Kristen Barenthaler
Bio
Curious adventurer. Crazed reader. Librarian. Archery instructor. True crime addict.
Instagram: @kristenbarenthaler
Facebook: @kbarenthaler
Stories (370)
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Books to Match Your Taylor Swift Era: 1989 (2014)
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Sixteen-year-old, not-so-openly-gay Simon Spier is blackmailed into playing wingman for his classmate or else his sexual identity--and that of his pen pal--will be revealed.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in Beat
Books to Match Your Taylor Swift Era: Red (2012)
One Great Lie by Deb Caletti When Charlotte wins a scholarship to a writing workshop in Venice with the charismatic and brilliant Luca Bruni, it's a dream come true. Writing is her passion, she loves Bruni's books, and going to that romantic and magical sinking city gives her the chance to solve a long-time family mystery about a Venetian poet deep in their lineage, Isabella Di Angelo, who just might be the real author of a very famous poem. Bruni's villa on the eerie island of La Calamita is extravagant--lush beyond belief, and the other students are both inspiring and intimidating. Venice itself is beautiful, charming, and seductive, but so is Luca Bruni. As his behavior becomes increasingly unnerving, and as Charlotte begins to unearth the long-lost work of Isabella with the help of sweet, smart Italian Dante, other things begin to rise, too--secrets about the past, and secrets about the present. As the events of the summer build to a shattering climax, Charlotte will be forced to confront some dark truths about the history of powerful men--and about the determination of creative girls.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in Beat
Books to Match Your Taylor Swift Era: Speak Now (2010)
Alma Presses Play by Tina Cane Alma's life is a constant of halfways: She's half-Chinese, half-Jewish; her parents spend half the time fighting, and the other half silent; and, at thirteen, she's halfway through becoming a woman. Then comes the year when everything changes, and her life is overtaken by constant endings: friends move away, romances bloom and wither, her parents file for divorce, and just like that her childhood seems to be over. Among this world of confusing beginnings, middles, and endings, could there be a roadmap for Alma to truly find herself?
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in Beat
Books to Match Your Taylor Swift Era: Fearless (2008)
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in Beat
Books to Match Your Taylor Swift Era: Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (2007)
The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan Dash and Lily have had a tough year since readers first watched the couple fall in love. Lily's beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition. With only twelve days left until Christmas--Lily's favorite time of the year--Dash, Lily's brother Langston, and their closest friends take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the holiday magic of New York City in December.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in Beat
Books to Match Your Taylor Swift Era: Taylor Swift (2006)
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo A disaster in romance, high school senior Desi Lee decides to tackle her flirting failures by watching Korean television dramas, where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It's a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. She goes after moody artist Luca Drakos-- utilizing boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in Beat
Beyoncé Reads: The Gift
Marley Dias Gets It Done: and So Can You! by Marley Dias Marley Dias, the powerhouse girl-wonder who started the #1000blackgirlbooks campaign, speaks to kids about her passion for making our world a better place, and how to make their dreams come true!Marley Dias, the powerhouse girl-wonder who started the #1000blackgirlbooks campaign, speaks to kids about her passion for making our world a better place, and how to make their dreams come true!In this accessible guide with an introduction by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Marley Dias explores activism, social justice, volunteerism, equity and inclusion, and using social media for good. Drawing from her experience, Marley shows kids how they can galvanize their strengths to make positive changes in their communities, while getting support from parents, teachers, and friends to turn dreams into reality. Focusing on the importance of literacy and diversity, Marley offers suggestions on book selection, and delivers hands-on strategies for becoming a lifelong reader.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Beyoncé Reads: Everything is Love
Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus by Clifton Crais Displayed on European stages from 1810 to 1815 as the Hottentot Venus, Sara Baartman was one of the most famous women of her day, and also one of the least known. As the Hottentot Venus, she was seen by Westerners as alluring and primitive, a reflection of their fears and suppressed desires. But who was Sara Baartman? Who was the woman who became the Hottentot Venus? Based on research and interviews that span three continents, Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus tells the entwined histories of an illusive life and a famous icon. In doing so, the book raises questions about the possibilities and limits of biography for understanding those who live between and among different cultures. In reconstructing Baartman's life, the book traverses the South African frontier and its genocidal violence, cosmopolitan Cape Town, the ending of the slave trade, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, London and Parisian high society, and the rise of racial science. The authors discuss the ramifications of discovering that when Baartman went to London, she was older than originally assumed, and they explore the enduring impact of the Hottentot Venus on ideas about women, race, and sexuality. The book concludes with the politics involved in returning Baartman's remains to her home country, and connects Baartman's story to her descendants in nineteenth- and twentieth-century South Africa. Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus offers the authoritative account of one woman's life and reinstates her to the full complexity of her history.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Beyoncé Reads: Renaissance
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows-- with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale have listened to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London-- along with a remorseless and inescapable plague. James believes he has found love in the mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes, dark and incredible powers are revealed-- as well as the true cruel price of being a hero.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Beyoncé Reads: Lemonade
Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis A stunning poetry debut: this meditation on the black female figure throughout time introduces us to a brave and penetrating new voice. Robin Coste Lewis's electrifying collection is a triptych that begins and ends with lyric poems considering the roles desire and race play in the construction of the self. The central panel is the title poem, 'Voyage of the Sable Venus,' a riveting narrative made up entirely of titles of artworks from ancient times to the present-titles that feature or in some way comment on the black female figure in Western art. Bracketed by Lewis's autobiographical poems, 'Voyage' is a tender and shocking study of the fragmentary mysteries of stereotype, as it juxtaposes our names for things with what we actually see and know. Offering a new understanding of biography and the self, this collection questions just where, historically, do ideas about the black female figure truly begin-five hundred years ago, five thousand, or even longer? And what role has art played in this ancient, often heinous story? From the 'Young Black Female Carrying / a Perfume Vase' to a 'Little Brown Girl / Girl Standing in a Tree / First Day of Voluntary / School Integration,' this poet adores her culture and the beauty to be found within it. Yet she is also a cultural critic alert to the nuances of race and desire and how they define us all, including herself, as she explores her own sometimes painful history. Lewis's book is a thrilling aesthetic anthem to the complexity of race-a full embrace of its pleasure and horror, in equal parts.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Beyoncé Reads: Beyoncé
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie In this personal, eloquently-argued essay--adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name--Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author's exploration of what it means to be a woman now--and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Beyoncé Reads: 4
That's What She Said by Joanne Lipman First things first: There will be no man shaming in That's What She Said. A recent Harvard study found that corporate "diversity training" has actually made the gender gap worse--in part because it makes men feel demonized. Women, meanwhile, have been told closing the gender gap is up to them: they need to speak up, to be more confident, to demand to be paid what they're worth. They discuss these issues amongst themselves all the time. What they don't do is talk to men about it. It's time to end that disconnect. More people in leadership roles are genuinely trying to transform the way we work together, because there's abundant evidence that companies with more women in senior leadership perform better by virtually every measure. Yet despite good intentions, men often lack the tools they need, leading to fumbles, missteps, frustration and misunderstanding that continue to inflict real and lasting damage on women's careers. That's What She Said solves for that dilemma. Filled with illuminating anecdotes, data from the most recent studies, and stories from Joanne Lipman's own journey to the top of a male-dominated industry, it shows how we can win by reaching across the gender divide. What can the Enron scandal teach us about the way men and women communicate professionally? How does brain chemistry help explain men's fear of women's emotions at work? Why did Kimberly Clark have an all-male team of executives in charge of their Kotex tampon line? What can we learn from Iceland's campaign to "feminize" an entire nation? That's What She Said shows why empowering women as true equals is an essential goal for women and men--and offers a roadmap for getting there.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
