqcVyKqJwAUhHKgXN7y-to_84woD98/s1600/Book+Tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="675" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5Nh1gfTNq_HL8731ZpIG-gTI_OHElhCGyOkfjLph28ZULFG1s7bZpdPKyPMV7tKRmzrxpoWv0JBcX7t4HDu3qU-wuWdwj7J7dtbcg-G4N91D8pqcVyKqJwAUhHKgXN7y-to_84woD98/s640/Book+Tag.jpg" width="600" /></a>This tag by Ayunda originally on <a href="https://teaandpaperbacks.wordpress.com/">Tea and Paperbacks</a>, now at <a href="https://ayundabhuwana.wordpress.com/">Ayundabhuwana's Blog</a>. No one tagged me because I am not popular, but I wanted to do it anyways.<br />
<br />
The questions are:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1. Reading on the couch or on the bed?</b></div>
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<i>My answer:</i> In bed. Our couch is like old and gross so I don't really sit on it anyways. Sometimes in the summer I read outside, too.<br />
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<b>2. Male main character or female main character?</b></div>
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<i>My answer:</i> How about neither? Nonbinary people exist, book tag. Those aren't the only two options. Female or nonbinary is usually my preference. Not that into dudes, especially nonqueer ones.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>3. Sweet snacks or salty snacks when reading?</b></div>
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<i>My answer: </i>Salty, but I don't eat while reading that often. I take notes while I read, so it can be a bit hard to juggle a pen and a notebook and a book and food. I prefer salt in general over sweet, though.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>4. Trilogies or quartets?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>My answer: </i>Trilogies, probably. I seem to read more standalone books than anything, though, and I actually really like a good duet.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>5. First person POV or third person POV?</b></div>
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<i>My answer:</i> First person for sure. Third person can be good, but I have more trouble connecting to it, and it's just not my preference.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>6. Reading at night or in the morning?</b></div>
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<i>My answer: </i>Shockingly, probably the morning. While I read more in like the early afternoon, by the end of the day my brain is kind of done and I usually don't read at night. There will be a very rare time when I read when I can't sleep, but it's very unusual.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>7. Libraries or bookstores?</b></div>
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<i>My answer:</i> Libraries for sure. Bookstores are cool, but I'm broke and there's something special about libraries for me. Although if you take me to a used bookstore... I'd be down for that.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>8. Books that make you laugh or books that make you cry?</b></div>
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<i>My answer:</i> Probably cry actually? It's cathartic.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9. Black book covers or white book covers?</b></div>
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<i>My answer: </i>100% black book covers. White book covers get gross way too fast, and I get really grossed out.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>10. Character driven or plot driven stories?</b></div>
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<i>My answer:</i> Character driven. I honestly don't mind a book that doesn't have a ton going on in the plot department if the character journey feels strong enough to carry the book.<br />
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Okay, that was fun!! Feel free to do this tag yourself and say I tagged you, or just answer that last one, because I'm curious about it especially, in the comments!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
Laina<br />
<br />Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-27442475535018335942019-01-16T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-16T09:00:03.089-06:00Can't Wait Wednesday (42)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s1600/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="675" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWaKoG852O-uDHIg5FI9HYOdG2iRl5KtBlwmIa1n6LFavCK90DohIF9lJPxOGrbqkjq8mPDMTDf-qpw3COUZ9Zc-ysnuAfMKe8M785YAIDZRHSfCZrO1um_fqmjsJa5KmSKRlENu042U/s640/can%2527t+wait+wednesday+three.jpg" width="600" /></a>Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of <a href="http://www.wishfulendings.com/">Wishful Endings</a>. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created by Jill <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Buy links include affiliate links, where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528983470l/37598648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528983470l/37598648.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Good Enough by Jen Petro-Roy</span><br />
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<i>Release date:</i> February 19th, 2019<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Novel-Jen-Petro-Roy-ebook/dp/B07BF78XFX/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1545167727&sr=8-1&keywords=Good+Enough+Jen&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=a010a2ca309e85acf61ea1cc7ed345d5&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Good-Enough-Novel-Jen-Petro-roy/9781250123510?ref=grid-view&qid=1545167719749&sr=1-3/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250123510/?a_aid=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
<br />
<i>Summary (from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37598648-good-enough">goodreads</a>):</i> Before she had an eating disorder, twelve-year-old Riley was many things: an aspiring artist, a runner, a sister, and a friend.<br />
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But now, from inside the inpatient treatment center where she's receiving treatment for anorexia, it's easy to forget all of that. Especially since under the influence of her eating disorder, Riley alienated her friends, abandoned her art, turned running into something harmful, and destroyed her family's trust.<br />
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If Riley wants her life back, she has to recover.<br />
<br />
Part of her wants to get better. As she goes to therapy, makes friends in the hospital, and starts to draw again, things begin to look up.<br />
<br />
But when her roommate starts to break the rules, triggering Riley's old behaviors and blackmailing her into silence, Riley realizes that recovery will be even harder than she thought. She starts to think that even if she does "recover," there's no way she'll stay recovered once she leaves the hospital and is faced with her dieting mom, the school bully, and her gymnastics-star sister.<br />
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<i>The part where I talk:</i> There are two different MG books about eating disorders coming out this year. (the other being <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39909219-the-year-i-didn-t-eat">The Year I Didn't Eat</a>) and I have such feelings about that. I think they are absolutely necessary, as the rate of eating disorders rises in younger and younger kids, but... that they must exist makes me sad. We should be doing better for kids.<br />
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I also cried my eyes out over P.S. I Miss You, so I have good vibes about this. Also, props to the neat cover.<br />
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Anyways, I don't want to be jokey in this post so that's all for this week.<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
Laina<br />
<br />Lainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008477639797883693.post-89068363548238758262019-01-14T09:00:00.000-06:002019-01-14T09:00:08.940-06:00YA Review: MammothOkay, so. This review isn't like a "<a href="https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.blogspot.com/2018/05/ya-review-fat-girl-on-plane.html">Fat Girl on a Plane</a>" situation where I think the book is actively harmful, but the book and the review are going to be discussing some tough subjects, i.e. diet culture, fat hate, self esteem, etc. I want you to be aware of those things going in, so, warning.<br />
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Onto the review.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519662296l/38769727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="300" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519662296l/38769727.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky</span><br />
<br />
<i>Published:</i> November 16th, 2018 by Turner Publishing<br />
<i>Genre:</i> Contemporary YA<br />
<i>Binding:</i> eARC<br />
<i>Page Count:</i> Goodreads says 304 so I assume around that.<br />
<i>Part of a series? </i>I don't think so but man I would read a sequel.<br />
<i>Got via:</i> Edelweiss.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Jill-Baguchinsky/dp/1684421950/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1547235391&sr=8-1&keywords=jill+mammoth&linkCode=ll1&tag=lahatomuspti-20&linkId=c495cf6a41231c6dc725065abe0dac4a&language=en_US">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Mammoth-Jill-Baguchinsky/9781684421947?ref=grid-view&qid=1547235258769&sr=1-2/?a_aid=Laina1312">Book Depository</a> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781684421947?aff=Laina1312">Indiebound</a><br />
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<i>(Summary from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38769727-mammoth">goodreads</a>): </i>The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.<br />
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It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.<br />
<br />
Until it isn’t.<br />
<br />
When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery.<br />
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<i>Review:</i> This is a book that I would like much more on a reread than on a first read, but that isn't the fault of the book as much as the fault of books I've read in the past. See, Mammoth is a book where for about 50% of the book, things could go two drastically different ways. And one of those ways, I would be writing a really critical review with a lot of links and also possibly being a little traumatized, and the other is how it actually went.<br />
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I liked how it went.<br />
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See, Natalie is, to <a href="https://twitter.com/fablesandfae">paraphrase a person I follow on Twitter</a> who's very eloquent about these things, still at an earlier point in her body acceptance journey. I mean, she is a teenager. For probably the first half of the book, there's a lot of talk about the bullying Natalie's experienced, her insecurities, her mental obsession with guessing the weight of people she meets (only people perceived as women, though, I noticed), an obsession with shapewear*, food issues. It can be hard to read at times.<br />
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(*God I hated how much shapewear was a thing in this. You're in Texas in the summer! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF. Bodies are allowed to be lumpy and bumpy, and people realize you're fat no matter how much you squish yourself down!)<br />
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And if it had gone in the direction of Natalie deciding that her body is wrong and there was something wrong with her/the dieting route, I wouldn't be recommending it. I am very grateful to say that isn't how it went down. As the book goes on, Natalie grows more confident in herself, her body, and especially her capabilities and abilities. It's a great journey and I think that will reflect a lot of peoples' own journey.<br />
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<i>Plot Talk:</i> Uh, I think between the start of the review and the summary, we've got enough of a plot summary, right? I don't want this review to be five thousand words.<br />
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However, I definitely appreciated how much of the book is actually about paleontology. Sometimes you get contemporary YA that has a really cool premise and then they never actually <i>use</i> that premise, and I was so happy that this wasn't one of them. There's a lot of information about it, and Natalie spends a lot of time actually working. It's nice to see a book where the premise isn't just background for drama.<br />
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And, frankly, I'm glad the plot was about more than just Natalie's body/body issues. She's allowed to be fat and also actually <i>DO</i> things.<br />
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<i>Characters:</i> I don't want to spend too much time on characters because sometimes I feel like I get repetative and this review is really long already, but the author made interesting choices with characters. Natalie is a popular fashion blogger. That puts her more in the spotlight/public eye than the average teen in her situation. Of course she'd use fashion and makeup and all that as armour to keep from getting hurt. Being fat on the internet is hard. That absolutely makes sense.<br />
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My other favourite thing was that the character who would usually be her worst enemy, the thin/blond/popular/rich girl is treated like a human being and given an arc herself, and she and Natalie become friends over time. It's so good to see that. She isn't reduced solely to a "mean girl" and the female relationships in this are strong.<br />
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<i>PG-13 stuff:</i> There's some underage drinking (which they get in big trouble for, lol) and some language and whatnot. One of the guys Natalie kisses also gets really handsy and she has to be rather forceful pushing him away. She's not like super upset by it, but she does decide she didn't like that all.<br />
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Content warnings for food guilt type talk (Natalie is very uncomfortable eating in front of people in the beginning of the book, and doesn't eat enough at first around the other interns, along with a bit of other food morality talk), fat hate, that weird weight guessing thing, a fair amount of self-hate at first, possibly self-harm (Natalie has a habit of snapping a hair elastic against her wrist when she's stressed, to the point of leaving welts) aaaand another character is pretty seriously injured towards the end of the book. I think that's everything. Oh, wait, Natalie's clothing sizes are very specifically said several times in the book. People disagree on how they feel about that, but yanno. Thought I'd mention it.<br />
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<i>Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: </i>This honestly lacks diversity in many ways. Texas is not this white and Austin is not this straight. There's like no queer or brown people in this. I find it very hard to believe over the course of a summer being in Austin that Natalie never meets another fat person. She goes thrifting and manages to find stuff so there has to be other fat people in the city. She couldn't even see a fat tourist or something?<br />
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This is honestly kind of a pet peeve of mine in fat YA. Why is the MC always the only fat character? It's so isolating. And because Natalie's sizes are mentioned (rather often), it is very apparent that she's a smaller fat person and therefore has more privilege than a superfat person. She doesn't, for instance, need a seatbelt extender on an airplane and doesn't worry about having to buy a second seat or being kicked off the plane or anything like that. Though the shirt doesn't fit right due to sizing inconsistently, she can in fact find her size in the gift shop of the dig site and it seems to be the largest size they carry besides the "unisex" XL. Which is not that large of a size, let's be real.<br />
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I liked Natalie, and for the most part I liked this book, but fat rep in YA can be a very narrow experience, almost always (not always, but almost) consisting of nonqueer white girls between a US size sixteen and US twenty, usually who are into fashion... and often vintage or vintage-inspired fashion, at that. And Natalie is another of those. And it's not like we're swimming in fat rep in YA so it always sucks to criticize this, but those shouldn't be the only people who are represented.<br />
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...this went into more of a rant than a review, but. It's still true.<br />
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<i>Cover comments: </i>I like the cover. It's simple, but cute and Natalie is on the cover and she's rather clearly actually fat. I'm very into covers of fat positive YA where you can actually see their bodies.<br />
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Also since I don't have a section for this - there are a few illustrations of Natalie in the book. They're illustrations of some of the "outfit of the day" posts she does on her blog. Again, they show her actually visibly fat. I wish they had included one of her outfits where she wasn't wearing shapewear, but otherwise that was really neat. I liked seeing her illustrated with like thick calves and thighs and stuff.<br />
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<i>Conclusion:</i> Wow, this is getting long. This isn't the easiest book in the world to read. The first half especially is hard to read. And that is not a bad thing. Sometimes books make you feel things and sometimes those things don't always feel good and that's okay. And I spent a lot of the book figureatively holding my breath anxious about which direction this would take in the end.<br />
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This balances those complicated feelings really well, I'm glad to say. I think it is rewarding to read through Natalie's journey and you really root for her as she starts to believe in herself and stand up for herself. I won't lie and say I wouldn't enjoy reading about fat characters who are further along in their body acceptance journey, but anything with fat positivity in YA is a good start. I think it is well worth the read, but do go into knowing that it can be emotionally difficult to read at times. Overall, I recommend it, and I'm giving this four roses out of five. If I had quarter roses, I would probably give it 3.75 due to things mentioned in my cons section, but I don't so I'm rounding up a bit.<br />
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(Roses)<br />
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Other notes:<br />
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- My eARC was really messed up formatting-wise. I never hold that against the book, but I do wanna mention it because it's annoying. For some reason the publisher's giant logo showed up every page or two, and in general it had bad a lot of bad formatting.<br />
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- I feel like Natalie's relationship with her mother, and her mother's food/weight relationship (she's mentioned to diet a lot and stuff like that, but only briefly) was underexplored and could have been left out.<br />
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That's all I've got today!<br />
<br />
Peace and cookies,<br />
LainaLainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com0