Not Here, Go There!

Hey!

SO, I’m taking a break from this blog for a while! I’m just not feeling it. But I’m handing out my opinions left and right on Goodreads and Twitter. I’m also trying to do more with Litsy. Hook up with me over there! I also have a Pinterst, if you're into super random things that have no connection to any actual plans I have for doing anything. 

New Facebook Blog: https://www.facebook.com/ReviewsMayVary/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Momphd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reviewsmayvary

Litsy: @ReviewsMayVary
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/ReviewsMayVary/

(Local) Broadway to Books: Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classic, am I right!? Yes. I am right. I recently read the book in anticipation of seeing this musical. Don’t ask me why I’m so ready to include musical theatre in my Approved Interpretation lists but not movies. But. There we are.

Hunchback is about a man of the church (arch bishop?) who adopts a deformed baby who becomes the bell ringer of a great French cathedral… Notre Dame. Duh. Stories vary about from whom and for why he adopts the kiddo but all sources agree that he's verbally abusive and over-controlling. The Arch-bishop becomes upset with a dirty gypsy woman who falls in love with a captain of the guard. As you might expect when a man of power loves someone who doesn't love him, hijinks ensue. As you might expect from Victor Hugo, people die. 

Broadway to Books: Matilda

This post was originally part of a larger post published over at Book Bloggers International on July 25, 2016.

Broadway to Books is a (possibly) unique feature that I do that I originated as a guest post (linked above) that was way too long and involved. I have pared it down and am hoping to make it a regular thing. Without further fondue...

MATILDA

Theme: Girls overcoming hard situations and finding their strength (especially against jerk adults)

Reviewing Across the Age Range (Discussion and Question)

Here’s the beginning of a post that I will likely come back to sometime with more thoughts and edits, etc. Feel free to comment below.

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I read a range of books. I love middle grade books, YA, and adult fiction. But I find it difficult to rate these books using the same criteria (like a star system) and/ or add different things to my Must Reads list because I really have different expectations for books, pending their audience.

For books written for younger audiences, I expect a fun story and likable characters. I don’t really care if there are a few plot holes and sometimes I don’t even care if the writing seems a little less polished.

However, as the anticipated audience gets older, I expect more from the book…

 Does anyone else find it hard to group books together and/or rate them similarly based on your different expectations of the book?

 

Sometimes Your Opinions Are Wrong. (NaBloPoMo)

Dispair! Horror! Woes!!

I missed posting yesterday and have thusly and therefore forgone perfection for NaBloPoMo.  But alas, one must put on one’s big girls panties and soldier on.

I hear there’s been an election result that might actually throw humanity back into the stone ages. So, on the plus side, at least I’m not responsible for that, right?

Which brings me to my rare blog rant. I don’t use this blog for non-book rants very often (although see here for a word related one and check this one out about mental illness in books).

This rant is about opinions and ideas.

In grade school, elementary school teachers often tell children that opinions are things that can’t be wrong, can’t be proven. They say that all opinions are valid and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is a safe thing to do with elementary school children because they don’t really know anything at all, AND because what they are fighting over is whether strawberry ice cream is better than chocolate ice cream. It is, by the way. So, then as children we put the words "I think" in front of things so we can say "that's my opinion, all opinions are valid!" in order to win an argument.

What teachers really mean is not that all opinions are valid, but that usually, people should be allowed to have their own PREFERENCES. Unless they have made a pact with Satan and think that avocados are edible. They clearly are not.

However! As humans get older, they are actually supposed to learn things. With this increased knowledge and ability to reason, their opinions start to be informed by actual facts and information. And because of access to information and the amount of time different people spend gathering that information, some people’s opinions are actually better formed than other peoples. This is why we go to doctors when there is a weird pain in our chests. Because when they say “I think it might be your heart” it means something different than when your 20 year old high at 2pm nephew says it.

Ok. What does this have to do with anything, you wonder? Well. Multiple things.

We know a lot about humanity and how people interact with one another. We know a shit ton about the different systems that people are in and how these systems (education, family, political, legal, justice, etc.) impact people both individually as well as on a grand scale. We know about global warming, police brutality, and gender as a social construct.

For a random person to say “I DON’T THINK” in front of “THERE IS GLOBAL WARMING” doesn’t make that a valid opinion. It makes that person wrong. For an environmental expert to say it, it might mean that they have a different way of looking at the data, but that they are an expert suggests that they actually know what that data is. You, as a regular person with regular people knowledge of land, sea, air and fracking, can still think that, but your opinion is not as valid as other people who actually know the science.

If you say “I THINK BLACK PEOPLE ARE INCARCERATED MORE THAN OTHER RACES BECAUSE THEY ARE BIOLOGICALLY PREDISPOSED TO BE MORE CRIMINAL,” you are wrong. It’s actually counter to the data we have on people across races from biological, social, psychological, and even justice systems. You can still think that, but your opinion is probably not based in the facts. It’s also racist but that’s a whole other thing to rant about.

To say “I THINK THAT SPANKING CHILDREN WITH WHIPS IS UNLIKELY TO CAUSE THEM PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE LATER IN LIFE” is wrong. You can still beat your kids (likely illegally in most states). But your understanding of the data is wrong. You might have been beaten as a child and turned out fine. That doesn't actually change what we know about the increased risk of problems associated with spanking.

And finally, you can say that you think “words are just words” and that it “doesn’t matter what people say” and that “representation doesn’t matter” and that “my feelings are the most important thing to consider in making a decision” but those things are just not supported by the actual evidence or the state of the world. I know this whole thing flies in the face of your early childhood thinking. But, I bet you can also think of times when you looked back on an opinion you held, after getting new information or trying something out, and thought "wow, I was wrong about that." At least, I hope you have. That's the shit I'm talking about!

Feel free to drop your thoughts and feelings below. 

Broadway to Books: Wicked and Heathers the Musical (Guest Post Repost)

Thanks to Book Bloggers International for doing a month of posts focused on pairings. It gave me the chance to think about my two loves together. I love musical theatre. I love books. BOOM! This post was originally posted on their site on July 25, 2016. It's been modified here for length and formatting. 

A lot of musicals were based on books, so if you enjoyed one of these popular shows, reading the original text isn’t a terrible idea. Though tread lightly, because just like when your favorite book becomes a movie (just say no, y’all) there are often many things reinterpreted to appeal to a different format and audience. 

For the sake of brevity, here are two of my favorite musicals (I did three for the guest post)  At least, they were my favorite before I saw The Color Purple two weeks ago, which basically blew me away. You can expect another musical- book pairing post. This might be a great excuse to see more shows!

All right. Let’s start with something easy: