Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF by April Winchell

Like most things I find on the Internet, I have no idea how I first found Regretsy. It was probably written up somewhere - a blog? Entertainment Weekly? - and I hopped over to check it out. I know that I was already familiar with Etsy and this new blog provided a window into the sort of thing that I had never seen. Photographs with random nudity, jewelry in the shape of penises and vaginas, things that say they're steampunk but they are so not steampunk... it seemed like there was no end to these incredible listings. Regretsy is also available in book form; classic items are accompanied by commentary by April Winchell.

I knew that I would love this book, but I was surprised by how much I loved it. It's more than just a collection of Regretsy's greatest hits and new entries. Each chapter has an essay that explores different aspects of the Etsy/Regretsy world. What kind of statements are vagina necklaces really making? How do you foster creativity? Does everything deserve an audience? At the end of the book there are listings of the sellers featured in the book, the bios of the sellers, and even a space for the sellers to comment on Regretsy, their inclusion, and criticism in general. These inclusions took the book from an extension of the website (which would have been enough to be a solid book) to something that explores art, commerce, creativity, and criticism, all through the lens of 21st century society. I highly recommend checking this book out.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates
Read My Lips by Debby Herbenick and Vanessa Schick
That is Priceless by Steve Yelcher
Passive Aggressive Notes by Kerry Miller

Women, Popular Culture, and the Eighteenth Century edited by Tiffany Potter

The eighteenth century is quite present in the twenty-first century. It's found in the Jane Austen novels read by bookclubs and the movies that are made from those novels. It's in our ideas of performers and performance, writing and writers, and romance. It's in the way we think about the past and how the past informs the present. Women, Popular Culture, and the Eighteenth Century brings together the work of scholars from Canada, the United States, and around the world who explore the construction of culture and pop culture over the last four hundred years and what it means for women and society today.

When I saw the title of this book in NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. I love reading about popular culture and I have spent a lot of time thinking about women and femininity, so this seemed like a perfect fit. I was extremely pleased to find that the book not only covers culture in the eighteenth century but also how it exists and interacts in today's world. Recent film adaptations of Jane Austen novels, novels set in the seventeen hundreds, and mash-ups (like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) are all explored. There were also several areas that I had not read about before, including the role that women played in the development of the cookbook industry, stage performances and how they mirrored and directed ideas of womanhood, and the phenomenon of riddles and quizzing. The book has an academic tone and approach. It's been a few years now since I did a lot of academic reading for school, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. If you have an interest in any one of the three areas mentioned in the title make sure to check this book out; if you have an interest in more than one of the areas, this is the book for you.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of University of Toronto Press.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
Love in Excess by Eliza Haywood
Artistic Impressions by Mary Louise Adams
According to Queeney by Beryl Bainbridge

Women Will Save the World by Caroline A. Shearer edited by Sarah Hackley

Inspired by a quote from the Dalai Lama that "The world will be saved by the Western woman," Caroline A. Shearer had a vision to bring together accounts of feminine traits such as collaboration, nurturing, creativity, strength, and intuition. Women Will Save the World is filled with biographies of historical women who made a difference as well as essays written by women of today who have faced many different obstacles - medical, financial, spiritual - and survived.

Many of the women profiled were new to me, and I always appreciate the opportunity to read about successful women and learn how they have accomplished what they have. I also enjoyed the short biographies of the more well-known historical figures. This approach helped to ground the essays in a feminist and historical context. At times I did feel that the focus of the book was narrowing; without taking anything away from the contributors who are profiled in this book, I would love to hear more from other women from many different backgrounds.  I sometimes lost the thread of how this was going to "save the world" while at other times thinking that it veered into self-help territory. I think, though, that ultimately those two go hand-in-hand. How can women 'help' themselves? By using the traits and behaviours of positive female role models. Women Will Save the World isn't trying to be everything to everyone; its focus is on sharing stories of strong, successful Western (in this case, American) women. Read this in connection with some other explorations about female power and see all of the ways that women have been and will continue to contribute to the world.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Absolute Love Publishing.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
No Excuses by Gloria Feldt
Women of Color and Feminism by Maythee Rojas
Feminism and Pop Culture by Andi Zeisler
Dead End Date by Caroline A. Shearer

Red Nails, Black Skates by Erica Rand

Erica Rand wasn't expecting a pair of skates to have such an effect on her life. A college professor in her forties isn't usually the person who gets swept up into the world of figure skating...or is she? This access to the world of adult figure skating provides an up-close look at the strong gender assumptions that govern skating along with the way that money, race, and sex play out on the ice. Red Nails, Black Skates: Gender, Cash and Pleasure On and Off the Ice, through short essays, looks at how these factors combine in figure skating - adult and otherwise.

I am a longtime fan of figure skating, but adult skating is one area that I've never really explored. I really enjoyed Erica Rand's study of gender, politics, and the pleasure of skating; she has a love for the sport and a critical eye to what is going on at and under the surface. This book and others that have come out recently (including Artistic Impressions) have helped me to place into a context my own thoughts about the sport that I love. I started watching skating in the 90s during the period of hypermasculinity evidenced by Elvis Stojko and Michael Weiss; I watched Johnny Weir's gender be questioned at the 2010 Winter Olympics.  I was in the audience at the Grand Prix final last year where Carolina Kostner came out in a one-piece jumpsuit and saw how immediately people started talking about a skater without a skirt (often in the same sentence as pointing out that it gave her 'cameltoe'). Figure skating is an area where sport, gender, sex, politics, money, and race come together in a fascinating way. Erica Rand's writing combines the personal details of her life and experiences as a skater with research into different aspects of sport and gender theory. Related areas, including roller derby and hockey, are explored as well. The book is accessible to skating enthusiasts and well worth reading. If you're looking for ways to pass the time before the 2012-13 skating season starts, definitely consider picking up this book.

See also her website for more information about her other books.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Duke University Press.

Also check out a great review of the book at The Book Cricket.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Barbie's Queer Accessories by Erica Rand
Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity, and the Limits of Sport by Mary Louise Adams
Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning by Ellyn Kestnbaum
Down and Derby by Alex Cohen and Jennifer Barbee

Hope is Better Than Fear: Paying Jack Layton Forward by Various Contributors

Hearing that Jack Layton had died on August 22, 2011 was like getting the wind knocked out of me. It was not altogether unexpected; the media had reported on his battle with cancer and he had stepped down as leader of the NDP. But still hearing of his passing was something completely different. I know I wasn't the only one who felt like this. It might stem from my own personal and political biases, but it really did seem like Canada as a whole was grieving. Many people rallied around Jack Layton's final letter to Canadians, written in his last days. It ended with the lines: "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

This eBook shares this letter in its entirety in the open pages of the book. Reading it again was still an emotional experience. After Layton's letter there are essays by many prominent figures:Brad Fraser, Craig Kielburger, David Miller, James Bartleman, Jane Doe, Pat Capponi, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Rex Murphy, Rick Smith, Steven Page, Svend Robinson, and Tzeporah Berman. These memorials tell of Layton's commitment to the causes and issues that he cared about so deeply: the environment, AIDS, violence against women, Aboriginal rights, poverty, and many more. They trace Layton from local politics to the national stage to leader of the official opposition in 2011's historic election. These celebrations of Layton are joined by the text of Steven Lewis' eulogy from Layton's state funeral. There will undoubtedly be more books written about Jack Layton in the years ahead, but this one has managed to capture the sense of his death in a way that I doubt others will. This is a special glimpse into the life - personal, private, and that area where they overlap - of a man who Canada lost too soon.



I read a review copy at NetGalley courtesy of Random House.

It can be purchased online and net proceeds from the sales go to the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation and Shannen's Dream.

Read it with:
Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis by Jack Layton
Speaking Out: Ideas that Work For Canadians by Jack Layton
Speaking Out Louder: Ideas that Work For Canadians by Jack Layton

I'm Kind of a Big Deal by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

Have you ever driven a limo for Justine Bateman? Danced in a Bob Dylan video? Auditioned for Studs? Stefanie Wilder-Taylor has, and she lived to tell about it. While reflecting on fame, success, and life in general, I'm Kind of a Big Deal outlines how she went from having a crush/fixation on a contestant on a TV dating show, to a career as a stand up comic, to writing for what sounds like one of the worst shows in history. Just when you're sure that you know what kind of funny essay will come next, she mixes it up with something sad, bittersweet, or personally revealing - all while never losing her deft touch with words.

I read an advanced review copy from Simon & Schuster Galley Grab.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler