Notable Releases: 3/5-3/11

Here are the releases from this past week that are on my radar or I think people will be interested in knowing about.

MG/YA:

You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

A new contemporary that has been buzzed about a lot recently.

Rebel of the Sands Book 2: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

I had...mixed feelings about Rebel of the Sands last year. But I did like it enough that I'm probably going to read its sequel. At some point.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz (I'm sorry, I don't know how to do accent marks on this computer yet)

A new book from the author of one of my personal favorites: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.






Adult Fiction:

The Others: Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

I discovered The Others only about a year or so ago, so I'm very much a new fan, but man I can't wait to read this final book. And then move on to Bishop's other books that look just as good.

Mercy Thompson 10: Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

New Mercy Thompson! I really should get caught up on this series, I'm a few books behind...

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Interesting looking lit book, that has been making the rounds lately. It's magical realism apparently, so I'm not sure how much I'll like it. But all lit fans should take note of it, because I have a feeling it's going to be talked about a lot this year.

InCryptid Book 6: Magic For Nothing by Seanan McGuire

I confess, I haven't gotten to this series yet. But after reading Every Heart a Doorway last year and loving it, I'm definitely going to be remedying that...sometime.






Non-Fiction:

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

New Adichie! Always something to be excited about.

We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere by Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel

In case it escaped your notice, International Women's Day was this week. It definitely didn't escape publishers' notice and I'm glad it didn't.

Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins

Latest celebrity memoir for those who like such things (meaning me).

South and West by Joan Didion

Confession time: I've never read any Joan Didion. I'm hoping to remedy that soon.

One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul

Interesting looking new collection of essays that promise to be good for Roxane Gay fans. I am a Roxane Gay fan, so I'm definitely interested.

The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit

So much feminist goodness this week. Need more time to read it all.








Graphic novels/Manga released (TP=Trade Paperback, HC=Hardcover):

Victorian Secret Girls of Steampunk Collection TP
Hatter M: Looking Glass Wars Vol. 6 TP
Adventure Time Vol. 11 TP
Giant Days Vol. 4 TP
Deathstroke Vol. 1: The Professional TP
Superman Vol. 2: Return to Glory TP
Cannibal Vol. 1 TP
Avengers and X-Men Axis TP
Cloak and Dagger: Lost and Found TP
Powerman and Iron Fist Vol. 2: Civil War II TP
Bleach Vol. 69
Hunter X Hunter Vol. 33
One-Punch Man Vol. 11
Skip Beat Vol. 38
Yo-Kai Watch Vol. 7

Book Review: The Sense of an Ending

TITLE: The Sense of an Ending
AUTHOR: Julian Barnes
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Contemporary/Drama
PREMISE: A man thinks back over his life, particularly some incidents in his youth.
MY REVIEW: This book is a perfect example of why I scoff when literature snobs try to tell me a literature book is always better then anything else simply because it's literature. Yeah, no. There are poor literature books out there, just like every other genre.
In this book's defense, it's not that it's really bad. There are some beautiful prose here. I'm sure there's an audience somewhere for this book. I'm just...not that audience. Sorry, I like things to actually happen in a story. In this one...hardly anything happens. It is less then two hundred pages and it felt like a slog to get through, that's how bored I was while reading it. Once again: all the pretty writing in the world is not going to help you if your story is dull. I know I keep repeating this, but apparently, it needs repeating. I'm not even going to go into the annoying way this book treated its female characters. We'd be here all day.
So yeah...I was not a fan of this. I don't think it's the worst thing ever. Again, there are some really poignant lines in it. But that is not enough to make me actually enjoy reading it. I really don't understand how they're going to be able to make a movie out of this (it comes out in March, hence why I read this at all) as again: nothing much really happens. I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of changes.
WHO SHOULD READ: Literature fans, Virgin Suicide fans
MY RATING: Two and a half out of Five snores

Comics Review: Superman-Lois and Clark

Series: Superman
Arc: Lois and Clark (Road to Rebirth)
Writers: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Lee Weeks and Neil Edwards
PUBLISHED: 2016
COMIC HOUSE: DC
GENRE: Superhero
PREMISE: Alternate versions of Lois and Clark hang out in the New52 verse hiding their identity and raising a kid.
MY REVIEW: So, I've been continuing my toe-dipping into Rebirth. I thought I'd start with some of the Road to Rebirth releases. This one...was actually a pleasant surprise because I'll be honest, I haven't been thrilled with the Superman comics as of late, particularly where they screwed over the character of Lois Lane because...honestly it mostly felt like they just did it so they could have an excuse to have Clark date Diana. As a Lois Lane fan AND a Wonder Woman fan who thinks it's nonsense that these two need to compete for whatever reason...it was irritating and I honestly haven't picked up a Superman comic in quite awhile as a result.
This new start to Superman...has me cautiously excited. Lois is back to the Lois I know and adore. Father Superman is quite frankly a delight. There are some easter eggs in here I probably missed due to not being completely into the Superman mythology, but I managed to make sense of most of it. If you know the Superman movies/Supergirl TV show, you should be able to get the gist of this.
The art...was all right. I've seen worse. I've also seen better. All in all, this is a good introduction to the start of Superman in Rebirth. Highly recommend reading this before you start Son of Superman.
WHO SHOULD READ: Superman fans, DC fans, those who have read Rebirth Omnibus
MY RATING: Four out of Five

So You've Finally: Caught the Beauty and the Beast Excitement Bug

Perhaps seeing the clip of the Gaston song convinced you, perhaps you were always on board, however it happened, you're eagerly awaiting Disney's Beauty and the Beast and you want some reading material to tide you over until it comes out. Here you go:

You want to read the source material:

Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont

Considered the original story, it is only around fifty pages or so, so if you want to read the source material it shouldn't take you that long.

Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales About Animal Brides and Grooms From Around the World

If you're looking for where the author of Beauty and the Beast may have gotten some of their inspiration from, this book is the collection for you.






You want books based around the actual movie, thanks:

Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

This book takes place during the movie timeline where Belle finds an enchanted book in the Beast's library.

Beauty and the Beast novelization by Elizabeth Rudnick

This is probably cheating, but the novelization of the movie is already out for those who just can't wait until it hits theaters.

The Beast Within by Serena Valentino

Based around the animated movie, this is the tale told from the Beast's POV.

Twisted Tales 3: As Old As Time by Liz Braswell

This is part of a series of books that takes the well known Disney tales and puts a spin on them. In this one, we get Beauty and the Beast, but if Belle's mother had been the one to curse the beast.






You're all about those Beauty and the Beast retellings:

Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

This is my personal favorite retelling of Beauty and the Beast ever. I highly recommend it (and McKinley's second Beauty and the Beast retelling: Rose Daughter).

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the Beast's POV.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I confess, this is...not my favorite of the Beauty and the Beast retellings out there. It's a contemporary take on it and...it's fine. I'm just not as fond of it as most people seem to be.

Once Upon a Time-Belle: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Cameron Dokey

Part of a popular series of retellings. There is also a book in this series that combined Beauty and the Beast and Last of the Mohicans if you want a really different take on the tale...

Book Review: Flying Lessons and Other Stories

TITLE: Flying Lessons and Other Stories
Edited by Ellen Oh, various authors
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade
PUBLISHED: January 3rd, 2017
GENRE: Contemporary, short stories
PREMISE: A collection of short stories featuring diverse authors and characters from the We Need Diverse Books group
MY REVIEW: For those that don't know, this collection was started by the We Need Diverse Books group. Now, I love this group. They have helped me find so many books that I otherwise might not have and I agree with their message so I support it whenever I can. This collection is basically your average story collection that just features diverse authors and characters.
Like all story collections...some stories are better then others. The most memorable ones to me were the first one, the title short story Flying Lessons, the story that Jacqueline Woodson wrote and the one by Walter Dean Myers (that I'm assuming was found/published after his death). The rest are perfectly decent, but not as memorable.
Overall this is a very solid collection. I wish there was more variety in genres to show that you can do diverse characters outside of contemporary fiction, but that's just my personal wish. It does not diminish or take away from the collection in any way.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of any of the authors, those looking for diverse reads, contemporary fiction fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five interesting stories

Book Review: The Last Star

TITLE: The Last Star
Book 3 in the Fifth Wave Trilogy
AUTHOR: Rick Yancey
PUBLISHED: May 2016
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Sci-Fi/Dystopian
PREMISE: The final days of the alien invasion are here...
MY REVIEW: Oh Fifth Wave trilogy, you started out so well. I really liked the first book. It wasn't mind-blowing but it was one of the few alien invasion stories out there that I actually found plausible. Then...like sadly most trilogies...the second book happened. Too many multiple PoVs got introduced, the world-building turned into a giant mess and basically it felt as if someone completely different had written the second book.
I honestly was so disappointed with the second book, I almost didn't really bother with this third one. But I saw it at the library and figured I might as well just get the trilogy done. Unfortunately...I don't think this trilogy quite recovered from the mess of the second book. I found I didn't particularly care about any of the characters anymore. The ending didn't have quite the impact I think the author was going for as a result. It was a realistic ending, I'll give the author that. But...ultimately...I just didn't care anymore so I basically yawned my way through it.
This is one of those books that I suspect maybe should have been just a standalone. Because if I had just stuck to the first, I probably would have been happy with it. But, we got two more books and those two books kind of turned everything into a mess. So...I can't really give this any better then an average rating.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the first two books
MY RATING: Three out of Five sad endings that didn't have quite the impact that they should have
RATING FOR TRILOGY: Three and a half out of Five good starts but bad endings.

Your Syllabus For: First Wave Feminism

For those who don't know, it is Women's History Month. For this month, I've decided to do month long syllabus' for feminism. This week, will be first wave feminism, next week second wave and then the third week, will be third wave or modern feminism reads.
First wave feminism mostly refers to early days of feminism until around the 1960s. There are a lot of different ideas about when exactly second wave feminism began. For the purposes of this list, I'm ending it at the 1950s.

The Book of the City of the Ladies by Christine de Pizan

Honestly, pretty much all of Christine de Pizan's writing could be considered feminist. But this one is probably her most well-known work.

A Serious Proposal to the Ladies by Mary Astell

The Rover and Other Works by Aphra Behn

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollenstonecraft

Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth

Also if you can find a copy of her Ain't I A Woman? speech, definitely read that as well.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott

Really, all of Alcott's work is pretty feminist, but most people know about Little Women and not much about her non-fiction work.

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Woman's Bible by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

Also check out Woolf's fiction such as Orlando.

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

Some Non-Fiction published more recently on First Wave Feminism:

Sourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman? by Patricia C. and Frederick L. McKissack

A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers From Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx by Elaine Showalter

The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft by Claire Tomalin

The Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Reader

A collection of speeches/essays/writings by two of the leaders of the early women's suffrage movement.

Notable Releases: 2/26-3/4

Here are all the notable releases from this past week that I'm either looking forward too or think people might be interested in knowing about.

MG/YA

Girl From Everywhere Book 2: The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

The Girl From Everywhere was a pleasant surprise from last year. I look forward to further time travel hi-jinks.

Daughter of the Pirate King Book 1 by Tricia Levenseller

This debut had me at female pirate captain.

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

This sounds like a fun meta-ish original fairy-tale.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This book has been all over the blogosphere and I for one, can't wait to read it.








Adult Fiction:

Hannah Swenson series Book 21: Banana Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

For you cozy mystery fans, the latest Joanne Fluke is out.

wDecker/Lazarus Book 24: Bone Box by Faye Kellerman

For you mystery romance fans, the latest Decker/Lazarus series book is out.








Non-Fiction:

Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics by Majorie J. Spruill

Honestly, I'm probably the only one interested in this one. I'll freely admit it.






Graphic novels/manga:

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy crossover TP
Aquaman Vol. 8: Out of Darkness TP
Lucifer Vol. 2: Father Lucifer TP
Suicide Squad Vol. 1: The Black Vault TP
Titans Vol. 1: The Return of Wally West TP
Zatanna by Paul Dini TP
The Complete Tales From the Con TP
Glitterbomb Vol. 1: Red Carpet TP
The Walking Dead Vol. 27: The Whispering War TP
Wayward Vol. 4: Threads and Portents TP
Attack on Titan-Lost Girls Vol. 2
Fairy Tale Vol. 58
Death of X TP

Book Review: The Geek Feminist Revolution

TITLE: The Geek Feminist Revolution
AUTHOR: Kameron Hurley
CATEGORY: Non-Fiction
PUBLISHED: May 2016
GENRE: Essays/commentary
PREMISE: Sci-fi writer Kameron Hurley shares her insights and thoughts on being a geek and a feminist and various other subjects.
MY REVIEW: For the most part, I enjoyed this collection. I just....don't think it was completely what it advertised. From the title, I expected a collection more along the lines of Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist. Or something that frequently linked feminism and the geek world together. Now there were some essays here that did that and they were fabulous. But a lot of the essays...didn't particularly have anything to do with being a geek feminist.
After doing some research I realized why: a lot of this book is actually mostly just old blog posts from her popular online blog. That explains the one about the ACA (that feels bittersweet now thanks to the fact that it looks like there's a good chance it's getting repealed). A lot of the posts talk about her creative process and time in marketing and so on. It's very interesting...just not why I picked up the book.
As with most of these types of collections, some essays/blog posts are better then others. This did however make me very interested in picking up Hurley's books. I was interested in them beforehand, but now they're higher on the TBR list.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Bad Feminist. Kameron Hurley fans, geek feminists
MY RATING: Four out of Five social commentary essays

Notable Releases: 2/19-2/25

Here are all the books released this past week that are either on my radar or that I think people will be interested to know is coming out.

MG/YA

Castle Glower Book 5: Saturdays at Sea by Jessica Day George

For middle-grade fans, this series comes to a close. I...still need to read the first book. I got it for free on Kindle sometime ages ago, I just never got to it for some reason.

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

Historical mystery that sounds all kind of awesome.

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

This sounds like Designated Survivor: Fantasy Edition and I have to say....I'm here for it.

Transference 1: The Dragon's Price by Bethany Wiggins

This a bit like Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles series which was a favorite of mine back in the day so...I kind of have to give it a shot just on principal.






Adult Fiction

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

This week's twisty thriller release has already been released in the UK apparently (and it looks like it got pretty popular there) now it's coming over to the US.

Shades of Magic Book 3: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

I'm pretty much V.E. Schwab trash at this point. You guys know I'll be reading this.







Non-Fiction

The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, and the Power of Seeing

If you're interested in science history, it sounds like this book may be for you.







Graphic Novels

Jughead Vol. 2 TP
Adventure Time Comics Vol. 1 TP
Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Lies TP (Rebirth arc)
Snotgirl Vol. 1 TP
Ghost in the Shell Deluxe Edition vol. 1 HC
All New X-Men Vol. 3: Hell Hath So Much Fury TP
Penny Dreadful Vol. 1 TP