2019 By the Books

Books Read: 220

Shortest "Book": "300 Fox Way Holiday Piece" by Maggie Stiefvater (it's an online story, only 2 pages)

Longest Book: Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2019 by Bob Sehlinger (832 pages)

Average Rating: 4 stars

Most Popular (according to Goodreads): The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls (read by 856,569 other people)

Highest Rated (by Goodreads): Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol 27 by Hiromu Arakawa (4.71/5 average)

Re-reads: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, Jim Dale, and Jim Kay (the illustrated/audio versions)

DNFs: I Did Not Finish about 10%, or 23 books in 2019.

Fiction vs Nonfiction: 76% fiction, 24% nonfiction

Author Gender: 72% women, 28% men, 0% nonbinary

Format: 55% print, 34% audio, 11% digital

Audience: 57% YA, 31% adult, 12% children

Source: 90% library books and the remaining 10% was split between purchased books, gifts, and advanced reading copies

Authors of Color: 34% of the books I read were written by authors of color

Queer Authors: 10% of the books I read were written by LGBTQIAP+ authors

Translations: 15% of the books I read were translated from a language other than English

Most Popular Authors: Becky Chambers, Leigh Bardugo, Cressida Cowell, and Hiromu Arakawa

Biggest Surprise: two mermaid horror stories that kept me up way past my bedtime and allowed mermaids to be beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Biggest Letdown: a retelling of The Little Mermaid that fell into all the YA stereotype traps while also being plain old not well written.

Goal For 2020: If I read anything in 2020, I'll be happy. (I have zero idea of what to expect for personal time during the twins' first year!) Goodreads is easy enough to update, so I'm not too worried about tracking my reading (which I truly appreciate at the end of the year). The amount of time I usually spend reading and writing reviews, looking over booklists, and curating titles will be severely limited, but I hope I can at least continue the actual reading of books!

Extras: 2018 By the Books, 2017 By the Books, 2016 By the Books

2019 Winter Solstice

Pregnant me very much appreciates long nights - while I've had insomnia here and there, I usually fall asleep (and stay asleep) hard and fast these days. Middle of the night bathroom breaks happen, yes, but the extra darkness has been good for my rest. As our days now start to lengthen, I'll try to keep my extended sleep schedule for as long as I can. I've got 27ish days (or less) until babies and then all bets are off!

What else am I hoping for and savoring in my last remaining childless days? Hugs/time with my husband, uninterrupted reading, long showers, and leaving the house with minimal prep/work.

Here's to the rest of the nights of the year, and the long days and nights I have ahead!

Extras: 2018's Check-In, 2017's Check-In, 2016's Check-In

Favorite Fall Reads 2019

This year has so many great releases - here are a few of my favorites in my favorite genres (YA, sci fi, and fantasy) from this fall!

Finishing (or Continuing) Trilogies:

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Calling this book the end of the Wayfarers Trilogy might be a bit of a stretch - it's in the same universe, but with new characters. This meant I struggled to connect with it in the same way, but overall, it's a solid (and solidly written) story. I'd prefer the Wayfarers to be a duology, and this to be a standalone, a slice of life or "comfy sci fi". If that's what you're into, you don't even need to read the other two books first!

The Toll by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Now this is how you end a trilogy. The Toll picks up right where Thunderhead ends and throws our protagonists into even more conflict. Plot points from the first book are brought to satisfying fruition even while new twists and turns are introduced (and resolved). This final book is also appropriately dark and quite a bit more mature than the first two - as this is a young adult series, I appreciate how the trilogy itself "grows up" along with its intended audience.

Steel Tide by Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As far as continuity and plot goes, Steel Tide does a fine job of continuing the story that Seafire sets up. We get more depth to our main characters, and new characters help keep things fresh. The open sea in a post climate disaster world remains my favorite aspect of the series, and we get to explore more of it. I'm looking forward to the final book (no release date yet)!


New Standalone Titles:

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey  Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love when historical fiction says "Yeah, maybe things were this way, but what if this had happened instead?" The Downstairs Girl is set firmly in late 1800s Atlanta, with all of its society rules about how various races, classes, and genders act and interact, but Jo is distinctly modern with her anonymous advice column that challenges many assumptions about who is and is not "genteel" and why. Jo is easy to cheer for, her antagonists are fun to hate, and the audio is done extremely well!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This was one of the most anticipated fiction novels of 2019 for me, and for many others who were taken in by the world of The Night Circus in 2011. The Starless Sea is a completely different book in a completely different world, though its feel is very much Morgenstern: complex and layered, dark and dreamy. It didn't quite capture me like I wanted it to - often I felt not smart enough for the book - but the craft of writing and storytelling is on full display, and was still wondrous to be a part of.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here is a dark and dreamy book I fully got into. This retelling of the Grimms' Twelve Dancing Princesses is the horror fantasy I needed this fall. The creepy atmosphere and seaside manor setting are the standouts of this novel, but Annaleigh makes for a compelling protagonist as she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding her sisters' deaths - before she or her other sisters suffer the same fate.


Extras: 2018 Faves, or View All My Reviews

Things My (Teen) Patrons Say 2

After telling a few PDA offenders to give each other some space: "You're just jealous your husband isn't here." (I mean, true, tbh...)

Patron #1: Do you know any Roblox keyboard commands?
Me: Nope...[Name of a younger coworker] might, he's a nerd. I'm not.
Patron #2: ...You're a librarian.

Patron: Why does the library have to close?
Me: Well, I can't stay here all night.
Patron: I would!

"Do you have any books to help my sister break up with her boyfriend?" (ABSOLUTELY I DO!)

Patron: What time is it?
Me: Time for you to get a watch.
Patron: Time for you to get a better joke!

Let's Call This Segment I FEEL OLD

While playing Apples to Apples: "Who's Puff Daddy?"

While discussing photography: "What's a camcorder?" What's a tape? What's film?"

After asking that they leave the ashtray outside alone: "What's an ashtray?"
After explaining how people put out cigarettes: "What do you mean..don't you just turn them off?"

Friday Night Links 46

This magical librarian story powered me through a tiring week back at work after vacation.

My new favorite thing to check each morning: Beautiful News Daily.

A good reminder that libraries (and the materials/resources inside them) aren't free - they're important investments. And also you should use them, because you've already paid for them (usually pennies or a few dollars, but still).

I need a party so I can test out this recipe!

"Art is everywhere, if you say so."

As the Washingtonians Do

I'm not sure if my recent trip to Washington DC with not only my husband, but my parents and brother and girlfriend as well counts as a babymoon, so we'll just call it a quick-but-full weekend getaway. (Note that the weekend was quick...I am decidedly NOT quick since Baby B decided to take up residency where my left lung used to belong.)

EATS (and drinks for the non-pregnant adults)

Dacha Beer Garden

All I wanted were fried pickles and a giant pretzel, and Dacha delivered! Or rather, my brother did as we sent him to get us a few appetizers while we hung out in the air conditioned Airbnb next door. Someday I'd like to return and, you know, try out the beer at the beer garden, but until then, my German food craving has been sated.

Union Market

I went a little overboard here with the variety of food I consumed, but I have zero regrets. A giant Caprese salad (one must eat ALL the fresh tomatoes in Aug-Sep to make up for the rest of the year!), bao sliders (I never pass up bao), Korean tacos (coleslaw makes my heart happy), arepas (with so much green sauce), and crepes (seriously, just put some stuff between dough and I'm there)...I heard there were tiki drinks as well, but I was content with all the street food from around the world.

Farmers Fishers Bakers

There's something about fresh/homemade lemonade that makes me happy to be human. A well-constructed salad and a hamburger sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches brings a great amount of joy as well. Did I mention pickled potato salad? I guess I needed another German food fix after all.

ACTIVITIES

This trip was less about doing/seeing things than enjoying each other's company, but there were a few highlights to our itinerary. We stopped by the National Air and Space Museum to see Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 Spacesuit. This librarian also got to check "Become a Library of Congress Reader" and "Visit Library of Congress Reading Rooms" off her bucket list. Continuing the library theme, we checked out (pun intended) the new Apple Carnegie Library. It was bizarre and meta to think about how Carnegie's "Palace for the People" is now a retail store for an exclusive-yet-ubiquitous product. We saw our President, First Lady, the Distinguished Toni Morrison, and a few other Supreme Women at the National Portrait Gallery. A night at The Kennedy Center to see Aladdin, which has become a touchstone of my and my husband's relationship, was the perfect way to end our trip and celebrate being together.

Happy (Almost) End of Summer

Welcome back (to me and you) from my planned/unplanned vacation from blogging! I was flirting with the idea of taking the summer off, and then life said "Yep, you definitely need a break," so I logged out and worked on all sorts of personal and professional endeavors. Now I'm ready to share what's new in Rachel's book/travel/food world and resume some recommendations and reviews. First, here's a bit of what's been going on since May, the media I've consumed + would recommend, and what I'm looking forward to this fall:

BOOKS

• I finished Scythe (and later, Thunderhead) and I'm now eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this trilogy.
• I listened to Sadie, which might be the only way to consume that book - it's part podcast, part quest for justice.
• Now I'm settling into my second trimester and reading all the books. I've perused pregnancy books, but lately I've been feeling the heavy emotional reads: Good Talk is a graphic novel memoir about a woman discussing race and racism with her young son; A Heart in a Body in the World is a young adult novel about the violence of control and how we can run away from our past while also running toward a new future; The 57 Bus is a nonfiction book about events that occurred on a public bus in Oakland, California in 2013. All three made me cry.

MOVIES

• We started off the summer of Disney remakes & sequels with Aladdin, then saw Toy Story 4 and The Lion King. Now this mermaid eagerly awaits the live action The Little Mermaid and wonders if Disney's streaming service will be worth it...
• Besides remakes, my favorite movie of the summer was Rocketman. Now we just need to catch up on Bohemian Rhapsody and Yesterday!

OTHER INTERESTING THINGS

• I don't follow basketball, but I did enjoy this story about Giannis Antetokounmpo from The Ringer.
• And a related story that should shock no one - "Experts Say Storytime Can Help Children Recover From Trauma" - but what the article doesn't say is that reading, listening, and engaging with stories helps us all, no matter what age we are.

LIFE

• In early May, I *officially* graduated from Dominican University with my MLIS. While I'm certainly proud of my high school and undergrad diplomas as well, this one means the most to me. I'm so glad I get to put it to use regularly, and I'm forever grateful to friends and family who supported me during my studies.
• In late May, my husband and I found out we are pregnant! So far my favorite pregnancy book is Lucy Knisley's Kid Gloves. It's real and relatable, plus I learned so much about the history of pregnancy and prenatal care.
• My first trimester was filled with naps, soup, and trying to drink as much water as I could. I shouldn't have been surprised that I was also in a massive reading slump. Nothing interested me, mostly because I was exhausted. I was also a bit anxious - as much "fun" as it seemed to have a secret shared only with my husband, it was also hard to not tell people when I really needed their support. Revisiting this piece by Neil Gaiman helped my brain. So did mysteries and thrillers like Your Name, We Were Liars, and Sea Witch.
• By July, I felt much better. My husband and I traveled to Baraboo, Wisconsin to visit Circus World (this has been on his bucket list for a while), and we joined the rest of my family for a reunion/camping trip. While there, we surprised everyone with something we had found out a few weeks prior: we're pregnant with TWINS!

LOOKING FORWARD

• The end of summer brings a wedding, a trip to DC, and the return of school year programming at work.
• My stack of TBR books includes a few contemporary young adult novels that have gotten a lot of buzz (some great, some not good at all), a highly rated young adult crime novel, and a spooky retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
• It's almost Halloween! I'm excited to celebrate by watching Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, IT Chapter Two, and a few classic horror movies. I also need a good costume to show off my growing belly...

Rise of the Empress Duology

Snow White has always been one of my less favorite/least known fairy tales - it's a basic story, but sometimes Snow feels too pure and good, and therefore boring. In contrast, Snow White retellings are some of my favorites, because contemporary authors tend to bring new complexity and depth to a simple tale of "good" vs "evil". Plus, many retellings include origins for the Evil Queen, giving her life beyond evil stepmother. The Rise of the Empress duology does just this, showing the reader how a person can become a monster, and how complicated girls are sometimes brushed off as innocent. The inclusion of East Asian fantasy elements adds more layers to this classic tale, making it a rich and beautiful adventure.

Overall, I found Forest of a Thousand Lanterns stronger than Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, but mostly because it's more interesting to see someone's transition from meek peasant to powerful empress. Kingdom does continue Xifeng's story, but from Jade's (Snow White) perspective as she seeks to overthrow her stepmother. Together, these tales make a powerful journey of self discovery and bravery. I'm interested to see how the upcoming (Nov 2019) companion book, Song of the Crimson Flower, ties in!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Extras: Another Fairy Tale Retelling Series, Mermay Little Mermaid Retellings, or View All My Reviews

On the Come Up

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This contemporary YA novel features a protagonist who knows what she's about, genuine friendships (complete with friend feuds), relevant family dynamics, and a brilliant breakdown of the process of creating raps (or, another way to write poetry).

Bri is fun to cheer for, and easy to love - even when she makes questionable (teenager) decisions. She's ready to hit it big as a rapper, ready to be a star on her own terms, and desperate to not be the face of a movement, a social media blip, or "just" the daughter of her legendary father.

I recommend reading this one by listening to the audiobook, then check out the Spotify playlist for the book!


Extras: More Angie Thomas, Another (Head)Strong Protagonist, Another Expert in Her Craft, or View All My Reviews.

Friday Night Links 45

Somehow April never truly feels "cruel" until right at the end of the month. Only then do I realize what an exhausting month this is. Whew. Here's what's been keeping me going until the sun comes back again:

"Pockets mean no purses, and that's more freedom."

Thoughts on various reactions to the Notre Dame fire.

Why do we (I) love retellings? (You know I'm a sucker for almost all of them.)

We learned about Simba during our (free) tour of Milwaukee Public Museum on our last MKE trip!

Yes, I'm a librarian. I'm also a person with hobbies and a social life that aren't related to work.

This is an old article, but every now and then I dig it up for a reread: "I believe we have an obligation to read for pleasure, in private and in public places. If we read for pleasure, if others see us reading, then we learn, we exercise our imaginations. We show others that reading is a good thing."

VS the Podcast

One of my favorite poetry discoveries this year has been VS - a podcast by and about poets from the Poetry Foundation. Each episode, hosts Franny Choi and Danez Smith (contemporary poets themselves) talk with various poets about "the ideas that move them". I appreciate this podcast because 1) It's a simple way to hear current poetry; 2) I've gotten to "meet" new (and local!) poets; 3) I get to hear from the poets themselves as they discuss relevant and interesting topics; and 4) Franny and Danez are simply delightful as hosts. They bring out the best in each guest, and add so much meaning to the conversations.

After listening to each episode, I try to find each guest's most recent works (whether they be online or published collections) to explore even more poetry, but listeners don't need any sort of poetic training or knowledge to get something out of the conversations had. I especially loved one of the first episodes with Eve L. Ewing and her explorations of utopia/dystopia and desire-based narratives vs damage-based narratives [w/ credit to Eve Tuck's research & writing on the topic]: "To only tell the story of damage is such an incomplete story that if you only tell that story it's actually an act of aggression."

Here are a few of VS's guests collections:

Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Citizen Illegal by Josẽ Olivarez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Build Yourself a Boat by Camonghne Felix

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Extras: More Poetry Collections, or View All My Reviews

Voices

Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poems told from the voices of the various people and objects who were witness to Joan of Arc's life (and death). There is a great variety of poetic forms represented here - and the author's note at the end explains these, and the thought process around which forms were used when. Writing poetry from so many different perspectives could not have been easy, but Elliott does it with authority.

I'd love to see this paired with some nonfiction in a classroom setting - a history or literature class (and teacher) could do so much with the text!


Extras: Another Verse Novel by Elliott, More Verse Novels, or View All My Reviews

Desunt Nonnulla by Kaveh Akbar

DESUNT NONNULLA

Kaveh Akbar

as a child I wasn’t so much foreign as I was very small      my soul 
still unsmogged by its station      I walked learning 
the names of things each new title a tiny seizure 
of joy      paleontologist tarpaper marshmallow      I polished them like trophies
eager in delight and colorblind      though I still loved crayons 
for their names cerulean gunmetal and corn- 
flower more than making up for the hues I couldn’t tell apart      even 
our great-grandparents saw different blues owing 
to the rapid evolution of rods and cones      now I resist 
acknowledging the riches I’ve inherited      hard bones and a mind full 
of names      it’s so much easier to catalog hunger to atomize 
absence and carry each bit like ants taking home a meal

I am insatiable      every grievance levied against me 
amounts to ingratitude      I need to be broken like an unruly mustang 
like bitten skin      supposedly people hymned before names      their mouths 
were zeroes little pleasure portals for taking in grape 
leaves cloudberries the fingers of lovers      today words fly 
in all directions      I don’t know how anyone does 
anything      I miss my mouth sipping coffee and spend 
the day explaining the dribble to strangers who patiently 
endure my argle-bargle before returning 
to their appetites      I am not a slow learner      I am a quick forgetter      
such erasing makes you voracious      if you teach me something 
beautiful      I will name it quickly before it floats away

Sedna by Kimiko Hahn

Sedna
Kimiko Hahn

Come to find out, Sedna,
is the Inuit woman,

whose father cast her from their kayak,
thus transforming her into the spirit of the sea—

but also the name of 2003 VB12,

a planet or something beyond Pluto.
It is the first body to be discovered

in the Oort Cloud, a hypothetical region
of icy objects that become comets.

But questions remain: how
can a region be hypothetical?

how can a scientist not know

what a planet is? how could a father
throw his daughter from a kayak

even if she did write poetry
that hurt his feelings?

I am not sorry.
He always said, art comes first.

But that is a murky region

for fathers and daughters—
what comes first.

And what my daughters wish to know is
did she drown for his sake

or to learn how depths betray? 

Poetry Collections for Teens

Poetry is for everyone, but some poetry is particularly for teenagers. Love poems, heartbreak poems, sad and moody poems, I don't give a damn poems, and I'm on top of the world poems seem to be popular, as are collections of poetry about being a teenager. These are a few I've read recently and enjoyed, if not as a 30-year old, then as a former teenager.

Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I now have a poetry hangover. Lambert's lines are so sharp and hold nothing back. And that cover!! Reading this was therapy - and I had to slow down/not read anything for a bit after finishing it.

Favorite lines:

"this is how I learned to dance
with half of my body on fire."

Favorite poem: "Language Barrier"

The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I appreciate the pacing of this collection. It's not a novel, but there is a narrative. There are some truly sweet lines here. Some crushing ones, too. I'm recommending it to so many of my teen readers who feel like they are the only ones to experience their feelings. There's a strong sense of being seen in this collection - and it is part one of three!

Favorite lines:

"I am so glad
we were born
during the same
lifetime

I may not believe in fate, but I believe in you."

Favorite poem: "be a mermaid (don't allow the world to take your kindness)"

If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This collection has a tender honesty. It read me as much as I read it - but I still felt cared for. While I've grown past the time and space of the emotions of the poems, it was easy to reconnect to a time in my life when so much of the lines were true for me. Others spoke to me - 30-yr old Rachel - directly.

Favorite lines:

"Still, do not mistake
how open I am

for emptiness"

Favorite Poem: "Pocket-Sized Feminism"

Extras: More Poetry Collections, or View All My Reviews

Spring by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Spring

BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

To what purpose, April, do you return again? 

Beauty is not enough. 

You can no longer quiet me with the redness 

Of little leaves opening stickily. 

I know what I know. 

The sun is hot on my neck as I observe 

The spikes of the crocus. 

The smell of the earth is good. 

It is apparent that there is no death. 

But what does that signify? 

Not only under ground are the brains of men 

Eaten by maggots. 

Life in itself 

Is nothing, 

An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 

It is not enough that yearly, down this hill, 

April 

Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

We Lived Happily During the War by Ilya Kaminsky

We Lived Happily During the War

BY ILYA KAMINSKY

And when they bombed other people’s houses, we

 

protested

but not enough, we opposed them but not

 

enough. I was

in my bed, around my bed America

 

was falling: invisible house by invisible house by invisible house.

 

I took a chair outside and watched the sun.

 

In the sixth month

of a disastrous reign in the house of money

 

in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,

our great country of money, we (forgive us)

 

lived happily during the war.

The Tea Dragon Society

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a perfectly quaint, tender, and gentle story about friendship and dedicating yourself to your craft. I'm so happy I stumbled upon it while looking for new graphics to read - because it is so slim, it's easy to overlook. The illustrations are lovely, with soft lines and colors, and each human and dragon character has fun and unique details that give them extra personality.

The Tea Dragon Society is appropriate for readers of all ages, with plenty of detail and a story both kids and adults can enjoy. Much like the perfect cup of tea, it's comforting, flavorful, and a great companion on a cool afternoon.


Extras: Another Super Sweet Graphic, More Graphics for All Ages, or View All My Reviews

Friday Night Links 44

Here's what's been on my radar in March:

This literal flowchart is mesmerizing.

I love the idea of picking one thing/theme/concept to look out for at a museum, and "reading" is a great one for me!

Funding for libraries should be guaranteed - but for the third year in a row, the IMLS is in danger of elimination. Call, email, and tweet your reps/senators!

Give this podcast a listen to hear about some practical benefits of libraries in communities. Social infrastructure is imperative for civic life.

Blockbuster season is almost here - I'm excited to see many of these adaptations! (I discussed Children of Blood and Bone just last week, but I've been waiting for Artemis Fowl for 18 years. !!)

Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has everything: adventure, romance, magic, real world parallels, relationships to cheer for, drama to be gripped by, and damn good writing - which is read extremely well in the audio version. I'm very excited for the continuation of this series!

Set in Orïsha, a world where magic is forbidden, this story is told from several perspectives: Zélie, a young magi who fights to bring magic back, Inan, a young prince who knows magic must die, and Amari, a young princess who questions the choices her father has made to destroy the magi.

Adeyemi's world-building is next level. She blends Nigerian mythology and fantasy, drawing from a rich history and making the old new again. I appreciated the thoughtful attention to story details, and how much care was given to weaving these original characters into an established mythology. All these details make the story that much richer and give context to Zélie's quest to bring back magic.

The ties to current events also give depth to the story. Zélie is not the only young Black woman who needs to hear "They don't hate you, my child. They hate what you were meant to become." This series is powerful not only because of how well it is written, how dynamic the characters are, and how much readers want to know what happens next - it has real world implications that add another layer to the reading of the story.


Extras: More Gods & Goddesses, More YA With Cultural and Historical Significance, More Fantastic Adventures, or View All My Reviews.

MKE in a Day

Sometimes you need a day away from the city...in a different city. We're lucky that Milwaukee is easy to get to and has lots to offer for a quick day trip. We love the Public Museum, and this time also got to check out the Milwaukee Art Museum (including watching the wings "flap" at noon). After some road trip nourishment at the Public Market, we were back on our way home: fulfilled, tired, and ready for another week.

 

 

Extras: Our First Milwaukee Trip, A Day in Nara, Japan, A Weekend in DC, and More Contemporary Art.

Seafire

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Survival for the all-female crew of the Mors Navis depends on defending themselves against attacks from Aric Athair, who terrorizes the seas with his crew of Bullets - young men torn from their families and forced to work on Athair's fleet. Led by their captain, Caledonia Styx, the women of the Mors Navis are trying to defeat Athair once and for all, one of his ships at a time. When a defecting Bullet says he can help them, Cal and her crew have to decide if they trust him against everything they know about Athair.

I LOVED the characters in this future/steampunk/cli-fi/fantasy novel. The relationships and interactions between characters feel true and helped me root for the eclectic Mors Navis crew. Cal is fierce, but not fearless. Pisces, her second-in-command, has such a huge heart, I couldn't help but love her. The rest of the crew each have distinct personalities and each of their triumphs and tragedies jumped off the page, pulling me further into the story (which is slated to be a trilogy).

I'll let the story do the rest of the talking:

"Remember, when they call you girl, they're trying to tell you something. They're trying to tell you that they're more than you, that the body you're in makes you less. But you know, and I know, that you're exactly what you need to be."


Extras: Teens Who Know What They're About, A Family of Strong Women, More Teen Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Another First in a Female-Led Series, Another Female Ensemble With Questionable Morals, or View All My Reviews.

Things My Patrons Say 1

It's been a minute since I've worked with the public...and I missed gems like these! Note, as a teen librarian, most of my patrons are tweens or teens (ages 11-18, plus a few young adults). Rereading and remembering these is therapeutic and helps remind me of all the positives of working with this age group, especially during rough weeks like this one, when Spring Break seems so far away/I'm exhausted from Daylight Savings/my patience is thin. I truly appreciate and enjoy my job and my patrons!

---

While playing card games with them after school: "Is it okay that you're hanging out with us? Shouldn't you be doing, like...work?" [NOTE: as a teen librarian, getting to know the teen patrons IS my work...it just so happens to also be fun.]

---

Patron: Can I have candy?
Me: Um, no.
Patron: What if I clean, then can I have candy?
Me: Well, I guess, but nothing is dirty now. Maybe tomorrow?
Patron: Okay, so what if I happened to spill my chips on the floor and I vacuum up the crumbs? Then can I have candy?

---

[Running into the library after school, after being asked to leave the day before]: I'm not gonna get kicked out today!!!

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Patron: I never know what to say to adults, I'm afraid of adults.
Me: You're afraid of me? I'm not scary!
Patron: No, I'm not afraid of you. Like, *real* adults.

---

Patron: Okay, do you want to hear a song that's, like, perfect for when your parents are making you mad and no one just...understands you?
Me: Yep, sure, let's hear it.
Patron: [Plays "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne, which came out 17 YEARS AGO, in May of 2002, when I was in 8th grade & probably felt like no one understood me.]
Me: Girlfriend, I've KNOWN about this song, don't even worry.

---

(Same) Patron: I'm really into *old* songs, you know?
Me: Like...The Beatles?
Patron: Like Nelly and the Backstreet Boys.
Me: [searches retirement communities]

Captain Marvel

As someone who is discovering Marvel characters through the movies, not the comics, I'd say Captain Marvel is one of the first movies that made me want to go back and actually read her story arc. The movie interested me just enough in Carol Danvers/Vers/Captain Marvel, while at the same time leaving me with the feeling that there is a lot more to her character and her development as a hero. I can't say if this is a positive or negative - most Marvel movies give me (a bandwagon/good times fan) enough detail and background to be satisfied with the character, where Captain Marvel felt like it was missing that depth.

One example I'll give, using a (potentially unfair) comparison to DC's Wonder Woman: when Diana takes it upon herself to go through "no man's land" to help the Allies capture the enemy trench on the front lines of World War I - I shed more than a few tears. You know what, just watch:



Like, I am tearing up rewatching that scene. What Diana doesn't have to say is that she is "no man" - she knows she is a hero, and if no one else can or will step up, she does. Carol never quite has that "No Man" scene. I don't need her to be a girl power hero in the same vein as Wonder Woman, but I did want more of an exploration of Carol's strength coming from her humanity and emotion (two things often equated with weakness in women especially). I wanted the emotion of this teaser trailer:



While I may have made the connection between emotion and strength on my own (or projected it onto Carol), it would have been nice to have it made super clear in the movie. Not enough people understand the power of softness, especially in superhero culture. As I said earlier, I now want to read the Captain Marvel comics and I am particularly excited for Shannon Hale's YA novel adaptation, coming December 2020!

Extras: Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Moana, or View All My Reviews.

In Search of Us

In Search Of Us by Ava Dellaira
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two stories set 18 years apart - Marilyn in the late 90s, Angie in present day - show the connections between mother and daughter and what it means to be 17 and wanting freedom, clarity, and to know who you are. Marilyn is a former child actor, but longs for a future she can control. She and her mother live with her uncle, who isn't happy to house them, but Marilyn finds a home, and a love, with the neighbors who move in downstairs. Angie is Marilyn's daughter, and she thinks she knows everything about her mother - her acting past, her career failures - but what Angie doesn't know is who her father is, and how much of an influence he's had on her life.

The strength of this multi-generational family story is its characters and their relationships - I believed and believed in every character. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the 90s storyline, even though I wasn't a teenager then, and I appreciated the emotion of Angie's present day storyline as she explores what it means to her to be biracial. Sweet and beautifully written!

Extras: Another Multi-Generation Family Drama, More Teens Exploring Where They Come From, Who They Are, and What They're About or View All My Reviews.

Read Across America Week: Building a Better Reading List

Many schoolchildren of America just finished celebrating and participating in Read Across America Week, ending today, March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday. While at face value these things sound great and a librarian like myself should be all about it, this entire week - and specifically the celebration of such a problematic person like Dr. Seuss - needs some work.

NPR's Code Switch has a great write up on Dr. Seuss's racist beginnings and how that plays out in classrooms across America:

Dr. Seuss Books Can Be Racist, But Students Keep Reading Them

subscribe to Code Switch podcast This week, millions of students and teachers are taking part in Read Across America, a national literacy program celebrated annually around the birthday of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

They discuss how difficult it is for schools and teachers to adjust plans, and just how much of a staying power Dr. Seuss and his works have. Schools don't want to not participate in a week that seems like such a positive thing, and is generally an easy win: kids and teachers alike enjoy dressing up, readalouds are one of the BEST things for early literacy, and there are so.many.books to choose from for a variety of reading levels and content interests. But. At what (and whose) expense does Read Across America exist?

The National Education Association, for its part, rebranded Read Across America to include a better diversity of authors, illustrators, and readers. They also expanded the program to include an entire year's worth of reading, with featured books for all ages.

So. Looking for something more inclusive to read in the classroom? Julián is a Mermaid is one of my absolute favorites, and I also enjoyed Alma and How She Got Her Name and Do not lick this book, all from the elementary reading list. Vera, aka The Tutu Teacher, has great lists of (new) books as well (plus some great teaching materials on her TPT site!). Poetry makes for great readalouds. Giraffes are always fun. This list includes books about giraffes AND mermaids. Don't forget wordless picture books! There are a lot of great books in this world, and I think it's about time we let them into our homes and classrooms.

Dear Martin

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are many parallels between Dear Martin and The New Jim Crow, and having just finished TNJC I appreciated how Dear Martin presented a narrative with both heart and reality for a young adult audience. The audio is done extremely well, transitioning between the action of the plot and Justyce's letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he processes his feelings about his senior year and upcoming move to an Ivy League college, racism in academia, and racism in policing, specifically in relation to the War on Drugs.

I listened to the entire book in an afternoon, but the emotional intensity had me thinking about the story long after - Nic Stone is officially on my authors to watch list.


Extras: THUG, Black Superheroes, or View All My Reviews

Friday Night Links 43

A bit of what I've been reading (online, anyways) this past month:

My neighborhood finally has a library!

I'm saving this list of 50 + 11 YA nonfiction books for a rainy day. And this list of 46 books by women of color (from last year) to keep working on.

How many books can I read in a year? (A lot. How many can I read + enjoy (+ remember)? Not as many. Because I need sleep.)

I hope I can make an escape room happen at my library at some point.

Love this map of authors!

This online volunteering platform looks interesting.

The New Jim Crow

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book put into words (with researched evidence) so many things that I've thought and/or felt about the US prison system, the "War on Drugs," and how they're linked. Namely, that both are (and were created to be) discriminatory. Alexander shows with great detail and a clear narrative voice how slavery (legalized exploitation) became Jim Crow (legalized segregation) became mass incarceration (legalized marginalization), and how each institution was built to uphold white supremacy.

Because race can no longer legally be used to justify discrimination, it's not. Now, criminals are discriminated against. Blackness itself is criminalized, and specific policies allow this discrimination to legally continue. The "War on Drugs" is unfairly and overwhelmingly waged on Black men (Alexander notes that Black women and the Latinx population are also targeted, though her book doesn't go into as much detail on that data). These men are engaging in the same crimes that are ignored in middle/upper class and white communities, and once they are "in the system," so to speak, they are marginalized on every front: employment, housing, education, health, civic life.

I got into the work I'm in now specifically to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. I believe that more resources, more mental health professionals, and more positive, caring adults in young people's lives is part of the anti-racist work America needs to do. Less policing (less police), legalizing or decriminalizing drugs, and confronting (and then battling) ugly stereotypes is more of the work. I agree with Alexander when she writes: "As a society, our decision to heap shame and contempt upon those who struggle and fail in a system designed to keep them locked up and locked out says far more about ourselves than it does about them."

I'd pair this nonfiction read with Dear Martin (teen fiction) and a viewing of 13TH.

Extras: More Nonfiction or View All My Reviews.