Pages

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Friday 56: Feb. 26th

 

 


Friday 56 
is hosted by 
Freda's Voice . The idea is to share a sentence from the 56th page of the book you are currently reading 


RULES:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and add the url to your post to the linky on Freda's page.


Here's my snippet:

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Review: Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists

 By Mikki Kendall and A. D'Amico



The ongoing struggle for women's rights has spanned human history, touched nearly every culture on Earth, and encompassed a wide range of issues, such as the right to vote, work, get an education, own property, exercise bodily autonomy, and beyond. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is a fun and fascinating graphic novel-style primer that covers the key figures and events that have advanced women's rights from antiquity to the modern era. In addition, this compelling book illuminates the stories of notable women throughout history--from queens and freedom fighters to warriors and spies--and the progressive movements led by women that have shaped history, including abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights, LGBTQ liberation, reproductive rights, and more. Examining where we've been, where we are, and where we're going, Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is an indispensable resource for people of all genders interested in the fight for a more liberated future.

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Friday 56: Feb. 19th

 


Friday 56 
is hosted by 
Freda's Voice . The idea is to share a sentence from the 56th page of the book you are currently reading 


RULES:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and add the url to your post to the linky on Freda's page.


Here's my snippet:

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Audiobook: Pushout

Written by Monique W. Morrison

Read by Kristyl Dawn Tift

Fifteen-year-old Diamond stopped going to school the day she was expelled for lashing out at peers who constantly harassed and teased her for something everyone on the staff had missed: she was being trafficked for sex. After months on the run, she was arrested and sent to a detention center for violating a court order to attend school.

Just 16 percent of female students in the USA, Black girls make up more than one-third of all girls with a school-related arrest. The first book to tell these untold stories, Pushout exposes a world of confined potential and supports the growing movement to address the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures.

For four years Monique W. Morris, author of Black Stats, chronicled the experiences of black girls across America whose intricate lives are misunderstood, highly judged—by teachers, administrators, and the justice system—and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. Morris shows how, despite obstacles, stigmas, stereotypes, and despair, black girls still find ways to breathe remarkable dignity into their lives in classrooms, juvenile facilities, and beyond.

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Review: The Duke and I

 By Julia Quinn

(TBR book)


In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Audiobook: The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling

By Wai Chim

Read by Christina Ho


An authentic novel about growing up in a migrant Asian family with a mother who is suffering from a debilitating mental illness.

Anna Chiu has her hands full. When she's not looking after her brother and sister or helping out at her father's restaurant, she's taking care of her mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. Her father's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she could be a normal teen.

But when her mother finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as her mother's condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling is a heart-wrenching, true-to-life exploration through the often neglected crevices of culture, mental illness, and family. Its strong themes are balanced by a beautiful romance making it a feel-good, yet important listen.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Friday 56: 2.12.21


*It has been years since I've participated in these meme*

Friday 56 
is hosted by 
Freda's Voice . The idea is to share a sentence from the 56th page of the book you are currently reading 


RULES:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and add the url to your post to the linky on Freda's page.


Here's my snippet:

Monday, February 8, 2021

Mini Reviews: Selena & Cranes

 




Here are two small reviews, an ebook and audiobook: 


To Selena, With Love by Chris Perez



Selena Quintanilla. I grew up with this legend and after watching the first season on Netflix, I wanted to read Chris Perez's version of what happened. In this book, Chris Perez, Selena's husband, recounted how he came to be the guitarist in the band Selena y los Dinos and how he fell in love. Though they were both very young, Selena and Chris loved each other tremendously. It was sad to read all of the hopes and dreams they had as a married couple only to know that it would never happen. Along with describing his life with his wife, Chris also gave a lot of details of Selena's family, especially of her father.  Though it was an easy read, it had a lot of heart. I felt Chris's pain of losing Selena and I felt his continued devotion to keep her memory alive. I rate this book: 4 stars. 

***

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
Read by Dani Gonzalez

Oh my goodness! This book had me crying and had my blood boiling! This story was told through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl in prose. Her father gets deported and her and her mother get placed in a cage for "violating" their asylum papers. The young girl described the fears for her father, the anger of being torn apart, and her fear and confusion as she witnessed the atrocities of women and children in filthy cages. There was a lot of anger, hope, sadness, and despair in this story. Though it was fictional, the young girl's story was based on true facts that happened (and continue to happen) at the border. I gave this 5 stars. 

Monday, February 1, 2021

January 2021 Reads


Hello everyone!

I usually don't do end of the month reading wrap-ups but I had to brag a bit...so I did one for January. 

I read seven books in the month of January! Yay! I've been in a major reading slump for a few years now and I tend to read more during the summer time when I'm on vacation. So reading more than two books in a month is a major plus for me!

What did I read? 
(In the order read)