Category Archives: Mature Readers

Sexism and Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Virtually every girl and woman I see in therapy feels as if they got away with something when they experience success. They bring up the term ‘imposter syndrome’ and say, ‘that’s me exactly.’” Continue reading →

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Sometimes We Tell the Truth

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Sometimes is, in fact, a modern telling of Chaucer’s tales with teens as the pilgrims. Except that these pilgrims are not making a commitment to the Almighty. They are going to Washington D.C . on a six-hour bus trip with their Civics class teacher. Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Literary Read Alike, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Keep Sweet is here! My YA Novel 😊

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

My novel Keep Sweet officially launched yesterday. I also have an essay in an anthology on sibling loss and grief, The Loss of a Lifetime, which launched on Tuesday. We had a very emotional reading by the authors on Wednesday. It was recorded. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Uncategorized, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I Have a Novel! Keep Sweet!

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Fourteen-year old Elizabeth Warren lives in the “Community” with her father, four mothers, and sixteen siblings. Their prophet heads the cult, controlling all aspects of the community members’ lives. When he announces that Elizabeth must marry her older cousin, she joins forces with her twin brother, her older sister, and two good friends to alter her fate. Continue reading →

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That Librarian by Amanda Jones

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

That Librarian is a memoir by Amanda Jones detailing the defamation and death threats she has had to endure after speaking in the public comments portion of a Livingston Public Library meeting in July 2022. She makes clear that her speech … Continue reading →

Posted in banned books, Biography/Memoir, bullying, censorship, Controversial Issue/Debate, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The False White Gospel by Jim Wallis

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Wallis seeks to show, through scripture, that Christian nationalism is not Christianity at all, but simply racism with a side of misogyny. Continue reading →

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Why is ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ banned?

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

I thought you’d be interested in my most recent Substack post concerning Utah’s statewide ban of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Below, I’m excerpting the part of that post discussing this topic. I also always … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", banned books, censorship, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Who are the Helpers, Anyway?

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

A review of “The Well-trained Wife” and book challenge/ban news A Well-trained Wife A Well-trained Wife details Levings’ descent from strict Baptist to Gothard woman (think the Duggars) to Calvinist following the model of Puritan Jonathan Edwards. Levings quotes “Sinners … Continue reading →

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Alex Stern Books: Ninth House and Hell Bent

Posted on March 29, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

Musings on Leigh Bardugo’s Alex Stern series, trigger warnings, and books in the high school library. Continue reading →

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Serious Summer Reading

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

Want beach reads but summer is your only chance to read intellectually stimulating books? The solution: A ‘Serious Summer Reading’ list. Continue reading →

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