Ok, here’s the thing. I’m about a month behind on my reviews and it’s stressing me out. Also, there’s a handful of books I read for various reading challenge prompts that I do not have a whole lot to say about. So in order to dig myself out of this hole, I’m going to do a bunch of single-paragraph reviews. Will this mess up my trackers at the end of my full-length reviews? Yes. But since I’m probably the only one who cares about those, I’m OK with it.
The ABA Right to Read Handbook (no author listed)
This is a handy-dandy little guide to book banning and how to fight it. The writing is fine. A lot of the info is stuff you already know if you’ve been following book banning. It’s a quick read and has tips on what to skip to if you don’t have time to read the whole book and you immediately want to know how to for example, contest a book ban at your school.
Prompts
SAL/SPL/KCLS: Censorship. Book banning is just one of the forms of censorship we’re facing today.
Physical TBR: My spouse bought this book last year. I donated to Loyalty Books, a Washington DC bookstore that has suffered a major decrease in sales due to both the federal lay-offs and the presence of ICE and the National Guard in their neighborhood.
Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders
I guess I didn’t realize what a focus this would have on academic life. I expected more magic and less academia and difficult parental relationships. I read this at the same time as a non-fiction book with a really bad mom in it and that combination left me in a serious funk about families. Anyway, between this and Katabasis, I’m taking an extended break from books with an academic theme.
Prompts
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): A Little Thing Called Magic. I read a lot of books with magic as a theme but I thought this would be a good one for this prompt because the whole idea of a daughter sharing magic with her mom seemed interesting.
As You Wish by Cary Elwes
This book is delightful, but there’s really not much more to say about it than that. It’s also like, more than 10 years old, so probably everything that could be said about it already has. If you like The Princess Bride and like me you hadn’t read this yet, it’s a nice little nostalgia-inspirer. It helps that Elwes reads the audio (with help from many other cast and crew), and his voice is made for narration.
Prompts
Book Riot: Book about a piece of media you love. I’m not really into this sort of behind-the-scene book. I don’t love most media enough to want to spend hours learning how it was made or what it was like. But this book was so nice that honestly it was just a relaxing break from the heavier non-fiction I usually read.
SAL/SPL/KCLS: Humor. This is not a comedy book, per se, but The Princess Bride is a funny movie and there are some funny anecdotes. Lots of self-depreciation from Elwes and other crew members.
We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride
I really, truly, did not like this book. I have a low tolerance for Whimsy and the narrator is named Whimsy. But I don’t feel right writing a long negative review about this book because it was Not For Me. This is a YA book, and my teenage self probably would have enjoyed it. So if you want a more fair review of this book, please seek one out from someone who specializes in YA reviews.
Prompts
SAL/SPL/KCLS: New To You Format. Are you kidding me? This is a ridiculous prompt for an adult reading challenge. I have been reading for almost 40 years. I have read all the formats. So I had to opt for a new-to-me storytelling format rather than, like, audiobook vs. paperback or something. And I’ve never read a novel in verse. I can’t say this book won me over on the concept. This was also the book that got me my blackout this year. Not the best note to end the challenge on!
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