Mrs Smith Reads

> Tag: Mrs Smith Reads

Why did I wait so long to read this book?

Kindred by Octavia Butler

September 14, 2015 by Mrs Smith Reads 3 Comments

I’m almost ashamed to admit that until this year, I had never read any Octavia Butler. When I went through my original SciFi reading phase in high school, she was never even mentioned amongst my nerd-kin friends, and now, though I’m late to the party, I know I have found one of the best writers, of any kind, of the modern age. Kindred is Butler’s best selling novel and is still required reading for many university and college writing and gender studies programs. The story […]

One of those dystopian futures that really could happen.

The Subprimes by Karl Taro Greenfield

September 13, 2015 by Mrs Smith Reads Leave a Comment

If I had read this book three years ago, I would have wept my way through to the end. Since things have improved a bit for my family since then, I was able to read The Subprimes with a much clearer eye toward the outer extremes of wealth inequality which Carl Taro Greenfield imagines for the United States of the future. Greenfield does manage to put a humorous spin on a rage-inducing topic, and for that, he deserves kudos. While I have no doubt […]

A sadly disappointing mystery by an author I really like.

The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid

September 8, 2015 by Mrs Smith Reads Leave a Comment

I’ve just realized that I really need to keep up with my reviews, as I opened this draft and had to think long and hard about the book to remember what it was about. That might actually be my review, right there. Mrs Smith’s actual review of The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid

Why that 4.0 GPA isn’t going to get you anywhere.

Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life by William Deresiewicz

July 26, 2015 by Mrs Smith Reads 3 Comments

“Colleges should remember that selecting students by GPA more often benefits the faithful drudge than the original mind.” ― William Deresiewicz, Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of America’s Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life I found William Deresiewicz’s Excellent Sheep through reading one of his early articles which formed the basis for this book. As someone who attended state universities, then went to art school, I have felt the sting of feeling comfortable with my well-rounded education and intellectual curiosity, then slowly realizing that […]

Religion makes some people kinda cray cray.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

July 20, 2015 by Mrs Smith Reads 1 Comment

I had wanted to read Under the Banner of Heaven for quite a long time, and finally found a copy at my local used book store this year. I started and stopped reading several times, to pick up lighter, less gruesome novels, but I kept coming back to read this intense, true-crime novel, that is less about the horrible murder of a 24 year old mother and her 15 month old daughter (and it was violently and insanely horrible), as it is about a fundamentalist […]

This is more about me than the book.

How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran

July 13, 2015 by Mrs Smith Reads Leave a Comment

In How to Build a Girl Caitlin Moran manages to write a story of teenaged angst that so closely resembles my own experiences that I though she had perhaps stolen my diary and just added a lot (like, a lot, a lot) more sex. Except I didn’t keep a diary in those days. (Now you would call it a journal, and be really precious about it). How to Build a Girl is the story of Johanna Morrigan, a working-class girl in 90s England who hates […]

Emmalita on I was right to kidnap this book.Ok, but your gift giving game is excellent!
Emmalita on OK, I Need to Talk About These BooksThere are some books that are addictive even when they make us feel bad about ourselves after reading them. I can see how these books...
Malin on “One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories.”I really want to read this, I'm just worried that it being set in a fictional version of Norway is going to push some peeve...
Michellers66 on I was right to kidnap this book.I am not familiar with Benjamin Stevenson and delighted to try one of his books, think I will start with Either Side of Midnight per...
Michellers66 on An unexpected gift from my kindleEvery time something auto downloads to my kindle it's like Christmas, especially if I forgot pre-ordering it! I even feel that way about picking up...

Search This Site