Artsy with Mya

Soft and disturbing. Unsettling, but familiar. Recognizable in all the wrong ways. These are really the only ways to describe this collection of work. The connectivity of humanity and horror, but more than that the connection between femininity and horror.  There is a lot that can be said or written about the biology and physical aspect of presenting/being feminine and their connection to horror. But even more than that the feelings that society and culture create with those that identify or present as feminine are even more disturbing when they are laid out in such open terms.  These writers definitely do not shy away from the horrific and the disturbing, so be prepared for that.   This book will be released in April of 2022. I received this book from NetGalley and BlackSpot Books to review and this is my honest review.  Five out of five stars

 History is an interesting subject to read about because there is so much that can be hidden and overlooked because of whatever reason that the people writing down the history decided upon. Walter Pincus lays out just what happened during America's nuclear tests and all the people that is was decided were acceptable to be harmed or even lost.  Even more than just the number and scope of the nuclear tests that were undertaken that was surprising - it was the lack of knowledge of the aftereffects of the tests, whether its was the illnesses, the effect on plant and animal life or even just how far it could potentially spread that was shocking to read.  The number of people that were hurt by the United States government during this period of time is heart-breaking and the lengths that the government went to hide or discredit what happened is sickening. I received this audiobook free from NetGalley and Tantor Audio to review and this is my honest review.  Five out of five...

 Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite classics to read and reimagining's and reinventions of classics are some of my favorite stories to read. And this book is no exception. When I first read the premise, I was curious as to just how the author would turn this into a new story while still retaining the main ideas from the original.  This story does not have as many characters as the original book although most of them were mentioned. However, out of the Bennet family, only Elizabeth was an active character in the story.  The premise of the book that spun out to create the story was a fascinating glimpse into what could be if after Mr. Collins proposal, Mr. Bennett died and the Bennett family went through what Mrs. Bennett always feared would happen.  This is a fun little Christmas story with familiar characters and a fun little misunderstanding debacle that the reader can't believe goes on for as long as it does. But its a good type of misunderstanding where eve...

 I devoured this book in record time and then immediately was ready for more. Saffron Everleigh is a wonderful protagonist and a delightful heroine. The supporting characters are also incredible additions to the story as well.  There are two points of view throughout the story - of course Saffrons point of view and then Alexander Ashton who has his point of view scattered throughout as well. However, Kate Khavari did an excellent job in not letting Alexander Ashton and his pov overwhelm the story.  It's hard to express just how much I love Saffron as a character. She is smart, awkward and struggling to find her place both in the world and in the male-dominated field that she loves and chooses to pursue.  One aspect of the story that is done so well and made me viscerally react was Saffrons descriptions and retelling of the sexism and sexual harassment that she faced as a woman in 1923 England and as a woman who was pursuing a career that was out of ordinary for the t...

 As I get older, I realize just how much history of the United States and of the world that I just do not know about and this is a really big part of my history as an American that I had very little idea about until I saw this book. The stories of internments camps for Japanese citizens and to a lesser extent German and Italian people in the U.S..  However, the idea of there being actual P.O.W. camps in the United States where captured enemy soldiers lived and worked during WWII was never something that I knew about.  The fact that there was such a discrepancy between the Axis P.O.W.S that were taken to America and the Allied P.O.W.S that remained in Europe was striking.  I truly don't know what to write about this book other than I absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone. This type of history is incredibly important to learn about and the fact that we don't learn more about this period of time is truly a failing.  The author makes notes of some of other ...

 This was an enjoyable book of poetry work. I felt like the works included in this book were very focused on the topic of motherhood and the idea of God/a god. I am not in the stage of life where motherhood is a focus or a thought for me and so while I appreciated the work and the subject matter of the poems, they did not draw me in or connect with me as I wished they would have.  There is some truly stunning work included in this book and again I feel like motherhood in particular stuck out to me in all the books writing on femininity.  Truly a deep and emotional piece of work, but not one for my time of life.  I received this book from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing to review and this is my honest review.  Four out of five stars

 There are a lot of self-care, self-love and all sorts of books that are supposed to tell you and help you make your life better and this book is honestly one of the best versions of that type of book that I have come across in a long time.  The author herself states that this book can be completed in whatever way the read wants to do it. There are some sections that make mention of other parts but nothing that would stop the reader from completing the prompts. That means that the reader can do this book starting from page one or they can open the book each day to a random page and do it like that or they can even decide to do the book from Z to A in complete reverse order. This book is set up so that the reader can do whatever they want to complete the book and feel accomplished.  There is not much to be said about this book that can be said beyond that this is a fabulous gift from anybody, especially yourself.  This book will be released in January of 2022 I receiv...

 Have you ever wanted to scare strangers or even your friends with your oddly specific knowledge of poisons and their medicinal applications? Then this a book for you. This book focuses on eleven types of poisons and the author really manages to make the technical side of using these poisons just as interesting as the stories he tells  of the people who used them.  The stories that are included in this book are truly interesting and showcase just how these would-be killers; some who succeeded and a few who didn't; decided to go about on their murderous urges.  This book also showcased just how different it was years ago to not only commit murder and be reasonably sure that you could get away with it, but also to investigate such murders and not be able to complete the investigation due to the limits of the time. However, this also brought about some incredible advancements in the field of police and forensic investigation and even in the medical field.  I absolu...

 The Great Lakes seem to be an innocuous name for a set of lakes in the US, but these lakes are some of the most terrifying and destructive bodies of water in the world barring the oceans. Over the years, these lakes have wreaked havoc on ships and killed countless people and some of the things that have happened there are never going to be confirmed for sure because no one knows for sure.  The Great Lakes are amazing and awe-inspiring but also terrifying and destructive. This book takes you through their history and what the people that explored and traveled on it risked.  This is a book that you want to have a physical copy of in front of you when you read it. This is definitely a thick book and it is not one that you would want to read electronically. The fonts of this book really make it feel like a historical nautical book for some reason, but it also means that it is quite hard to read on a tablet, so be aware of that.  I received this book free from NetGalley ...

 Witches and witchcraft and the history of such things has been slowing seeping back into the pop culture of today and this book is a worthwhile addition to the discussion. This is a book about the women that were accused of being witches, why they were accused and how they responded to the accusations. There is also a lot of discussion around the idea of a witch craze and why so-called normal people can be drawn into such a fervor as too accuse and physically attack such people that the populace at large deemed witches.  This book focuses on the Bideford witches who were the last women in England to be hanged for being witches. Each woman of the three responded to the accusations against her uniquely and with varying degrees of success in their end goal.  However, as the book shows - years after these women's unfortunate deaths, they were used as an example to take back and repeal the witchcraft laws that were previously in place in England.  This book takes a very ...

 Looking to seem like you know a lot about something when you really don't? Or perhaps you want to impress a date with some random facts make you seem like you know things? Then this is a book for you.  This is definitely not a book for children and i would say the age for this book will depend on each readers or listeners comfort level with swearing and curse words as there are quite a bit in this book.  The topics and chapters of this book often seem to end and circle around to each other in ways that can be confusing to the listener but every bit of information that is given in this book is fascinating.  Definitely a favorite part of the book for me and probably for most readers is going to be the interview with the narrator and Bill Nye where they talked about several topics including aliens, UFO's, the idea that reality is a simulation and even climate change. Bill Ney is a fantastic person and it really shows in this interview as he treats every idea and questi...

 This is a wonderful book that for me really blurred the lines between fiction and nonfiction. I knew when I requested it that it was a fiction book but the set up of the story and the author's writing absolutely gave it a feel of history and reality that was incredible.  The crossing of the diary of Margaret Parker and the oral retelling that Hattie LaCour participated in was excellently done and really enhanced the story. The sprinkling in of other historical anecdotes like newspaper clippings and quotes from other books really created an atmosphere of believability that really blurred the lines between non-fiction and fiction.  This audiobook runs about 14 hours and once you start it, you don't want to pause it. You can feel your heart race as the narrator talks about the heists that were pulled off and the contrasting of the stories by the two different narrators shows how each person has their own story of the same events and how that can happen.  There is a fee...