What it is: It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini follows the story of Craig Gilner, a 15-year-old boy with depression. He goes to a highly competitive high school and finds himself struggling with schoolwork, friend conflicts, and an inability to sleep and eat. Suicidal, he checks himself into the psychiatric ward of the…
Upbeat songs, hilarious references, and unconcealed feminism–what’s not to love? After experiencing tons of success with High School Musical, Disney decided to put out another movie with an extremely undetailed (yet somehow descriptive) title. This time we follow two surfer teens who get caught in a storm that transports them to the set of the (fictional) 1960s…
What it is: Lost At Sea is a graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley (of Scott Pilgrim fame) about a girl named Raleigh who goes on an unintentional post-graduation road trip and ends up discovering deep connections with three new friends and with herself. What I liked about it: Basically everything. I’m a sucker for a good road trip…
What it is: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo is a story about Darling, a young Zimbabwean girl who has the opportunity to leave behind her poor, corrupt country to try to make a new life in the USA. It’s a tale of growing up, but Darling also has to acclimate to a new culture while…
What it is: Blues People by Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones) details the history of blues, jazz, and other African-derived musical genres. He describes how culture and music affect each other, and the history of race relations in the United States via the interaction between African-influenced and European-influenced music. What I liked about it: Baraka does an excellent job of…
What it is: I Am No One You Know by Joyce Carol Oates is a collection of nineteen short stories surrounding the lives of women and girls encountering a whole range of human experiences from love to grief to danger. She reveals new understanding of humanity through mystery and intrigue. What I liked about it: If you’ve never…
What it is: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a graphic memoir that examines Bechdel’s childhood, especially her relationship with her father and her discovery and exploration of her sexuality. Almost everything in the graphic memoir, from people in Bechdel’s life to to the literature she reads, seems to parallel elements of her personality, making…
I cringe every time I see CNN on TV. It’s not entirely their fault. Too much of anything becomes intolerable after awhile, and I spent an entire semester scoffing at CNN’s headlines at breakfast. At 8am I’m already Not Having It, but add that to CNN’s unique brand of terribly repetitive journalism and it’s a recipe for contempt.…
What happens when you decide to do a roundup every 2-3 months and then forget until right before starting the April A to Z Challenge? You catch up of course! Here’s some of my best posts since December, in which I answer life’s burning questions: December 1. What happens when…gender influences your book choices? 2. What happens when…you put…
My long-term blog goals list looks something like this: Get Freshly Pressed. Attend a blogging conference. Turn blogging into a career. I’ve accomplished the first one (score) and the last one is highly improbable. The second is doable, but difficult. Mostly because I live in two places. For instance, WordPress is hosting a Press Publish conference in…
Victim to Charm 