The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

I've long felt that Shakespeare is overrated, which is probably an unpopular opinion to have. I never saw the romance in Romeo and Juliet, and had little patience to read his other plays (although, I do like some of the movie adaptations that came out in the 90s and early 2000s). But as I have said before, I am willing to admit when I am wrong, and I was wrong in assuming that all of Shakespeare's Sonnets would be icky and romantic. The Sonnets As a part of my Master's, I am going to be a teaching assistant for a course called Literature and Culture, which will be looking into how poetry reflects the time in which it was written. Shakespeare is a good example of how writing reflects culture, and after reading his sonnets I can see why they were chosen for the course.  Shakespeare was interested in more than love, but that was also among the many themes he wrote about. His sonnets also discussed life, death and legacy--what a person leaves behind, and what is worthwhile. The...

"For all the girls and women pushed into the abyss of expendability and invisibility." Firekeeper's Daughter It is hard to know where to start this review. Is it a five star read? Absolutely. The must read book of the year? Quite possibly.  The thing about Angeline Boulley's debut novel is that, it is written as a young adult fictional thriller, but it is full of a reality that Indigenous and Native women live every day.  Daunis Fontaine is an eighteen-year-old in the midst of life altering traumatic events when she is approached by the FBI, asking her to be a confidential informant. With the rising meth-related deaths in the Sault community, the FBI believe that Daunis' knowledge of traditional Ojibwe culture and chemistry will help her identify those who are lacing meth with an unknown substance. With all of this drama going on, it's hard to believe Daunis still has to navigate her first year of university... This book is technically young adult fiction, but...