Book Blogger Appreciation Week - Day 3 - Books I Read Because of Dewey

Books I Read Because of Dewey

Dear Dewey,

It is hard to believe that so much time has gone by... I read these books almost 7 years ago. Some of them have stuck with me. Some were okay, but I am not sure I ever need to read again. Others I want to reread sooner rather than later! This post is why even when my blogging gets quiet... I don't stop... I remember reading So Many Books, So Little Time in a hotel after my great-grandmother died. I remember all the excitement bloggers had about American Born Chinese. It is too bad you never got to read his newer stuff... I am sure you would have loved him. At the end of the day, though, I have blogging friends that influence my life and my reading. I explore things that I may missed entirely if not for people like you. And, you continue to influence reading every time the blogosphere has a readathon. This means that people that never even met you, are still being inspired by your sense of community. In a way, you will always live on even if blogging becomes a thing of the past... I am sure there are still books on my TBR pile I have because of you. And, I know there are others I read other years because of you.

Much love to you and your love of reading and community!

Until next time...

And now, on with the books!

Read in January, 2009

A quote from Dewey's post: 

[O]ne of Jin’s classmates, a Japanese-American girl the bullies in the class call “chink,” which is a demeaning term for a Chinese person, not a Japanese person. The ignorance of some of Jin’s classmates is so deep that they can’t even get their racial slurs right. If you’re a woman like me, you may have been called names usually reserved for women. That’s pretty horrible, but imagine if the people degrading you with words paid so little notice to who you really are that they didn’t even use ugly words reserved for females, but instead called you names commonly used to insult men. With the former names, as awful as they are, you at least know that you’re not alone, that other women are called these names. With the latter, your femaleness is completely dismissed. Imagine how much damage something like that, happening day after day to a child, could do. How would that affect your sense of who you are?

You can read my Dewey letter here.

Read in February, 2009

So, when Dewey reviewed this post she answered questions. When I did my post I added my two cents to her answers. You can read the post here. 

Originally read February, 2009

When I posted my review I linked to all the mentions of John Green on Dewey's blog. Unfortunately the links go to other places now, but the idea is there!

Read in 2009

Words from Dewey:

I’ve noticed myself that many teenage girls consider developing breasts and hips to be “getting fat.” So many girls and young women I’ve talked to seem convinced that the ideal for a woman is to retain a pre-pubescent straight-up-and-down body. They seem to find it horrifying to gain weight, even when that weight gain goes along with increased height. This determination to retain a childlike stick figure body seems to go along with a horror with body hair. When I was in high school and college, it was considered “gross” to retain any armpit or leg hair, but now more and more I hear from girls and women that age that it seems “gross” to retain pubic hair, too. It concerns me that female secondary sex characteristics are considered so repulsive. It’s sickening to think that without realizing it, women attempt to please men by appearing as much as possible like little girls.

Unfortunately, like above none of the links to Dewey's blog work any more, but you can see the original post here.

Originally read in March, 2009

Thoughts from Dewey:

Since she lost her memory after an accident, she frequently looks up words. This serves a couple purposes. First, the character will keep using words she looks up later in the book, showing in a way how she has to use repetition to learn new things you might expect a girl of seventeen to have mastered. Second, it shows the reader, at times, some of the more obscure meanings of certain commonplace words. Adoration is not just the noun for the verb adore, to love, but can also be a religious term, mean a demonstration of worship.

You can read the original post here.

Originally read in 2009

A fitting book for #ComicsFebruary! Dewey and I both really liked this book. Read the post by clicking here.

Originally read in 2009

I mention browsing Dewey's blog and discovering that she had read this book, too. I really wish her blog was still active! You can read what I call a ranty post over here.

Read in 2009

I really loved this blog. A lot of other bloggers recommended it, but it was Dewey that got me to finally read it. And I wish I had read it long before I did... I should reread! I included a quote from Dewey in my post:

In fact, once it’s discovered who P.L.A.I.N. is, Jane’s new friends try to decide how to restructure themselves now that they’re no longer anonymous. Jane ends by saying, “Of course we can still be an art girl gang.” And she thinks, “I feel a fierce pride. This is my tribe.”

Check out the full post here.

Originally read in 2009

Dewey and I both really liked this book, but not for the same reasons as other bloggers... She made me feel not so alone on what I took away from the book. Read the post over here.

Originally read in 2009

I remember really loving this book. I must reread it! The original post is here.

Originally read in 2009

I love Terry Pratchett. I am glad one of my favourite books by him, I read because of Dewey! (And probably Nymeth... Oh, yes, I mention Ana in my original post, too!)

Thoughts from Dewey:

The story takes place in the mid to late nineteenth century on a tiny island which has been nearly destroyed by a tsunami. One survivor remains from the entire nation: Mau. But survivors from other islands and from a shipwreck wash up on the island and help Mau rebuild his home. One character, Ermintrude (who says her name is Daphne) has the biggest adjustment to make. She’s an English girl who was on board a ship that runs aground on the island. Unlike the other survivors, she has no shared language, history, culture, or even similar appearance to the others. But they all learn to communicate.

Read my original post over this way.

Originally read in 2009

 You can read my original post about this book here.