Jacqueline Woodson’s 2014 poetic memoir Brown Girl Dreaming won a slew of awards: a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, an NAACP Image Award, just to name a few. It is the beautifully told story of Woodson’s childhood, of the people and environments that formed both her and her dream of becoming a writer. It also offers glimpses into the civil rights movement and the experience of racism through the eyes of a child who witnessed […]
For the scientifically inclined cat lady.
I will jump at any chance to pretend like I know more about my cat and what he’s thinking than I really do. So this one was high on my to-read list, and I was particularly excited about the more scientific approach it promised to take towards cat behavior. That scientific approach is definitely the books biggest strong point. The hypotheses put forth for questions like why pet cats hunt when they have food at home, or why cats don’t without stressing them and ourselves are backed up […]
A Film Noir State of Mind
As per the book blurb: When Clara Bishop, a struggling screenwriter-turned-tabloid journalist in Hollywood, is jilted by her philandering husband, she follows him to London, determined to win him back. Armed with only a glamorous wardrobe of vintage clothing inherited from her grandmother, a former film noir actress, Clara discovers that the clothes really do make the woman. Dressed to kill, she adopts a new femme fatale persona: confident, sexy and set on revenge. This was a different sort of book that required a suspension […]
Never Doubt Rainbow Rowell…OR Scootsa1000!
First, you should probably go read Scootsa1000’s review here…because her review made me want to read the book–and what if I don’t do as good of a job? Then you’ll be missing out on a great book recommended by Rainbow Rowel AND Scootsa1000! I don’t want that on my conscience. Ok. I’ll start here. I loved this book. If that were enough, that’s all I would say. But I’ll say a little more. Have you ever read the Ice Storm where you know everything is […]