Book Review: Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver was the January choice for my work book club. And while I didn’t finish the novel in time for the meeting, I’m still going to write an evaluation here. Spoilers to come, and my overall verdict is 4/5 stars. Would recommend. Organization We’ll start with quasi-criticism. I wasn’t repulsed by the organization or…

Book Review: The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

I loved The Hate U Give. 5/5 stars. Pacing I was incredibly impressed with the pacing. The book was hard to put down from the beginning, largely because each chapter had a conflict that needed to be resolved, with each chapter’s conflict flowing into the overall conflicts of the book. I don’t utilize conflict that…

Brené Brown Meets the Sorting Hat Chats

I’ve been thinking about Hogwarts Sortings again recently, for two reasons. One, a little while ago a co-worker clued me in on the Sorting Hat Chats quiz. And two, I’m re-reading Braving the Wilderness as part of my work with Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and one of our discussions centered around our core values.

So today we’re going to talk Hogwarts. Again.

Book Review: Piecing Me Together, by Renée Watson

Piecing Me Together was a bit slowly paced for me, but in the end I loved the book. 5/5 stars. Spoilers to follow. Pacing For the first half of the book, we watch Jade live her life. While we’re getting used to her reality, this is interesting. However, for me, this get-to-know-Jade period lasted too…

4 YA Romance Tropes That Need to Die Now

I recently read Spin the Dawn, which had some interesting elements but also used some YA romance tropes that I hate. Today I will rail against those tropes. Spoilers for Spin the Dawn to follow. Creepy Power Imbalances Maia, the protagonist for Spin the Dawn, is 18, and she gets with an incredibly powerful enchanter…