Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets by Tiffany Tatreau and Rachel Feder

 Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets by Tiffany Tatreau and Rachel Feder-256 pages 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am a Swiftie and love to read (obviously), so this book intrigued me. I find Swift's lyrics often poetic and full of prose. This book attempts to flesh out the literary influences behind Swift's songs and lyrics. It also includes anecdotes and short biographies on several poets and authors. I learned about several poets and authors that I previously didn't know much (or anything) about, including Emma St. Vincent Millay, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Sylvia Plath, Dylan Thomas, Patti Smith, and others. Swift's music is greatly influenced by The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights, Peter Pan, and other works/characters. 

I enjoyed reading it and learning about authors and poets and their works that have influenced Swift's songs and lyrics.

ERASING HISTORY: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future by JASON F. STANLEY

 ERASING HISTORY: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future by JASON F. STANLEY (Pages 256)

From Yale professor and bestselling author of How Fascism Works, a searing confrontation with the authoritarian right’s efforts to annihilate public education, silence teachers, and use taxpayer money to undo a century of work to advance social justice action on race, gender, sexuality, and class.Combining historical research with an in-depth analysis of our modern political landscape, Erasing History issues a dire warning for America and the the worst fascist movements of humanity’s past began in schools; the same place so many of today’s right-wing political parties have trained their most vicious attacks. Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Recip Erdogan, and Argentina’s Javier Milei have all reached the same if you want to roll back the clock on civil rights, equity, and inclusion, a great place to start is in our schools. Yale professor Jason Stanley exposes the true danger of the right’s tactics and traces their inspirations and funding back to some of the most dangerous ideas of human history. He shows that hearts and minds are won in our elementary schools, high schools, and universities—and that governments are currently ill-prepared to do the work of uprooting fascist policies being foisted upon our children through school boards, in courtrooms, and in the boardrooms of the companies trusted to train our teachers and create the materials they’ll share with their students. Deeply informed and urgently needed, this book is a vibrant call to action for lovers of democracy worldwide.

I'm finding this book a very timely read in todays political landscape.

GROW ALL YOU CAN EAT IN 3 SQUARE FEET by CHAUNEY DUNFORD

 GROW ALL YOU CAN EAT IN 3 SQUARE FEET by CHAUNEY DUNFORD (Pages 256)

Want to grow your own vegetables and food, but don't have enough space for a garden? Don't let lack of space get in the way of growing healthy, organic foods at home. Apartment dwellers, schoolteachers, and anyone else who wants to grow a lot of food in a little space will find a great small garden resource in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet.

Small-space gardeners, find your start in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet, packed with information on window boxes, potted plants, patio gardening, raised beds, small square-foot gardening, container gardening, and everything else related to growing your own small garden. Whether you want to grow a full garden, grow tomatoes, grow an herb garden, or just pick up great tips for small gardens, Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet is the resource you need.

I enjoyed looking through this book and did find some good ideas for container gardening this year!

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer (112 Pages)

Summary: As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”

Opinion: This is an adult non-fiction book that examines the intersection between ecology, philosophy, and economics. I've always enjoyed exploring philosophical questions and this book makes a big concept very digestible. It's a short book that is direct and even has a few illustrations. If you are interested in thinking more about how you live your life and how the world operates around you, I'd give this book a read. 

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (400 Pages)

Summary: As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight...and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

Opinion: Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel to the Hunger Games series about Haymitch's experience during the 50th games. For readers that have read the Hunger Games before, they likely already know (or think they know) how this plays out, but the book does a great job of keeping things interesting despite that. The characters are all wonderful, especially the district 12 tributes, and the messaging regarding propaganda is well delivered. For fans of the Hunger Games series, I would definitely recommend. 

How Much To...? by Matt Shaw

 

How Much To...? by Matt Shaw - 134 pages

The Game is simple. Each of the contestants are asked a question: how much to complete a certain task? They then have two minutes to name a price but if they go too high and their fellow contestants are cheaper, they have just priced themselves out of the game. The trick is to go high enough to win a good amount of money but low enough to ensure you are the winner. By the end of the bidding war, the person who is the cheapest contestant has to then go through, one by one, completing the tasks. No backing out allowed now...

But who is running this game? And more to the point - why?!

This is definitely extreme horror.  I can usually stomach extreme horror but this one had me feeling nauseous and doubting my choices.  The things the contestant had to eat and do were absolutely disgusting.  This is probably a one and done with this author, maybe.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

 

The Tenant by Freida McFadden - 368 pages

Blake Porter is riding high, until he's not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he's desperate to make ends meet.

Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she?

Because something isn't quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets...

Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it'll be far too late. The trap is already set.

This book was ok, not one of her best but still good.  I was surprised at how quickly things escalated from 1 to 10 between Blake and the tenant, it seemed a bit silly.  Overall it was good, and of course the McFadden twist was good.