A detailed look at last week’s reading habits: three new books read, no DNF, no books knocked off my lengthy Up Next shelf, three new books I want to read which centre family issues and challenging family history and a reverse harem romance that’s releasing this week.
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A detailed look at August’s reading habits: 24 books read, 3 DNF, 6 books knocked off my lengthy Up Next shelf, 12 new books I want to read and a contemporary romance that released yesterday with my favourite hero trope, the grumpy hero (which I’ve already read).
(more…)A detailed look at last week’s reading habits: four new books read, one DNF, only one book knocked off my lengthy Up Next shelf, three new books I want to read which centre challenging the heteronormative patriarchy and a contemporary romance that’s releasing this week with my favourite hero trope, the grumpy hero.
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Series: Standalone
Release Date: August 25, 2020
Many predicted that pageants would disappear by the 21st century. Yet they are thriving. America’s most enduring contest, Miss America, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020. Why do they persist? In Here She Is, Hilary Levey Friedman reveals the surprising ways pageants have been an empowering feminist tradition. She traces the role of pageants in many of the feminist movement’s signature achievements, including bringing women into the public sphere, helping them become leaders in business and politics, providing increased educational opportunities, and giving them a voice in the age of #MeToo.
Using her unique perspective as a NOW state president, daughter to Miss America 1970, sometimes pageant judge, and scholar, Friedman explores how pageants became so deeply embedded in American life from their origins as a P.T. Barnum spectacle at the birth of the suffrage movement, through Miss Universe’s bathing beauties to the talent- and achievement-based competitions of today. She looks at how pageantry has morphed into culture everywhere from The Bachelor and RuPaul’s Drag Race to cheer and specialized contests like those for children, Indigenous women, and contestants with disabilities. Friedman also acknowledges the damaging and unrealistic expectations pageants place on women in society and discusses the controversies, including Miss America’s ableist and racist history, Trump’s ownership of the Miss Universe Organization, and the death of the child pageant-winner JonBenét Ramsey.
Presenting a more complex narrative than what’s been previously portrayed, Here She Is shows that as American women continue to evolve, so too will beauty pageants.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received Here She Is through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to FSB Association for the opportunity.
(more…)A detailed look at last week’s reading habits: two books read, one from my Up Next shelf and one book DNF’d; three new books I want to read exploring everything from mental illness, sweeping romance and paranormal activity. The weekly wrap also unpacks three books I’m planning on reading this week, in-depth and a reverse harem romance that is releasing this week.
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My first ever book haul is covering three months of book purchases! To ensure the post doesn’t go on forever I’m going to split my hard copy and kindle purchases between this post and my August monthly wrap. In this haul, I am featuring all of the books I’ve purchased in hard copy!
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Series: Standalone
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge.
His dad thinks his wires are crossed, and his best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe any girl is worth the long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl, and that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in. He can put in the good word. In exchange, Del just has to get answers to the Pledgers’ questions…about sex ed.
With other boys circling Kiera like sharks, Del needs to make his move fast. But as he plots and plans, he neglects to ask the most important question: What does Kiera want? He can’t think about that too much, though, because once he gets the girl, it’ll all sort itself out. Right?
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars
(more…)A detailed look at last week’s reading habits: three new books read, three re-reads, one DNF and three new books I want to read that humanize heavily politicized issues (immigration, addiction and abortion). I unpack some of the antiracism books I am currently reading (and working through) as well as an upcoming review of an advanced reader copy.
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Series: Standalone
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Sohaila Abdulali was the first Indian rape survivor to speak out about her experience. Gang-raped as a teenager in Mumbai and indignant at the deafening silence on the issue in India, she wrote an article for a women’s magazine questioning how we perceive rape and rape victims. Thirty years later she saw the story go viral in the wake of the fatal 2012 Delhi rape and the global outcry that followed.
Drawing on three decades of grappling with the issue personally and professionally, and on her work with hundreds of other survivors, she explores what we think about rape and what we say. She also explores what we don’t say, and asks pertinent questions about who gets raped and who rapes, about consent and desire, about redemption and revenge, and about how we raise our sons. Most importantly, she asks: does rape always have to be a life-defining event, or is it possible to recover joy?
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5 stars
Trigger Warning: This review discusses topics that can be triggering for some. Please read the ‘Possible Triggers’ tab above for details.
(more…)A detailed look at last week’s reading habits: five new books read, one re-read, three new books I want to read all exploring the variants of love and connection and a detailed look at my upcoming books to read, as well as my upcoming blog posts.
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