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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Review: Riverdale Vol. 2

Riverdale Vol. 2 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I thought the first three volumes (focusing on Kevin Keller, Reggie Mantle, and Pop's restaurant) were stronger than the last two, which were about Doiley and the core four. After reading "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "Mantle the Magificent," I had a better understanding of Kevin, Reggie, and Josie, all of whom are more minor characters on the show, but nonetheless very interesting. To me, very much like Angel and some of the follow-up comics in the BuffyVerse, this volume of comics was about making some of the more questionable characters more likable, or at least more relatable, namely Reggie and Veronica. I've always been more sold on Jughead and Betty's relationship than I have been on Archie and Veronica's. (In other words, I'm a big Bughead fan). The "Metropolitan" issue, while I think it could have been more developed, did beg the question of what could go awry in Betty and Jughead's relationship and what might help Archie and Veronica's survive. It'll be interesting to see, especially since I'm predicting that the CW will want the show to last beyond when the core characters graduate from high school. Will we have Riverdale goes to college, very much like we followed the Dawson's Creek characters to college at the turn of the century? I look forward to seeing how the fanfiction/Omnibus comics help me to learn more about the characters from this show I've grown to love so much more than I thought I would. Honestly, I watched it as a way of relating to my middle school students, and because I love comics and was interested in the Archie characters. But now, I realize that this show is for Generation Z what Dawson's Creek was for me. :) I am officially a Riverdale fangirl. In particular, it's interesting to see how Kevin's narrative is both similar to and different from Jack's story in Dawson's Creek.

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Review: Willow: Wonderland

Willow: Wonderland by Jeff Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable read, as Willow is one of my favorite characters in the Buffyverse. I can relate to the internal struggles she experiences and the tug of war between wanting to please herself versus wanting to help others. I didn't think the plot energy or the art were as strong as in some of the Buffyverse comics. But Willow's character development was well done, and I appreciated the focus on female empowerment and girl magic! Overall, this was a worthwhile read, especially for Willow fans.

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Review: The Sacrifice Box

The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another review is forthcoming. :)
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. I really liked the main protagonist September, a.k.a. "Sep." He's a lot like I was in high school: nerdy and kind of awkward, but endearing and sweet. I personally think that the book would have bee more compelling if he had been the first person narrator. I could relate to some of what he went through, with trying to keep his grades up, wanting to make something of himself even though some people around him didn't care about school, and trying to care for his family amid challenging situations.
I thought the momentum of the book was a little slow to pick up, but it got more interesting about 1/3 of the way through. The suspense of the book was well done, and the description of the dark, creepy atmosphere was excellent. My only criticism is that I found myself not caring very much about the minor characters/friends of the book. I was invested in September and his Mom, but September's friends: not so much. I wanted to feel invested in them, but I didn't. Mario, September's adult boss, was an interesting character, though, as was the school principal.
Overall, I would give the book a B/B-. I realize, though, that I'm not the target audience. I do think high school teenagers who enjoy horror/suspense would really like the book, and I would recommend it for that age group. As an adult, though, I just happen to prefer books that are a little bit more character driven, in addition to having an intriguing plot.

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