“Bloody Sunday” Executive Order

Yesterday was the 56th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when peaceful demonstrators were viciously attacked in Alabama, as they began a march in support of voting rights. This is a wonderful post from In Saner Thought that also details the executive order President Biden signed yesterday addressing voting rights.

In Saner Thought

The Pope and the Royals…is there anything more mundane than those two reports?

For me there was some things more important…..

Yesterday, 07 March, we commemorated “Bloody Sunday”…..

For those that are too young or those that d not want to remember this day….I shall help……

On March 7, 1965 around 600 people crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in an attempt to begin the Selma to Montgomery march. State troopers violently attacked the peaceful demonstrators in an attempt to stop the march for voting rights.

After 56 years Biden signs an Executive Order on voting rights……

On the 56th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march, President Biden signed an executive order intended to guarantee voting rights. “Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have that vote counted,” Biden said Sunday in a remote address to the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast, per CNN. The annual event…

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Happy International Women’s Day!

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#ChooseToChallenge, Anisa Nandaula, Happy International Women’s Day

Sunday Smiles ~ Bernie’s Mittens: Finale

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Bernie Sanders Mitten Memes, Sunday Smiles

Dr. Seuss Controversy

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Dr. Seuss Controversy

I’ve been dragging my feet about addressing the Dr. Seuss controversy, mainly because I myself have mixed feelings. But after being asked by a few people what my thoughts are, I’ve decided to weigh in. 

Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, was one of my favorite early childhood authors, and I shared my love for his whimsical books with my library storytime attendees throughout my twenty-six year career. I enjoyed reading Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Yertle the Turtle, The Sneetches, Oh the Places You’ll Go, and of course, How the Grinch Stole Christmas to my young patrons and loved that many times they could recite passages along with me.

While I loved And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street as a child, looking at it through the eyes of an adult, I admit I was uncomfortable with the illustration of an Asian man, and so that was a book I did not feature. Then, a few years ago there started to be rumblings regarding some of Geisel’s earlier wartime political cartoons, as well as his illustrations for advertisements both before and after he became a children’s author. Many of these were derogatory toward multiple groups of persons of color, as well as Jews, Muslims, and women. Even worse, through a closer lens not clouded by nostalgia, these harmful stereotypes seeped into his some of his early children’s books, which leads us to the current “cancel culture” brouhaha. As you know I’m firmly against censorship, and after mulling this over the last few days, I’m reaffirming my stance in this case as well. I understand the harm and hurt racial, religious, and gender stereotypes can cause, especially in books meant for impressionable young minds, but it seems that rather than ceasing to publish these six books, perhaps we’d better serve children by sharing them and having discussions about the time period they were written in, why the illustrations and language are objectionable, and how no one is perfect, including our heroes. In addition, sharing some of the thousands of diverse picture books that have been published since Dr. Seuss passed away with young readers is absolutely essential, now more than ever. I’d also like to acknowledge that this isn’t a typical case of censorship as Dr. Seuss Enterprises owns the publishing rights and publishers cease publication of older books all the time. In this case though, they did so due to outside pressure which is why I’m equating it with censorship. This is of course my humble opinion, and I welcome hearing everyone else’s thoughts. I do want to share an article in The New York Times that I think excellently sums up the controversy and make some good points.

Pandemic Parody ~ One Year Double Header

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”March Again” (Beauty and the Beast Parody), ”One Year Wall” (Wonderwall Parody), Jimmy Fallon, John Legend, Pandemic Parodies, The Holderness Family, The Tonight Show

 

 

 

It takes an island… #Arran #Scotland #friendship

Thanks to Barb for sharing. Stories like this reaffirm your faith in humanity.

Barb Taub

Then catch the moments as they fly,
And use them as ye ought, man:
Believe me, happiness is shy,
And comes not aye when sought, man.
—A Bottle and a Friend, Robert Burns

A thank you letter to Arran.

Some weeks ago, I turned to Arran, the small Scottish island I call home, for help. Two friends and I had hoped to get together on Arran last April. Because of the pandemic, we postponed it to this year. But between continuing covid restrictions that left me marooned in Italy, and life-threatening health issues that came up for each of my friends, we realized that wasn’t likely either. (You can read about their personal, sad, funny, and amazingly life-affirming cancer journeys on Mary Smith’s Cancer Diaries and Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo.)

The solution, for anyone who has ever lived on Arran, was obvious. I posted a message on the island’s…

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The Ladies of the Secret Circus, By Constance Sayers ~ 5.0 Stars

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Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 23rd, 2021

469 Pages

Synopsis: 

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder—a world where women tame magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. But each daring feat has a cost. Bound to her family’s strange and magical circus, it’s the only world Cecile Cabot knows—until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate love affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2005: Lara Barnes is on top of the world—until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. Desperate, her search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals and sweeps her into the story of a dark circus and a generational curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. (Goodreads)

The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a darkly magical read, that I enjoyed so much I didn’t want it to come to an end. The first quarter of the book delves into the life of Lara in 2004/2005 as she struggles to move on after the mysterious disappearance of her fiancé on their wedding day. You find out a little bit of her background, and her family’s magic, but the real revelations come when her great-grandmother Cecile’s journals fall into her hands. The majority of the book alternates from Jazz Age Paris to the early 2000s and what Lara discovers involves the supernatural, star-crossed lovers, a family curse, and the question of what you’re willing to sacrifice to save the one you love. It’s exquisitely told and although it’s almost 500 pages long, I had to make a concentrated effort to slow down. There are so many elements to this atmospheric novel: demonology, history, art, circuses, and magical realism. Sayers skillfully builds layer upon layer, until I felt as though I was within the pages of the book. There’s a little bit of romance but this isn’t really the focus of the story. All that’s left to say is that The Ladies of the Secret Circus is creative, mesmerizing storytelling at its finest, and perfect for fans of The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. 

Malice, By Heather Walter ~ 5.0 Stars

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Abuse, Bullying, Fairytale Retellings, LGBTQ Relationships, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 13th, 2020

496 Pages

Synopsis: Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar really cares about what happens to their princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she…cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain.

Malice is a master class in how to create a fairytale retelling. With her debut novel, Heather Walter has taken the beloved tale of Sleeping Beauty and embroidered it with gorgeous and unique embellishments that drew me in immediately from the first chapter and didn’t release me for hours after I finished. You all know how I endeavor not to include any spoilers in my reviews if I can help it, and I’m even more determined in this case because this is a tale you need to experience on your own with no preconceived notions or expectations. It’s both character-driven and plot-driven, with each perfectly complementing the other. This first book mainly concentrates on Alyce, and how she and her dark magic become a force to be reckoned with. While her relationship with Princess Aurora plays a role in who she becomes, their romance doesn’t truly factor in until the latter half of the book. I do warn that there’s a pretty passionate scene between Alyce and Aurora, so this is definitely not for younger YAs. A few of the secondary characters are molded from familiar characters, both from the original story and the Disney adaptation, but they all take on completely original characteristics of their own. The world building is visually detailed and helps bring the kingdom of Briar to life. While there’s not a lot of action in the first part of the book, I was so enthralled with Briar, its history and inhabitants, that I didn’t mind at all. The final few chapters though fairly explode, and the climactic ending has left me impatient for the sequel in this planned duology. I HIGHLY recommend this for older teens and adults who are looking for diverse fairytales with complex characters, rich world building, and engrossing storytelling. 

Dolly Parton Gets a Dose of Her Own Medicine

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Dolly Parton Vaccine

In case there was any doubt as to what a class act Dolly Parton is, she received the Moderna vaccine yesterday, which she helped fund.

 

 

Whimsical Wednesday

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Animated Shorts, ”Float”, Bobby Alcid Rubio, Pixar, SparkShorts, Whimsical Wednesday

I have been wanting to share the beautiful animated short, Float, with all of you since it debuted on Disney Plus in November 2019. Unfortunately, until now, you had to be a subscriber to the streaming service to watch it in its entirety. Due to the increase of attacks on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders by ignorant, hateful people, the studio has decided to make the first animated short featuring Filipino-Americans widely available. After the film I encourage you to also watch how it came about. It’s quite inspiring.