May 2015

20.
Title: [Guilty Pleasures]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 7, 2015
Rating:

I've always intended to reread the entire series prior to the release of the next series installment, but I've never managed it.  I'm trying again, as I enjoy turning off and tuning out for a bit of the summer.  It's interesting to reread early books, given the recent turns of the series.  I know the debate is hot between vintage and contemporary Anita Blake fans, and I don't really want to get into it anymore, other than to say I'm personally glad she's loosened up.

21.
Title: [The Laughing Corpse]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 10, 2015
Rating:

22.
Title: [Joker]
Author: Brian Azzarello
Genre: Comicbook
Medium: Hardcover
Acquisition:
Date Completed: May 11, 2015
Rating: ****

Lee Bermejo's artwork is absolutely stunning, and really made this book for me - especially the portraiture of the titular character.  The texture and depth of the visuals continue the rhetoric of Azzarello's story, weaving a familiar but intriguing story. One scene of the book was named one of the most outrageous Joker moments which would never make it into film, and so I decided to seek out the book as a whole. I was not disappointed, although my gender studies curiosity is raised by the consistent and nearly-complete silence of the handful of female characters, including Harley (who is named, incorrectly is seems, as the inspiration for Joker's Outrageous Act).

23.
Title: [Circus of the Damned]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 13, 2015
Rating:

24.
Title: [Bloody Bones]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 19, 2015
Rating:

What strikes me most in my series re-reading is how deeply, deeply flawed Anita is.  Her anger will be a long topic of conversation later in the series, but in these early books her racism and closed-mindedness is really front-and-center.

25.
Title: [The Killing Dance]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 25, 2015
Rating:

26.

Title: [The Princess in Black]

Author: Shannon Hale

Genre: Children's

Medium: Hardback

Acquisition: Library Book

Date Completed: May 26, 2015

Rating: ****

The Princess in Black hit my radar after a friend posted an article by the author on social media, in which Hale decried the gendering of children's books.  While on a book tour Hale occasionally found herself in an auditorium of only girls, only to find out later that administrators only allowed girls to attend the readings, assuming that princesses = girl books, and boys shouldn't/wouldn't be interested.  Sadly, there was one story of a single boy who was given special permission to attend, but stayed back out of embarrassment.  Sympathetic to her gender-neutral arguments for her book, and knowing my own guys would love a monster-fighting ninja princess, I grabbed one of the titles on my last trip.  Intended for very early readers, The Princess in Black offers short, well-illustrated "chapters" organized much like longer chapter books, with enough action and just enough detail to keep readers interested.  We read the whole thing in a single sitting, and Middle Child begged to sleep with the book, and the next day proclaimed that he woke up early just so he could "read" it again before school (he can't yet read, but it won't be long!). All three said they loved the story, and have asked for it more than once.  Monster-fighting and ninjas are anyone's game, and Hale does deliver a story that will delight (nearly) all.  

On a related note, First Born gave me a dose of gender studies not too long ago: I was attending a bridal shower which was limited to only women.  First Born asked to attend with me, and I had to explain, "it's just for ladies." 

"Mommy, there's no such thing as 'girl' things and 'boy' things" he argued.  Well played, little man.  I told him it wasn't my choice, unfortunately, but that he was entirely correct.  I'm so proud.  It's amazing how much of a fight gender normativity is, even at this age, though.