Biblio File

Silver in the Wood

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 14:24:00 +0000

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

A poignant tale steeped in English folklore about the Green Man of the woods coming to terms with his past and trying to set things right. Dryads, highwaymen, and a naive lord of the manor, combine for an evocatively lush tale.

I loved this novella! I loved Tesh's look at where the Green Man came from and how his history informs his present actions, centuries after the fact. The prose is gorgeous and the tension between Tobias (the Green Man) and Henry (the new lord the manor) is dialed up and made all the more perfect by the accompanying sexual attraction.

It's only 109 pages and easy to read in 1 sitting, which I highly recommend you do.

Book Provided by... my local library

This is published by Tor, which is a Macmillan imprint. Macmillan is really forking over libraries on ebook pricing. If you can, please read this in paper-based print from your local library.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

The Fish That Ate the Whale

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 15:36:00 +0000

The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King by Rich Cohen

With engaging prose and an engrossing story, Cohen lays out the page-turning life of Sam the Banana Man. He started life on a Russian wheat farm, immigrated to America, and became head of United Fruit during its biggest financial success and largest moral failures.

Cohen can tell a story like nothing else, and this is quite the story to tell. Sam Zemurray is the American dream made real, in the best and worst ways. I didn't know a lot about US involvement in Latin and South America via fruit companies beyond the term "Banana Republic" and it being super shady, and this really helped lay out a lot of what was going on. From the New Orleans docks to Panamanian banana plantations to Manhattan boardrooms, it was a book I could not put down. A perfect blend of fascinating subject and wonderful narrative voice. I have put several other books by Cohen on hold.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

More Holds

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 01:02:00 +0000

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis

From Kirkus: "In the shadow of a violent dictatorship, five queer women find the courage and strength to live their truth... A stunning novel about queer love, womanhood, and personal and political revolution" In takes place in Uruguay in the late 70s.

The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Allison Markin Powell

I'm very intrigued by the structure of this one--each chapter is told by a different women who loved the same man at different points in his life.

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

Historical fiction set in 17th century Iceland (?!) and features tension between Christianity and Nordic religions?

The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bookleg King, the Women who Pursued Him, and the Murder that Shocked Jazz Age America by Karen Abbott

Just the subtitle alone sells it, but I also really enjoyed Abbott's Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy.

Cold Warriors: Writers who Waged the Literary Cold War by Duncan White

Ok, at nearly 800 pages, the chances of me actually reading this are slim at best, but it does look fascinating--it's about how governments silenced writers or used their writing "as a weapon and a shield" and goes beyond just the US and USSR to include other parts of the Cold War, such as Latin America. This is a subject on my mind, as I am going to read The Secrets We Kept.

The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer

A middle grade book about the fall of communism in Romania. I think I'm drawn to MG (and YA) about the fall of European communism because I was an MG reader when it happened. (I was in 4th grade when the Berlin Wall fell). Excited for this one. (Also, because I'll yell about it every time communism and Romania come up--have you seen the wonderful documentary Chuck Norris vs Communism? It's a fascinating look at the role black market American movies played at the end of the regime)

The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas

SHERRY THOMAS WROTE A MULAN BOOK!
SHERRY THOMAS WROTE A MULAN BOOK!
SHERRY THOMAS WROTE A MULAN BOOK!

One Day: The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America by Gene Weingarten

Weingarten went back to find out what happened on December 28, 1986--by all accounts a slow news day, but he finds the stories and follows up on them. PW says "the result is a trove of compelling human-interest pieces with long reverberations."

Chop Suey Nation by Ann Hui

Long-time readers of this site know I love a food history book, especially one on Chinese food (I still recommend Fortune Cookie Chronicles whenever I can). This one looks at Chinese food in Canada. Here for it.

The Spy Killer by Jimmy Sangster

This was originally published in the UK in 1967. The plot description in PW had more twists and turns than I could track, but it only weighs in at 180 pages? I'm intrigued.

Grimm, Grit and Gasoline edited by Rhonda Parrish

Dieselpunk and Decopunk retellings of fairytales. (Apparently dieselpunk and decopunk is like steampunk, but between WWI and WWII). You know how much fairy tale retellings!

The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Ireland, but instead of British imperialism, it's faerie invasions. Also, it's romance.

The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses by Dan Carlin

Hardcore History in book form? Yes, please!

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

What I Put on Hold this Month...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 01:18:00 +0000

When going through my stack of review journals for work, here are the books that I couldn't wait to read for myself! (Warning, this week's stack of review journals included Publisher Weekly's Fall 2019 Adult Announcements, so this is a long post and some of these books won't come out for another 6 months. Also, I didn't list anything I already knew about, which includes everything from the ALA annual conference.)

On Division by Goldie Goldbloom

A Chasidic grandmother is embarrassed by her pregnancy (everyone will know she and her husband are still intimate!) so she hides it, and this secret becomes twisted with another secret--her deceased son was gay.

Singapore Sapphire by AM Stuart

New mystery series set in 1910 Singapore. It's about a British widow, so we'll see how the colonialism is handled, but the setting/time period is pure catnip and Kirkus gave it a star, so I want to at least check it out.

New School Nightmare by Carolyn Nowak

I'm not sure today's middle grade readers are really interested in Buffy or that they'll pick this up. But, *I'm* super into this.

Girl on the Block: A True Story of Coming of Age Behind the Counter by Jessica Wragg

I'm really into the "woman enters old-timey-but-still-around male profession" memoir a la Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter or Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto.

Our Rainbow Queen by Sali Hughes

I heard once that Queen Elizabeth II wears the same solid color head-to-toe so she's easier to spot in a crowd--she knows she's on the shorter side and people often make an effort to come out and see her and she wants to make it easier on them. I love it and can't wait to flip through this book.

Edward Hopper and the American Hotel ed. by Leo G Mazow

Hopper is my favorite visual artist--something about how he paints that perfect mid-century white American Dream with such desolate bleakness and loneliness. These essays on hotels in his work promises to crack some of that wide open.

You Can HAve it All, Just Not at the Same Damn Time by Romi Neustadt. It's not so much that I want to read this book, but that I think I need to.

The Princess Plan by Julia London. You can't swing a dead cat in Regency Romance without hitting a dozen dukes, but the royal family rarely makes an appearance. This one involves a visiting prince and a gossip columnist. I'll take it.

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh. Regency Romance. Scientist wallflower heroine. Rake hero. Fake dating. Sold.

Snow: A Scientific and Cultural Exploration by Giles Whittell. I love a microhistory and I love snow, so this looks right up my alley.

Ahab's Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby Dick by Richard J. King I'm currently reading Moby Dick for work and this look at the novel as nature writing, taking into account what the Melville would and would not have known at the time seems like a nice follow up.

The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel Jose Older. From PW: "[A] ghost of a woman who died in the Cuban Revolution nags her nephew to dig into their family history"

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith. Turns out the best wines depend on vine witches to help grow the best grapes. I'm intrigued.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason. A space opera involving a teenage princess blessed by fairies. Here for it. I've been reading a lot more sci fi/fantasy lately and I love it when they blend.

The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain. A Djinn wakes up to find humans have forgotten magic and tries to change that.

Other titles of note--

Philippa Gregory's new one, Tidelands, kicks off a new series (this time about the English Civil War) but gasp! not about royalty.

Book Provided by... no one, yet.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Reading Goals for the Year Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 13:36:00 +0000

Seems I'm currently not on an award committee, I can a lot more choice in what books I get to read this year. It's very exciting.

As such, this year I set my reading goal bars fairly low-- I want my free choice reading to continue to feel like a free choice. (There are some caveats-- there is a staff reading challenge at work this year designed to get everyone to read outside their comfort zone, a lot is dictated by reviewing, etc.) But, there are a few areas I want to improve in--mainly making sure I am reading diversely and reading books I own. So, concrete goals:

1. 40% of my reading should be by or about people who are non-white, religious but non-Christian, LGBTQIA+, neuro-atypical, or physically disabled.
2. 10 books should be translated into English from another language.
3. 20% of my reading should be books that I own. (This not include ARCs. It does include books that I haven't purchased yet.)

Based on my reading stats from last year, these all require a bit of stretching, but are totally doable. With much of my reading assigned by committee work, I still managed to have 35% of my reading be diverse and 15% be books I own. I read 6 translated books.

Doing the math for the first two months of the year, 48% of my reading has been diverse, 15% has been stuff I own, and I've read 1 book in translation.

What are your reading goals this year?

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Taps Mic... is this thing still on?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 17:40:00 +0000

Hello? Still there?

It's been almost two years since I last posted here. In the last few months I've really missed this blog, both as a record of my reading life, but also creating it. I've been struggling with what this blog would look like ever since it turned 10 and I had some burnout and committee work and professional reviewing have changed the nature of what I can post. I don't have any good answers to that right now, so we'll see!

There's some new stuff going on since my last post.

A few weeks after my last post, I had a baby! (So now I have one in elementary school and a toddler. Life is not at all crazy!)

I transferred to a new position in my library system. I'm now in my dream job of collection development, which is super fun. (The super basic explanation of what I do is I buy the books for the library. There's a team of us, and I'm in charge of the titles for younger readers. I also do ao lot to promote the collection-- remember when I made all those booklists? I get to do that now as part of my day job.)

Committee work! I was on the Margaret A Edwards Award Committee-- be sure to read all of Angela Johnson's work--it's amazing. I also got to chair the Junior/Senior High Nonfiction Committee for the CYBILS again this year. I was also a 2nd round judge.

I also picked up some new reviewing things. So I am now regularly reviewing for School Library Journal, Library Journal, and Booklist. I love reviewing when someone assigns me books, as it has me discovering titles I might not have otherwise picked up.

Anyway, stay tuned for more book-related content!

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

What I've Been Reading Lately: Series of Things

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 13:05:00 +0000

The Witch Must Burn, The Wizard Returns, Heart of Tin, The Straw King, Ruler of Beasts Danielle Paige

As I mentioned in my last post, I really like the Dorothy Must Die series, where Oz turns into a dystopian hellscape. The ending of the 3rd book changed everything and as I desperately wait for the 4th, I've been loving this prequel series that shows how Oz got to the point it got to. We see how terrible Dorothy is, but how Glinda is really the evil behind the throne, and who just gets swept up in everything. Also, as I was putting this together I discovered that a new installment, Order of the Wicked, comes out next week! Squee!

Princeless: Save Yourself, Princeless: Get Over Yourself, Princeless: The Pirate Princess, Princeless: Be Yourself, Princess: Raven the Pirate Princess: Captain Raven and the All-Girl Pirate Crew Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by M. Goodwin, Emily Martin, Rosy Higgins, Ted Brandt, Brett Grunig

OMG. This is one of those things where everyone said it was AH-MAZING and it was still better than all the hype and love for it. If you're unaware, Adrienne is a princess, the youngest one, and she's been locked in a tower, just like her sisters, because being rescued is the best way to find a husband? She is NOT HAPPY about this. So she befriends the dragon that guards her and they make a jailbreak and head off to find and save all of her sisters. Meanwhile, her father has set out a band of mercenaries to track down whomever kidnapped Adrienne out of her tower. (Awkward!) Along the way she assembles an awesome team. It's Rat Queens for the Lumberjanes set (perfectly suitable for Middle Grade!). The first volume of the Princess Raven spinoff series still makes me laugh. When Raven (a pirate princess rescued by Adrienne with her own scores to settle) tries to assemble a crew, she gets mansplained so hard and it is just so pitch perfect and hilarious that I couldn't breath I was laughing so hard. This quickly became a comic that I collect instead of waiting for it at the library.

Enchanted, Inc., Once Upon Stilettos, Damsel Under Stress, Don't Hex with Texas, Much Ado About Magic, No Quest for the Wicked, Kiss and Spell Shanna Swendson

So I read this entire series a few years ago and reread it this month and *happy sighs.* I reviewed most of it when I read it. But this was everything I remember and more and just the perfect fun, comfort reread that I needed. I enjoyed rereading so much that I just went it bought it so I can reread it whenever I want. (They're all really cheap on Kindle right now, so now's a good time to check them out.)

Books Provided by... my local library, although I then went and bought all the Princeless and Enchanted, Inc titles.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

What I've Been Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 09 May 2016 13:05:00 +0000

The Romani Gypsies Yaron Matras

I was reading a romance novel last spring that made my spidey-sense tingle in relation to stereotypical representation of Romani people. But, I don't know much about the Romani, so I've been doing some research so I can flesh out my thoughts and share them more fully. Matras's book was a great look at the Romani in Europe, historically and today. It can be academic at times, but I found it extremely useful (and horrifying. This whole project has been an exercise in realizing things you thought were bad are even worse than you imagined.)

Unterzakhn Leela Corman

I first heard about this from the wonderful podcast, The Worst Bestsellers (it was not a Worst Bestseller. It was discussed in their readers' advisory section). This comic follows two Jewish twins growing up in Manhattan's tenements at the beginning of the 20th century. One apprentices to a "lady doctor" the other works for madam who runs a theater and brothel. With bold, heavy black-and-white work (it reminded me a bit of Marjane Satrapi in terms of how both artists use line and fill) it's a moving story as their stories diverge and where their separate paths take them.

Get Your Ship Together: How Great Leaders Inspire Leadership from the Keel Up D. Michael Abrashoff

I read a lot about management. Abrasoff is a former naval commander and talks a lot about his experience in running a large ship, but also profiles other leaders he admires in many fields-- yes some military, but also a bakery, and insurance company, and more. Abrashoff's style is really easy to read and engaging, and it said somethings that really sparked some ideas for the library. (Mostly about how it all comes down to making sure our daily operations are flawless because that's what everything else is built on. As he points out, the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. Also, the bigger and fancier the ship, the more tugboats you need to get it in and out of the harbor.) I also appreciated how he, and the leaders he profiles, place a great emphasis on the individual, and take into account their nonwork lives. After reading Superbosses it was reassuring to see very successful people champion a good work/life balance.

Library Wars: Love and War Vol. 15 Kiiro Yumi, based on work by Hiro Arikawa, translated from the Japanese by John Werry

If you haven't yet read this manga series about Japanese libraries who take the Freedom to Read so seriously they literally fight for it, like, with their own armies, you need to start. This was a perfect end to the story and now I'm just a puddle of happy sighs. My one minor quibble is that we don't get as many of the side-bards and mini-comics like we did in the previous volumes but instead the results of fan polls from LaLa magazine, where it was initially serialized in Japan. BUT! The manga is based on a novel series, two books of which were bonus material and Yumi is currently working on those and I really, really, really hope they get translated into English, but I want more of these people!

At the King's Command Susan Wiggs

After witnessing the slaughter of her family, Russian Princess Juliana Romanov flees to England, where she lives among the Romani. Caught stealing a horse, King Henry VIII himself commands her to marry a baron, Stephen de Lacey. A marriage neither of them wants, it will be in name only until the king gets bored and they can get it annulled, but only if they can keep their growing attraction to each other in check. I didn't realize how much Romani content this had until I picked it up, so that was interesting for my project, but that aside, I really liked this one. Juliana is consumed with the need to avenge her family, but no one really believes her story. Stephen has his own issues and things would have been better if he hadn't kept his secrets for so long and just talked to someone and blergh, but I still enjoyed it.

No Place Like Oz Danielle Page

I really like the Dorothy Must Die series. (I reviewed the latest, Yellow Brick War, for RT Reviews.) This is the first in a 6 novella prequel ARC, showing how Oz ended up in the twisted mess it was in at the beginning of the series. This one shows how Dorothy returned to Oz and seized power. I loved seeing Dorothy in Kansas, missing both Oz and the notoriety she had when she returned home, but what I loved most is that Auntie Em and Uncle Henry end up back in Oz with her, and seeing their reactions to Oz. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this arc and the fourth book in the main series.

All Books Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

What I've Been Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 13:05:00 +0000

I've read some great books lately!

Fade Out: Act Three Sean Phillips and Ed Brubaker. I loved this graphic novel Hollywood Noir trilogy. A murdered starlet, a corrupt studio system, blacklisting and the lingering effects of war? YES PLEASE. Less violent than their Fatale, Criminal, or Sleeper, this one was more up my alley, while still very much being the dark and compelling storytelling that make Phillips and Brubaker a favorite team of mine, even when their stories aren't my usual cup of tea.

Trade Me Courtney Milan. This was going to be my #TBRChallenge review this month, but I didn't get my thoughts collected in time. (womp womp) Anyway, a wonderful sizzling romance between Tina Chen, a poor college student and Blake Reynolds, software billionaire heir. After a heated class discussion in which Tina claims that Blake could never live her life, they trade places. Of course, you can't truly live another person's life, so they're in constant contact, and oh! the attraction! But both have issues and Tina's not about to get in a relationship with this guy, no matter how much she likes him. Even though it's set in college, but Blake and Tina are adults being adults and it's not a plot that can be solved by just talking to each other. (While they do have their secrets, that's not what's keeping them apart, and they're things the reader understands why they're being kept secret.) Sooooo good and I CANNOT wait for the next one in the series. CANNOT WAIT.

Lumberjanes Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A Allen. It's a free day at camp, so Mal and Molly are on a picnic, which is totally not a date. Nope. Not at all. Only, they end up following the bear woman through a portal and have to fight some dinosaurs. The other girls decide to get as many of their boring badges as possible, to hilarious results. I love Lumberjanes! My only complaint is that the trades are SO FAR behind the issue releases. This trade just came out this month and collects issues 9-12. Meanwhile, issue 25 just came out this week. SO FAR BEHIND. Luckily, the next trade is out in July, so hopefully they're catching up?

Rat Queens Vol. 3: Demons Kurtis J Weibe, Tamara Bonvillain, Tess Fowler. Hannah is going back to Mage University to save her father, and all of her secrets are about to come out, and it's going to get very dark as the Rat Queens might just get pulled apart because of it. WHICH IS TERRIBLE BECAUSE THIS IS GOING HIATUS! There are 2 issues scheduled to be released and then... nothing and I'm not sure how they can wrap this up in 2 issues, and OMG WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING TO ME?!

Hamster Princess: Of Mice and Magic Ursula Vernon. My daughter (age 4.5) loves these books when we do a chapter or two at bedtime. I like them so much that I go back and read the chapters I miss when I'm not the one who did bedtime the night before! (I don't do that with most books!) Harriet is struggling with her abilities now that she's no longer invincible (and she really misses cliff diving) but that doesn't stop her from going on another quest. This time, it's a spin on Twelve Dancing Princesses. I don't know who's more excited for this fall's release of Ratpunzel, me or the kiddo.

Study of Seduction Sabrina Jeffries. Lady Clarissa has a giant dowry, no desire to marry, and a stalker with diplomatic immunity. Lady Clarissa is the ward of Warren (Marquess of Knightford) who asks his friend Edwin (Earl of Blakeborough) to squire Clarissa about town and protect her while Warren has to travel to Portugal on some business relating to Clarissa's brother. Edwin and Clarissa have known each other since they were children, but they're like oil and water. But... in order to stop this stalker, they fake an engagement, which then leads to them actually wedding. But can they love each other? Will the dark horrors of their past (especially Clarissa's) allow them to love anyone? Sizzling and so good! You spend half the book screaming "JUST KISS ALREADY" and the other half screaming "JUST TALK ALREADY!" (even though you totally know why they won't talk and you can't really blame them. Some things are impossible to talk about.) So good.

East of West Vol. 5: All These Secrets Jonathan Hickman, Rus Wooton, Frank Martin, Nick Dragotta. I love this series, but this volume was a bit "eh" mostly because in any long story, you need occasional bridge volumes to get you from A to B and they're necessary but not super exciting and this is a bridge volume, but it's building to something big, so I'm excited for volume 6. (Which doesn't have a release date yet. Blargh.)

A Royal Pain Megan Mulry. My friend Megan threw this in my face and told me to read it, so I did. Then she saw it on my desk and said "OMG THAT'S SO GOOD" and I had to remind her I only read it because she threw it at me and told me to! Bronte has a great career and moves to Chicago for a relationship that immediately falls apart. After rebuilding her life, she meets a lovely PhD student who's about to move back to the UK. They start a no-strings-attached fling. Only the student just happens to be heir to a Duke and he wants strings, because he's in love. Bronte doesn't want to give up everything she's built, not again, and it's one thing to dream of being a duchess, but the reality seems a little less desireable. I wanted a bit more from the ending, but I couldn't put it down, and was so excited to see when I grabbed the Amazon link while writing this that it's actually the first in a series?! And I just checked and the second on is on the shelf at the library so... I'm going to go act on that knowledge.

I'll hopefully be back next week with more of what I've been reading! I'd like to do this every week.

Book Provided by... Rat Queens and The Study of Seduction provided by my wallet. Everything else came from the local library.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

#TBRChallenge : Serving Pleasure

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 21:36:00 +0000

Serving Pleasure Alisha Rai

So the theme for this month's #TBRChallenge is "Recommended Book." This one wasn't necessarily recommended to me directly, but it is recommended so often in general that I had it on my TBR pile.

Look, everyone said it was good. I knew it would be good. I did not know I would be texting my romance-friends excellent lines from it, when I was still on page 3. (In my defense: "he was so fucking gorgeous her eyeballs felt like they were being French kissed by angels every time she looked at him." HOW COULD YOU NOT SHARE THAT?!)

Rana has determined to set aside her party-girl sleeping around ways and go for a nice long-term real relationship with a man she could bring home to her mother. She goes on a date a week with perfectly nice men that she doesn't feel any chemistry with or particularly like. After working in her family's restaurant, she goes home and secretly spies on her new neighbor, an unbelievably hot painter.

Micah used to be at the top of the art world, but after almost dying in a vicious attack two years ago, he's trying to work his way back. Initially, he isn't happy that his neighbor is watching him paint, but he soon discovers he can't paint when he can't feel her watching.

Eventually they meet, she models for him, and they can't deny their attraction, but it can never be serious. Rana can't bring a tortured artist home to her mother, Micah can barely be there for himself, let alone someone else...

SO MUCH LOVE. I loved Rana. I loved her outlook on like and mostly her voice was amazing. I also loved her relationship with her sisters and how that worked (or didn't, depending). I loved Rana and Micah and how they worked through their issues. I loved Micah's parents and how they dealt with their worry. Micah's issues felt like a very authentic reaction/healing process to such a traumatic event instead of just convenient backstory for a brooding hero.

Plus, it's super hot and you need them to go together. I stayed up way too late to finish it with no regrets.

Book Provided by... my local library, but then I went and bought my own copy, so you know it's good.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Bullet Journal Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 14:05:00 +0000

I previously blogged about my Bullet Journal here.

This calendar year, I made a huge change and started doing my Bullet Journal in a more traditional paper planner (specifically, an Erin Condren Life Planner).

One of the things that wasn't working for me in doing a plain-notebook Bullet Journal was how clunky it was to schedule things and plan ahead. I follow a lot of the Getting Things Done philosophy, so I write down EVERYTHING I need to do, as soon as I think about needing to do it. Because of this, I have a lot of things to plan ahead-- not just appointments and meetings, but reminders to change the library voicemail when we're closing for a holiday and another one to change it back after the holiday ends, or things that need to get done ASAP, but it's 10 minutes until close, so I have to do it tomorrow, or a phone call I need to return, but they won't in in the office until Thursday, or a monthly reminder on the first of every month to pay my bills, or what the various dress up days are this week at my daughter's school. The Future Log function of the Bullet Journal just isn't practical for this also, I wasn't great at actually checking the future log and adding things to my daily list, which defeats the purpose. One thing I also love about a more traditional planner is that as I map out large projects, I can write "hey! this thing due next week!" to help remind me of upcoming deadlines and events.

I had hacked this a few ways. In my previous post, you can see where I taped in some monthly calendar print-outs. When thinking about if doing bullet journal in a more traditional planner would work, I started making weekly grids that mimicked my greatly missed BusyBodyBook.

Here's a weekly grid example from last year:

On the left hand of the page spread had weekly tasks, inspirational quotations, weekly temporary notes, habit tracking, other odds and ends, and the right hand had the weekly grid, with rows for days and columns for parts of my life (work, reading, life). (There's also a taped in post-it of my notes for a review.)

But... drawing the weekly grid took time and it wasn't pretty, and to be most useful, I had to have many of them all drawn out at once, which just wasn't happening. A traditional planner had them for me. And ones for next week and the week after and the week after that. BUT, that left hand spread was so useful!

I went with the Erin Condren for a few reasons:

They're really, really, really pretty
They have some customization options. Not just the cover, but the insides, too. One thing you can decide is if you want a horizontal layout (like I have) or a vertical. I wanted vertical but messed up on ordering. Ah well.
Highly recommended by planner-obsessed friends (who could give me a discount code).
The snap-in dashboard. Along with the notes field on the bottom right of the spread, this makes up for the loss of the left hand side of the sheet. I especially like that it travels from week to week without my having to rewrite it, so I can put monthly tasks on here, too. It's really easy to wash clean, but the marker won't wipe off until you make the effort to wash it, which is helpful. Plus, seeing my higher-priority longer-range projects every time I look at my daily list has been very helpful (for me) in terms of actually working on them.
Monthly tabs to make flipping through to a certain date faster.
There's a heavy-duty folder in the back to keep things and a resealable pouch for extra things. (There are several other accessories as well, but they're not ones I use.)
It comes with some fun stickers. I don't use a lot of stickers, but I really like them and think they're pretty. More on that in a bit.

Here's what my weekly spread looks like in the planner (the vote sticker is from Erin Condren, the Buffy one from Gatekeeper Goods):

Here's the dashboard (the quotation on the bottom is from Hamilton There's a million things I haven't done... just you wait, JUST YOU WAIT):

Like in my last post, I change pen colors every day. This helps me track when I'm scheduling stuff/completing it (I see you, Wednesday's color filling in Monday's tasks), plus I think lots of colors are pretty and they make me happy, because I can't really draw so this is an easy, no skill way to make things artistic. (One change is that I've switched to the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens, which were recommended by Kelly and I love them.) I don't migrate my tasks everyday, as I can see the whole week (sometimes I even get to work ahead!) but I do migrate anything that's unfinished and still needs to get done at the start of a new week. (Also I sometimes migrate to Sunday, as that's the actual start of my work week and after two days off, I'm a little out of the groove.)

Some people use a lot of stickers and washi to make their planners very pretty. But I don't do a lot of this. If nothing else, I need to space to write down what I have to get done! I do use a few stickers on days I usually don't have much planned or a long to-do list (weekends) or to mark special occasions or events, because there are some really *great* stickers on Etsy and I couldn't resist. I also have a few motivational/inspirational quotes to get me going. The Erin Condren also comes with some stickers for scheduling that don't eat too much space. I don't need a lot of them (too many birthdays and mani/pedis, not enough doctor's appointments [being pregnant means going to the doctor A LOT] and none for meetings) but I like the blank ones (and you can order ones that say what you want them to say--I'm about to order some that say "meeting" and "review due" because those are things I use a lot).

There are a few things I don't like. It turns out I used blank pages for notes and non-daily list things a lot more often than I thought. There are pages for notes at the end of each month, but it's not enough. I ended up buying a Moleskine Cahier to put in the included folder for longer notes and things. Sometimes it's a cumbersome work-around, sometimes it's helpful to see my notes and my daily task list at the same time--especially because I do a lot of project planning in my notebook, so I can see the smaller steps that are coming up and add them to my daily list without having to flip back-and-forth between pages.

Here's the cahier in the folder, with the resealable pouch full of stickers (the poop emojis come from The Littlest Planner):

So, while this is working really well for me right now, we'll see if I stick with it--and that's my #1 favorite thing about Bullet Journal. It's perfectly customizable and adaptable, so if I think something else might work better as my work habits and circumstances change, I can find other ways to make Bullet Journal work for me then!

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

#tbrchallenge Series Catch-Up: Roaring Twenties

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:32:00 +0000

It's time for February's TBR Challenge Post! (More info about the TBR Challenge here.)

So, the theme this month is Series Catch-Up, which is explained as reading a book from a series you've fallen behind on, which I didn't do. Instead, I read an entire series that had been sitting on my shelf for awhile. I picked it up because I had heard good things about the third book (possibly on an episode of the DBSA podcast?) and, when I can do anything about it, I like to start series from the beginning. (Example: I got confused as to which book was the first in this series, so I accidentally started with the second one. Maybe 40 pages in, we meet another couple and you get those few sentences of backstory in case you didn't read their book? Yeah. I PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND STARTED WITH THE FIRST ONE. That's how I roll.) ANYWAY.

I devoured all three in about a week and a half. It would have been quicker, but I had some other assigned reading to get done. And I moved. (But new house has a giant bathtub that's *perfect* for reading in.) So, this review is of the entire Roaring Twenties series by Jenn Bennett! Yay! All three take place in the 20s in San Fransisco, and follow the love lives of the Magnusson siblings. They're historical and paranormal and deal a lot with class--the Magnussons parents are Swedish immigrants (I don't have the book on me, so I can't check, but I think Winter was also born in Sweden) and started as fishermen and were very successful. When prohibition happened, their father turned most of the fleet to bootlegging and were even more successful. The Magnussons are rich, but they're new money and outlaws, so they're never fully accepted by society, even if society has a great need for their product. It's a fine line and odd balance they strike. They also have a bit of mystery/suspense to them that really make them move and unable to put down.

BUT! BUT! BUT! Yes, this is historical, but! Everyone still practices safe sex and no one's a virgin! AND! Bennett realizes that POC are not a modern invention and while most of the heroes and heroines are white, the world they live in is not! It's San Fransisco in the 1920s and it looks like it! That's not tokenism, it's REALITY. AND HISTORICAL ACCURACY.

Bitter Spirits

Aida is a spirit medium who has a gig at the Gris-Gris club, a black-and-tan (so, non-segregated) speak easy. One day she's called into work because Winter Magnusson (friend of the owner and the speakeasy's supplier) has been cursed and can not only suddenly see ghosts, but he's being stalked by them. Aida can get rid of the some of the ghosts that followed and Velma (the owner) can remove the cursed poison that's killing him, but who's after Winter, and why?

So... the person who cursed Winter is using Chinese magic. And Velma practices voodoo and immediately my head is all 'DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER WILL ROBINSON!' Because Winter and Aida are white (as is the author), Velma is possibly black but maybe not (in the third book, she's described as having light brown skin of a shade that makes her race hard to determine and the characters don't really care what race she is, so it's not really dwelled on) and the Chinese magic?

BUT! It's handled really well and respectfully. (Bennett has spent a lot of time in, and studying China) I think some of the reasons it works are (1) In this world, magic exists, and just like different ethnic groups have their own languages, food, and customs, of course they also have their own types of magic. And just like language and food and customs can be shared/warped across ethnic lines, so can magic. (2) The Chinese aren't all painted as a superstitious, magic-practicing people. Throughout this world, in all ethnic groups, people know about traditional magical customs but they don't actually believe in it. Unless they can actually see ghosts and the like (such as Aida and Winter.) And when I say "people know about traditional magical customs" I mean in the same way a lot of us do today. Like I know the magical customs of my European heritage such as witches can't cross running water, iron and salt will hurt an evil faerie, vampires can be killed with a wooden stake through the heart or sunlight, werewolves wolf out at the full moon and can't handle silver bullets, etc. etc. etc. But I don't believe in those things and for the most part don't take any supernatural precautions (except painting my porch ceilings haint blue, but that's just pretty, and I can do that because I live in the South now).

Aida helps Winter as he tries to figure out who's cursed him, and why, and how to end it, and the two can't fight their mutual attraction. Standing in the way of true love is the fact they've both vowed to never be serious about someone (for various reasons) and the fact that Aida's job at the Gris-Gris is temporary and she's been booked at a club in New Orleans soon. There is some "we won't talk about our feelings and what's going on" but that's really understandable, because while they're fighting ghosts and groping each other, they're not actually close, and what's keeping them both back is deeply personal. Yes, things would be easier if they'd talk, but they'd also be weird, because they don't have that kind of relationship (yet).

Grim Shadows

Lowe wants to make his own way, independent of his brother's bootlegging empire, so he's a treasure hunter. On his most recent trip to Egypt, he lost a finger, but he found the fabled djed amulet, which he can hopefully counterfeit, and sell twice to pay off the bad guys after him (who are after him because they found out the last thing he sold them was also a fake.) Only thing is, a lot of people want the amulet and they're not afraid to kill to get it.

Hadley is a curator and scholar of Egyptian antiquities and her father wants the amulet for the museum they both work for. She's also been cursed with dark malevolent spirits that appear and wreak havoc when she gets upset. Sometimes, this can help save her life, but usually it just makes things really, really hard.

But, it turns out that Hadley's father wants the amulet for more personal reasons and Lowe and Hadley have to battle Egyptian magic, and their attraction, to secure the amulet for their individual purposes. Until, of course, Hadley finds out about Lowe's plans and everything goes wrong.

I think this one had the weakest romance, but the best (and creepiest!) mystery. (Also, some minor Jewish characters, including a deaf child!) I also like how this world is so entwined. Not just the same settings but the mystery involves Hadley's dead mom. LUCKILY WE HAVE AIDA! She can talk to dead people! That's helpful!

Grave Phantoms

FIRST OFF LOOK AT THAT COVER. That's a hot Asian guy! And an inter-racial romance!

YES! It's time for the Magnusson sister, Astrid, and Winter's right-hand man, Bo to take center stage. First off, I love how this romance has been hinted at the entire time. (Lowe notices something is up between them as soon as he gets back from Egypt in the beginning of the second book, and there are hints in the first book, too.)

So, these are characters readers already know fairly well from the previous books, especially Bo, who is Winter's right-hand man. Astrid's been away at college and has returned for Christmas break. Both Bo and Astrid thought the time apart would help them move on, but nope. So, are they going to do this thing, or not?

The big complications of course are: They both have romantic pasts (some more recent than others) and there are some major jealousies on both sides. Winter took Bo under his wing when Bo was really young. Bo was supposed to be protecting Astrid, not falling in love with her and not doing the other things he dreams about at night. He doesn't want to betray Winter. He'd lose his job and security and nothing would pay as well as bootlegging. But, even bigger, Astrid is white and Bo is Chinese. Not only is that not societally acceptable, it's illegal. They could never get married. Their children wouldn't be accepted in either community.

But, of course, there's also a supernatural mystery going on! This one involving Aztec magic and some French pirates. And Astrid accidentally gets someone else's magic and has two auras now and is getting freaky visions of what happened on a ghost ship that crashed onto the Magnusson's pier. Luckily, the object that zapped Astrid looks like an artifact and Astrid just happens to know some experts in the area. Lowe and Hadley specialize in Egypt, and the idol is Aztec, but they know people who can help (and are a white/Latina lesbian couple!).

I loved this one, because with most romances, you know how the couple can work out their issues, if they just get around to doing it. While I was sure Bo and Astrid would work it out (I mean, it's a romance! HEA is a requirement!) I had no idea how they could make it work. I also loved the friendship that Aida, Hadley, and Astrid had formed, and how they help each other out behind the backs of Winter, Lowe, and Bo. I also really liked Bo's ex-girlfriend, Sylvia. (YAY! For a great ex-girlfriend who isn't automatically the bad guy! She and Bo didn't work, but I love that they're still friends and while it causes some conflict because Astrid misunderstands their relationship, when Bo won't tell her, Astrid just asks Sylvia point blank, gets the story, and it's no longer an issue. I hope they later become BFFs)

Plus there are some fun jabs at the fact this story takes place between the bulk of Grim Shadows and its epilogue.

Overall, a FANTASTIC series. I'm sad there's not more!

Books Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

TBR Challenge: Pregnant by the Rival CEO

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 03:04:00 +0000

Pregnant by the Rival CEO Karen Booth

Yay! I joined the TBR Challenge this year! January's theme is Shorts, so category or novellas. I went with a brand new category that I just bought, so it wouldn't stay on Mt. TBR too long.

Anna's father recently died, leaving the family company to her brother. Adam promised Anna he'd step aside and let her be CEO, but he's dragging his feet as he's not dealing well with his grief. Meanwhile, the company is floundering. Anna has a lead on some hot new tech that could change everything, but the only way to it is Jacob Lin.

Jacob Lin, who rejected her 6 years ago and has only gotten hotter. Jacob Lin, Adam's former BFF, now very public enemy. Jacob Lin, who's planning revenge on Adam through a hostile takeover of the company.

When Jacob and Anna meet, years of unresolved sexual tension make things go steamy and fast. (Turns out when he rejected Anna because of his friendship with Adam, it wasn't an excuse, he's just the type of guy who knows that hooking up with your best friend's little sister is skeevy.)*

And then Anna finds out about the takeover and ends everything.

And then Anna finds out that even though some weird scar tissue from her appendectomy has pretty much left her infertile, she's pregnant.

Bum bum bum!

Ok, I loved this. Anna and Jacob are both such adults! They are driven and successful in their careers. Their conflict is real and they talk to each other when they need to. The drama is pretty much just business (literally.) And, as much as I hate a miracle baby, I like the way that even though it was a miracle, it was super unplanned and threw everything off for both of them. (Also, I think it was the only way for a surprise pregnancy that would fit with both of their characters. They are responsible and on top of things. There is a condom break, but I think if Anna's reaction hadn't been "It's ok, I'm infertile" it would have been "It's ok, we'll get some Plan B in the morning.")

One of the things I love about category is due to the shortened page-count, a lot of the 'not talking to each other like adults' gets cut because there's no space for drawn out drama. I also enjoyed Anna's best friend Holly, who gives Anna the right advice when she needs it and Anna takes it.

More adults in romance, please! More external drama, less "I can't talk about my feelings."

Solid all around.

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

The Keeper

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 14:05:00 +0000

This is a Cybils book, but the opinion expressed in this review is just mine, and not the committee's.

The Keeper: The Unguarded Story of Tim Howard Young Readers' Edition by Tim Howard with Ali Benjamin

Tim Howard plays keeper for Everton FC in Liverpool, and the US Men's Team. He also has Tourette's Syndrome and OCD. The biography starts in his early years and moves through the aftermath of the 2014 World Cup.

There are a few things that really stand out in the book:

1. Howard's experiences with TS and OCD. He explains really well what it feels like, and how hard it can be with people who don't understand, but he's pretty adamant that they are what help make him such an amazing player. His hyper-focus and demand to get everything just right is what helped drive him to greatness. He also does a lot of work with kids who have TS to offer support and a role model.

2. The importance of a good coach and a good team environment. Howard has played for a lot of teams and understands what the role of good coach is at all levels of play and really focuses on what made different coaches so helpful and spectacular. He also talks a lot of team dynamics, which was really fascinating when he went from Manchester United to Everton and how different the two teams were and what allowed him to flourish at one and not the other. (He talks about this so much, coupled with his work with kids with TS, I have a feeling he would be a really great coach after he retires from active play.)

3. The changing place of soccer in the US over the course of his career. He started playing professionally right when MLS started in the US and it didn't seem like anyone in the US cared about soccer and no one expected US teams to go anywhere, and through the phenomenon of the last World Cup (I believe that we will win), professional soccer has come a long way in the US and he's been on the inside the whole time, and it was really interesting to see that change from his perspective.

Overall, it's a really readable, great book. It's not one I would have picked up on my own, but I'm glad I read it. It is a Young Reader's Edition, and I'd be interested to see if the language in some of the conversations changes in the adult version. There's a lot of "oh my goodness!" in here that I think might have been something more salty in real life.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Fan Girl's Guide to the Galaxy

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 14:24:00 +0000

This is a Cybils book, but the opinion expressed in this review is just mine, and not the committee's.

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks Sam Maggs

Here's the guide you've been waiting for on Fandom 101, especially for girls. Everything is covered--how to get started, next steps to take, great books to read and shows to wath, how to make an awesome cosplay costume, tips for writing awesome fanfic, finding your people, and dealing with various levels of trolls. Parts of it are a general rah rah rah celebration of fandom, and parts are very nitty gritty hands-on practical advice (which sites you'll want to be on, but with a throw-away name/email that's not linked to any of your other social media)

It's great and interesting and wonderful with one major fatal flaw that made me want to throw it across the room. It's written right on the back-cover, but I didn't read it, because too much is obscured with library stickers. It's "The Geek Girl's Litany for Feminism."

I m a geek girl and I am a feminist... I don't have to prove my nerd cred to anyone, ever.

There are some great lines in there:

From SuperWhoLock to Shakarian, I accept all fandoms and ships as equally meaningful and important in our geek girl lives...I will support empowering, lady-created media and amazing female characters...

And then we get the kicker that made me roll my eyes so hard they almost fell out of my head:

Buffy, not Bella

Because, all fandoms are meaningful and we support lady-created media, right? Oh... only if they're the right ones. Yeah. That's when I flipped back to where she's introducing fandoms and in the list of major fandoms, the Twihards aren't listed at all. Sure, they might be covered under "YA Book Nerds" but the Nerdfighters get their own shout-out. Potter has its own section. In non-book fandoms, Gleeks get a mention. Squints get a mention. Scoobies are mentioned on the list, despite the fact there's a whole section on Whedonites in general. Leaving off Twihards seems pretty deliberate. And telling.

Outside the Buffy, not Bella thing, Twilight only gets name-checked in the section on how to critique media. There's a general introduction about why we need to critique media and that it's ok if we enjoy not-perfect things but... it's glib and kinda snarky ("I'm not telling you... to stop reading your guilty-pleasure YA romance novels!") And in things to look out for, there's a section on "How Healthy is that relationship, anyway?"

There a lot of media out there (like Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey) that glorifies abusive, controlling, or even violent behavior as a romantic relationship. When we read these books and think, "Wow, that's so sweet that he shows up at her house, uninvited, at night while she's unconscious, to watch her sleep!" we subconsciously accept that behavior as okay.

There could have been a great section on how things that are mostly liked by teen girls are automatically dismissed as lesser and what that says about us as a society and how to deal with that as a fangirl. Or, you know, it could just pile on.

Most importantly, it could have been a great section on how to reconcile how problematic our faves are. I know all about problematic faves. How? Because I am Buffy, not Bella. And even though this book is all over the awesomeness of Buffy (as it should be, Buffy is awesome) it never points out its problems. And Buffy has plenty of problems.

For instance, that whole thing there it's painted as "romantic" for a vampire to show up uninvited to watch his girlfriend sleep? Before Edward did that to Bella, ANGEL WAS DOING THAT TO BUFFY. Speaking as someone who got into Buffy late in the series and didn't go back and watch the beginning until after I read Twilight? Angel has most, if not all, of Edward's icky points. Buffy's other loves all come with major issues in the "healthy relationship" category. Maggs mentions Spuffy elsewhere in the book, and trust me, Spike over Angel any day, but Spike is ISSUES and their relationship is all ISSUES. And I really like Xander, but that guy is really a whole heap of Nice Guy (tm) problems.

When Twilight was still new there were T-Shirts and sayings of"And then Buffy staked Edward. The End" Yeah... Buffy wouldn't have. Edward and the other Cullens would have all been Scoobies. There's a good chance Buffy would have dated Edward. Or at least made out with him, or had a MEANINGFUL slow dance (note to self: see if there's any good fanfic with Rosalie and Cordelia as BFFs. Or Willow and Alice.)

I think the main difference is not the guys, or the relationships, but Buffy and Bella themselves. To save the world, Buffy killed Angel--I don't think that Bella could have killed Edward. BUT, BUT, BUT in one of my many conversations about this (hi, my name is Jennie, and I'm a fangirl) my Twitter friend @FangirlJeanne pointed out something major that has me rethinking that stance:

Buffy was THE SLAYER. She had a job given to her by the POWERS THAT BE. She was the CHOSEN ONE and had to deal with DESTINY. Of course she killed Angel. Bella didn't. Bella was just a normal girl who turned into a normal vampire and she still fought serious battles before and after to protect her friends and family. If Bella was a CHOSEN ONE and had to deal with SLAYER DESTINY, could she have then killed Edward? If Buffy wasn't the SLAYER, could she have still killed Angel? I don't know, but these are the kind of things fangirls think about late at night, both the Buffys and the Bellas.

Maggs went a snarky, easy route that ended up invalidating a lot of her book for me, undermining her main argument. We like all fandoms, but not that one.

And now I'm rage-defending Twilight, which is not a place a like to be. (This review sums up my Twilight feelings pretty well)

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

CYBILS Friday Reads

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:26:00 +0000

(see full image)

Elena Vanishing

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 13:05:00 +0000

This is a Cybils book, but the opinion expressed in this review is just mine, and not the committee's.

Elena Vanishing: A Memoir Elena Dunkle and Clare B. Dunkle

It opens with Elena in a hospital in Germany, not sure why her chest hurts so much. She's then medically evacuated to the US, to be treated for anorexia. She next years are a tangle in and out of treatment as everyone watches Elena slip away while she insists she's fine.

This is co-written with her mother, who is a novelist, and it was that story-telling sensibility. Part of that is we are in Elena's head for the entire time, and not Elena-looking-back, but Elena-then, so... holy unreliable narrator Batman. It's a pretty warped (albeit fascinating) perspective.

One thing I would have liked is something on what was "really" happening during all of this, because Elena's POV is so divorced from reality. (of course, I could just read her mother's memoir of the same time, Hope and Other Luxuries: A Mother's Life with a Daughter's Anorexia)

It's painful and hard to read, but also hard to put down.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:38:00 +0000

What I'm reading on my lunch break today.

The Harlequin side of my TBR shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:35:00 +0000

(see full image)

Sent from my iPhone

Cybils Shelfie

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 17:09:00 +0000

(see full image)

Sent from my iPhone

Cybils Nominations--What to Nominate!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 13:12:00 +0000

Cybils Nominations are Open!

There haven't been that many nominations yet in YA Nonfiction, and we need some more books to read so that we can pick the best ones!

When I was preparing for the Cybils, I started looking around to see what books had gotten stars or a lot of good review so I could start placing my holds and gathering up potential nominees.

Are you still looking for something to nominate? Here's a list of things that I found that would be a good nominee, but no one's nominated yet:

Fuel Under Fire: Petroleum and Its Perils by Margaret J. Goldstein

Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark by Deborah Hopkinson

The Untold History of the United States, Volume 1: Young Readers Edition, 1898-1945 by Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, adapted by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Speaking OUT: Queer Youth in Focus

The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics (Young Readers Adaptation) by Daniel James Brown

Also, on Sunday, Jean Little Library posted a long list of possible nominations--all of her suggestions for YA Nonfiction are still waiting to be nominated!

Anyone can nominate! If you're reading this YOU CAN NOMINATE. Go do it.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

This summer, I read comics

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 21:23:00 +0000

I've been reading a lot of comics this summer, and it's the greatest.

I just finished Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed and the series continues to be fun, as was Rat Queens Volume 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'Rygoth. I love to read about girls kicking ass! (See also, Nimona) One thing I really appreciate about Rat Queens and Nimona is that it's fantasy kick-ass fun, but there's underlying basis of pain. It's not always there or the focus of the narrative, but it bubbles up to color the story in a way that's really compelling. (Plus, now I have an excuse to yell I'M A SHARK! and see who laughs--new bestie test)

Oh, and I also read Lumberjanes which I loved for it's kick-ass girls and silliness, but also its friendship and their long-suffering camp counselor. I love these girls as an ensemble and their relationships. FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX for reals.

Also in ongoing series... Fables Vol. 22: Farewell happened. The final Fairest, Fairest Vol. 5: The Clamour for Glamour comes out on Tuesday, but Fables is done. This is the series that turned me onto comics and my feelings about it ending are so bittersweet. I'm going to miss these characters and their stories and their lives and how Willingham played with meta-fiction and what happens when you put fictional characters in the real world. At the same time, the final volume was wonderful. I think it was a fitting tribute and end to the series and, in many ways, it was a farewell. It wrapped up the narrative arc nicely, left some loose ends, but not ones that will drive me batty, and let the characters say goodbye (sometimes very literally). I have been nervous lately because the last few volumes have been a bit of a blood bath, and there is some of that here, too, but... it's good. It's really, really good. My only complaint is that it's done and I very selfishly want more, more, more, more. (Also, I asked my friends at Secret Stacks what I should read to fill the Fables void, and they got Bill Willingham himself to answer and zomg.)

But also, I've been reading some new series!

I read the entirety of Y: The Last Man because Bellwether Friends did an episode about it. I am in love with Saga (which was also a Bellwether recommendation) which is also by Brian K Vaughn, so I thought I'd pick up all the Y before listening to their episode, so I'd be able to better understand. Y is the story of what happens when suddenly, all males (human and animal) drop dead. Except for Yorick and his monkey Ampersand. Science and governments want Yorick, but he just wants to get from New York to Australia where his girlfriend-maybe-fiance was when the gender-cide hit, but it also explores what happens when a gender dies. You get radical feminist movement burning sperm banks, countries that had higher gender equality do better than those who had more men in charge, and also a lot of people in deep morning. Plus little things-- it hit at rush hour so a lot of the highways are clogged with cars and what do you do with that many dead bodies? It was really interesting and good. I like the way it explored the different aspects of this new world as well as all the different theories people had for what caused it. (People have feelings about the ending. It wasn't the ending I necessarily wanted, but I think it was good for the story, if that makes sense. Fangirl Jennie was "eh" but literary critic Jennie was "oh, yes.") Also, let's talk Saga. I've read the four volumes that are out now and so good. It's about love and family and survival against the backdrop of intergalactic war! And their nanny is a ghost. (Basically, star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of this inter-galactic war have a kid and everyone wants them dead because there can't be proof that the two sides can get along and all they want to do is live and survive as a family, but always running puts strain on a relationship!) Also, let's just talk about how the romance novels are also political tracts wrapped in love story, because a romance reader, YES. There is meaning and metaphor and all the other trappings of HIGH LITERATURE in romance (and really, all genre) but it gets written off so often, but not here. That warms my heart.

I've also picked up the first four volumes of East of West. It's this story of a futuristic alternate history US where the country's fractured into several other countries and there's a religious cult and Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are reborn, except for Death, because he's left them for love and it all ties back to this religious cult and a prophesy and it's weird and not quite my usual thing, but really good at the same time.

Also for something amazing, but a little different than my usual fare, Secret Stacks also recommended I check out Pretty Deadly which is also about Death falling in love with a person. But this time it's Death's Daughter who's riding for revenge. And there's a girl in a feather cape and old man who travel from town to town to tell her story. It's hauntingly surreal and I cannot wait for more. (Please tell me there's more!)

What comics are you reading?

Books Provided by... my local library, except for Fables, which I bought.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Talking to RT and Library Journal about That Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 14:52:00 +0000

I was going to post this a few days ago, but didn't have time and then Bethany House came out with their gross statement and I decided to save this post for today, so we can end the week on a high note!

When I contacted Bethany House and RWA, I did not contact RT* or Library Journal, even though the book was very favorably reviewed in both places (it was a Top Pick for RT and it got a coveted star from LJ). Not because I didn't want to, but unlike Bethany House and RWA, I have bridges to burn at RT and LJ. (So, full disclosure, I review both for RT and for LJ's sister publication, School Library Journal.) I reached out to people I know and trust at both organizations to seek advice on how best to handle the situation (Should I email the editor-in-chief? The reviews editor? My editor and have her pass it on? etc.)

I got a lot of support and advice, and sat down to craft my emails. Within an hour of contacting Library Journal I had a response that the person I contacted takes the matter seriously, but key people to the conversation are out of the office, so they need to wait. Totally valid and I look forward to seeing what happens.

While I was still crafting my email to RT, my former editor forwarded me an email that had been sent out to their reviewers who cover Inspirational Romance. It is not an official response from RT, but does show they take the issue seriously and is an example of what you SHOULD do in this situation. With permission, I'm posting it here:

Hi inspirational reviewers,

I wanted to reach out to you because of a 2014 inspirational romance that's been getting a lot of attention. You might've heard, but For Such a Time by Kate Breslin was nominated for two RITA awards and received rave reviews from Library Journal — and from us.

For Such a Time's critical acclaim has been a source of great pain for many in the romance community. For those of you who don't know, the central plot involves a blonde, blue-eyed Jewish woman who falls in love with a Nazi commandant who is in charge of a concentration camp. The heroine's appearance allows her to conceal her ancestry and grow close to the SS officer.

This is problematic on many levels. That the heroine's non-"Jewish" appearance saves her is deeply troubling: it essentially — and somewhat insidiously — valorizes not looking "Jewish" without examining the anti-Semitism inherent in that assessment.

But the most painful: For Such a Time casts a Nazi officer — who's presumably overseen the systematic murder of a number of Jews — as a romantic hero. Even viewing this in the most generous light, granting such a character redemption and a happily-ever-after is — at best — hugely insensitive. This book is set against the monstrous historical backdrop of so many lives being brutally extinguished. We're talking about a time when Jews were fleeing their homes in terror, families were separated, children were murdered and buried in mass graves. Let that sink in for a second.

One of the most moving and wrenching moments of my life was when I went to the Josefov, the historically Jewish district in Prague. In the Pinkasova synagogue, there's an exhibit dedicated to children's drawings from Terezin. Terezin was a camp in the Czech Republic where Jews were held before being sent to their deaths at Auschwitz and Treblinka. The children there, mostly orphans, were given art lessons — they drew their homes, they drew what they imagined Israel to be like, they drew what they saw in their dreams. As you might expect, none of those children ever made it home.

When an author chooses to set a story during World War II, right in the thick of one of the most soul-crushing examples of genocide in human history, she takes on a huge responsibility. As does the publisher who sells and distributes her book. As do the people who read and review it. The reason I'm addressing this with you all is that I believe there is a certain lacuna in the publishing industry, particularly in the inspirational/Christian market. I don't say this pejoratively, but merely as a statement of fact: the Christian fiction market is narrow and insular. Because it is written almost exclusively by and for Christians, it's born out of an inherently limited perspective — one that isn't as finely attuned to the struggles of non-Christians as it could or should be.

It raises the question: What can we, as staff of this magazine, do? What can we offer? Empathy. Sensitivity. A conscious effort to broaden our own perspectives.

We gave For Such a Time a Top Pick review, which can't be undone. I'm not here to censor or wrist-slap your ratings and reviews. But I am asking you to strive for a greater awareness when you read and review, especially where it concerns Christian handling of non-Christian religions, history and identity.

To that end, when you have time, here are two posts about For Such a Time and RWA's decision to honor it, from Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches and from our own reviewer, Jennifer Rothschild, both of whom are Jewish:

http://sarahwendell.tumblr.com/post/125859299894/letter-to-the-rwa-board-regarding-for-such-a-time
http://www.jenrothschild.com/2015/08/an-open-letter-to-bethany-house-and-rwa.html

It would mean a lot to me if you would read both.

Thanks for your time.

See everyone? That's how you do it! You look at the issue head on and confront it. You don't dismiss the people hurt, you listen to them, and you take steps to do better next time.

Easier said than done, but it makes such a difference.

Such a difference.

It's amazing how a little bit of real compassion and respect can do.

*For those following this story who aren't part of Romancelandia, RT is a big romance magazine (it used to be called Romantic Times) We're not talking about Russian State Media.

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Bethany House and Kate Breslin Respond to That Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 16:24:00 +0000

Yes, I'm still talking about this. It still needs to be talked about. Yesterday, a Jewish community in San Antonio woke up to find their cars and homes had been covered with Anti-Semitic graffiti.

Yesterday, Bethany House responded to the criticism in the most tone-deaf statement ever. I'm going to copy the whole thing here so you don't have to click over:

Bethany House Publishers is saddened by the offense some have taken at the novel For Such a Time by Kate Breslin. We respect and honor the Jewish faith, and this novel, inspired by the redemptive theme of the biblical book of Esther, was intended to draw on our common faith heritage.

Breslin reframes the Esther story in a Nazi transit camp during the Holocaust and portrays a courageous Jewish woman who by God's strength saved fellow Jews from death, and in so doing awakened the conscience of a man thought to be beyond redemption. She wrote this carefully researched story with respect for the Jewish people and their history. It was neither the author nor publisher's wish to offend, but rather to depict how one person can choose to put the lives of others ahead of her own and shine God's light into darkness.

For Such a Time has garnered favorable reviews from readers in many markets. The book was a finalist for several literary awards including two in the Romance Writers of America RITA® awards for "best first book" and "inspirational romance" categories.

Bethany House Publishers supports Kate Breslin and her writing. We have heard from many readers who are moved by this portrayal of courage, and we hope it continues to provide inspiration to others in the spirit of the author's intent.

Jim Parrish
Executive VP and Director
Bethany House Publishers
Division of Baker Publishing Group

They are saddened that people fighting for the right to safely worship recognized their book as part of the problem. They're not sorry about anything. They're just really sad. Our hurt and anger hurt their feelings. Our feelings don't matter, just theirs.

Because, they respect and honor the Jewish faith! (Just not actual Jewish people). Breslin did not write this book with respect for the Jewish people and their history. You do not respect a history by changing it. You do not respect a history by repeating the lie that blond hair and blue eyes would save you from the Holocaust. You do not respect the Jewish people when you have your character convert to Christianity. You do not respect the Jewish people when you use them and their history as props and plot points for your religious message. Because that's what Breslin respected with her book, her own religious world view. Not that of the Jewish faith.

I get that the author and publisher didn't mean to offend, BUT THEY DID. And they need to address that.

And hey, remember RWA's non-response? The problem with it being a Finalist that they just didn't address? Bethany House is using that as a shield. (RWA likes us, why don't the Jews?) Who could have seen that one coming? (Oh wait, everyone. Everyone saw that coming.)

For an article in Newsweek (don't read that article. It's bad.) Breslin provided a statement:

I have previously stated in posts and interviews on social media that my inspiration for For Such A Time was borne from a compassion for the Jewish people, as in reading from the Book of Esther I realized how they have suffered at the hands of one society or another throughout history. It was my intent to write a book that told a more modern-day story of a courageous Jewish woman who, through strength and faith in her God, used her situation to try to save some of her beloved people—much in the way Esther saved hers. And like that Biblical queen’s influence with King Xerxes, through her brave and sacrificial actions, she helped to bring one man to a sense of conscience, prompting him to join in the attempt to save her people. I am heartsick and so very sorry that my book has caused any offense to the Jewish people, for whom I have the greatest love and respect.

She doesn't get it. She really doesn't get it, but you know what? She says she's sorry her words caused offense. She has great love and respect for the Jewish people. And compassion. Which is why she thinks "Jewess" is a good word to use. It's why she thinks images of Auschwitz with a Mother Theresa quotation are a great way to market her book about Theresienstadt .

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - Blessed Mother Theresa pic.twitter.com/3Gd7AfJYjB
— Kate Breslin (@Kate_Breslin) March 7, 2015

She also co-opts Purim for her marketing, because COMPASSION AND LOVE AND RESPECT

Purim until sundown. Remembering Queen Esther from the Bible, and her triumph over evil! #ForSuchATime pic.twitter.com/6USmyXZ3yk
— Kate Breslin (@Kate_Breslin) March 5, 2015

(if she ever takes those tweets down, screen grabs here)

But then again, she thought Holocaust Remembrance Day was a GREAT time to promote her book that redeems Nazis.

Feel the respect and love? I don't. I feel used and co-opted for her message. There is no respect here.

(But according to Anne Rice, I'm not allowed to voice my concerns about this, because that's the same as murdering someone for fun and spectacle.)

The take away from all this? When it comes to the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, the Jews need to sit down and be quiet. The Christians are talking now.

So yes, I am still talking about this, and I will keep talking about this as long as I have to.

(But hey, I also have some positive response news to share. I didn't want to lump it in with these garbage responses, so I'm saving it for tomorrow. Stay tuned!)

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

RWA response to That Book

noreply@blogger.com (Jennie) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 17:17:00 +0000

In my post on Wednesday I wrote I haven't had to explain to her (yet) why our Temple has a perimeter of ugly concrete planters, because if you put flowers in it, maybe we can glide over the fact that our house of worship needs protection against car bombs.

She asked this morning when I was dropping her off at school (her preschool meets at our Temple.) And yes, because we put flowers in them, I could glide over the fact they're there to protect against car bombs. I told her they were planters for flowers, for decoration, to make things pretty. I dodged the question. Maybe I shouldn't have, maybe I should have tried to put a positive spin on them and said they're REALLY COOL because we can put flowers in them AND they protect us. They're pretty AND strong! And put it in a way she could understand, but after this week and the conversations online about this book and all the greater issues it raises and brings up, I'm just tired and sad and hurt. So I told her they were planters for flowers, for decoration, to make things pretty.

And when I got home, I saw that RWA put out an official response. I'm going to quote the entire thing here:

The Board of Directors of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) has received a great deal of heartfelt and moving feedback about some of the finalists in this year's RITA contest. We want the membership to know we have heard your concerns and have spent days discussing them.

The question that we must answer is what RWA as a writers' organization should do when issues arise regarding the content of books entered in the RITA contest. Discussions about content restrictions inevitably lead to concerns about censorship. Censoring entry content is not something the Board supports. If a book is banned from the contest because of its content, there will be a move for more content to be banned. This is true, even especially true, when a book addresses subjects that are difficult, complex, or offensive.

There were 2,000 entries in the RITA contest this year. The RITA is a peer-reviewed award. There is no vetting of content before a book may be entered. Books are entered, not nominated, and those books are judged by fellow romance authors. The Board believes this is how the contest should be run. RWA does not endorse the content of any book entered in the contest. We do believe, however, that education and conversation are important in dealing with the concerns expressed. To that end, we will open an online forum on the RWA website for members to discuss their concerns. This is not a perfect solution, but we believe open dialogue, not the censorship of content, is the right way to handle the issues expressed.

They missed the point entirely.

Because here's the thing: there are already a lot of guidelines and content restrictions surrounding what is eligible to be entered. For instance, the book has to be a romance, and they define what that is. (And let's not forget, the set-up of this book is not a romance. The set-up of this book is a major imbalance in power dynamic [honestly, I can't think of a larger one right now] leading to Stockholm Syndrome disguised as a romance. If they had sexual contact, it would be straight-up rape.)

Guidelines aren't censorship. (And let's be really careful using the word censorship when we're talking about the Holocaust, ok?)

Mostly, this statement utterly fails to address the fundamental problem. RWA does not endorse the content of any book entered in the contest. The problem wasn't that the book was entered. I've been on several award committees--bad stuff gets nominated and entered all the time. That's why there's a process between entry and winner. The board believes in the process, but that process completely failed this time. Because the problem was never that the book was entered. The problem is that it was a FINALIST. Being a finalist is a big deal. "RITA FINALIST" becomes part of an author bio and book marketing. It's a big deal. RWA endorses its finalists. If it didn't, the RITA would become a meaningless award.

But we should all feel great, because RWA is going to have a new forum on its (member-only) website where the echo chamber that created this debacle can talk about it. I'm sure the people who were betrayed and now feel unsafe by this book being a finalist and this non-response will feel super-duper comfortable participating in this forum.

I've gotten a lot of support these past few days. So many people have shared my post and reached out to me. I haven't heard anything from Bethany House, but four members of the RWA board wrote back in a personal capacity, and at least one more shared my post on Twitter. I've dodged a lot of the hate that others have gotten. There was deafening silence from some quarters, but it's the same places that are usually quiet when Jewish issues come up, until they're called out on it. I had hoped they wouldn't ignore something this egregious, but wasn't surprised when they did. But I also found some really strong allies, and greatly expanded my "Jewish twitter" circle.

In response to Wednesday's post, many Jews nodded and said "yep" and many non-Jews went "wait, what? really?" at my experiences. It's one of the reasons I shared, because I think it's often hidden. As Katherine Locke said in her post,

It is not easy to be Jewish in America. Many think it is because of stereotypes, but when push comes to shove, especially online, we turn toward our own and huddle close. It’s a collective memory safety measure.

It's also one of the reasons why I've started Instagramming our Shabbat candles.

I'm Jewish by Choice, which means I converted 4 years ago, after going before the Bet Din, after years of studying and classes, after a decade of soul searching. I made a conscious decision to be Jewish and I love it.

This morning, after I dodged the planter question, before I saw the RWA response, I celebrated Shabbat with my daughter's preschool. We said our blessings and thanked G-d for all we have. We sang joyful songs. It was adorable (because, preschool) and wonderful.

Shabbat Shalom.

Bim bom, bim bim bim bom, bim bim bim bim bim bom.