Fall 2024 Backlist Reading Check-In

Fall 2024 Backlist Reading Check-in

Fall 2024 Backlist Reading Check-In

Normally, I start a post like this at the beginning of the season and add to it as I finish reading each book. That gives me a diary-like record of my experience with each book, which I enjoy looking back at later.

This time, I forgot to start the post and only remembered about it in mid-November when I began making my calendar of list posts for next year. At any rate, I did manage to get my Fall 2024 backlist reading list together, and I’m excited to talk about some of these books.

I somehow managed to get to a lot more backlist titles than I thought I did. … Continue reading

Review: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Little, Brown, Books for Young Readers
Published March 10, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

A remix of the National Book Award-winning STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING for ages 12 and up.

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism–and antiracism–in America.

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain … Continue reading

Spring 2024 Backlist Reading Check-In and Life Update

Spring 2024 Backlist Reading Update

Life Update: It’s Been Wild

Whew. It has been a tough few months, y’all. Wowza. I had to take an unplanned break from reading because things got too overwhelming. And the weird thing is, there wasn’t a gigantic, immediate crisis at any point.

My kids hit some big milestones and needed extra support. My partner was traveling for work. It meant additional output from me, but nothing that I would have called unmanageable.

Except that it was. Which, thankfully, prompted me to get medical advice. I’ve had some low-key, annoying, but not dangerous, issues going on for a while. I thought by now, I’d be getting relief from new meds and treatment. … Continue reading

Review: I Like the Performing Arts… What Jobs Are There? by Steve Martin and Roberto Blefari

I Like the Performing Arts... What Jobs Are There? by Steve Martin

I Like the Performing Arts… What Jobs Are There? (That’s a Job Series)
Steve Martin
Illustrated by Roberto Blefari
Kane Miller
Published August 1, 2022

Kane Miller Website | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I Like the Performing Arts… What Jobs Are There?

Whether they love the spotlight or prefer to be busy behind the scenes, there’s something for everyone in this accessible guide for children who are interested in working in the performing arts. From being an actor to a costume designer, to a special effects artist, readers are taken through a day-in-the-life of 25 workers … Continue reading

Review: Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc

Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc cover shows a forest of leaves with a cabin poking through. A disembodied ear, hand, and a crutch sit on top of the leaves.

Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space
Amanda Leduc
Coach House Books
Published March 3, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Disfigured

In fairy tales, happy endings are the norm—as long as you’re beautiful and walk on two legs. After all, the ogre never gets the princess. And since fairy tales are the foundational myths of our culture, how can a girl with a disability ever think she’ll have a happy ending?

By examining … Continue reading

Winter 2024 Backlist Check-in

Winter 2024 Backlist Check-in

Last year, I started doing a seasonal backlist reading check-in so I could share a little bit about some of the backlist titles I’d been reading. I prioritize frontlist reviews since I often get copies of those from publishers, so putting them up is more time-sensitive. But there are always titles I didn’t get to when they came out that I manage to fit in afterward– often as audiobooks.

As you can see, I’ve been busy since my Fall Backlist reading update, so this is going to be a long list. Several of these books are graphic novels that I got for Christmas for somewhat unselfish reasons. (I wanted to read them and also to offer them to … Continue reading