Search This Blog








2022 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (2)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (2)
- Massachusetts (4)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (1)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (5)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (2)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
Antarctica (1)
Australia (2)
Egypt (2)
England (11)
Italy (1)
Nepal (1)
Romania (1)
Scotland (3)
Sweden (1)








The 52 Book Club's Reading Challenge 2022

2022 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

Friday, December 28, 2012
Some of It I Loved, Some of It I Loathed ...
11:30 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
I rarely pick up a book based on its cover alone, but you have to admit there's something striking about the one above. It's really rather brilliant. Especially considering the premise behind Beauty Queens, Libba Bray's satirical novel about the (very shallow) way we define beauty. Here's the jacket copy because, not only does it describe the story perfectly, but it also makes me laugh:
Have you read Beauty Queens? What did you think?
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, sexual content, and violence
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Beauty Queens from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.Fun, right? And it is, it really is. It's also hilarious, strange, ridiculous and, believe it or not, thought-provoking. Although I don't agree with all the lessons the story teaches, I get the main one loud and clear—beauty is as beauty does. A good moral. In the end, though, several things kept me from absolutely loving Beauty Queens, namely the (fairly) graphic and (fairly) frequent sexual scenes between (just about) anyone and everyone. Also, while I understand why Bray chose to tell the story the way she did, I think I would have preferred this one as a more straightforward tale of survival. Because while I love the premise of Beauty Queens and the execution made me laugh, the novel just didn't totally win me over. Would I recommend it? I'm not even sure. Some of it, I loved; some of it, I loathed. Overall, I'm kind of ambivalent.
What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program—or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan—or lean to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.
Have you read Beauty Queens? What did you think?
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, sexual content, and violence
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Beauty Queens from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)




Reading
Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower

Listening
The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
-
-
-
-
What If Jesus Was Serious?10 hours ago
-
-
Side Effects: A Review of The Visitor12 hours ago
-
-
Fugitive Telemetry16 hours ago
-
-
64. My Own Lightning18 hours ago
-
-
The Paris Apartment1 day ago
-
-
I've been reading...1 day ago
-
Book Lovers by Emily Henry1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Top Ten Tuesday #192 days ago
-
[May 24]: Life Lately2 days ago
-
-
-
Sunday Salon: May 22, 20223 days ago
-
Weekly Update for May 22, 20224 days ago
-
-
-
An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher4 weeks ago
-
Chirp Audiobooks - A Review4 weeks ago
-
-
-
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova2 months ago
-
THE VALET'S SECRET by Josi S Kilpack2 months ago
-
-
-
Cybils Awards 2021: The End3 months ago
-
2022 Reading Log3 months ago
-
Back to the Classics 20224 months ago
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)