At long last, I finally made it to the theater to see one of the films I was most anticipating all year: Star Trek Into Darkness. With J.J. Abrams at the helm, and the fact that I did really enjoy his first Star Trek film for the most part, I was expecting greatness. I got a lot of that, but I had a few minor criticisms, too.
Every year on the last Monday of May, we dedicate a day to remember the men and women who have died in military service. For most people, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer, and is traditionally celebrated by having a barbecue with friends or getting stuck in the car in a huge traffic jam trying to get out of the city. But it's worth taking time to think about Memorial Day's original purpose. Here are three remarkable books that explore the subject.
The rights of women are one aspect of our world that has undergone a change for the better over the course of the last few centuries. The teachings of religious dogma and the entrenchment of patriarchal governmental structures have been the chief enemies, but one by one the people of the world are making it known that they desire change. A more modern society means more humanistic views, which in turn means treating women with the same respect that men have historically demanded. This is not to say that the state of women’s rights is perfect by any means, but some places are distinctivel
Author Claire Messud is fed up with having to defend her fictional female character against charges that she is "unlikable." In a recent interview regarding her new book The Woman Upstairs, the interviewer commented that "I wouldn't want to be friends with Nora, would you?"
I know some homeschoolers who do not identify as feminists, and some who even abhor the idea of feminism for one reason or another. Many of them, however, are strongly feminist, including yours truly, even though we are stay-at-home moms. Some of us work and some don’t, and like the author of this piece at Blue Milk, I think that feminists everywhere need to make peace with the fact that some moms WANT to stay at home and raise their families.
It all started when author Maureen Johnson tweeted a gripe about gendered book covers. Men have told her that they won't read her books, because the covers look "too girly." Her followers took up the charge, posting gender-swapped book covers under the Twitter hashtag #coverflip.
When exploring a new show, especially a show with multiple seasons available, I find it helpful to break each season down into two halves and consider them independently. I just finished watching the first half of the first season of Adventure Time, and I have to say, I can really understand why this show is popular.
Right there on the car showroom floor, a stunning, young woman answered my request to slip into the seat of the latest Tesla for just a moment with, “Oh! You’re a car girl!” At first it was hard to admit, but it must have been true. There I was, on my birthday, pulling my partner and teenage son through the San Diego International Car Show to see the latest four wheel temptations, European luxury coupes, vintage cruisers, Hollywood stunt mobiles and gleaming sports cars and I loved every minute.
It took Alison Bechdel seven years to create Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, and it shows. Her obsessive attention to detail, intricate storytelling framework, and fascinatingly off-kilter artwork combines to create one of the most engrossing memoirs I have ever read.
Figuring out your "target audience" isn't an exact science. In the broadest sense, a target audience is the general group of people you are marketing your book to. Having an idea of who these people are and what they like to do is a good starting point for deciding how to market your book to them.
