The Feminist Bookworm

It's that time of year... Best book you've read so far in 2018: All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor; The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir  Best sequel you've read so far in 2018: Legendary by Stephanie Garber, Wildcard by Marie Lu (This doesn't come out until September, but I read it, and no surprise, I LOVED IT!) New release you haven't read yet, but want to: Furyborn by Claire Legrand  Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee   Biggest disappointment: To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo  Biggest surprise: Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin  Favorite new author (Debut or new to you): Meghan Maclean Weir ( The Book of Essie) Newest fictional crush: I haven't read that many books where I have had crushes on any of the characters, but I guess Dante from Legendary and Owen from Broken Beautiful Hearts ( Kami Garcia).  Newest favorite character: Essie and L...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge feminist and super into politics. I interned for both Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. I also was not alive when the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal broke. So, because of that, I feel like I have a unique perspective. I have never seen Monica Lewinsky the way so many people did-and still do: a slut, a whore, a homewrecker, etc. I have always seen her as a woman who made some bad decisions, but was a victim far more than a perpetrator. She was the victim of internet trolls, yes, but she was also the victim of power imbalance: her boss, the married PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES , began a sexual relationship with her. It may have been consensual, but in the case of the President, he participated in a profound abuse of power that only now is our society finally beginning to recognize. So. I've always felt bad for Monica Lewinsky; as the woman in the relationship, her name has been dragged through ...

I love Morgan Matson, and this was one of my most anticipated books of the year! Save the Dat e takes place during three crazy days in the life of Charlie Grant. Charlie is the youngest of 5 siblings, and the only one still left in the house. There is a lot of change afoot in Charlie's life: her mother's famous comic strip is coming to an end, Charlie is about to graduate high school, and her parents are selling their house. The book takes place during her older sister's wedding, who is getting married at their house. And for the first time in years, all her siblings are going to be home at the same time, and Charlie is determined to make sure everything goes perfectly. But the weekend becomes a complete disaster: there are feuding relatives, surprise guests, a missing suit, an unexpected dog, and a papergirl with a vendetta agains the family, among other things! While all of this is happening, Charlie's longtime crush Jesse is back in town, and the wedding pla...

Last year, I received an ARC of a little book called The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Of course, this book is probably one of the most well-known books today, and I had the privilege of reading it early. By now, you all probably know that THUG follows Starr Carter, a girl who struggles between balancing the two different worlds she lives in: her predominately black and struggling neighborhood, and the overwhelmingly white community in which her fancy prep school is located. One day, Starr's childhood best friend Khalil is shot while unarmed by a police officer, and Starr has to deal with the aftermath of the shooting, as well as learning to find her voice in two very different communities. THUG deals with a lot of hard hitting, difficult issues, and it is a book I think everyone should read. But The Hate U Give means a lot to me for so many reasons, and I would like to share the reasons why with you. First, I am African American. I am biracial; my mother is white, and my ...