Book review: Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Spoilers, kinda

I read Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann in June for Pride month, although of course I bought it months ago. Official book summary: 

Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting--working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual). Alice is done with dating--no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done. 

But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!). 

When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.

I was excited to read this book about a biromantic ace girl of color who worked in a library (so me!). Alice is super into Tumblr and pop culture, to boot. I did enjoy reading this book, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I did feel somewhat seen, but since the protagonist was a 19 year old college student who swooned and interior-monologued like a fanfiction character written by a teenage girl who read exclusively 2000s chicklit and 2010s tumblr posts, I felt more distracted and annoyed by the verbiage (it makes Meg Cabot books look like scholarly texts). All that stuff kept pulling me out if the story. It is so very internal. Also, there were not nearly enough scenes set in the library. Literally just like three.

It bugs me that the summary says Alice's ex-girlfriend broke up with her because Alice is asexual, because she actually dumped her because she felt Alice wasn't attracted to her and didn't truly love her since she didn't enjoy sex with her. Alice couldn't bring herself to tell her she's asexual. Some GoodReads reviewers said that the ex's high sex drive and need for a fulfilling sexual relationship was written about in a slut-shamey way, but I didn't pick up on that. I do agree a lot of the issue would have been resolved if Alice and her ex had sat down and talked about their views of sex and how un/important it was to them. That's what you do as adults. Anyway, that part of the book is at the beginning and fairly short. The book does tackle misconceptions about asexuality. Said GR reviewers also pointed out how weirdly Alice's attitude/experience towards arousal and sex was written about, to the point of being incorrect. I did not notice that initially, but I think they are right.

Alice's friend drama was of the annoying if-they-just-talked-to-each-other-it-wouldn't-be-a-big-deal variety, which was dumb. I felt her best friend Feenie was too harsh and unkind towards Alice and was much more in the wrong than she was. It also annoyed me how controlling Alice's parents and significantly older siblings were and how they were dead-set on her becoming a lawyer when she wasn't interested in it at all. I hate stories like that. Being the baby of her much older family explains Alice's naivete and immaturity, however. They and Alice's friends were always trying to make Alice's decisions for her. It makes sense in that context.

The love interest part was fine. Takumi was adequately swoon-worthy and their relationship was cute. I got kind of annoyed with how much Alice got all deer-in-the-headlights around him and clammed up or ran away, but to be fair I did the same stuff around that age whenever I encountered my crushes. Due to the way Alice's and Takumi's relationship was written (aka through Alice's romcom crushy lens), I was confused when Alice said she wanted to date Takumi instead of just being friends; their relationship felt quite romantic to me, so I thought they were already sort of together. I certainly have never taken care of a male friend when he was sick, or cuddled with him under blankets while watching a movie, nor have they ever cooked for me. I'm not sure how sustainable their relationship is, since it's based on Takumi continuing to be fine with no sex, but whatever. I know there are asexual/allosexual couples that have made it work. I found the cutie code silly to the point of being annoying.

Overall, while I found the writing annoying and the characterization somewhat lacking, I am glad I bought and read it. I do wish I had this book when I was 19. This is an #OwnVoices book (the author is also Black, although I don't know if she's ace), and I liked the way race and microaggressions were talked about. 4 out of 5 stars, because I liked it a lot more right after I finished reading it, haha

Cover notes: I like that the colors are supposed to be of the asexual flag, although there is not enough gray. I would have made the model's top gray, or made the background gray and kept the top white. I like the font and purple color of the title. What are those bangs, though?

Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Read in: June 28
From: Target
Format: paperback
Status: keeping

Trigger warnings for this book: sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, acephobia, aphobia, controlling parents/family members, a character takes a picture of another character while they're sleeping without their consent, racism mentions, discussions of sex, lust and arousal. That's all I can think of

Pet peeves at work

I wrote this ages ago, well before the pandemic. I haven't worked in person in a regular way at the library for well over a year. We're supposed to start working in-person again in September, which I'm both looking forward to and dreading. Anyway, enjoy.

• when I'm sitting at the reference desk and someone asks for another librarian 
• what am I, chopped liver?!?
• when no one takes me seriously, including students, because I look like a student
• when someone I've been helping with research in the archives asks another librarian for help
• and they totally know I could help them so it's clear they don't want me
• and my colleague doesn't know I've helped them previously so *she* dives into the archives to look for stuff that I totally could've looked for and found 
• and that's very nice of her but it feels like she's doing my job for me, plus I feel guilty since she's already so busy
• and I'm mad at the scholar for going over my head
• especially since it's something they never even asked me for help with!!!
• when people expect me to have an encyclopedic knowledge of eeeeeeeverything in the library. like lol yeah right
• but it bugs me because I also kind of feel like I should know everything we have
• when instructors ask us to do a library visit/instruction session with their class the week of, or, God forbid, the day before their class meets, especially during the busy season
• like yes, we were just totally sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting for you, this won't inconvenience us at all
• when people dump their crap donate items to us that we totally already have 1000 copies of, but by all means, give us your old junk
• when people assume they can just waltz into the special collections and riffle through our archival holdings themselves. Oh did you go to library school? No? Then you can't. 
• relatedly: when patrons want to access something in the archives and the other librarians just... let them into the off-limits-to-patrons room without even checking with me!!!
• when people LICK THEIR FINGERS to turn pages, especially of archival items!!! *shudder*
• when people bring food and drinks into the special collections reading room even though I specifically told them not to. You're not special and our rules do apply to you.
• gods just remembering that time a girl put a FRESH PEELED COCONUT on an ARCHIVAL BOX and it left a WET STAIN on it still gives me rage of the librarian variety. I'm having angina just thinking about it
• when I have to be at work for something first thing in the morning right after I've worked a night shift
• when people studying in the library don't throw away their trash or clean up crumbs, etc. ESTE NO ES UN HOTEL!
• when people studying in the library don't turn off the lamps they've been using when they leave and then I have to because no one else cares
• when someone comes to talk to me at the reference desk but they stand at the side of the desk instead of coming to the front of the desk in front of me like a normal person, even though there's no one there. like wtf???
• when my coworkers send out passive aggressive emails that are totally aimed at me
• when people are suuuuper slow to leave at closing time. Like I've already rung the buzzer and flicked the lights on and off and told you personally that we're closing. This isn't a store or restaurant where they close the doors but let you hang out for longer, just LEAVE already. 
• shoutout to the patron who kept trying to have a conversation with me ten minutes after closing time in the face of my repeatedly telling her we were closed and she had to leave 
• 
• also shoutout to the patron, who when I straight up told him we were closing and he needed to leave, asked me if he could have a couple minutes more. *John Mulaney voice and face* NO!
• when people ask me "are you busy?" at the reference desk. Yes, I am busy, I have specifically chosen to work here on this very public desk in the library labeled "REFERENCE DESK" where other librarians have helped you before/which is where your instructor told you to go get research help on my own personal project, it's not like the main/most important thing in the library is helping patrons or anything, I'm definitely going to turn you away
• like honestly I'm just social media-ing in the times between helping people 
• forreal dude just roll up and ask me your question
• when I see a student hovering near the desk while I'm already helping someone and I say "do you have a quick question?" and the student says "yes, I need help with [finding sources for their paper, something that is going to take at least fifteen minutes and for which they are definitely going to have to wait for me to be finished with the student I'm currently helping, obviously, don't play]"
• when a student asks me if we have a certain book. I realize this is very standard in libraries, but these are Gen Z students who absolutely know how to use the internet, there is no way they don't know about the library catalog because we make all freshmen do a library scavenger hunt and/or we've personally demonstrated how to look up books and articles in their classes, just go to the library website and click on Library Catalog, my dude
• I don't typically mind this but it's annoying when I'm helping someone else with a real research question
• when students walk allll the way from the back of the room where the printers are to the reference desk at the front of the room to ask for help with some tech problem when they could have just asked the computer lab worker, who is situated at the middle of the room in an obvious separate desk, for help
• when I catch students getting physical in the study rooms. Gross. Like hello, these are STUDY rooms, do not "get a room" here. ESTE NO ES UN HOTEL! 
• the same goes for couples getting cozy on our giant bean bag. Like do you want to have to tell the admin assistant you got body fluids on the bean bag? Because I'm not going to be the one to do that, lovebirds.
• when students are loud
• when the printers don't work
• when the student workers get too comfortable and treat their shifts like a social hour or study time only. You're here to work, so even if there's not a whole lot for you to do, look around and see if anyone at the printers looks like they need help, computer worker
• when people (especially student workers, who should know better) listen to music or videos without headphones, or when they have the headphones but the audio is WAY TOO LOUD and the sound is still very audible
• when the wifi doesn't work, which is MOST OF THE TIME!!! This is a UNIVERSITY and a UNIVERSITY LIBRARY besides!! Students come here to study!! Like WTF!!!
• when I contact IT about this and they're like hurr durr we can't do anything
• when it's too cold or hot
• and we don't even have control over the temperature in our own library!!! Freaking physical plant department does, and of course they can't be arsed
• when people ask me for stuff with a very "you're The Help and I'm your boss" kind of energy
• you know, like this is The Devil Wears Prada and they're Meryl Streep and I'm Anne Hathaway. Just like spiritually/mentally flinging their designer coat into my face
• Like obviously I'm going to help you! That is my job! I just don't like them putting on classist airs about it
• obviously all of the typical librarian and archivist pet peeves apply too 
• when people ask me for things they've already asked me for, especially if it's something I had to work to get, such as a thesis from an obscure part of the archives area. Like did you not read the email I sent you? We've been over this? Hello?
• when people come talk to me for no reason (depends on my mood). If it's not information based, I don't know how to handle conversations, and you're wasting my time and the time of anyone waiting for me to be available for questions.
• I'm especially thinking of white baby boomer men. White baby boomer men are soooo annoying because they think they are so charming and funny, and they usually aren't. I hate the stupid jokes they make. I'm a huge target for them at that front-facing desk, as any young woman in the service industries knows.
• when someone incredibly technologically ignorant is trying to do something at the computers and keeps asking me questions about the simplest things. I know it's not their fault but it's still annoying to me. Like ma'am, you should know how to how to use email if you're in college/applying for a job. I especially dislike when they ask me for help every 30-60 seconds and make me get up from my desk every time instead of just admitting they're going to need my help for every single step of the way and can I please sit with them and help them. Like let's be real here.

The Sleepless Grape

 Like any ready fruit, I woke
falling toward beginning and
welcome, all of night
the only safe place.
Spoken for, I knew
a near hand would meet me
everywhere I heard my name
and the stillness ripening
around it. I found my inborn minutes
decreed, my death appointed
and appointing. And singing
gathers the earth
about my rest,
making of my heart a way home
the stars hold open.            

 

~Li-young Lee, from Water Stone

Disney Loteria cards

I recently bought a Disney version of a loteria game from someone on Etsy. It's a really cute idea and I like it a lot, but there are a lot of cards missing from the game. Obviously, in any updated version of the game, the racist Apache and negrito cards should be removed. However, there are so many cards missing that would be relatively easy to find! In searching for "disney loteria" on Etsy, I immediately found a different version of Disney loteria from another Etsy seller. Therefore, I decided to write up the ideal version of Disney loteria, with the different/best options for each card. 

el gallo - The version I bought has Hei Hei the rooster from Moana, while the other version has Panchito Pistoles from The Three Caballeros. They're both valid, but I'd choose Panchito over Hei Hei because he's Mexican. It just feels right to have him be the rooster in a game of Disney loteria, doesn't it? He's Disney and Mexican.

el diablito - My version turned this into "la diabla" and put Cruella de Vil, which is perfect. The other version has Hades, which both works and doesn't, as Greek mythology is far older than Christian theology, and probably Jewish theology as well. He is the ruler of the underworld, but he's not evil like the devil is (although he is the villain in Hercules). Overall I think Cruella is a better choice, as her name literally is devil. You could also use any of the devils from that one piece in the original Fantasia.

la dama - My version's choice here was Minnie Mouse, which makes sense. The other version put Lady from Lady and the Tramp, which is a nice little bilingual joke. Lady = dama. I do want Minnie to be featured in this game but I love the pun aspect of putting Lady. 

el catrín - Coincidentally, my version put Mickey Mouse, who is in white tie (la dama y el catrín are kind of paired). The other version actually has Goofy in white tie. I love the idea of putting, like, a penguin here instead (Mary Poppins), or like Bert with the penguins (if I remember correctly they're dressed the same). 

el paraguas - the umbrella. Both versions got it right here, by putting Mary Poppins and her umbrella.

la sirena - Ariel (The Little Mermaid) for both, obviously. Mine actually went out of their way to find a picture of her where she's posing like the original illustration.

la escalera - the bookshelf ladder from Beauty and the Beast, naturally, for both.  I highly approve.

la botella - My version has the bottle Smee is drinking from (Peter Pan), while the other one used the Drink Me bottle from Alice in Wonderland. I prefer the second option; it's much more iconic, and the picture of Smee drinking would go better under el borracho. Isn't Tinkerbell trapped in a bottle as well? That's another option.

el barril - My version has Pooh with a barrel of honey, while the other has the older brother from Onward standing in a barrel (I've only seen that movie once so I don't remember if that happened or not). Doesn't Pooh eat honey from a honey pot, not a barrel? I'd personally use the barrel that the snake gets stuck in in Robin Hood.

el árbol - Mine has Tarzan swinging in the trees, while the other has what I believe to be the big, lit-up tree from Disney Animal Kingdom. I prefer the latter, but not everyone is going to know that reference. I would have chosen Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas.

el melón - Melón can mean either melon or specifically cantaloupe. My version left this one out, and I can't see if the other did as well. I'd use the melon Rafiki uses to paint in The Lion King.

el valiente - My version used Hercules, while the other used Merida. That totally makes sense, and I like the gender neutrality. Hercules is more of a call back to the original flexing man illustration, while Merida's movie is literally called Brave because she's brave, so both work. For her it'd be la valiente.

el gorrito - Basically, the little cap. Mine has Jiminy Cricket and his top hat (Pinocchio), while the other has Mickey in his sorcerer's hat. I'd choose the latter, as it's more iconic. 

la muerte - Death, in the form of a skeleton wielding a scythe. My version has the evil queen in hag form with the poison skull apple (Snow White), while the other version has Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas). Both work quite well, but I'm leaning towards Jack as he's actually a skeleton.

la pera - the pear. My version left this one out, while the other appears to have photoshopped a picture of the pear into baby Moana's hand, presumably to be able to include her (she is adorable). I'd try to find a movie screenshot with a pear in it, rather than resorting to that.

la bandera - Mine has Lightning McQueen with the black and white checkered racing flags above him, while I can't tell if the other one included that card or not. La bandera is of course the Mexican flag, which is shown in The Three Caballeros and Coco, but the racing flags are a creative way to make this card politically neutral. I'm sure there are plain generic flags flown in medieval-set movies like Robin Hood.

el bandolón - This is a specific musical instrument used in mariachi bands, similar to a lute or guitar. There's a lot of mariachis in Coco; one of them must have a bandolón. This one was omitted from my version, while the other one just photoshopped a bandolón into a picture of Miguel (Coco).

el violoncello - I believe this is the old, full name for cello. Mine omitted it, while the other has a picture of Clara Cluck playing the cello. I know there's a few scenes in various movies with a group of musicians; one of them ought to be playing the cello. I'm pretty sure one of the musicians in the opening ball scene in the live action Beauty and the Beast is playing the violoncello. 

la garza - the heron, omitted from my version. The other version just photoshopped a heron next to the Queen of Hearts, as if she was using that instead of a flamingo for the croquet game. Lazy. Maybe we could cheat a bit and use any heron-looking bird, like a stork or one of those skinny birds that flies overhead during the circle of life in The Lion King. 

el pajaro - Here mine used the bird from A Bug's Life, while the other version used a picture of Maleficent with her raven on her shoulder (Sleeping Beauty). I prefer the former. "Bird" is very generic, so you can easily find examples in pretty much every movie. I'd personally use the birds in Cinderella or Snow White; they're more iconic. For a standalone bird, maybe Zazu from The Lion King.

la mano - My version used Mickey Mouse's hands, while the other used Wreck-It Ralph's enormous hand. Personally Mickey's gloved hands are more iconic; I would just use one á la the original.

la bota - The boot was omitted in mine, and I can't find it in the other. I'd use Gaston's boot(s), which we already get a closeup of during his invasion of Belle's home. Easy. Done.

la luna - My version uses the full moon behind Simba, Timon and Pumba doing their hakuna matata dance. It's lovely, but a crescent moon should be used. I cannot find the other version's moon. It would be cool if the crescent moon city from Treasure Planet were used. 

el cotorro - My version has Iago, Jafar's parrot (Aladdin). I can't find the other version's parrot card. I'm fine with Iago, but I'd love a parrot from The Tiki Room. Bonus Mexicanness: my grandpa worked on the Tiki Room. I guess we're sticking to animation though.

el borracho - My (misspelled) version has Hades as the drunkard, while Smee is rightfully put as the drunkard in the other version. Doesn't somebody get drunk in Pinocchio? That could be another option.

Obviously the el negrito card is racist so we're not discussing it, but I'm shocked the version I don't have chose to keep it in and put Dr. Facilier. That's messed up.

el corazon - My version put the Queen of Hearts with her heart lollipop-looking scepter, while the other version has the casket with stabbed heart lock/decoration that the evil queen is holding (Snow White). Both work, but I like the Queen of Hearts a bit more for this card. Doesn't one of the Disney Princess movies end with a heart around the couple's heads? I'd use that.

la sandia - Neither version included the watermelon. There's a fruit stand in Lilo & Stitch, probably with a shot of watermelons. I know a few characters have done Carmen Miranda reference costumes with fruit on their heads.

el tambor - Mine didn't include a drum card, and I can't find it in the other version. This one makes me mad, because there are so many musical numbers in Disney movies. Most of them show somebody playing a drum. There are so many options. Dopey plays the drum in Snow White.

el camarón - Omitted for mine, and unfindable for the other. The French tank-cleaning shrimp from Finding Nemo. They literally used Martin and Dory for el pescado and they didn't think about the shrimp? Another option is a seafood or "Under the Sea" scene from The Little Mermaid.

las jaras - The arrows. My version used Merida and her bow and arrows for this, while I can't tell for the other version. I personally would use the arrows from Robin Hood. 

el musico - My version uses Miguel from Coco, as he's a musician, while the other uses the dwarf band from Snow White. I love Miguel, of course.

la araña - Mine omitted this one, while I can't tell if the other version has it or not. I'd put the French? spider from James and the Giant Peach.

el soldado - Both versions put a green army man from Toy Story, and rightfully so.

la estrella - Mine omitted this one, while the other version rightfully used the Evangeline star that becomes the Blue Fairy (The Princess and the Frog, Pinocchio). I'm even angrier about this one than the omission of el tambor.

el cazo -  Mine also omitted this one. Just use literally any pot/caldron cooking soup or whatever. There must be so many. Try Ratatouille, as the other version did (it looks photoshopped though).

el mundo - the world. Omitted from mine, can't tell with the other. Just use any globe from any study. I'm pretty sure Merlin has one in The Sword in the Stone, Theo from Atlantis, etc. There's one in the camp the animals destroy in Tarzan.

el nopal - Omitted from my version, can't tell with the other. There must be a depiction of a nopal cactus in Coco or in The Three Caballeros or Saludos Amigos or somewhere. If not, change this one to el cactus and show one of the saguaro cacti from the Mexico part of T3C.

el alacrán - I cannot recall any Disney movie having a scorpion, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Mine of course doesn't have this one, while the other just photoshopped one in front of a scared bb Simba in The Lion King.

la rosa - both versions used the enchanted rose from Beauty and the Beast, and rightfully so. There's simply nothing better.

la calavera - skull. My version used Hector from Coco, while the other used the skull and crossbones from the Pirates of the Caribbean. If we're sticking to animation, the skull and crossbones from Hook's Jolly Roger flag (Peter Pan) should be used.

la campana - My version used one of the huge church bells from Hunchback of Notre Dame, while the other just... straight up photoshopped a bell into Quasimodo's hand. I mean. The screenshots are right there.

el cantarito - a (small) pitcher or jug. Mine of course omitted this, while the other one used a pic of Mowgli carrying a water jug on his head at the end of The Jungle Book. This works, but I'd personally use the pitcher the birds pour water on Cinderella with.

el venado - Both versions rightfully used Bambi the deer.

el sol - Mine ignored this one, while the other version... photoshopped the sun behind the skinny kid from Onward. Not sure why, when the sun from Tangled is RIGHT THERE.

la corona - My version used a picture of Sleeping Beauty getting crowned with her tiara, while the other version used Prince John and his oversized crown (Robin Hood). I'd definitely choose the latter, as it's actually part of the movie. Another option is Rapunzel's tiara since it's so important to her movie.

la chalupa - a chalupa is a small boat, like a canoe or rowboat. My version used the boat that Rapunzel and Eugene row on the lake? in, while the other used Moana's first smaller boat. I think this is wrong because that boat clearly has a mast and sail, while chalupas do not. The first boat is a vastly better option. I think the best option would be to use the rowboat that Ariel and Prince Eric almost kiss in during "Kiss the Girl" (The Little Mermaid). 

el pino - My version uses the pine trees behind Olaf in Frozen, while the other version uses Mickey and Minnie Mouse's Christmas tree. Both are fine. 

el pescado - Both versions used Martin and Dory from Finding Nemo. Another option is to use the goldfish from Pinocchio.

la palma - Both versions used nearly the exact same picture of Lilo and Stitch sitting in a hammock strung between two palm trees.

la maceta - the flowerpot. Mine omitted this, per usual. The other used baby Groot in his flowerpot. There are literally so many flowerpots in Disney films and shorts. I mean come on.

el harpa - Both versions used Duchess playing the harp in The AristoCats, which I approve of.

la rana - Both versions used the prince-frog from The Princess and the Frog, which, duh.

I'm irritated the seller left so many cards out. I paid almost $9 for an incomplete PDF, for pete's sake. It was difficult to see whether the other Disney loteria version had all the cards or not because their listing shows only like 3 playing cards and a handful of individual cards. The text is rather hard to read, as well. I may try to make my own versions of the missing cards, using the format of the set I bought. We'll see if my nonexistent photoshopping skills can do it.

Books read in 2020

• Total books read during this year: 22
• Total books that I started to read but didn't finish: 2
  
• physical books read: 22
• ebooks read: 0
• physical books started but unfinished: 2
• ebooks started but unfinished: 0
• Library books read: 1
• Library books started but unread: 0
• Books I liked: 13
• Books I loved: 4
• Books I hated: 0
  
• Books I disliked or found meh: 2
• Books I felt strongly about but can't classify as love or hate: 3
  
• Books given away: I put at least 1 book in a Free Little Library but I can't remember how many
  
• #1 most loved book this year: Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel Lavery
  
• #1 most hated book this year: tie between The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald and Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper. They just made me so angry!
  

I keep reading fewer and fewer books each year, but at least for this one I had a pandemic I could pin the blame on. I no longer had four-hour blocks where I sat at a desk in the library and waited for people to come to me, so I read less. When you're doing virtual reference on a computer, you might as well just be on social media as well. Plus there was that whole people dying needlessly at the hands of a hateful and incompetent political regime thing, which was a tad stressful. A lot of people on the internet were reading a lot less as well, while some were reading more, so ymmv. I've completely moved away from ebooks in the last couple of years, and tried to read mostly from my TBR books or new purchases. Fewer library books because I was mostly at home and not trawling the stacks at work. I visited hardly any thrift stores, but I did buy a bunch of books from Barnes & Noble (I know, I know, but they were 50% off or more) and independent bookstores. I also asked for books for my birthday and Christmas, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  oh well! I will probably always have more 'in' books than 'out' books.

Once again, an enormous shoutout to Book Riot and their reading spreadsheet. It has truly changed the game for me. Here's their 2021 reading log spreadsheet. 

Here are some of my pie charts of my reading stats.

Love seeing the variety of genres I've read.

 

"Other" refers to group authors or no author given.

Gains in the queer authors/protagonists sector, I think (I don't believe that info was collected in the 2019 spreadsheet), while I clearly still need to do better with reading authors and characters of color.

November and December books

 Yikes, I am so behind on my book blogging. 

A Tale of Two Castles is a book I had on my to read list for a while. I no longer remember where I bought it; I'm guessing I probably got it from Savers or another thrift store; Dollar Tree is another possibility. The book is by Gail Carson Levine, who was one of my favorite authors when I was younger, so I knew it would be good. Despite the title, the book is not a retelling of A Tale of Two Cities, but rather of Puss in Boots. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure that out; probably halfway through the book at the earliest. The reason for that is because, instead of being told from the perspective of any of the characters in Puss in Boots, it's told from the perspective of an original character. Amazon summary:

Newly arrived in the town of Two Castles, Elodie unexpectedly becomes the assistant to a brilliant dragon named Meenore--and together, they begin to solve mysteries. 

Their most important case concerns the town’s shape-shifting ogre, Count Jonty Um, who believes someone is plotting against him. Elodie must disguise herself to discover the source of the threat amid a cast of characters that includes a greedy king, a giddy princess, and a handsome cat trainer.

Overall, I thought this book was very good and I enjoyed reading it. This book felt more grounded in its  medieval world than Levine's other fantasies have been, probably because she clearly researched life in the middle ages and peppered her book with factoids. For example, Elodie recounted having to bathe last all the time; her father would go first, then her mother, then their adult permanent guest, then Elodie because she's a child. The bath water, by the time she got to it, would be gray. As someone who is interested in medieval Europe, I very much enjoyed this book and most of its characters (Elodie was constantly talking back and interrupting her elders to the point of being annoying, and the only ahistorical thing is that none of them smacked her for it). I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a fairytale retelling, particularly one of a fairytale that has not already been retold to death. Fans of Karen Cushman's medieval girl books will love this one as well. Amazon just told me that there is a sequel, and I absolutely am going to check it out. 4/5 stars, probably giving away. Trigger warnings for this book: attempted murder, poisonings, animal cruelty & possibly murder, imprisonment, descriptions of medieval European hygiene (humans having fleas etc.), speciesism and prejudice against fantastical creature/person, theft, can't think of any others.  Cover notes: I like everything on this cover except for the portrayal of Elodie. Elodie is a peasant who wore plain peasant garb; she would absolutely not be wearing such a fine dress. I don't like the pinched-looking face they gave her.

 

I reread Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery, as is my custom each holiday season. 

 

I also read (or reread) a book called Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner. He's also written a couple of Politically Correct fairytale retellings. Basically he puts these famous stories through a politically correct lens, which changes them completely. It's difficult to say whether Garner is poking fun at the patriarchal, Christian-centric, sexist stories or at PC culture; it seems to be both. To give you an example, his Frosty the Snowpersun has the titular character start up a protest movement for snowpurson rights, and they eventually melt under the lights of the television studio where they are being interviewed. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (can't remember his politically correct moniker) formed a union with the reindeer so that Santa Claus would give them what they were due. Stuff like that. Relatively amusing, but I won't be keeping this one. 3/5 stars.  Cover notes: Santa & Mrs. Claus are looking out their window at a crowd of elf protesters holding picket signs that are decidedly pro-union and anti-Claus. Kind of funny but they deserve it. Trigger warnings for this book: inclusivity and political correctness mocked; depictions of misogyny, capitalism, sexism and speciesism; character death/melting. Can't think of any others.

October books

The first book I read in October was Frida A-Z: The Life of an Icon from Activism to Zapotec by Nadia Bailey with illustrations by Susanna Harrison. I got it for my birthday. It's a combination alphabet picture book and biography of Frida Kahlo, where each letter stands for something important in Frida's life. Neither author nor illustrator sounds like they're Mexican (they're both Australian), and this is usually a point of concern for me. There are a lot of (white) women who love Frida Kahlo, but they often don't see past the flower crowns (which she never wore) or the pretty dresses. I feel like latinx women, especially Mexican women, are the ones who best understand what makes Frida so important and special. However, Bailey did her research, and the book did not seem surface-level at all. I actually learned a few new things from this book. When it comes to Harrison's art, however, it was lovely, but she made Frida too pink. Frida's father was German and her mother was of Spanish and indigenous descent, but she was nowhere near that level of white. Clearly Harrison chose the trendy tropical millennial pink aesthetic over actually capturing what Frida looked like (we have so many pictures of her, you guys), and in the process accidentally whitewashed her. Another drawback was that there were no sources listed for the information the author wrote! This is my #1 pet peeve for nonfiction books. Just throw in a list of sources at the end! It's not that hard! Overall, however, this is a beautiful and well thought out book that is a must-have for every Frida fan. The book candidly discusses Frida's injuries, affairs, miscarriages, and bisexuality*, so I wouldn't recommend this as a children's book (it's probably fine for junior high aged kids). 4/5 stars, keeping. Trigger warnings for this book: miscarriages mentions, horrific injury description, body horror, infidelity, smoking, alcohol mention (I think), nudity in some of the art. 

 

The next two October books, which I'm grouping together, are The Home Edit and The Home Edit Life by Clea Shearer & Joanna Teplin. I love organizing and cleaning shows, such as the Marie Kondo show on Netflix, so when I saw Netflix had come out with another similar show, The Home Edit, I had to watch it. Needless to say, I became obsessed, and bought their two books immediately from Barnes & Noble and Target. Similar to the show, the books show off celebrities' huge and beautifully organized kitchens, pantries, closets, etc., and Clea & Joanna share organizing tips to maximize space and display items. There is so much organization p0rn, you guys. I love the books and their rainbow pages, and Clea & Joanna are a delight. My only wish is that they had clearly outlined and depicted exactly the kinds of canisters, boxes, storage organizers, etc. they used, with ideas of how to use each one. If it weren't for the TV show where they show you how they organize rooms, this would be a major drawback for me. However, if you love organizing and Marie Kondo, I'd definitely recommend these books. 4.5/5 and 4/5 stars, respectively; the first THE book gets an extra half star because most pictures include lists of items used for containing. Trigger warnings: none that I can remember

 

*obviously I don't think bisexuality is something to hide from the children! some kids are bi. People are bi, Steven. I just know how some parents get

July-September books

 Wow, I really haven't posted in a while, haven't I? I didn't read any books in June.

I picked up triple threat & bicon Alan Cumming's memoir, Not My Father's Son, from the dollar store and read it in July. It's about his childhood under the thumb of his terrifying, abusive father, and about him learning about his estranged WWII veteran grandfather by going on a celebrity genealogy TV show, drawing parallels between both of these stories. This book was difficult to read due to the abuse, but it was so good, and it's clear Cumming is in a good place now and going to therapy and stuff. He's an excellent writer, and I'm glad I read this book. 4/5 stars, giving away. Trigger warnings for this book: child abuse, physical abuse, violence, suicide mention, emotional abuse, trauma, domestic abuse, alcoholism, PTSD mention, firearm misuse mention, infidelity, I can't remember any more

 

August's first book was Samantha Irby's We Are Never Meeting In Real Life. I've read her first book of memoir essays, Meaty, and this was just as good and gross and hilarious and sad as that. She writes about her relationships (including with her now-wife), IBS, her cat and her job which she hates, her father dying, and more. I follow Sam on social media and she is a delight. 4/5 stars, keeping (bought this one from Target). Trigger warnings for this book: death, alcoholism, gross body stuff, sexually explicit scenes, depression I think, racism I think

 

Next I read another dollar store book, The History of Food in 101 Objects. This book was very interesting, with a lot of food and food production facts and colorful photographs. I wish there had been a bibliography or reference list; as a librarian, I side-eye any nonfiction book that doesn't say where their information came from. You don't have to have in-text citations! Just throw a list of your sources in at the end! No one will read it anyway! There is also no listed author, which was weird to me. Another weird thing: I am not sure of the intended audience for this book. Is it for kids? Is it for adults? It works and doesn't work for both. Either way, it's a great bathroom book. 3.5/5 stars, giving away. No triggers that I can think of, unless you have food-based triggers

 

My September book (also from the dollar store) was Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler, which is a modern-day retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. They updated the story by having the main character Kate's love interest be her father's research assistant Pyotr who needs to get married to an American to get a green card. I thought this was incredibly selfish of her father to just offer her up just because she was single, even for someone who lived entirely in the world of the mind. It made me sad how he cared way more about his research than his daughters. Kate really isn't a shrew, just extremely honest/blunt and lacking in social skills (possibly on the autism spectrum, as well as her dad), and her 15 year old sister Bunny is pulled straight out of a 1950s teen dream movie or something. Her name is Bunny, for starters, which is in no way an actual nickname for Berenice or whatever, she's always on the landline phone with boys, and she twirls her hair around her finger and says stuff like "isn't it nice of you to say so?" to them. Nobody born after 1970 talks like that. She has an older boyfriend who is 19, and no one besides Kate sees how creepy and wrong that is. The dad does not care and does nothing. Kate decides to go through with the wedding because she wants a different life for herself and Pyotr says he'll put her through grad school. The wedding is completely disastrous, with Pyotr showing that he cares more about the research then anything else, even though the book was trying to convince us that he liked her. Kate's big "men should dominate women, actually" speech in the Shakespeare play is changed to "it's really hard to be a man because they can't talk about their feelings and aren't given social tools to deal with them like women are". Which, whatever. Overall, I mostly liked Kate and the way her work at a preschool was written about, as well as the observations about how people Kate knew became way nicer to her once they learned she's engaged. Society really loves it when women conform to its roles for them. Overall, kind of disappointed in the book, although the writing is good. I'd read more from this author. It may interest you to learn that the book is part of a series, Hogarth Shakespeare series, that is all modern retellings of Shakespeare plays. 3.5/5 stars, giving away. Cover notes: I like this one better than my copy. Trigger warnings for this book: parental neglect and selfishness, adult dating a teenager, one character punches another (but he deserves it), mention of death from heart condition (I think)