Review: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Cat Winters. New York: Amulet Books, 2014.  352 pp.
Rating: Striking 

"Think of your future sons and daughters. Think how much better your childhood would have been if your mother had accepted her place in the world and ignored her selfish dreams." (60)

Oh, the cover, the cover! (squeals loudly) Love, love, love! I'm lucky to have scored a poster of the cover during TCfD Book Tour. The imagery is fantastic! The cover sets the atmosphere of what lies between the pages. The cumbersome garments, the strings tied around Olivia's skirt, and the buttons of her boots represent the bondage, the stagnant station of womanhood—the result of being born of the fairer sex. 

Where is a woman's place? Is it inside or outside the home? Is it both? What is a woman's role in the world and who decides her fate? 

How Many Lives Does A Book Live?

Yesterday, I was sorting through a box of children's books a co-worker had given me. Almost all of the books had a name scribbled inside the front cover. These names were of individuals who previously owned the book. Some of the books had graced a classroom shelf, a home library, and others a child's bedroom bookshelf. I then began to ponder about the lives of books. I'm not speaking of the life of a particular title or a new, fresh-from-the bookstore book, but a used hardcover or paperback book. A book that has been read, shared, and passed around from parent to child, sibling to sibling, and friend to friend.

Thinking to Inking: Pick Up Your Pen And Write. Your Voice Matters.

Reblogged from Thinking to Inking 

My comment on this post: Yes, all of this! Despite everything else I was feeling this morning, I woke up determined. Stacy, your post put into words my attitude going forward.

Thinking to Inking: Pick Up Your Pen And Write. Your Voice Matters.: I was supposed to post our monthly YA book pick today, but in light of everything that's happened it doesn't feel right. Some of y...

September 2016 YA Releases

Yes, I do know that there's only one more day in September, but that's not going to stop me from posting a pic of my September releases. After stalking my order status for a week, the last book I'd been awaiting finally arrived. Now, I can exhibit my new babies for all to see. :) I've been wanting to get my hands on each of these books once I learned of them. Look at these pretties! I cannot wait to read them!

From L to R...Into White by Randi Pink, The Female of the Species
by Mindy McGinnis, Labyrinth Lost by  Zoraida Córdova

Suicide Prevention Book Display

Earlier this month, two students within my county committed suicide on the same day. Their deaths were unrelated as one was a middle school student and the other high school, as well as, they occurred in different areas of the county. These latest deaths continues to secure Carroll's reign as the county with the highest suicide rate in the state of Georgia.

To call attention to this pressing issue, last evening, September 27, the community came to together to discuss ways to prevent suicide. Although the community did not swarm in masses, and the gathering consisted mostly of individuals representing social organizations, below is my contribution to the event. Referencing reading lists from School Library Journal and the Nerdy Book Club, I created a display of Young Adult books relating to depression and suicide. Many of the resources on the Information and After Care table were provided by a member of our local Survivors of Suicide group--I just set-up the display. I left the program one book lighter as a teen borrowed a book from the YA display. Success!

Tweens & Teens Biblotherapy Table

Adult Nonfiction titles & Resource Information Table

Review: Rising From the Ashes: The Chronicles of Caymin (The Dragonmage Saga #1) by Caren J. Werlinger

Caren J. Werlinger. Corgyn Publishing, 2016. 295 pp.

Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Fantasy isn't my go to genre. Truthfully, it's never really been on my radar. Not because I despised it, but because I hadn't been introduced to it. Many times as I read blog posts or hear readers talk about beloved fantasy stories, I feel that I've missed out on many great books during my formative years. While others were discovering and feeding their love of fantasy in middle and junior high school, I was re-reading, for the umpteenth time, the books that adorned my bedroom bookshelf. It wasn't because I loved them so much, but because I simply didn't know what else to read.  Now with each fantasy novel I complete, the shovel drops another load filling in the hollow pit of my non-fantasy reading life. Soon though, this book hole shall be jam-packed!

Author Interview: Kisha Mitchell/Book Launch Party of Brown Girl, Brown Girl, What Do You See?

It's approaching one o'clock and Central Library, the Headquarters of the Atlanta Public Library System, is abuzz with activity. Finishing touches are being applied to display tables and people are quietly strolling in. Grinning joyously, Kisha Mitchell, commences the launch of her debut picture book, Brown Girl, Brown Girl, What Do You See? It was a pleasure to attend the book launch and have the opportunity to meet and interview Author Kisha Mitchell.

How did you develop your love of books, reading, and writing?

I didn't have a TV in my room until I was nineteen. As a kid, I read to pass the time. I read such series as Goosebumps, The Baby-Sitters Club, and many others.

Review: Brown Girl, Brown Girl, What Do You See? by Kisha Mitchell

Kisha Mitchell. Illustrator: Marie Pearson. Girls Inspired Inc., 2016. 24 pp.

Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Brown Girl, Brown Girl , What Do You See? is an ode to self-love. It's a testament that brown girls are indeed beautiful. It's about loving the skin that you are in, but it's even more than that. It's about accepting yourself as you are. More importantly, it's about getting acquainted with and loving the person within.

"As I gaze in the mirror loving the perfect imperfections of me; I see a confidence emerging that will not cease!"

Checking In

Hey guys and gals, it's been awhile and I've missed you all! Well, summer vacation has come and gone in my little corner of Georgia. By now, I thought I would be well over half past my reading goal of sixty books; however, I've just been toddling along. My fellow reading pals, might declare me in a midst of a reading slump, but it is not so. In a way, my summer reading has matched the Georgia weather—dry and hot. Most of my reading has been in spurts, like the five-minute rain showers that we've had all summer. These teasing bursts of precipitation turned up the humidity and the heat, but failed to drop enough water to quench the thirst of the parched ground, which is kind of how I've felt about my reading life this summer. I say hot because each of the six books I've read have impacted me, a few more than others, but each one made me think, remember, reflect, and feel. From one of my reads, I learned of an obscure folk artist whose work graces the Smithsonian Institute. In another, I annotated almost half of the book due to its relevancy to my present circumstances and the current social climate. And yet, another is nudging me toward more fantasy novels. So, that's the long and short of it or rather the hot and dry of it. :-)

26 Reasons Why You Need To Read More by Jarry Lee

Although my heart hurts because another BookExpo America has come and gone and I still have yet to attend, in honor of another successful year, here's a delightful post from last year's BEA.

Reposted from BuzzFeed

Jarry Lee / BuzzFeed / Thinkstock

Review: Glow (Sky Chasers #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Amy Kathleen Ryan. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011. 307 pp.
Rating: Striking

Trigger Warning: Non-Consent

**Note: I started writing this review a few days after reading the book in December 2014, so my review will retain all feelings and reactions written in my notes at the time I read the book. I'm on a serious mission to clear out my draft folder and complete the dozens of book reviews that I've started over the last few years. Also, this review contains slight spoilers.** 

What if you've never seen the sun, felt the wind blow across your face, been drenched in the rain, or stared at the immense blue sky? What if the only home you have even known is an egg-shaped vessel that has spent over forty years plowing through the depths of outer space destined for a new world? What if you were responsible for ensuring the continuation of the human race? What if future generations could trace their lineage back to you? What if your allies suddenly appeared without notice? What if, concealed by the cloak of friendship they steal from you what they most need? 

"They must want something from us,"..."or they wouldn't be here."  (4) 

Now, imagine being torn away from your family and placed with another under the guise of a rescue mission. 

Dewey's Read-A-Thon Wrap-up

Books picked. Snacks prepped. Electronics charged. Everything I needed for twenty-four, solid hours of reading was in place. Off to bed. Rise and shine, the day has come! Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I check my phone. It's not yet 8 o'clock. Quickly, I open up to the day's current devotional. What! You got to be kidding me!? It's the 16th. The read-a-thon isn't today...it's next Saturday, the 23rd. Sucker-punch right to the gut. I knew the read-a-thon was on the 23rd, but somehow in my mind the 23rd equated to the 16th. Needless to say, I had to regroup and replan my day. It's going to be a long seven days, I think. 

Read-A-Thon Updates

Update #1--11:06 am

Hey reading pals! I just finished my first book of the day.

24-Hours of Non-Stop Reading

Guys and gals, the time has come. Read-A Thon is finally here! Woohoo! 

Although I wanted to throw all 1,480 books on my TBR list in my reading pile, I narrowed it down to fifteen, consisting of mostly middle grade and young adult novels. Just in case my eyes grow weary, there's an audiobook on standby. My goal is to complete three books and at least one chapter of the professional development book, Diagnosis and Improvement in Reading Instruction. 

Review: How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks

Lyn Fairchild Hawks. Self-Published, 2013. pp. 268.
Rating: Decent + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙


Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse/Rape

Some months back, a couple of weeks after I'd finished this book, a student who was new to the youth group remarked that she always wears a jacket because she's constantly cold. I then asked if she was anemic and she said that it was her security blanket...that it protected her from many things. Being extremely thin, I wondered if she was self-conscious of her body or was she possibly hiding/shielding herself from somebody or somebodies; however, we were interrupted before I could question her further. Not only did this conversation call up images of Linus from Peanuts dragging his blue blanket—which could morph into various objects when needed, such as a lasso or shepherd's head covering—everywhere, but it also caused me to think of Wendy Redbird Dancing with Michael Jackson, greasy hair, and kohl eyeliner as her security blankets.

Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon

A night person I am not...never have been...not even a little bit. Growing up, my mother never had to fuss at me about going to bed on time. During my college years, dancing the night away at my favorite dance club kept me awake for sure, but that was the only thing. My personal best in pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper was 11:00 p.m. Sad, but true.

Review: Titans by Victoria Scott

Victoria Scott. Scholastic, 2016.
Rating: Worthy + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Goodreads Summary: Ever since the Titans first appeared in her Detroit neighborhood, Astrid Sullivan’s world has revolved around the mechanical horses. She and her best friend have spent countless hours watching them and their jockeys practice on the track. It’s not just the thrill of the race. It’s the engineering of the horses and the way they’re programmed to seem so lifelike. The Titans are everything that fascinates Astrid, and nothing she’ll ever touch.

She hates them a little, too. Her dad lost everything betting on the Titans. And the races are a reminder of the gap between the rich jockeys who can afford the expensive machines to ride, and the working class friends and neighbors of Astrid’s who wager on them.

Mocha Girls Read Spell It Out Challenge 2016

Though I've been adding books to my To Read shelf on Goodreads like a crazy woman, without much reading going on, I've decided to participate in the Mocha Girls Read Spell Out Challenge again this year. Like last year, I've chosen the Out of This World level, which is twelve books. Below is a list of the books I'm reading for the challenge. Between the compilation and posting of this list, I read the title I'd originally chosen for "I," Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor. Since I hadn't declared my intentions to participate in the challenge before I read the book, I decided to choose another title. 

A Book Blogger's Reflection

As many of you have probably noticed, my blog has been relatively quiet for most of the past year. At the outset of my blogging adventure, I aspired to post at least twice weekly. Though that lofty plan fell far short, it was never my intention to neglect my blog—failing to give it the attention required and deserving of such a magnanimous book spreading platform. So, I've decided to step back and reflect on the reasons why I started this blog in the first place.

Top Ten Books That Colored My Whitewashed World by Beth Shaum

Great top ten list! Many of these are already on my TBR list. Since I've only read two (When I Was the Greatest & The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) of the ten books on this list, I have plenty of reading to do. :) Originally posted on the Nerdy Book Club.

Top Ten Books That Colored My Whitewashed World by Beth Shaum

There have been many moments in the past few years of my life that have helped me to examine my own prejudices and privileges. I think back on my worldview back in my teens and early twenties and I am ashamed of myself for how I perceived people who were different from me. So I'm currently trying to remove my blinders and shed the cloak of white privilege that has prevented me from understanding the added opportunities I've been granted in my life simply because I'm white.

What is the biggest thing that has helped me to make this leap? Reading.

Top 10 Fictional Characters Who Gave the Best Advice by Elizabeth Snevily

This...this—wise advice and beautiful graphics—is what you miss when you don't keep atop of your email. Reposted from the Nerdy Book Club.

TOP 10 FICTIONAL CHARACTERS  WHO GAVE THE BEST ADVICE by Elizabeth Snevily

There comes a time in every character's life when they are at a crossroad. They must face the simple, honest truths about life and how to live it, but often times they need the insight, advice and guidance from a friend, parent or stranger to help them choose their own destiny. Whether or not they listen to this lesson is their decision, but we, as readers on the sideline, implore them to follow or even sometimes abandon the advice given.

A New Year of Reading Adventures: 2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Postcard from
Author Lisa Maxwell

It's 2016 y'all and I'm going to have a kick-butt year in the wonderful land of Bookdom! My reading plans for the year include finishing a few of the series I've started, completing a couple of books I've abandoned, in addition to whittling down my to-be-read pile, while adding replacement books right back on the list. Come on now, it's hard out there for a bibliophile. :-}