Shaina Reads

Once again, I have library books to talk about despite my #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks commitment. Since my monthly reading has been relatively low so far this year (5-6 books per month), it feels like I'm doing more damage than I probably am. (Well, besides the three ARCs I picked up. And the two books at The Strand. WHATEVER.) Regardless, the library reading has been good,...

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In her memoir The Gentrification of the Mind: Witness to a Lost Imagination, Sarah Schulman dedicates a chapter to the homogenization of art and creation. She specifically discusses how MFA programs can encourage uniformity when they guide their students toward a predetermined set of "influential voices": One is the homogenization of influences. Students in an MFA program often are exposed to the same...

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All book covers from Goodreads. Remember how I was going to #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks this year? Yeah, well... I'm still technically doing that, but three upcoming reads got me excited enough to contact some publishers and add some new paper to my shelves. Oops. With any luck, they'll be more than worth it. Here's what I've got on tap for the next few months: At...

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Happy third day of BBAW, everyone! Today's topic involves calling out the bloggers that have influenced you to read books, be they your favorite reads ever or the biggest piece of garbage you've ever laid eyes on. Thankfully, I'm not telling any of the latter stories today. (I also might not have any, but that's beside the point.) If I listed out all...

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"Hey Shaina, weren't BBAW introductions supposed to be posted yesterday?" 1) Yes. 2) Too bad. I completely forgot that yesterday was the start of Book Blogger Appreciation Week until late in the day. I have it on good authority that I can post my introduction a day late, so hell if I'm going to miss my chance to jump in on this love...

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Happiest of Mondays, book buds! The last week was fairly quiet on the reading front and anything but on the life front. Many of you have already heard, but I was admitted to two of the three public health schools I applied to! I still have one to hear back from before the big decisions start, but regardless, I'M GOING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL...

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The awesome reading streak continues! Julianne and Emily were my bookish fairy godmothers this week and pointed me toward two very different but equally excellent novels. One brought the creepy, the other brought the magic, and both were an absolute joy to read. A Head Full of Ghosts, by Paul Tremblay "I tell Rachel that there is no starting point or ground zero for what happened...

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Can I just take a moment to say again how excellent my reading in 2016 has been so far? Damn, 2016 reading, you are off to such an excellent start, I could squeak. — Shaina (@shainareads) February 7, 2016 The first week of February kept up last month's trend. Julianne and I weren't supposed to finish up Mr. Splitfoot until today, but I...

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Three weeks ago, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I had the good fortune of attending a free screening of the stunning James Baldwin documentary The Price of the Ticket. In just under 90 minutes, the film tells the story of the iconic writer's life, from his earliest days in Harlem to his death by stomach cancer in 1987, and all of...

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It's difficult to come up with a summary for Bats of the Republic; the 2016 Tournament of Books shortlist pick is so darned ambitious. In a blend of science fiction, historical fiction and more than a dash of the Wild West, Dodson weaves a pair of dramatic love stories. Though they take place 300 years apart, they are connected by Texas landscape, powerful...

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Happy Monday, all! There might only be an hour and half till Tuesday, but better late than never. January was an excellent month for reading. I say this even though I didn't love everything and, in some cases, had big bones to pick with what I read. Still, I got in a stunning debut and quite a bit of nonfiction, including the unparalleled...

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