Word on the Street: Toronto (henceforth WOTS) happened this past weekend, and as a first time experience, it was enjoyable—if a bit claustrophobic—and people up in my personal bubble is no bueno. Also foodtrucks. Also authors. Also more people.
Continue reading [The Word On The Street] — Toronto Event 2015 Recap
Miscellaneous is the tagline to store random posts that don’t really belong elsewhere. They may involve tags, awards, challenges, and other book blogging nonsense.
This might be my favourite animated movie of 2015 (well…have there been other blockbuster animated films? I don’t remember). Anyhow, I was tagged by the exuberant Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse!
Also disclosed is my feels toward each character in the film. Just because.
Continue reading [Miscellaneous] Awards/Tags — Inside Out Book Tag
Book Title Don’t Fail Me Now (Standalone)
Author: Una LaMarche
Number of pages: 288
Synopsis:
Michelle and her little siblings Cass and Denny are African-American and living on the poverty line in urban Baltimore, struggling to keep it together with their mom in jail and only Michelle’s part-time job at the Taco Bell to sustain them.
Leah and her stepbrother Tim are white and middle class from suburban Maryland, with few worries beyond winning lacrosse games and getting college applications in on time.
Michelle and Leah only have one thing in common: Buck Devereaux, the biological father who abandoned them when they were little. After news trickles back to them that Buck is dying, they make the uneasy decision to drive across country to his hospice in California. Leah hopes for closure; Michelle just wants to give him a piece of her mind.
(re: Goodreads @ Don’t Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche)
– A road-trip book brimming with intersectionality/diversity
– Slow-paced writing and feeling of being disengaged from the cast and their conflict made the experience a bit of a drag
– Romance in this book is off-center of incest (not actually…but the half-sister’s brother is the interest)
– Raises awareness to racial discrimination and microaggressions, economic disparity, gender roles, physiological concerns (diabetes), privilege, etc., but doesn’t cause its importance to resonate
Someone needs to explain to me why road trip books are so wonderful because I’m all “¯\_(ツ)_/¯”
Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of Don’t Fail Me Now from the Book Blog Ontario Meet-Up. I extend thanks to RazorBill for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.
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thoughts and afterthoughts. 