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Austenland Review
Jane Hayes is what some might call a hopeless romantic. Normal life (and men) continuously disappoint her. Why can’t she find anyone remotely like literary heartthrob, Mr. Darcy? Why can’t real life feel like a novel?
When a wealthy relative bequeaths Jane a trip to an English resort for Austen superfans, Jane’s fantasies become realer than she ever could have dreamed. Dressed in empire waist gowns and torn between a charming gardener and an actor playing the brooding Mr. Darcy role, Jane attempts to master the Regency-era etiquette and the flirtatious games. But when it’s time to bid Austenland farewell, will she be able to leave her sincerest fantasies–and the men who helped bring them to life–behind for good?
I had originally decided to read Austenland, and other Austen-inspired novels when I finished my big ol Austen novel, and was going to read this in May. However, when I found out about the new delux editions I held myself back to read the new ones and then compare them side by side.
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Summer Anthologies
If you could live inside one Taylor Swift song for a day, which would you pick? In this shimmering anthology, thirteen best-selling and acclaimed authors do just that, reimagining some of Taylor’s most iconic songs as love stories.
Whether you’re in an era of fairy lights and folktales or diss tracks and dance floors, here’s a playlist that features all the The soaring high note of first love. The minor key of heartbreak. And the steady rhythm of true friendship and self-discovery.
As clever and unforgettable as the songs that inspired them, these stories are sure to play on repeat in your head and your heart.
Fans of Taylor Swift will enjoy these short stories filled with Easter Eggs and vibes of their favorite songs. Some of which I prefer more than the others.
(more…)#annm.martin, #baby-sittersummer, #babysitter'sclub, #beckyalbertalli, #coebooth, #crystalmaldonando, #elisabryant, #emmastraub, #j.elle, #jahnnan.malcolm, #jenniferdugan, #jesseqsutanto, #juliemurphy, #katherinemcphee, #krystalmarquis, #laurasebastian, #lynnpainter, #middlegrade, #peterlerangis, #rachelreads&reviews, #sarahkuhn, #sarashepard, #scholastic, #sloanharlow, #thebaby-sittersclubfanedition, #thebabysittersclub, #YA -
Jenny Pausacker Interview
Jenny Pausacker is one of Australia’s most prolific children’s authors, academic and essayist. From 1975 to 2007, she wrote 72 books in almost every genre. She graciously took the time to answer my question about her boundary-breaking books, queer literature and what she’s currently doing in her retirement. Enjoy!
- You really developed a passion for writing after your father’s death-how did the grief channel your creativity?
I’d been telling stories from early childhood and sometimes even writing them down. I still have a copy of one of my first stories, which goes, “Once there was a dog and a cat and a pig. And they went. And they lived happily ever after. The end.” Then my father died and I felt no one understood what it was like for me … until I read J.R.R. Tolkien’s account of Gandalf’s death in The Fellowship of the Ring.
After that, I knew there was a community of writers and readers out there somewhere and I wanted to be part of it. (And I wasn’t surprised to find out later on that Tolkien’s father died when Tolkien was very young.)
- You’ve been noted for your books breaking stereotypes (Role Your Own: A Book About Women’s Liberation for Fourth Form Students; Hands On: Trade and Technical Careers for Girls and Women), did that come about organically or partly influenced by your time in the counter culture movement?
I was volunteering at the Women’s Centre in Melbourne and one day I noticed an ad for a feminist children’s book group, so I went to a meeting, to see what it was like, and ended up writing two picture books with them. 1975 was International Women’s Year, so the Children’s Book Group applied for some government funding and I wrote Role Your Own and a countersexist booklist.
After that I had some other educational projects commissioned and eventually I was able to declare myself a fulltime freelance writer. But my first experience of being published was as part of a collective and I still really value my time in the counterculture.
- Most of your works were written in response to a gap in the market (What Are Ya? about sexual identity, Mr. Enigmatic about a boy writing teen romance, Getting Somewhere against the greed is good mentality); In writing books that challenged the norm, did thy also challenges your own perceptions?
Yes! It’s easy to think, “There should be books that challenge the stereotypes,” but much harder to come up with an alternative.
At the time when I wrote What Are Ya? lesbian characters in novels tended to end up being tragically killed, often in a car crash. It wasn’t until I was editing What Are Ya? that I realised that although my lesbian main character survives, she actually witnesses a car crash in the course of the novel. So I hadn’t got as far away from the stereotype as I thought.
(more…)#ataleoftwofamilies, #australianliterature, #counterculture, #countersexist, #genderconstruction, #gettingsomewhere, #goingoverboard, #historicalfiction, #jennypausacker, #kidsliterature, #middlegrade, #mr.enigmatic, #queerliterature, #rachelreads&reviews, #roleyourown, #scholastic, #scholasticaustralia, #sisterhoodandsecrets, #whatareya?, #YA -
Summer Books
New Crush by Cassandra Calin
Lia is finally feeling settled into her new life. Her friends are amazing, her French is improving, and her periods… ugh, those are still terrible. But Lia’s crush, Julien, is noticing her. Lia thinks he likes her, but she can’t tell for sure. And while she’s obsessing over him, Lia’s not noticing another person’s growing crush on HER. With so many big feelings and even bigger changes, could things get any worse?
The latest graphic novel by Cassandra Calin might be better than the last as it deals with the messiness of middle school emotions. Particularly that of Lia’s short-sightedness in bigger picture situations, her selfishness when it comes to friendship problems like when she lets out her friend’s secret and after the silent treatment, apologizes to alleviate her own guilt rather than respecting her wishes for space.
All of this is because of a guy as the title implies. Ah, middle school hormones are the worse, but Calin details it in a self-aware manner. While Lia is self-pitying readers will recognize that her insecurity is ruining the relationship more than the other person. I particularly appreciated Julian pointing out the double standards of Lia’s insecurity where her distrust of the mean girl trying to steal him also implies doesn’t trust him not to be stolen.
Calin’s animesque drawings and vibrant color palette make for a pleasing readers and aspiring drawers will enjoy mimicking her style.
(more…)#alexandramonir, #alonewithme, #amparoortiz, #autobiography, #avoicelikemine, #blackcanary, #braveandbold, #breakingsilence, #cassandracalin, #cindypham, #comics, #dccomics, #dcicons, #debhaaland, #don’tbeadrag, #dragkings, #dragqueens, #dystopian, #earthakitt, #encanto, #fairytale, #fantasy, #freakshow, #gayclub!, #gitadesaiisnotheretoshutup, #graphicnovel, #kingsqueensandinbetweens, #kylecaseychu, #lgtbq, #macmillain, #memoir, #newcrush, #papercutz, #penguinrandomhouse, #pridemonth, #queerfiction, #queerromance, #rachelreads&reviews, #retelling, #sammaggs, #saraquinlan, #simonjamesgreen, #sleepingbeauty, #speculativefiction, #tanyaboteju, #thenewadventuresofencanto, #thequeenbeesoftybeecounty, #thesecretworldofbriarrose, #tw:sexualassault, #YA -
Action Presidents
Author, Fred Van Lente and illustrator, Ryan Dunlavey’s Action Presidents are condensed illustrated biographies of four major presidents. Informative, with some very bad humor (bad quality, not crass), Van Lente shows the triumphs and failures of Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and JFK, and to an extent the American experiment. Van Lente connects how each president helped to shape the myth of American democracy. In fact, Van Lente get so detailed in transcribing the presidents’ lives with accompanying historical context, it can be confusing as its clear the author was trying to fit as much as he could in 120 pages. Dunlavey’s accompanying cartoony illustrations will keep readers’ attention engaged. Curiously, only TR and JFK’s books are colorized while Lincoln and Washington are in black and white.
Perfect for the Fourth of July if parents want kids to learn and reflect on the ideals of fairness, honesty, hard work and protecting the most vulnerable searching for freedom.
For the more mature graphic novel reader, try Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. I’ve expounded on this series before. Hale is able to condense complex moments, and underrated tales from history into understandable action-adventure tales. More gory, more detailed, and always entertaining.
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Against the Darkness Review
For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team.
Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world’s first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.
After their latest confrontation with the Darkness, the Scooby gang is more fragmented than ever. Jake is having a werewolf identity crisis, and the return of his troublemaker brother Jordy is only making things worse. Hailey is off pretending to be one of the rogue slayers. Sigmund is burying his broken heart in books. And Frankie’s mom, Willow, and Watcher, Spike, only seem to care about bringing Buffy back.
Now, Frankie must forge her own path, save the slayers, reunite her friends, and lead the charge to defeat the Darkness once and for all.
Picking up quickly since their deceptive double-cross, Blake details how the Scoobies reunion was just a band-aid over the doubts fracturing the group apart.
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One Girl in All the World Review
Into every generation, a slayer is born. One girl in all the world . . . sort of.
Frankie Rosenberg is the world’s first slayer-witch, but she doesn’t have that slay-life balance figured out just yet. She’s still reeling from the deadly explosion at the anual slayer retreat—and new evidence that some slayers may have survived. And while she’s defeated her first Big Bad, Frankie soon realizes it was just a warm-up act. Bigger, badder forces of evil are just getting started.
The Hellmouth has been reawakened and its calling old friends home. Portals are opening between Sunnydale and other dimensions. And the Scooby Gang has too many demons to contend with—real, metaphorical, and sometimes absurdly hot.
Then an oracle warns of a new foe on its way: the Darkness. Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie?Set a few months since Vi’s mysterious reappearance and disappearing act, Frankie and her Scooby Gang have gotten into a routine with the Slayer business. So routine that there’s almost no demons to fight leaving Frankie to ironically ask for more baddies to tackle.
Careful what you wish for because that’s exactly what happens.
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In Every Generation Review
Frankie Rosenberg wasn’t yet alive when her mom, Willow, her aunt Buffy, and the original Scooby Gang destroyed the Hellmouth and saved the world from the First Evil. These days, life in New Sunnydale is blissfully quiet. Frankie is just trying to survive her sophomore year at the rebuilt high school and use her budding magical powers to make the world a better place.
But that world is suddenly plunged into danger when the slayer community is the target of a deadly attack, leaving the future of the line uncertain. Then Frankie discovers she’s sort of freakishly strong. Oh, and there’s something Willow never told her about her true identity.
Cue the opening credits.
Quicker than she can carve a stake, Frankie discovers there’s more to saving the world than witty one-liners and stupid hot demons. now everyone looks to her for answers, but speaking up has never been her strong suit. And it’s hard to be taken seriously when your mom is such a powerful witch she almost ended the world once, while your greatest magic trick is recycling.
Despite the many challenges standing in her way, Frankie must assemble her own bumbling Scooby Gang, get dressed up in Buffy’s (vintage ’90s) clothes, and become a new slayer for a new generation—before whatever came for the rest of the slayers comes for her next.
Following the next generation of a beloved series is always a difficult balancing act as you don’t want to rely too much on nostalgia yet you don’t want to make the next generation copies of their parents because then what’s the point?
Blake manages to do just that, creating compelling new characters that are reminiscent of the original Scooby gang while maintaining their own personalities and difficulties.
First, let’s get to the characters.
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Xena: Warrior Princess Double Review
Popular question in the 90s, are you Buffy or Xena? And while one show may have made more of a lasting cultural impact (cough cough Buffy because it was thematically epic), I like them both. Xena is just so aspirational because you could never hope to do kung fu in the air in leather chainmail but it’s so cool to watch.
Xena, The Warrior Princess and Gabrielle are back in a series of all-new adventures ― collected here for the very first time! Xena and her well-loved cast of friends and villains find themselves in-between a feud that reaches all the way up to the heavens as they fight in the “Contest of Pantheons”!
Anyway, Contest of Pantheons is a fun story of Greeks vs Egyptians and Layman does a great job in making it feel like a long-lost episode of the show. Xena and Gabrielle get dropped into the chess-match between pantheons and because of an accidental impalement, Gabrielle is chosen to be the champion of the Greeks where she’d be undoubtedly crushed by the giant blue Egyptian guy.
Autolycus and Joxer end up joining the fun too as well as a surprise double-cross with Callisto. Everyone is in-character, and Layman expertly mixes the high-stakes action sequences with the goofy sequences like Joxer fainting or the guys dressing as belly-dancers to trick some ice-giants. Plus Fabiano Neves’ photo-realistic art makes each character look like their actor’s without being too uncanny.
3 stars
In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings…a land in turmoil called out for a hero! She was XENA, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle! In this all-new series, writer VITA AYALA (Black Panther, Shuri, Wonder Woman, The Wilds) and artists OLYMPIA SWEETMAN, VASCO GEORGIEV, JORDI PEREZ, AND ERICA D’URSO throw Xena and her companion Gabrielle headfirst into a mysterious adventure. Can Xena discover the secrets of a village full of super-strong children, before jealous and petty GODS get involved?
If Contest of Pantheons was like a long-lost Xena episode, Road Warrior would be the reboot, declining the camp to bring about a mature treatise about not letting a previous generation’s mistakes affect the future, and a surprising redemption arc for Discord of all gods. Shocking, I know. This could be almost put into a three-parter if it was a tv show. The first part is primarily Xena helping the village and connecting with the magistrate in trying to atone for past deeds, giving it a sort pathos.
The second part is what I’d call the world tour as Zeus banishes Discord to mere mortalness at the ends of the Earth. The ends of the Earth being early Meso-American. From there to Russia to the Carpathian Mountains, Ayala pays tribute to the original series’ penchant for meeting figures of world myths, and Xena/Gabrielle being the origin of some of them in modern day like Baba Yaga.
While Ayala doesn’t do the goofy humor of the original show, there is some primarily in the form of Discord’s disgruntled-ness of her new mortal status and repression of anything resembling friendship or gratitude. Yet Ayala manages to pace it that her semi-redemption works and that it’s believable by the end that she’d willingly slay Dracula to help Xena and Gabrielle.
I do have some nitpicks in that the return to Greece felt rushed, Aphrodite felt out of character (more lovey gentle, not Valley Girl) and the action sequence in the labyrinth felt compulsory. The art by Jordi Perez in #3-4 were more cartoony (such big foreheads on everyone!) than the sleek look of the artists on the rest of the issues.
Otherwise, it was a fun, new look on what Xena could be for a new generation. Plus fans would be happy to note that she and Gabrielle are an official couple here.
4 stars
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Book of the Month: Six of Crows
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
Arguably the best book out of the Grishaverse, it was fun to get back into the Crows’ world, knowing everything in hindsight. It made the interactions between Jesper and Wylan sweeter, Mattias and Nina more bittersweet, and just rooting for Kaz and Inej to hold on. It probably also made it less confusing for me because my friend who was reading it for the first time had some trouble with the universe’s new rules and words but she got caught up.
Actually she got addicted to reading it into 1 in the morning because, as she said “It was on a literally cliffhanger! Inej was hanging onto a cliff, I had to find out what happened.” Yep, I got her addicted which brought us to conversing about netflix’s unfortunate decision to cancel it before they got the ice heist. It would have been so cool!
Nothing more illuminating there for book club. It was a fun, suspenseful adventure paired with Now You See Me for a magical heist marathon. Next up is another classic Where the Crawdads Sing. Both of us have read it so it should be interesting to see if it brings us a new perspective.
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 