Required Reading

For Big Picture, we are required to read 2 books per semester and write reviews about them. Read below what books I read and what I thought about them!

Orientation/Fall Term 2019/2020

Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

This book was not only beautifully illustrated but also wonderfully wrote! It told a story of a young inspiring musician and baker in a small town, named Ari. It also tells the story of a young baker whose new in town, Hector. Ari wants to quit the bakery and move away with his band, and Hector wants a job in the bakery. Thus, chaos ensues. (Spoilers, but) Eventually Ari and Hector fall in love, and other madness happens. It has a happy ending, LGBTQ people and people of color- all the ingredients for a fantastic read full of beautiful art.

Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

Ah, fall. The time for pumpkins, friendship, and budding romance. Also, great food. The story revolves around two friends, Deja and Josiah, as they relish in their last night working at a autumn themed amusement(?) park. Josiah is trying to find a girl he has had a crush on for as long as he's worked there, and Deja is trying to eat as much of her favorite fall foods as possible. (Spoilers, but) Eventually the two friends realize two things. One, they like each other more than friends, and two, the things they are going to miss the most about the park is each other. Again, it has a happy ending, LGBTQ and POC (people of color) representation. All ingredients for an amazing, pumpkin-spice novel.

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

This was the second book in the Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell. It follows the USA road trip of three British magicians, one being a vampire and the other having lost his magic. Simon, Baz, and Penny's goal was to have a carefree road trip across the US, see the sights, and visit some friends. Well, that didn't quite work out. Throw in some businessmen vampires, a magician ex-boyfriend and relationship troubles, you don't even know the half of it. I really enjoyed this book because I read the first book (Carry On) last year (?) and I really enjoyed it. This book made things a bit more realistic than other books, which I liked (Young adult relationship wise, not vampire wise). I also loved the fact that there were POC as main characters as well as LGBTQ people as the main characters. 10/10, would recommend to every magician and vampire I know.

Remote Learning Term 2020

This term I've started reading a lot of books, but this is the only one I've finished so far. It's titled March, and it's by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. Because of the protests and the murder of George Flyod and Breonna Taylor, as well as the hundreds of cases of police brutality against people of color, I wanted to become more educated on race relations and police brutality. I got a big stack of books from my local library, and this was the first one I finished! It talks about the life of John Lewis, an amazing activist and U.S. Representative. I liked how it transitioned from talking about his childhood to his experience in peaceful protests. It was a quicker read, but I still feel like I learned a lot. It discussed the Nashville sit-in movement, which I didn't know a lot about before. The art was beautiful, and the messages and history included was awesome. I would definitely recommend this book to others looking to learn about important history and an important man. I think I would have gotten a little more out of it if they included a timeline at the end so I could remember more easily when things happened. 9.5/10.

2019

This book was AMAZING!!!! Written by popular Youtuber, businesswoman, and Bawse Lilly Singh. She talks about her journey into becoming a Bawse, and how you can become one, too. A Bawse is kind of like a boss, except more awesome. A boss means that you’re in charge of something, while a Bawse is someone who doesn’t give up no matter what, reflects on their failures and makes changes for the future, and generally radiates magic. Lilly talks about how you have to overcome obstacles, be yourself, and work productively. I recently presented on how to work with self direction, and I quoted Lilly several times in my powerpoint. One of my favorite quotes from her book is this one: “Don’t just try to pass your classes; try to ace them. Don’t just aim to pay your bills; save enough to travel. I don’t want you to write a script just to see a movie get made; I want you to win an Oscar. That’s the difference between settling like a survivor and conquering like a Bawse.” I would highly recommend this book if you need to revamp your hustle, obtain a new outlook on life, or work harder. After reading this, I’ve started thinking in a different way. I’ve had thoughts like, ‘Just one more task’ or ‘I can do one more thing’. It’s changed the way I work, the way I think, and the way I encourage myself and others. Plus, it’s one of those books where you can read it again and again. 10/10!

Told in a graphic novel format, this fractured fairy tale was awesome! It tells the story of a young prince and his friendship turned love story with the castle’s dressmaker. However, there’s a slight twist: The prince wants the dressmaker to make him dresses. It was full of perfect comedic timing and adorable drawings. I wanted to dive into the pages myself! One of the appealing qualities of this book was that at some points, you couldn’t tell which time period it was in. For example, there were princes and princesses, but the world’s first mall was opening. Also, the prince would randomly use modern slang, and kind of shock the reader into remembering to think outside the box. It was such a cute story, with a underlying theme to it: Be who you are, no matter what people think. I would definitely read it again. 10/10.

Report abuse