Do you ever feel like another person is really influencing your reading? Maybe you had a conversation or two and they told you that you had to read this book and that book and then this one, too? I like when that happens, especially when it’s a person whose tastes I trust. I think it kind of influenced a bit of this week and last week’s books but in a good way.
Here’s what I got:
Excavation: A Memoir by Wendy C. Ortiz (purchased) — I’m reading this one right now, and it’s fascinating. It’s a memoir of a girl who had a very physical relationship with her high school teacher and how she’s gone to understand the experience now that she’s an adult. A totally unique perspective on the teacher/student relationship story (and it’s not a story, since it actually happened).
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (purchased) — Cannot wait to read this. I’m going to intersperse this one with my novel and the reading I’m doing out of the Dorothy Parker anthology.
Compulsion by Martina Boone (review copy) — Not sure this one is for me, but I’m definitely intrigued by that cover.
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (library) — I’ve never read it, and I think it might be tackling something I need for a project I’m working on.
Tomboy by Liz Prince (review copy) — This graphic memoir is fantastic. I’ll review it soon, but it tackles gender expression and gender identity and does so in a really great way.
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey (purchased) — I don’t think it’s spoiler anymore to say this is a zombie novel. And while I liked it, I didn’t love it as much as some did. Though Melanie and her teacher’s relationship was a huge highlight. Definitely has great teen appeal for those who are looking for more zombie fiction (..as opposed to zombie non-fiction? I’m not sure why I included the word “fiction” there).
Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee (review copy) — Diverse historical fiction set on the Oregon Trail, featuring girls who have to dress as boys. I can’t express how excited I am by the premise, even though it’s not my usual fare.
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (purchased) — I bought this novel about a teacher-student affair at the same time as the Ortiz memoir. One of my fellow Book Riot writers raved about this title, and I had to have it.
Horrorstore by Grady Hendrix (review copy) — A horror novel set inside an IKEA-like store, and the format is in IKEA-catalog style. I’m in 500%.
Don’t Touch by Rachel M. Wilson (review copy) — I love realistic YA about mental health, and this one is about a girl with OCD.
The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond (review copy) — Alternate history about what would have happened if Hitler won World War II.
I Work At A Public Library by Gina Sheridan (review copy) — I’m looking forward to this, since I really like Gina’s Tumblr of the same name.
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles (library) — The newest Gail Giles looks interesting. It’s set after high school and it features two special ed teens.
The Saskiad by Brian Hall (library) — A teen girl in the wilderness with adventure and a best friendship with another girl. Sold.
I think I covered everything I read in this run-down, too.
Worthwhile reading from around the web. There’s some book stuff and some non-book stuff:
- Betsy over at Fuse #8 has a roundup of kid lit bloggers to know and read. Lots of these are new to me, and I’m so excited to dig in.
- So much talk about the Penguin Modern Classics edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and their cover choice (I like it a lot — this is a book marketed for adults, not kids, and it makes me want to read the book since I think it’d tell a different story to me as an adult). Here’s a look at the inspiration for the cover design, and here’s Travis creating a series of new covers for other children’s classics that are really creepy…and funny.
- Sarah Hollowell talks about a topic I’m passionate about: Write Fat Kids.
- Angie Manfredi’s post about how we can be better and do better when it comes to the conversation on anti-racism. This post is excellent not just for librarians, but for any human.
- Carrie Brownstein is one of my favorite celebrities. She’s bookish, she’s funny, and she’s super down-to-Earth in every interview I read of her. This piece in Bust is particularly good, as she gets into how she’s managed to have two very different career paths and she talks about how she sees and reads the feminism in Portlandia. Also, I want her memoir right now.
- A history of fallen teen magazines, or, a graveyard of my teen years. While you’re at it, here’s a history of the diary novel, too.
- BuzzFeed really wants an end to the Twitter account @SavedYouAClick. I have no idea why because I’m too busy reading @SavedYouAClick.
- And let’s wrap this up with a look at what it was like to be a contestant on Supermarket Sweep.
IKEA is made of horrors (seriously they deliberately design it SO YOU CANNOT ESCAPE) so I'm surprised this sort of book hasn't been published before.
Thanks for reading!