Lana
WOW! I really wasn't sure what to expect out of this book, but it moved me in unexpected ways. It's written like a diary, almost. I think that makes it feel deeply personal and raw. I feel like it's a tragically beautiful take on the importance of familiarity, which is not something that I've considered before. With so many questions to still be answered about this story, I'm definitely rethinking the things I know, and I feel even more grateful that I'm able to connect with other people over shared experiences. It's something I never realized I'd been taking for granted, but I'm glad that I was reminded to appreciate it.
The whole time I was flabbergasted. I think the author did a great job at making you feel like Juniper. It made her thought processes easier to digest, despite how outrageous some of it seems. It also feels relatable, on a far less extreme level, how Juniper seems to fight against her morality/how she continues to push the boundary of this moral grey area to fit her narrative. It touches on a few social debates regarding appropriation and the like, which always kind of feels relevant.
Every now and again I revisit The Four Agreements, especially when I feel a bit stagnant or conflicted in certain areas of my life. I am constantly re-reading it, and I think it offers valuable lessons that I'm still trying to implement myself.
The only thing I knew about this book going into it was that it was going to be about sharks and be sad, and now I know more about sharks and am really sad
I love the vibes of The Summer I Turned Pretty, but I just found the characters more annoying in the books than the show. But a lot of that is probably me forgetting they're all supposed to be in their mid-to-late teenage years. I forget that I was probably like that too.
I was super excited to read The Paris Apartment after hearing a lot of good things about Lucy Foley's stuff, and I did enjoy most of the book - memorable characters and a lot of plot twists. But I was somewhat underwhelmed by the ending, and it kind of felt rushed to me. I would still like to read more of Lucy Foley's stuff.
This book is so weird, but I loved it. I would definitely agree that this book is like roadkill in that I wanted to look away but I just couldn't! It also kept me on my toes the whole time, and at no point did I know what to expect next! It had me hooked.
Carmilla was another one of my quick reads during early Fall 2024. The story was short and a bit slow-paced, but I enjoyed the slow uncovering of facts as the story went on. I think this is the book that started to get me out of my reading slump.
The Midnight Library was thought-provoking in a predictable way. After hearing the summary, I knew exactly what to expect, but the ideas expressed in this book were ones that I would have never been able to put to paper. Matt Haig does a wonderful job at expressing somewhat complex ideas in a way that is digestible and warm. I would definitely consider this one of my favorites and a comfort read.
If Deadpool wrote a self-help book this would be it, for sure. I think that the beginning started off a bit aggressive for my taste. If I took a shot for every time the word f*ck was used in the first quarter of this book, I'd be plastered by the time I got halfway through. But I did like it, and I think that there a handful of good takeaways from this book! I definitely liked the anecdotes, and towards the end I felt like I understood part of the reason this book was written a bit better. It felt more sentimental then.
I have so much to say - I loved this book. I bought it in 2021, but until now, I had never read past the first few chapters. My only regret is that I hadn't read it sooner. It was a quick and easy read despite its size. I, personally, have never felt so represented by a piece of media as a queer Chinese-American woman. In the Author's Note, Malinda talks about the research she did and explains why she chose certain Chinese verbiage over others, and it all just makes sense. It feels like this book was written with love. It is apparent that there was a real effort to represent queerness and Chinese culture during World War II with dignity, while acknowledging the harsh reality of the time. I would highly recommend.
I did not feel particularly one way or the other about Red, White, & Royal Blue. It was a good, quick read that had a lot of good banter, but I never found myself completely enthralled. I would still recommend for a fast summer read.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is easily my favorite book. I love the pacing and the slow-burn between Evelyn and Celia. This was the first sapphic novel that I've read, and there is still no other book that has quite lived up to this one.
I'd give this a 3.5 if that was an option.
While this book does mention a lot of good ideas, I don't think that they are particularly new. A good chunk of it is stuff that I feel like I've already thought before, but I do think it's been put to words wonderfully here. I've never really taken the time to read a feminist essay before, but I think this has been a good starting point, and I'm excited to read more!
This is a book I think I will have to re-read sometime in the near future. I don't think I could read this book only once and really understand everything it has to offer. It was a great allegorical fiction, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who feels like they've hit one of life's crossroads.
This ended up being a sweet story, and it was a good reminder that everyone has things going on. I liked Jolene's transformation, and the other characters were memorable. I was also wondering why I'd felt like I read this before, but I feel like it reads a lot like Yellowface, which I really liked! Definitely recommend.