I decided to read George for the #ReadICT prompt "read a challenged book." Out of all the challenged books, why George? My state made headlines in 2017 when a school district refused to buy copies for its libraries even though the book was part of the William Allen White books list. This list is released yearly in Kansas and nearly all school districts buy every book on the list.
And my state made headlines once again in 2019 when a public library wanted to "change" how LGBTQ+ books were organized in its building. So of course I picked up a copy of George.
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Titles Read
A Superhero's Duty by Patricia Gilliam (finished-Goodreads-My Review) Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (ongoing-Goodreads) A Demon-Haunted Land by Monica Black (finished-Goodreads-My Review) Total hours read: 5 hours 30 minutes Total hours listened: 10 hours 36 minutes Final Thoughts I had a lot of fun participating in Bout of Books 30! It was a really great way for me to start my reading goals and to meet other fellow bookworms. I look forward to be able to participate in Bout of Books 31 (May 10-16).
Monica Black's new book doesn't focus on literal supernatural beings. Instead, it provides a fascinating look at human psychology when faced with deep-rooted trauma, guilt, and the aftermath of war. The post-WWII years saw a rising popularity of faith healers and an increase in witchcraft accusations in Germany.
In A Demon-Haunted Land, Black examines German living standards and psychology during the post-war period to understand how such things were able to occur in the 20th century. Although there were times that I felt that the book focused too heavily on one particular faith healer (almost a bit too biographic), I enjoyed Black's research and found the concepts presented truly fascinating. Once Black broke down certain causes and influences to the witch craze, it was interesting to apply those same things to other similar situations to get a better understanding of people's psychology during that occurrence. This is a topic that I have never considered before and it's thanks to Black that I would like to do my own personal research to learn more. My Rating: ??? Amazon | Bookshop
The first book in "The Heroes of Corvus" series, A Superhero's Duty by Patricia Gilliam is a wonderful blend of urban fantasy and science fiction.
Icarus, a villain-for-hire, finds himself filled with guilt when a planned fight against hero, Red Bolt, ends in the accidental death of the hero, three civilians and a young boy becoming an orphan. However, Icarus soon realizes that there was more going on during the fight than he first believed and that city of Corvus is in great danger. "Armed guards were stationed near almost every entry and exit, and every one of them reacted as if I was a threat until they saw Beth and Fisher beside me. Exploring on my own would be out of the question." -A Superhero's Duty by Patricia Gilliam A Superhero's Duty is a urban fantasy and sci-fi book that centers on villain-for-hire, Icarus. One of my most fun reads for this week!
I don't normally read shojo manga, but after listening to Melissa Read's review on this manga I knew I had to give it a shot.
"Yuki is a typical college student–it’s just that she can’t hear. A chance encounter on a train leads to a serious crush…but will he give her a chance?"-Penguin House I really loved how Yuki was portrayed in this manga. Never once does Morishita make the reader pity Yuki because of her deafness. Yuki is going to school, has her own friend group, her own interests, her own dreams, and her own way of communicating. And of course, like all college students at some point, Yuki falls in love.
I was a bit disappointed to discover that the summary on the book jacket exaggerated the plot a bit. But I continued the book and did like the story.
Operation Oleander is a middle school book that centers on military kid Jess and her friends Sam and Meriwether. The teens created Operation Oleander to help deliver school supplies to an orphanage in Afghanistan. Jess and Meriwether's parents, both stationed in Afghanistan, help deliver the supplies to the orphanage. One day tragedy hits when insurgents strike the orphanage during a delivery.
Let me tell all the non-native Kansans something. When you're from Kansas, you get EXCITED when Kansas is featured in any book. I knew I had to read this the moment I found out it made it to the 2020 Kansas Notable Books list.
For those unfamiliar with this part of U.S. history, the term Exodusters refers to African-Americans who left the South after the Civil War and settled in places like Oklahoma, Colorado, and...Kansas!
I've read mystery books before, but I did not expect Higashino to approach the genre in a such a unique way!
At the surface, this crime story is a "whodunit" that centers on Detective Kyoichiro Kaga finding the murderer of a divorcee who was found strangled to death in her apartment. The story is propelled forward as Detective Kaga interviews different people connected and not connected to the crime. Each chapter focuses on a different person or family. And I absolutely loved how characters, objects, and even statements featured in one chapter would flow from one chapter to the next as Detective Kaga worked to find the murderer. Right now, three blocks away, Meriwether's world is coming apart. At the same time people exist whose lives go on and who are going to the Magic Kingdom. A sob escapes into the room, and I don't know if it's mine or someone else's.
-Operation Oleander by Valerie O. Patterson (pg. 56)
This is a quote from one of my first books of the year. In these crazy pandemic times, I gave it more thought than I probably would have during other circumstances.
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