Important, insightful and timely, LaRue's novella paints a picture of censorship in the past several decades, and where it's leading us as a society. Important, insightful and timely, LaRue's novella paints a picture of censorship in the past several decades, and where it's leading us as a society. He weaves politics, extremism, religion and book bans together into a powerful essay that is easy to access and digest. Librarians and other readers in the know will recognize some of the incidents in the news that LaRue is referring to, but the average reader also gets enough to grasp the concepts. The author doesn't overstay his welcome, and even if you don't have a background in libraries, this is an easy access point to censorship, library policy, and institutional challenges and hardships, and what the average citizen can do to fight anti-intellectualism and the attacks that they are faced with in this day and age. ...more
I feel like I'm the outlier here. I wanted to love this book so much. This title has been recommended to me for about ten years, and maybe I had builtI feel like I'm the outlier here. I wanted to love this book so much. This title has been recommended to me for about ten years, and maybe I had built it up in my mind as being something it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, the messaging is incredibly important, and there are some wonderful chapters in here about giving thanks to nature for what we have been given, stop and think about where things have come from, giving back to nature (reciprocity) and the importance of getting back to the earth. People have been separated from it for so long and especially now, consumer culture is out of control and destroying the one planet we have. Kimmerer's prose will leave you nostalgic for a time and place we've never seen, and a sadness for what our environment has become. Hand in hand with this, however, comes the guilt. What was lost was not our fault, and likely happened before our time. She's got some great observations, and an has an incredible fount of knowledge for plant life and her indigenous past. That being said, she doesn't offer much in the way of action. I don't recall her once suggesting to write to your representatives, or become a lobbyist, or join/donate to the Sierra club or like organizations. She doesn't encourage you to go to the library and learn more about the world around you. She does tell you to go into nature and just sit. Oh, and build a garden. Apparently, that's all you need to do. What if you live in a city, or don't have access to an area to build a garden? What if you live in a highly polluted area and can't just plant something? What if you have a black thumb and can't grow anything to save your life (I'm one of those). What if you can't just drive out to nature and pick and eat something because of pollution or pesticides? It must be nice for her to be able to live in an area where that's possible. This novel is also incredibly repetitive at times. She uses the same words and brings up the same points over and over in each of the essays. The length of the novel and the meandering nature of them prevent the message from getting out to those who need to hear it. This should have been split up into three or four novellas, either by topic (indigenous tales, her time as a professor, her experiences as a mother) or theme (growing, harvesting, braiding, and burning sweetgrass). This book would have had so much more of a punch had it been shorter, had better editing, and the theming was tighter. I'm really glad that this landed with the majority of folks who read it, but it just didn't do it for me. That being said, it is still important, and would do better as an occasional read- one essay per week or month, say, instead of being read cover to cover as a novel. ...more
Spiral Scratch is probably one of the better Russell DW's out there, but that's not really saying much. At the very least, this entry to the WhoniversSpiral Scratch is probably one of the better Russell DW's out there, but that's not really saying much. At the very least, this entry to the Whoniverse is fast-paced and interesting. However, it's also messy and confusing. The story involves multiverses clashing, and this isn't immediately revealed to the reader; nor is the indication of which Doctor we are following. The reader is just supposed to figure it out through context. A clear delineation of chapters belonging to the alternate Doctors and Mels would have been helpful. I would be several pages in to a section before I realized that it was from the perspective an alternate Doctor, and I felt like I needed to go back and restart it- it was beyond frustrating. Unfortunately this isn't a story that you can read a small amount and put down again, because you will be hopelessly lost. This is one of those DW's where I feel like I got the basic gist of the story, but I'm sure I didn't get all of it. What's good about this then? The Doctor (6) is marvelously in character, as well as Mel. The story is engaging for the most part, and really does make you think. It's certainly not awful, but could have been executed more clearly and concisely. As for the end? Well, it ties in to 7's first episode. This part was done well, and made me want to rewatch Time and the Rani- and I'm not a huge fan of McCoy. This 6 is okay, if a bit scattered, and fills a gap in the DW lore. If you need to scratch that itch, this will do that nicely. ...more
I purchased this book on a recent trip to Hawaii and Pearl Harbor. The visit to the Arizona memorial moved me, and I wanted a way to support the NatioI purchased this book on a recent trip to Hawaii and Pearl Harbor. The visit to the Arizona memorial moved me, and I wanted a way to support the National Park, so I went home with this memoir. The man is certainly not a writer, and I almost wish he relayed his story to someone else to make the narrative more interesting and engaging. There were some fascinating parts, and the reader gets to see a bit of a window into that time and place. It's unfortunate that it was bogged down with technical lingo and portions that didn't seem respectful or relevant (stealing alcohol and guns from the wreck of the Arizona, rushing to Honolulu to meet up and have relations with the local women). I understand that Raymer wanted to paint a true account and not a biased one, but there were so many parts on the chasing of women that I eventually just started skipping those sections altogether. The language is stunted and stilted, and lacks any kind of flair so that even at some more exciting moments it still feels like you're reading a textbook. The text would have benefitted heavily from a glossary, a diagram labeling ship parts, and a list of all of the divers on the team. The pictures were a nice addition, and I have to say I know more now about navy diving and Pearl Harbor than I ever have, so that's a plus coming out the other side. All in all, it's okay, could have been written better, but I appreciate this man's skill and sacrifice. ...more
Well, this was unexpectedly dark and miserable. I mean, I guess I should have determined that from the title, but I went into this novella thinking thWell, this was unexpectedly dark and miserable. I mean, I guess I should have determined that from the title, but I went into this novella thinking that it was a simple fairy-tale retelling, perhaps from the Queen's perspective. I was wrong. Almost everyone in this short story is unhappy or cruel, besides Snow White, and even she has a tinge of sadness to her character. At the onset, the retelling feels more like Once Upon a Time rather than the original tale or the Disney version that so many of us are used to. There is a lot of sexual content in here as well, which is odd for such a short story that (I think?) is geared towards older teens. The ending is abrupt, and there is no closure or happiness to it. There is a story here involving the Huntsman that could have made for a much, MUCH better and more satisfying narrative, but whether the author was too lazy or angry to do so, I am unsure. If you are looking for a happy ending, steer clear of this book because you won't find it here. I won't be picking up the rest of the series. ...more
This is without a doubt one of the weirdest cozy mysteries I have ever read. I thought the TBR jar was kind to me when I pulled this one, as we're lesThis is without a doubt one of the weirdest cozy mysteries I have ever read. I thought the TBR jar was kind to me when I pulled this one, as we're less than a week from St Patrick's Day, and this title seemed spot on. It was, indeed, very festive for this time of the year, complete with all things green and Irish, including a leprechaun. The author really tried to make this installment stand out in a sea of similar cozies, and I think in that, she succeeded. However, she manipulated the circumstances of the murders in such a fashion that were completely unbelievable. Hannah really, *really* wanted the leprechaun (not really a leprechaun) to be the murderer, and set the story up in such a way that there were literal pots of gold being dug up. She put herself in such a corner following folklore that she had a heck of a time explaining what really happened (without the aid of magic and fairy folk) and the "why" and "how" was so convoluted that it was beyond ridiculous. Add in the fact that our MC was way too kind for her own good, her 'best' friend was a selfish, awful person, and the police chief hardly showed up at all except to scold Lindsey for getting involved. Can we also talk about the fact that her last name is BAKEWELL and she owns a bakery? It's a little too spot on for my taste. Otherwise, the story is fine, it reads well and quickly, and the mystery is a tough one to figure out, but not impossible. This is a very festive title, and only really works if read in March. Not sure if this is a series I'll be continuing. ...more
I look forward to my time in the Wayward Children series every year. AiCCaC (Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear) is a worthy installment to the seriesI look forward to my time in the Wayward Children series every year. AiCCaC (Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear) is a worthy installment to the series. I loved the world of Belyyreka, and appreciated the time that McGuire spent describing the world, its inhabitants, and how the world functioned. The turtle companions, the different levels of water and the fact that people breathed in water and were considered "drowned" was interesting and I really enjoyed getting lost in it. Nadya is not a new character in the Wayward Children series, and I'm glad that her backstory and her door were finally fully explored. The further I read in this series, the more I realize that therapy is necessary for these children that come back through their doors into this world. Living an entire life somewhere else where you feel loved and accepted and then coming back must be devastating. The longer this series goes, the more complete the world feels. The only downside to this series as a whole is how adults in the normal world are treated. McGuire portrays them as ignorant, selfish, and cruel. I may be biased, but it rubs me the wrong way. I understand there's the argument that the children who have these kinds of parents are the ones who find the doors, but it still rankles at times. All in all, AiCCaC was a really fun installment to the series, and I can't wait to see what the next one holds. At some point, I will need to reread these, because I barely remember the first few!...more
We've all heard this story before: a girl growing up in turn of the century United States wants to break free from the life that's expected of her, anWe've all heard this story before: a girl growing up in turn of the century United States wants to break free from the life that's expected of her, and go to college instead of get married, work the land, and raise a family. Our main character loves books instead of farming (so original!) and is headstrong enough to read and educate herself in pockets of her day, but not so headstrong that she fights tooth and nail for what she wants. Mattie does make certain strides, but only because the people in her life give her a hand up or allow her to. It takes a dead woman and her letters to snap Mattie awake and force her to make a decision. Had Grace not died, Mattie's life would have turned out very different. This is a personal observation, and others may disagree, but I think it's incredibly selfish when someone makes others promises on their deathbed. If you are dying, you cannot hold someone else's life hostage because they are living. This is something that Mattie is fighting with the entire novel, and it just rubs me the wrong way. Like others, I don't appreciate the way the novel jumps back and forth in time. It makes it difficult to determine when a chapter is happening, what has already happened, and what has yet to happen. All told, the novel takes place over the course of about a year or so. The author took an actual historical event (the drowning death of Grace in 1906) and instead of writing a mystery, a thriller, or a true crime, decided to create the character of Mattie, and tell Grace's story through her. This shifts the focus from Grace to Mattie, and I'm not sure that was the best choice here. There are some great things here too. I enjoyed the way the author wove dictionary words throughout the story and tied them to the plot. I also liked how Donnelly described certain things, like the settings, her family members, or aspects of life. She gave Mattie a unique way of looking at things; like a combination of an innocent and a very old soul. This lends to some beautiful observations and passages. I also appreciated the ending. I won't spoil it here, but suffice it to say, it is satisfying. It's a good story if you're looking for a historical fiction from New York state in 1906, but not fantastic. ...more
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