#reading advisory

[lilysaintcrow]

💛🌝 I had to watch this movie 3 times

and it made me queasy each time 🌝💛

[readingrobin]

I’m getting so excited for my Comics Reading Advisory course that starts next week. Basically we have the freedom to read anything we want as long as it lines up with the prompt for that week. Honestly, it was harder narrowing it down what to read rather than finding titles.

Here’s what I plan on tackling during the course.

I tried to make a good balance between ones I’ve read and want to talk about vs. ones I haven’t read. What do you all think? Have you read any of these titles? Alternative suggestions for the prompts?

[oikoik]

—the color of a bruise (before you read)

「 the inner workings and cautionary advising 」

plot;

⁂ the plot of this series will follow one main storyline (how y/n joined Karasuno, and how she copes with the changes that come along with it)

⁂ this plot will deal with a number of mafia and gang related scenarios, violence and corruption will be major themes throughout this narrative

⁂ this plot will be the focus of the actual series and each chapter will reflect this unless stated otherwise

structure;

⁂ while only one main storyline will be used as the focal point of this series, there will be small drabbles that feature characters of different teams or standings

⁂ since these short pieces do not necessarily follow the main structure of the story, they will be written (and read) with the mindset that the reader is different from the one associated with Karasuno, unless stated otherwise

⁂ however, the drabbles will take place in the same world building as the main plot, so events that have happened/are happening in the main story, are still present in these shorter pieces

⁂ some drabbles may be a member x member scenario (although not all will be in an outright romantic nature); peep the team/character theme playlists for some clues/insight

dynamics;

⁂ note: every chapter/drabble will have any notable warnings listed at the beginning of each posting, however, nsfw content is (very) possible to occur throughout the story (especially the drabbles)

⁂ some warnings may include: the use of obscene and immoral language, deliberate and accidental bodily harm to others and oneself, depictions of violence (oftentimes graphic), use of illegal/harmful substances, major character death, and dubcon nsfw scenarios—read at your own risk

⁂ also note that all characters are aged up in this; the youngest age of a member will be 19-20 years old; under no circumstances should you think the boys or any other supporting characters are minors, unless specifically stated otherwise

⁂ please keep in mind and be considerate of the fact that this story takes place in a very corrupt worldview and some of the material may reflect that

⁂ actions and/or behavior demonstrated in this are purely fictional and is not condoned by myself, nor should it be expected in the presence of healthy relationships

[loanstars]

Presenting the top 10 titles for January 2017 as voted by library staff across Canada:

1. The Beautiful Dead, Belinda Bauer 2. Indelible, Adelia Saunders 3. The Chosen Maiden, Eva Stachniak 4. Everything You Want Me To Be, Mindy Mejia 5. The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden 6. Hope Has Two Daughters, Monia Mazigh 7. Lucky Boy, Shanthi Sekaran 8. Copycat, Kimberla Lawson Roby 9. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, Kathleen Rooney 10. Juliet’s Answer, Glenn Dixon

Head over to loanstars.ca to download a full pdf of the list! February voting (and beyond!) is happening right now – library staff, log into your accounts and request some incredible new reads!

[bflteens]

I Just Read...

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston

Carbon-eating dragons, teens and adults working together to slay them, PR, Canada - what more do you want?  Sixteen-year-old composer, musician, and student Siobhan McQuaid ends up becoming the main tutor/"bard"/PR person for Owen Thorskard, recent Trondheim transplant and latest in a line of famous dragon slayers that includes his aunt and father.  Over the course of their well-developed friendship, Siobhan gets to know Owen's aunt's swordsmith wife, Hannah, and becomes involved with more adventures than she bargained for in a contemporary alternate universe where environmental awareness is driven as much by dragons who gravitate towards sources of carbon as anything else.  This book is a rollicking, wry, fascinating take on familiar topics of fantasy, history, and "going green" with an ensemble of awesome, kick-butt, and multidimensional characters.  Siobhan's friendships with Owen and Hannah are particularly well-done, but all characters get the depth they deserve, and Siobhan takes all the story's developments in a stride reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's Kel.  No swearing, sex, graphic violence, or overt romance in this one.  Highly recommend!

Evidence of Things Not Seen by Lindsey Lane

Science whiz and high school student Tommy Smythe is missing without a trace, and those who knew him are left to consider what that means and how they remember him.  Sounds familiar - when I first read the summary, I thought immediately of the excellent The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci -, but this book is filled with philosophical and scientific ponderings not always found in such a mystery.  Through the multiple perspectives of local and outside residents, Tommy's disappearance takes on a more nuanced and even uplifting feel, though some characters are so far removed from the main storyline that they provide more confusion than anything else.  (That said, all the characters could fill books of their own.)  The best parts of the book are undoubtedly Tommy's journal entries, sprinkled between chapters, that explore the possibility of parallel universes, the structure of time, and more with great interest and wonder.  There are a few chapters with graphic descriptions of sexual assault, exploitation, and, briefly, murder.  Somewhat recommend.

Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank

Written in free verse, each page of this uniquely-formatted novel, set in a hospital with two girls dealing with Crohn's disease, is divided into two columns - one from the perspective of Shannon, a young, single mother unafraid to voice whatever her true feelings are and disrupt the status quo; and Chess, her roommate who's trying to hide her diagnosis and keep the surface of her reality calm.  These young ladies bring fresh, ultimately-optimistic perspectives to the genre of YA books with chronically-ill protagonists, one of whom has been dealing with her diagnosis for years and the other of whom is just coming to terms with it.  Some unpleasant descriptions of bodily functions as a result of Crohn's are par for the course, as well as swearing, of which Shannon is particularly fond.  Highly recommend.

I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

Run, do not walk, to get ahold of this book!  Rising ninth graders Elena, Michael, and narrator Lucy have known each other for years and are thick as thieves, which will come in handy (albeit ironically) for their outrageous summer ahead.  All are voracious readers and are still recovering from the death of Fat Bob, their English teacher who died unexpectedly during the school year.  Lucy spots her favorite book, To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee, on her class's summer reading list and, with the help of enthusiastic Elena and long-suffering Michael, concocts a plan to both honor their teacher and help everyone read the book by hiding it in plain sight, with far-reaching results.  Perfect read for Banned Books Week or summer especially.

I half-wish this was longer but am impressed with the author's ability to weave so many different plot points into one story without losing sight of the larger narrative.  This book touches on a lot of awesome, relevant themes - activism, literary criticism, digital footprints, mortality, growing up - without being preachy or glossing over anything.  Elena and Lucy are of similar minds and are the primary drivers of the plot, with Michael providing critical perspectives and support (he doesn't even like TKAM), and there's very little romance.  The teen-parent relationships are also very positive and honest, a welcome change from the dysfunction more typical of many YA books.  I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in this universe and would gladly return to it.  Highly recommend!

[pussreboots]

Booklist Online Book Review: Read-alikes: Calling All Gender Identities.Kelley, Ann (author).FEATURE.First published October 15, 2013 (Booklist).Books For Youth - Fiction

From the list, I've only read Parrotfish.