The 300ish stories in Worlds exhibit different levels of author ability, experience, style, and vision. Some of the stories are creepy, some areThe 300ish stories in Worlds exhibit different levels of author ability, experience, style, and vision. Some of the stories are creepy, some are heartbreaking, and some are just plain unnerving. Some are even laugh out loud funny (though that might say more about my sick sense of humor than the anthology...)...more
These books are all more or less the same but it was enjoyable all the same. No new information,really, but the guided visualisations are excellent.These books are all more or less the same but it was enjoyable all the same. No new information,really, but the guided visualisations are excellent. It could have done with some pictures in the craft section, maybe....more
A book every writer should have and would be great for educators and writers’ groups too. A little bit of everything, from fiction, to autobiography,A book every writer should have and would be great for educators and writers’ groups too. A little bit of everything, from fiction, to autobiography, poetry, and blog posts. There are so many prompts I’m looking forward to trying....more
Like the book says, it’s essentially a ‘kindergarten primer.’ Excellent for beginners, with basic information presented clearly. Simple, usefulLike the book says, it’s essentially a ‘kindergarten primer.’ Excellent for beginners, with basic information presented clearly. Simple, useful spells. Not really anything to do with Mindfulness at all, which suited me....more
I’m giving up on this one at 20%. It’s too mundane, too tedious to hold my interest. If you’re into celebrity and clubbing, it might work for you. NotI’m giving up on this one at 20%. It’s too mundane, too tedious to hold my interest. If you’re into celebrity and clubbing, it might work for you. Not for me. ...more
I enjoyed Captive of Darkness even though it had a sodding love triangle at the heart of the story. (Can we please stop doing these? Gah.)
Anyway... itI enjoyed Captive of Darkness even though it had a sodding love triangle at the heart of the story. (Can we please stop doing these? Gah.)
Anyway... it has an interesting premise and some remarkably well written figurative language. It does get repetitive in places, though, and there typos scattered throughout, which lets it down.
Oh, and I could have done without the “cocks.” I don’t mind that language in straight up erotica but it was a bit abrasive given the setting. Also, the dialogue could be more consistent. It doesn’t really match the setting either.
Despite its flaws, I enjoyed the story and would read the sequel. This one had some good sexual tension so I’d like to see how that plays out....more
'Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic.' by Lisa Lister is a tough one to review. Do I agree with her call to feminism? Yes. That we should'Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic.' by Lisa Lister is a tough one to review. Do I agree with her call to feminism? Yes. That we should challenge the patriarchy at every step? Yes. That there's a witch in all of us hiding from her power? Yes.
Do I agree with anything else?
Nope.
For starters, 'Witch' comes across as horrifyingly transphobic. To disregard trans people because they're not born the right gender is an insult to us all. You can't argue that going through menopause doesn't make you less of a woman, then say trans women don't count.
I'm also displeased with the way the text handles reproduction and the female cycle. For starters, plenty of women don't bleed and ARE STILL WOMEN. Some women NEED birth control and that's okay too. If you want to write a book about the power of women, you'd better fucking include all women or you're just a hypocrite.
Basically, what I'm saying is that 'Witch' is an exercise in privilege. It assumes (wrongly) you have to have a vagina to be a woman and, therefore, have no right to claim the word "feminist" unless you were born with one. Infuriating. Infuriating and totally false. Honestly, genital-based feminism is every bit as bad as misogyny. My power exists outside of my vagina, thanks, and yours does too.
Oh, and by the way, I fucking HURT when I bleed because I have menorrhagia, not because I haven't accepted the divine female within me. The author's lack of knowledge on - really, complete ignoral of - the medical profession is both uninformed and dangerous.
There's a difference between being unapologetic because you're right and being unapologetic because you're rude - a difference the author clearly understands as much as she understands everything else she wrote about in this waste of a book. The basics are either just not there or are so badly skewed to suit her purpose as to be useless. If this is your introductory book to The Craft, please give us another chance.
The book does LOOK good, though, so there's that. It's got a slick, minimalist cover that looks fab on a shelf. Also, I like the bold statement pages because they break things up. I just wish the stuff in between had more meat. Rage at the machine all you want - but back up your argument. (Something the author doesn't do at all.) You can't just assume, for example, that everyone knows details about the witch hunts. Give them facts. If you don't know the facts or aren't willing to learn them (and source them,) don't bother writing the book.
Like I said, 'Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic.' was difficult to review. I hate slamming another author's work but I can't ignore how harmful this book can be to people who might be picking it up because they need guidance. Because they feel lost. If that's you, please look elsewhere....more
I don't know if we're supposed to call it a novel or a poetry collection, but The Poet X is unlike anything else I’ve read. I could tell, right fromI don't know if we're supposed to call it a novel or a poetry collection, but The Poet X is unlike anything else I’ve read. I could tell, right from the beginning, why it’s been getting so much attention: It’s a masterpiece of language that will, one day, be held up as one of the great classics of modern times.
The language is part of what sets The Poet X apart from its peers. Slang is used alongside breathtaking figurative language in a way that captures the struggle of today’s youth to find a voice that is distinctly their own. That’s not to say that The Poet X is always easy to read! It’s like the poet says, ‘I don’t always understand every line but love the picture being painted behind my eyelids.’
This book tells a story through a collection of verse; many poems work together to tell a single story of awakening, of becoming. I grew up a middle-class white girl in a predominantly white town - about as far from the main character, Xiomara's, experience as possible - but the truths are so universal that it could be my story too. Or, yours. Really, it’s our story.
Because The Poet X isn’t only a coming-of-age story wrapped in poetry, it’s a cry to feminism. Xiomara fights her own battle against patriarchy and what society has told girls we can or can’t be. The interesting thing here is that Xiomara's mother is the one holding her back, the one slapping labels on her. Yes, women can (and do) hold other women back. The Poet X shines a light on that travesty.
Xiomara finds her voice, her strength, through poetry. Poetry allows her to become what she’s always known she is but was told she couldn’t be: a warrior. I can just picture Maya Angelou clapping Xiomara on the back with a cheeky wink, saying, “Thats my girl.”
Forget the hard-to-relate Romantics that schools keep shoving down students’ throats. This is what they should be teaching. The Poet X contains many different poetic styles, all with a single voice. It shows us that, despite our cultural differences, we’re all more similar than we think. It allows us to wonder about those other cultures, gives us a chance to discuss and explore them. The Poet X is a must for the classroom, especially for educators who want to do more than force students to parrot back lines that haven’t been relevant in a hundred years.
As a grown-ass adult who still hides her poetry like it’s a dirty secret, I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X - and I can’t say enough how important it is for you to read it. ...more