#24in48: A Reading Stack

I love readathons (what's better than an entire weekend of nothing but books, books, and people who like books talking about books, books, and people who like books?), and the #24in48 is one of my favorites. It's a bit more flexible than the Dewey readathon (the goal: 24 hours of reading in a 48-hour timeframe), and I'm always thrilled when the dates work in my schedule.

Book Review: The Star Side of Bird Hill, by Naomi Jackson

This review originally ran in Shelf Awareness for Readers.

Naomi Jackson's debut novel, The Star Side of Bird Hill, centers on two young girls living in Brooklyn in 1989: Dionne, a 16-year-old who has just discovered makeup and boys, and her sister, Phaedra, a 10-year-old tomboy. When their mother is unable to care for them, the sisters are sent to spend the summer with their grandmother Hyacinth in Bird Hill, Barbados. The trio makes an unlikely family unit. Dionne is most interested in young love and testing the limits of her independence; Phaedra would spend her days climbing trees and exploring Bird Hill if allowed; and Hyacinth must balance the demands of two young girls with her role as the town's midwife.

Rounding Up (Feminist, Bad Ass) Romance Recommendations

Last month, before heading to the beach, I decided I wanted to better understand the romance genre. This came in part from some incredibly ignorant comments floating around the bookish internet about the genre, and in part from my recognition that my own knowledge of an entire, vast and robust part of the publishing field is sadly lacking.

I ventured to a local bookstore only to find myself overwhelmed with rows upon rows of books that all looked--and sounded--exactly the same. I know better than to think that every single romance book ever published is exactly the same as every single other romance book ever published, but it seems publishers are doing their damnedest to make sure readers can't recognize that fact.

A Refresh!

Though I've been slow to read and review and post lately, I did manage to find the energy to refresh the blog design this past week. It's now live and on the site, so if you're reading in a feed reader or via email subscription, come take a look and let me know what you think!

And thanks, as always, for reading.

Week in Reading: July 6th (or 7th...)

Fireworks and hot dogs and family, oh my. That's what my weekend consisted of: a house full of people I love, incredible fireworks in the park downtown, and an afternoon at a local amusement park (complete with bumper boats and rickety old roller coasters). All that fun didn't leave a lot of room for reading, but I'm ok with that--sometimes it's good to give your eyes a break, right?

Despite the hectic weekend, I actually drafted this post yesterday for my typical Monday round-up of weekly reads, but forgot to publish it, so here you go, a day late:

Book Review: The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins

This review originally ran in Shelf Awareness for Readers.

The Library at Mount Char, Scott Hawkins's debut novel, is strange and complicated and convoluted. But with a little trust in Hawkins's world-building, readers can acclimate to the book's fantastical elements. What emerges from the first chaotic scenes is a dark and philosophical novel about the nature of power and control, cruelty and humanity.

The Best of June

June was a good month. Lots of reading, lots of travel (lots of train trips!), lots of sunshine. I wrote about most of my favorite June reads in yesterday's roundup of the best books of the year so far, but let me recap quickly: