Superman Smashes the Klan Review

I've been meaning to sit down and get this post out for a while, and since I've had nothing but time, I have no excuse other than life has been real weird, lol.  Anyways, I recently finally sat down and read the Superman Smashes the Klan miniseries and I just want to talk about it, because it was phenomenal. 

I'm sure you all know that this is based on a storyline that ran on the 1940s Superman radio show -- and that that radio show storyline actually really undermined the real life KKK.  You can grab this book if you want to read more about that, because it is truly fascinating.  Late last year, DC did a three issue miniseries adapting the radio show into a beautiful comic by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru.  The thing that impressed me most with this story was how wonderfully deep and complex Clark is written to be.  Clark Kent is my favorite fictional character ever, and I dig any work that bothers to explore his feelings.  Gene gives us a Clark who is scared and insecure but trying his hardest.  We get a Clark who doubts himself and doesn't always know how to express himself, but a Clark who isn't afraid of his emotions and loves with his whole heart.  We get a Clark who is as emotionally strong as he is physically strong and doesn't give up when he's tested.

Clark wasn't the only character who I loved though.  I absolutely fell in love with Roberta, the young Chinese girl whose family faces discrimination.  She and Clark have very similar character arcs in that they both have a lot of fear holding them back, but they push on for the sake of doing what is right and end up realizing that they're capable of more than they ever realized.  Roberta is sweet and brave and lonely and sad and a little weird.  She's a spectacular character, and I know this is a self contained little miniseries but I wouldn't mind seeing more of her if it was somehow possible.  Maybe a Roberta spin off series?  I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd read it.

 

One thing I also liked was how absolutely shocked the well-meaning white characters (including Clark, to some extent) were to see the Lee family face the kind of discrimination they were dealing with.  It's very realistic for people who are sheltered and who are pretty accepting themselves have a hard time wrapping their minds around that kind of hate.  It also shows that you couldn't really understand how it feels to be treated like shit for who you are unless you've experienced.  Clark is an immigrant and grew up feeling like an outsider because he was different -- he gets it, and I think that's why he and Roberta bond so well.  They have a lot in common. 

I think the fact that there are also white characters who aren't outwardly violent and aren't members of the Klan or anything but still support the same racist views was very important.  A lot of racists are quiet about it, but they're bigots just the same.

Each of the three issues has a prose story from the author about his experiences with the character of Superman and his experiences growing up Chinese.  This story takes place in 1946, and Gene obviously grew up much much later -- but not a lot of things have changed.  The piece is even more relevant now than just a few months ago -- especially considering that anti-Asian racism and hate crimes are on the rise right in the wake of the Coronavirus... really proves that many people are still looking for reasons to hate Asian folks, and it's disgraceful.  (Side note, racism is never excusable, no matter what your "justification" is.)

The art is absolutely gorgeous -- these issues have a precious Clark -- and I would love to see more comics in this style.

Over all, I couldn't recommend this series any more highly.  Do yourself a favor and check it.  Even if you're not a Superman fan, I think you could get something out of this.

And if you're an old time radio fan like myself, or if the comic has piqued your interest, you can listen to the entire Clan of the Fiery Cross storyline from the Superman radio show here on youtube!

Merry Misfits Book Club (Year Two): February: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

For February, the book club had the choice of a couple of different fairy tale retellings: Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Goose Girl by Shannon Hale.  Although I like Shannon Hale as an author, I chose Cinder simply because it was available as an audiobook from the library through the overdrive app, lol.

I really enjoyed this book.  I do enjoy retellings of the Cinderella story, and this was a really innovative one.  It has this whole sci-fi thing going on that was really cool.  I don't want to sound shady, but I didn't know it was AS sci-fi as it was, so if I had read a summary of the book beforehand I probably wouldn't have read it... which I'm definitely glad I did, because I enjoyed it.  So even if the story doesn't SOUND like it would appeal to you, it just might.  You could still enjoy it.  Like last month's book, this one is the first of a series and I'm considering eventually reading later books in the series.  I'd recommend it!

Merry Misfits Book Club (Year Two): January: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

This year, I'm not doing a traditional reading challenge like I have done these last couple of years... I feel bad about that, because I kind of enjoyed having a theme and picking a book to fit it, but it's just been so stressful as I have not had the time.  I hate not having enough time to read enough, but... you know.  Capitalism, lol.  Anyways... I am still doing the book club I joined last year, but it's been kind of revamped.  Last year, it was similar to the reading challenges in that we'd have a theme and then pick a book to fit it.  This year it's a more traditional book club -- we all read one of a couple of different books and are free to discuss.

January's book was Howls' Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.  I listened to the audiobook of it.

I picked this over the other selection because of the Ghibli movie.  Even though the book is quite different than the movie, I really enjoyed it.  The characterization and world building will really draw you in.  The narrator of the audiobook (I forget her name) had a really enchanting voice that fit the story so perfectly.  I might eventually go back and check out the sequels.  I don't have a lot to say about the book other than the fact that I enjoyed it and definitely recommend it.  Makes me want to re-watch the movie, lol.

I'm going to be doing a more casual format with these book posts and try to make more formal reviews on Goodreads.  Follow me there for more incoherent thoughts, lol.

DYRC 19/Merry Misfits Book Club December: The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuk

So this is my second time writing this because the computer I'm using is a literal piece of shit and decided to just... go ahead and delete the entire fucking thing after I added an image lol.  (And then it autosaved before I could load a previously saved draft.  Cool, so cool.)  My next blog post should probably be my computer woes lol.

Anyways...

So there was a lot of cheating involved in the selection of the book I read for December.  As I've mentioned before, I don't have a lot of time to read anymore and due to stress and depression and etc I don't necessarily spend a lot of my very little free time reading (like arguably I should/could).  So in these reading challenges, I'm always excited when I can have a shortcut -- covering both challenges with one book, whenever I can read a short book or a comic or children's book, etc.  The theme for Merry Misfits was holiday -- easy enough.  The theme for DYRC was fantasy.  Now, I know they mean something like Lord or the Rings or Game of Thrones, but I didn't want a big long book right now.  I decided to take "fantasy" as a broad descriptor rather than as a genre, really just so I could make things a little easier on myself.  Sue me, lol.  I just wanted a fantasy-esque Christmassy children's book, so I picked The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuck.

I'm giving myself a pass on calling this fantasy because it has talking animals and nothing could be more fantastic, lol.  Anyways, this is a really cute little book and the art is beautiful.  The pages are textured and it's really fun and sweet.  Because it's just a little children's book I don't have a lot to say, but I just really wanted to read a cute little book like this and it hit the literary spot.

I didn't post a goodreads review on this book.  However here is my profile, and you should follow me.  Here is the page for this book... other people have written better reviews than this one and you can read them there, lol.

I read this book on December 22.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?  If you like children's books, yes.

DYRC19/Merry Misfits Book Club November: Edgar Allen Poe: The Complete Tales and Poems

New year, same old me.  Here I am, months after the fact, writing a book post for y'all… knowing full well that no one was waiting for this, lol.  Anyways, the theme for DYRC in November was poetry, and the theme for the Merry Misfits was short story.  I was deciding on this book during October, the spookiest month of the year... I dressed as the Phantom of the Opera for Halloween, and there's a scene in that book where the Phantom dresses in a Poe cosplay lol, so it all added up to me picking this Poe collection (which I got in ebook format for my Kindle tablet for like $1).

Full disclosure: I didn't read this entire thing.  But to be fair, that's not the point of a complete works type of book.  Those are meant to be read as you please -- pick and choose pieces, read out of order, read in order but skip things if you want... it doesn't matter.  I read two of the short stories and a selection of the poems.  Obviously, Poe is an incredibly talented and important writer -- you don't need me to explain that to you.  I will say, I enjoyed everything I read here.  The stories I picked ("The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado") were great, but you really can't go wrong.  The poetry, of course, was wonderful too.  The great thing about a collection like this is that I can revisit it whenever I want and read another story or a couple more poems.  There's enough material there that even if you do want to read it straight through from beginning to end you won't run out of stuff to read for a while.

Here is my goodreads review.  It's only one sentence, lol.

I read this book between November 7th and (according to Goodreads) December 22.  I don't know if that date is accurate, I don't remember reading any of this that recently.  But whatever... like I said, I just sort of picked and chose what I read, so it doesn't necessarily matter.

Would I recommend this book? Of course.

DYRC 19: October: Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

The theme for October was young adult.  Obviously there's millions of YA books out there, many of them very fun, many of which I have not read.  What I was mainly looking for was something about people (preferably women) of color and a story that was NOT a romance.  I do like romance, but so many YA romances are predictable and super straight.  Anyways, I didn't have anything specific in mind, so I went to the library and grabbed the first thing that really stood out to me -- Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia.

It took me a while to get into this book because it took me a while to get into this book because it took me a while to get to like the main character Gayle.  She's a very obnoxious teenager, and her naivete about certain things is not so much endearing as it is annoying.  She's 14 and has a baby, and when she ends up pregnant again she thinks this is a good thing (and resents her mother for making her have an abortion).  But over the course of the story, I came to understand more why Gayle was the way she was, and eventually I really liked her as a character.  I got really engrossed in the story and I just wanted the best for Gayle and her cousin Cookie.  I ended up crying a lot at the end... I got super invested in the story and the characters.  I'm glad I read it!

This is my Goodreads review.  Insert usual spiel about how you should follow me, lol.

I read this book between October 30th and November 4th.  Almost on track, lol.  🎉

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Merry Misfits Book Club October: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (adapted by Shannon Donnelly)

The theme for October in the Merry Misfits Book Club was a book set in a different country or by an author from a different country.  The Phantom of the Opera is both, taking place in France (Paris, to be exact) and written by a Frenchman named Gaston Leroux and published in 1910 (the first English translation becoming available in 1911).  While I do want to read that original 1911 translation at some point (as well as another translation I've heard comes highly recommended), now wasn't really the time because it's long and I'm busy... and behind in this reading challenge.  So, Great Illustrated Classics to the rescue once again, lmao.

I wanted to read this because I've been super obsessed with the Phantom recently (I even dressed as him for Halloween) so I requested this from the library.  The story obviously is condensed, and since I haven't read the original I can't say how good it is as an adaptation, but it's interesting how contradictory the book is.  It moves slowly, yet it jumps from episode to episode.  It tells when it should show, yet there's a lot of detail.  The art (as with every Great Illustrated Classic I've read) was not great, but the cover is really nice, imo.  It's not a bad way to experience the story, I just don't feel like it's the best.  In fact, I read another kid's version after finishing this one and I liked it a lot better. 

I feel like I don't have a lot to say about this little book.  Even my goodreads review is like one sentence long lol.

I read this book between October 19th and October 21st.  I finished it in a Greyhound Bus station while on my way to see the Jonas Brothers!

Would I recommend this book? Ehh... If you want a young readers' adaptation of The Phantom, pick up the Kate McMullan adaptation I linked above instead.  (Or just... y'know... watch the musical.  It's sooo good.  Like, not High Entertainment, and it's hopelessly 80s, but it's guilty pleasure good... and I feel no guilt.)

DYRC 19 September: Burnin' Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers

The theme for September was non-fic.  I'd been tempted to cheat and swap DYRC's September and August themes so the non-fic themes would coincide and I could get away with just one book (y'all know I love to read, but I never have any time to do it, and desperate lack of free time calls for desperate measures) but I ended up not doing that.  Cheating felt like cheating, lol.  So instead I decided to go easy on myself and just read something lighthearted and picture heavy.  So...

Burnin' Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers was written at the height of Jonas fever (2008), which was generally a better time in general, lol.  The book is mostly pics, behind the scenes pics from their When You Look Me In The Eyes Tour (the first time I saw them) and the Burnin' Up Tour (which I also attended), but there are lots of passages of the brothers talking about their lives and career and family.  It made me super nostalgic and happy.  This band has meant a lot to me, and I actually finished it up while I was sitting in a hotel after watching them in concert for the first time in TEN YEARS!  This book was the best companion... and I'm glad for once that I ended up behind.

Here's my Goodreads review.

I read this book between October 21st and October 22nd.  Yes, it was a book for September...I'm trying really hard to get caught up!

Would I recommend this book? If you're a Jonas fan, absolutely.  If not, you won't get anything out of it, so probably not.

Merry Misfits Book Club September: Aida by Leontyne Price

September's theme was fairy tales.  Now, that's pretty broad... and since I was so behind with the reading challenge, I decided to go ahead and pick something short and simple.  I saw this picture book version of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida (adapted by opera singer Leontyne Price, who was famous for playing the title role) at the library and had to check it out.  It is a children's book, so very short... debatably cheating, but reading is reading.  And I know what you're thinking... is this really a fairy tale?  According to the Dewey Decimal system, yes... it was shelved with the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.  Plus it's about a princess, true love, and adventure in a foreign land, so...

This was a good book.  I admit, I didn't really know the story of Aida -- I know next to nothing about opera -- so it was a good story to pick up and read in a condensed form.  The story was beautiful, the art was stunning, and it kind of made me want to go listen to the music from the show.  As I mentioned, it's about a princess and true love... but (SPOILER ALERT) since it's based on an opera, it does not have a happily ever after ending, and that would be the one place it differs from what we think of as fairy tales.  But the atmosphere of magic and romance was very fairy tale, and our heroine is brave as she suffers through everything life throws at her just like you'd expect of a fairy tale princes.  I don't really have much to say, other than the fact that kids' books are almost always better than adults' books, and I don't regret choosing this.

I didn't end up reviewing this one on Goodreads because I didn't really have anything to say, but here's the book on Goodreads and here's my profile.  Mark it as "to read" and then follow me, lol.

I read this book on Septermber 22, making me technically on track for that one day, lol.  I finished it before the August book I just posted about, but I didn't want to post out of order.

Would I recommend this book?  Sure!  It's a quick read but it's a good one, and I think it'd be at home in any library of children's books.

DYRC 19: August: Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure by Cecil Castelucci and Jason Frey

I am aware it is October.  Yes, I'm a little behind, lol.  Anyways, the DYRC theme for August was sci-fi, so I decided to read Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure, which was a book I got for free as a prize for finishing the library's summer reading challenge.  Now, it's debatable whether or not choosing a junior Star Wars novel is cheating, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.  On with the show.

I enjoyed this book.  It's a story that takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and we follow a Leia who is dealing with a lot.  She's struggling with feelings of survivor's guilt and probably some PTSD... and she's incredibly worried about Han, who is at this point still frozen in carbonite.  Her characterization is true to the films, but very realistic and well rounded.  She plays well with the other characters that make up her team for this mission.  We don't get to know all of them as well as I would have liked, but they're written well enough that you can easily get attached.  The story is good and exciting, takes a lot of turns and I wouldn't call it predictable.  Plus the Phil Noto art is a really nice touch... I love his work. And because this book is a part of the Journey to The Force Awakens line of books and comics released to coincide with the release of Episode VII (my favorite modern Star Wars film), the epilogue ties into that movie beautifully and it made me happy.

Here's my Goodreads review.  Follow me there to see me add a bunch of children's books to my shelves and to read observations I think are pithy but are really tired.

I read this book between September 22 and October 19.  It only took me that long because I didn't get to dedicate a lot of time to it.  It's not super long and it's a pretty quick read.

Would I recommend this book?  To Star Wars fans only.  It's an enjoyable book, but it won't convert you into a fan if you aren't one already.

Merry Misfits Book Club August: Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent by Thomas B. Allen

We're going to stick a pin in the fact that it's nearly the end of September and I'm only just finishing one of my August books.  I do not plan on addressing it later, lol... y'all already know.  I just had to mention it.  I know.  I'm sorry.  Anyways, the theme was non-fiction.  Nice and broad, easy to pick something interesting.  I saw this book, Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War, and thought it looked really interesting. 

I liked this book quite a lot.  Short, well researched, interesting.  It's obviously a very important period of American history, so I was happy to see an honest but entertaining children's book about it.  Obviously it doesn't give completely in depth information about the events or about any of the historical figures it discusses, but it's a good introduction to the period... and it will hopefully inspire a young reader and budding history nerd to do further reading and research.  It would have for me as a kid.  But as it is, this book is informative and easy to digest.

Here's my Goodreads review.  Obligatory reminder that you can and should follow me there, lol.

I read this book between September 7th and September 21st.  Wouldn't have taken that long if I had had more time to dedicate to it.  I'd call it a fast read.

Would I recommend this book?  Sure, especially for someone who likes history... or someone who wants to like history but doesn't have a lot of background info yet.

Merry Misfits Book Club July: Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Vol. 4

So I didn't quite finish on time, but I was a lot closer this month than the last few, lol.  The theme for July was a sequel... which was great for me, because I've been reading these new translations of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon manga as soon as the library gets them in.  The most recent is  the fourth volume.

The fourth volume of Sailor Moon continues where the third left off.  Chibi-Usa is staying with Usagi and they're still learning to get to know one another.  I've been enjoying them very much... I unfortunately can't go into many details about this volume because I finished reading it a while ago and have since taken it back to the library.  Also spoilers, lol.  But as for the merits of the book, which I can go into, the art is gorgeous (especially the colorized pages) and the translation is really nice and reads very naturally.  I have the next volume here and I can't wait to read it!

Here's my goodreads review.

I read this book between July 24th and August 3rd (yes, over a month ago... see my previous post for an apology/explanation).

Would I recommend this book?  Do you love Sailor Moon and have you read the previous volumes?  If so, yes!  If not, maybe watch the anime and decide if you like the story enough to read the anime... and if so, start with volume 1.

DYRC 19 July: Crazy Cat Lady by Agnes Loonstra and Ester Scholten

The theme for July was humor.  I wanted something quick (since I've been so dreadfully behind in this challenge) and fun (since that fits the theme, lol, but also just fits what my stressed out ass needs).  I looked through the humor section of Goodreads and eventually settled on Crazy Cat Lady.

So this book honestly is kind of cheating for a reading challenge, because it's mostly pictures.  I'm counting it though because it IS in the humor category, and I did really enjoy it.  But it's full of fun art, cute trivia and relatable cat facts, and it has stickers in the back.  It's kind of like the type of book you'd get someone as a gift if you knew they liked cats but didn't know much else about them, lol, but it was still fun and enjoyable.

Here is my Goodreads review.  It doesn't say much because there isn't much to say.

I read this book on July 24th while I was at jury duty.  Lucky it was so short, because I ended up getting called into court with the first group of people and didn't have all day to sit and read, like I'd hoped, lol.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only to other crazy cat ladies, lol.

DYRC19/Merry Misfits Book Club June: Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson

This post is late too, I know.  I'm doing my best though!  June was a month where my two book challenge themes worked well together.  The theme for DYRC was a children's book. The theme for the Misfits was perfect Summer read.  Since I (and the rest of the tumblr) have been obsessed with the Moomins of late, I decided to go ahead and grab Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson.

So I wanted to start with the beginning of the Moomins, but this is actually the second book.  The first book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, was actually out of print in English for decades.  It is available now, but hasn't been for long... and the library didn't have a copy and I couldn't find a cheap used copy (or even a Kindle version).  A lot of more knowledgeable Moomin fans have said it's not the best introduction to the series and really more for the completionist fan anyways, so I just skipped on to the second book.  If I do go back and read this first one, however, I'll try and get a post up!

Anyways, I really enjoyed this book!  It was cute but it also had a lot of adventure and genuinely high stakes.  It was a good introduction to all of these characters.  The English translation doesn't feel weird or unnatural, as translations sometimes can.  The art is really cute and stylized.  It was just a really cozy book that made me feel warm all over.  Cute but not cutesy.

Here is my Goodreads review.  It's bare bones, to say the least, but it's there.

I read this book between June 18th and July 24th.  Yes, that is a long time.

Would I recommend this book? Yes!

DYRC 19 May: Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley

Addressing the elephant in the room, yes.  This is my May book and yes I'm making this post in July.  It be like that sometimes.  May's theme was history and biography, and that's a theme I typically enjoy.  History major, biography fan... and it didn't take long for me to pick a title.  Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley was a given.

This was a book I had wanted, and needed, to read for a while.  I like Lucy Worsley, and Jane Austen  is incredibly important to me, so I was very much looking forward to it.  I'm pleased to say it lived up to my excitement!  I learned a lot about an author I love... I feel like I know her better, understand her work better, and overall feel closer (so to speak) to Jane than ever.

Here is my Goodreads review.  It isn't much, and neither is this, but I think my enjoyment is evident.  Follow me on Goodreads, lol.

I read this book between May 19 and June 28.  Yes, that is over a month.  Yes, I finished quite late and it took a long time.  That wasn't due to the quality of the book.  Work keeps me busy and I don't have time to read much anymore... and I'm not happy about it.  But anyways, we made it.

Would I recommend this book?  Yes, especially if you're a history nerd or a big Austenite.

Merry Misfit's Book Club May: The Cowboy's Second Chance by Riley Knight

May's theme for the Merry Misfits Book Club was a niche genre, or one you don't usually go for.  I mentioned last year that I struggle with picking a genre I haven't really read, because my interests are very broad.  I thought I'd go ahead and read a western, but then I realized that that sounded less than fun.  Sooo... I put "gay western" into amazon and this was something that came up. #noragrets

I ripped through this book so fast... I enjoyed it a lot!  It was just super cute.  Parts of  it were rushed and predictable, but I never minded.  It was just a sweet little book... there was a lot of mutual pining and other fanfic-y tropes (I say that without a hint of derision because I love fanfic; I write fanfic so these trope get me right lol).  The characters were what I would call loveable idiots, and honestly I almost immediately went back and purchased the other book in this series after finishing this one.  You could call a book like this a guilty pleasure, but I'm not even that guilty, lol.  I enjoyed it, and there's nothing to feel guilty about with that!

Here's my goodreads review.  Not a lot of thoughts there, but I was the first review on this title... so that's something, lol.

I read this book between May 7th and May 9th.  Quick read, fun read I was eager to continue and finish.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?  I mean... if you're into smutty gay romance novels that have some very fanfic-y tropes, then yes.  If not, no.

DYRC19/Merry Misfits Book Club April: The Return of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Finally added up and worked out in my favor, lads.  I could use one book to satisfy both themes of my reading challenges!  The DYRC theme was comic/graphic novel and the Merry Misfits theme was a book that has been on your TBR pile too long.  Obviously this is a comic, and it's been on my TBR since before it came out in the states.

I really really enjoyed this.  The story behind this one is that these comics were released in the 1940s in Italy (two things I like) and just within the last year or two became available stateside in English. The art, by Romano Scarpa, is gorgeous.  It looks very true to the Disney movie but also very Golden Age kids' comics.  The stories themselves were simple and fun, and it was an overall fun read.  Nothing about this was dumbed down, but it was still a nice easy read.

Here's my goodreads review.  I produced actual thoughts... different than the ones here!  So follow me on goodreads.

I started reading this April 26th and finished it May 6th.  Yes, I am aware May 6th is not a part of April.  But I did finish!  I was just really busy.

Would I recommend this to a friend?  Definitely, if you're a Disney fan or you love Snow White.

DYRC19 March: The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow

Yes, I'm well aware that not only is March over but April is nearly over as well, lol.  Shit happens.  I did finish the book though, uphill battle though it was, so let's get to it!

Soooooo.  The theme for March was Science and Technology.  I am not a science person, really (try as I might, that's not how my brain works), so I looked through goodreads for something that would fit the theme but also be kind of fun.  This book was described by a  lot of reviewers as  being humorous and irreverent in its approach to discussing statistics, probability, and randomness.  Would I agree with that assessment?  Yes and no.

There was nothing wrong, in my limited understanding, with the information in the book.  And it wasn't poorly delivered.  There wasn't anything wrong with the style.  But the fact that this is not a subject that interests me made this a hard book to get through.  It was good, but honestly not for me.

I didn't post a review to goodreads for this book, however you should just... follow me on goodreads anyways, lol.

I read this book between March 27th and April 26th.  Part of that was the fact that I've been busy with work and life, the other part of it is the fact that it's not really a book I was enjoying.

Would I recommend this book?  Unless this is a subject you really enjoy, no.

Merry Misfits Book Club: March: The Adventures of Mickey Mouse

Yes, I know it is already April.  Life has been kicking my ass, sue me, lol.  Anyways, the theme for March was a good book to read while it's raining.  I like that, nice and broad... but since I'm a dumbass, I saw the theme for another group's monthly discussion and got my wires crossed, so I spent most of the month thinking the theme was lore.  I was planning to read the first Percy Jackson book, even got a beautiful illustrated copy of it from the library, but since I didn't have time to get to it and it turned out not to be necessary for the theme (but I'll still make a post on it if I do get around to reading it... I really want to) I turned it back in to the library after not being able to renew it.  Just picked something else because improvising!  Anyways, as you all know, I love Disney.  On a whim, I bought a copy of The Adventures of Mickey Mouse for $4.  Somehow it became my March book, lol.

This is a 1978 reprint of a children's book from 1931.  I thought it was going to just be like a quick little story book, but it's over 100 pages (although there are illustrations on each one) because it actually combines three vintage story books in one, and the last one was a chapter book.  The Mickey in this book is very different from the character we see in more modern Mickey cartoons.  He's almost like a little farm boy, and he's very adventurous and enterprising.  It's kind of a cross between his depiction in the early black and white Mickey shorts and the way Floyd Gottfredson wrote him in the comics.  The most memorable thing about this book, though, is the charming art work.  That alone makes this worth the price of admission for any Disney fan.

My goodreads review this month is very brief but like... what more could I really say? Lol.  Just follow me on goodreads.

Started this book on March 31st and finished on April 1st.  Quick read.

Would I recommend this book?  If you're a Disney fan, sure.  Otherwise, probably not.  Actually, you need to be a Disney fan who likes kids books.

DYRC19 February: Let's Talk About Love by Clare Kann

February's theme was a romance book.  Obviously that's broad and gives you a looooot of options, and in a way that makes it harder, doesn't it?  I didn't want to read about the typical straight white couple of your typical romance book.  I didn't want anything crazy sexual.  I wanted something that gave me the warm fuzzies!  So after poking around goodreads and reading a bunch of different online lists, I found Let's Talk About Love by Clare Kann.

I really liked this book, though I didn't love it as much as I expected to.  It was really good and well written, but there were certain parts that made me uncomfortable for personal reasons.  I think what happened is that I read the summary of this -- a biromantic asexual black girl named Alice meets this amazing guy while working at a library and they figure out the whole dating while ace thing together --  and it hit all the right buttons.  I hyped it up a little too much so it would have been hard to live up to that.  But I did like it!  The ending was perfect.

Here's my goodreads review.  Not a lot more in depth thoughts but you know... follow me on Goodreads lol.

I started this book February 22 and finished February 24.  Equal parts quick read and me having a lot of time on my hands, sitting at my mom's hospital bedside.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, it was a fun little read.