Aka: Somehow the internet can make you feel inadequate about the thing you love to do most and thought you were real good at
Whoooo. It's been awhile. But here we go. I have always been a reader. And I thought I had read a lot. I thought I was a book nerd. But when I decided I wanted to start a book blog, and ventured into the bookternet I realized I am not a book nerd. I am more of a recreational reader. (My desire to hoard books of all formats aside.) Which started this whole questioning who I even am if not a book nerd. And if Bitches Love Books even has a future if I can’t impress the world with my “have read” list and witty book reviews. So I’ve done a little reflection that looked something like this. I guess I’m a niche reader. I can’t account for the 27 years before I started teaching (since 5 of those years involved almost no fun reading, since I was in school) but growing up I read what they told me to in high school, and I remember Anne of Green Gables, Judy Blume, and a fleeting love of Stephen King. I taught 6th grade for 12 years, so in the belief that I should read what my students are reading, I read a lot of middle grade books. And only in the summer. (What teacher has time to read during the school year? Not this teacher.) At some point I gradually moved into YA. Even then my tastes sat pretty firmly in sci fi and fantasy. I discovered while trying to get my English credential, there’s a ton of “classics” I haven’t read, either. So, I’m not that well read, apparently. And, I don’t write book reviews, because I don’t read them. I like to discover books as I read them, with as little information as possible to get a general sense of the plot line. So then, what good am I to the reading community? Pause for reflection. Dramatic pause for effect. Fucking plenty. One of the goals of Bitches Love Books is to read and promote more diverse books. The publishing world is still mostly white and male, unless it’s YA, and then it’s white and more female. But other voices are out there, and I want to read them, and amplify them. So that’s what we’re going to do. Alla this is about our journey to read more and more diversely. Read on! Harmony
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AuthorsJust some bitches who really love books and bookish things. Archives
April 2017
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