lunabee34

Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature by Leonard S. Marcus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is absolutely delightful. I knew nothing about the formation of children's books as a genre, and this is really informative and interesting.

Almost all of the movers and shakers are women which is really gratifying to read about (even if it's maddening to see the ways in which sexism hampered their careers and denied many of them the money and the respect awarded to their male counterparts in publishing and editing).

The book kind of peters out at the end, but it's got to stop somewhere, and it's pretty comprehensive up until the early 80s.

Definitely recommended.

View all my reviews

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love this book.

At first I wasn't sold on Felix. I thought he's one of those guys who thinks he's a genius and has an overinflated sense of himself (and he does have that problem, a little), but he quickly endears himself to me, and I spend the whole book rooting for him.

This is for anyone who believes in the transformative power of literature, who enjoys The Tempest, and who can understand the desire for revenge.

It is also deeply sad in places as Felix has lost his wife and daughter, and his grief for his daughter is so hard to read at times. The end of this book hurts so beautifully; it couldn't really end any other way if you are familiar with the play, and it's perfect.

Also, it's funny. Atwood can be so so funny.

View all my reviews