Bazan Librarians Review...

OMG! If you are a fan of Queer Eye you totally must read this book! Even if you aren’t a fan or have never seen the show...I repeat, I REPEAT! YOU TOTALLY MUST READ THIS BOOK! You know I am serious because I just wrote that in ALL caps, so I mean business. This book really is a raw journey. I have been a fan of Jonathan Van Ness since I started binge-watching Queer Eye last summer. I was late to the Queer Eye game. Although I love all the fab five, Jonathan sticks out like a glittered and glamourous sore thumb. If you have watched the show, then you know what I mean! On the show, Jonathan’s expertise is grooming. He is the hairdresser and skin expert. He is known for his empowering and uplifting attitude. You can visibly see the self-esteem lifted on the faces and shoulders of the people that he helps on Queer Eye as he shows them one on one TLC. He radiates self-love and self-care. However, that was not always the case. The book lives up to the title because he truly does take you ...

While in quarantine I read The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork. When it comes to books I am a big believer in drawing in the reader with your first chapter. I like to be hooked like a fish who have found the bait. That is what this book did to me. It hooked me on the first page and within the first chapter, I knew the story of Vicky Cruz was something I needed to read. The book starts off in the mind of 16-year-old protagonist Vicky Cruz as she goes through the motions of taking her life. At first, I thought maybe this story was duel POV (point of view), and that Vicky was a secondary character, but thankfully no. Vicky survives her failed suicide attempt and wakes up at Lakeview, a hospital for people with mental disorders. I love Vicky’s raw emotions and thought process as she recovers from “the deed”, which is what she calls her suicide attempt. After given the choice, she stays at Lakeview to receive treatment even though in her head she knows that she still wan...

With all of this extra time that I have spending at home, I put on Dumplin', a Netflix original movie and a movie adaptation of the book Dumplin' authored by Julie Murphy.  The story is about a teenage girl who was raised by her Dolly Parton loving aunt Lucy in the fictional town of Clover City, TX.   Willowdean Dixon, aka Dumplin', is a big girl in high school who is self conscious of her image.  She is seen made fun of and tries to play it off by making fun of slimmer girls and pageant participants. Will becomes troubled when her mother, Rosie, played by Jennifer Anniston needs to make room for her beauty pageant ongoings.  Rosie is not only the pageant president, but she is the seamstress for the young girls participating.  The room in which Rosie plans to use is aunt Lucy's old room.  Will refuses to get rid of her deceased aunt's belongings and takes them into her room instead.  During this time of grieving, Will decides to make a stance...