Activism in India

Like those of you who come to my blog looking for book recommendations, I often check out book vloggers/bloggers and 'what's new in children's lit' to see what I should be checking out next. That's how I heard about Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami. Firstly, I don't think I've ready any children's books from an Indian author before so I was interested to see if the styles would be at all similar and what kind of themes would be explored. Secondly, this book is about two of my favorite things: books and community activism. :-D Our main character, Yasmin, is a voracious reader and she gets all of her books from a lending library run by Book Uncle who sets up his 'shop' on the corner by her apartment building. There is no price for these books and if you want to keep it then that's perfectly okay. Yasmin and many members of her community come to see this little library as a constant in their lives but one day their world is upended because Book Uncle has been told that he must leave. What transpires next is nothing short of inspiring and that's just what I think is so phenomenal about this book. It teaches children that their actions matter and that activism can be accomplished by every member of the community. It's a great way to talk about 'doing your part' that doesn't make it overbearing or heavy-handed. It's also a great way to expose children to a different part of the world. 8/10

Note: This book will also make you extraordinarily hungry.

Source: Bright Group International

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Maybe my favorite book of 2016

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that I think everyone should read. It follows the story of Dave who loves drawing what's outside of his window and listening to his favorite song 'Eternal Flame' on repeat. (He's a real fun guy.) He lives on an island called Here where everyone and everything is neat, tidy, and absolutely normal. Dave may be just as clean shaven (except for that one unruly chin hair) and orderly but that all changes when his one little hair morphs into an out-of-control beard. There's one thing that unites all the citizens of Here (besides their fastidiousness) and that's their fear of There. When Dave's beard threatens the carefully arranged status quo of Here the citizens and the government decide something needs to be done. This book discusses what it means to be different, the ways in which society ostracizes and vilifies the elusive 'other', and how fear of that 'other' can shape a community. The artwork alone would make this book one of my absolute favorites but the storyline combined with it shoots it right to the top of the list. It's phenomenal. 10/10

This made me chuckle.

Apologies for the crookedness.

Absolutely stunning artwork

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Sometimes you need a list of bullet points

All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks (pseudonym of Gloria Jean Watkins) was the March book from the feminist book club on Goodreads called Our Shared Shelf started by Emma Watson. The title is exactly what this book is about i.e. the study of love in a new light. Each chapter is about a different aspect of love like romantic, community, spiritual, etc. She's definitely a liberal feminist (which makes sense with the book club) so her insight is skewed in that direction (if that is an issue for you). There is a religious bent to this book so if that's not your cup of tea...  Sociology, yes...at least I thought so until now. I don't know if it was the subject matter or the writing style but I found this book to be a bit of a bore and a chore. There were certain moments where I was like "ah yes this is good" but they were far outweighed by the feeling of "how many more pages til the end?" unfortunately.

Thoughts I had while reading this book:

• This could have been an article or an essay.
• I would have preferred this to have been approached in a more scientific (specifically hard sciences) way.
• A lot of this is common sense.

In conclusion, I wasn't a huge fan of this. I didn't hate it but I don't think I'll be seeking this author out for any more of her books in the future. You win some, you lose some. *shrugs*




Source: science-all.com

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Do you podcast?

Is podcast a verb or just a noun? I have no idea but I do know that after reading Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink that I'm likely to check out their podcast of the same name. (If you're interested in checking out the podcast before reading the book then you can go here and start from the beginning.) I had heard about this podcast and the book through the devoted community on Twitter and Tumblr. (I listened to a bit of the podcast but I have a problem committing to podcasts so I picked up the book instead.) It was strange right off of the bat but it was a good kind of strange. Anyone who has read a really intense sci-fi novel will understand the feeling that they have somehow missed a step and landed someplace entirely new. That's what this book is like. I get now why there is such a passionate fandom surrounding this desert community and its inhabitants. Where else could you read about a place where it's perfectly natural to open doors with a blood offering? If your son was a shapeshifter would you just shrug and say he was trying to find himself? Are those helicopters above your house a nuisance or a comfort? For the citizens of Night Vale the answers to these questions are no-brainers. The two main characters, Diane and Jackie, are two polar opposites who suddenly find themselves working toward the same goal.: King City. It's a weird tale of self-discovery and what it truly means to belong. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD.

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books. Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **