Review: Dubliners

Dubliners by James Joyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the perfect book for me to read soon after my sojourn to Dublin, Ireland, for a conference presentation combined with a mother-daughter vacation with my mom. I learned a lot about Irish culture, religion, and politics both from watching the play Ulysses at The Abbey Theatre and from reading these short stories. Believe it or not, I had not read or experienced Joyce's work in the past. But now, I am excited to read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which I know will be more of a challenge, but worthwhile, as I'll read it over a longer span of time. First of all, Ireland is very much worth experiencing as a country and as a culture. The people were very nice, and the country itself is beautiful. 99% of the people there speak English, and only 36% speak Irish, although many school districts are now requiring students to learn Irish. Between reading Joyce and Louise O'Neill this spring and summer, I feel that I have made a dent in Irish literature, although I realize there's so much more to experience. Dubliners is worth a read right now because it was written during an era of nationalism in Ireland, which is, I believe, what we are currently experiencing in the US.

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Review: You Think It, I'll Say It

You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book of short stories! They were like the delicious chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup that are both sweet and filling and that you, therefore, eat slowly and lick your lips along the way, so you can savor every bite. A part of me is sad to be done with this book because it was so good! But as someone who is at work on my own project with vignettes, I've learned some mad writing skills from reading this book that can apply to short stories, fan fiction, and creative nonfiction alike. I therefore thank Curtis Sittenfeld for teaching me to be a better writer, even though I know that wasn't her intent in writing this book. I also loved how she touched on feminist social issues and how both the first and the last story of this book dealt with the anger that so many women felt, including me, about the election in which a woman who, while not perfect, would have been competent ended up losing. I feel like Curtis Sittenfeld and Mindy Kaling are both my cool big sisters who write about women who are trailblazers for Xennial/Millennial cusp-age women like me. So thank you for being my writing cool big sister, and for writing stories that I could relate to and also enjoy.

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Review: Blind Spot: The Hidden Biases of Good People

Blind Spot: The Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin Benaji
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book for my work summer reading. It was hard to get into at first because it was denser than I anticipated. But I found it very enlightening and fascinating to read. There are a couple of quizzes you can take that make you more aware of your own biases, which I recommend doing. It gave me good food for thought in terms of how to approach social justice issues in classroom settings. I recommend this book to anyone, particularly educators and those who work closely with people.

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Review: Angel & Faith: Lost and Found

Angel & Faith: Lost and Found by Victor Gischler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was among my favorites in the series so far. I enjoyed the return of Riley and Sam and could appreciate Faith's desire to make amends with Riley. Although I liked Angel and Faith as a team, I am also glad to see Faith going her own way and making her own mark. She was helpful to Angel early on, but it would have been disappointing to see her as a sidekick for the whole series.

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Review: Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book for our work summer reading. It definitely gave me a better understanding of design thinking and the goals of the d.school at Stanford University, an institute that has goals similar to my school. It was accessible and interesting to read. I thought it got a little bit redundant at times, but overall, I found it an enjoyable and informative read.

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