Paradise Lost by John Milton – 4 stars I reread this classic epic for my Milton course and ending up dropping it down by a star. I still appreciated how beautiful Milton’s poetry is, but rereading it I found myself more frustrated with how slow he is to reach the point.
The Walker: On Losing and Find Yourself in the Modern City by Matthew Beaumont – 4 stars I received this ARC from NetGalley, and it was my first read for Nonfiction November. I requested it because I’ve done some work about moving through the city, and I thought this was an excellent addition to the academic literature on it. Full Review
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson – 5 stars This is one of the most important books in my life, and I loved it just as much as the first time I read it. It’s a difficult but real look at anorexia. Full Review
Paradise Regained by John Milton – 3 stars The sequel to Paradise Lost that barely anyone knows about. If it wasn’t required for Milton, I definitely would not have read it. 3 stars is probably kind of generous for this one, but I skimmed it so heavily that I feel I can’t honestly say if it’s boring enough to warrant just 2 stars.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui – 5 stars This gorgeous graphic memoir was my second read for Nonfiction November. It tells the story of Bui’s family living through the Vietnam War and coming to the USA as refugees. Bui’s artwork is beautiful, the story is moving, and it’s one of my top reads for the graphic narrative class I’m taking. Full Review
Goblin King by Kara Barbieri – 2 stars I received a copy from NetGalley. I thought the first book in this series held a lot of promise, but this one was ultimately a letdown due to bad pacing and poor character development. I won’t be continuing with the series. Full Review
Doll Bones by Holly Black – 5 stars This is a coming-of-age story about three friends who set off on a quest to lay a haunted doll to rest. This is now my favorite Holly Black book ever. She does such a great job creating realistic middle school characters and capturing that awkward period between being a child and a teenager.
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker – 5 stars This is another of my top reads for the graphic narrative class, and it is my third and final read of Nonfiction November. This memoir tells about the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. I learned so much from it, and Takei ties it in with the ongoing immigration issues in the USA today.
Is This How You See Me? by Jaime Hernández – 2 stars This has been the only book for graphic narrative that I really disliked. It’s about two middle-age-ish women going to a reunion for the punk crowd of their high school days. I was confused most of the time; who were these people and why should I care? I was also a bit uncomfortable with the way Hernández draws women and depicts bisexuality.
Samson Agonistes by John Milton – 3 stars Another Milton read that I skimmed so heavily I can’t rate it too accurately. It’s a play about Samson from the Bible story. I just didn’t care about it. But it’s what I have to write my Milton final on, so I should probably start caring.
Deer Woman: A Vignette by Elizabeth LaPensée and Jonathan R. Thunder – 5 stars I’m writing my final graphic narrative paper on this short story, and it is so stunning. It takes Deer Woman, a figure from the folklore of many Native American tribes, and uses her to address the issue of sexual violence against Native American women.
A Wolf for a Spell by Karah Sutton – 4 stars I got this delightful middle grade book from NetGalley. It’s a fantasy adventure story that uses Russian folklore and involves wolves, so of course I loved it. Full Review
A Literary Princess 