Chandler
Couple things:
1) As someone who is not in the sports world, it surprised me how much goes into these athletic feats that people accomplish. Listening to Daley explain how much he thought about things and practiced surprised me. Like, I knew they practiced and everything, but it was impressive to me how much goes into everything.
2) I have never wanted children, but listening to Daley talk about his husband and child swayed me a little. The way he talks about his love, family, and happiness is so adorable and makes me so happy that people find love, even when it looks different from others.
3) I want a love like Tom and Lance have!
I enjoyed the audiobook version read by Tom Daley. He just seems like a good, kind person (obviously he may be different than that) that I would love to be friends with. Good book exploring a variety of topics including acceptance, kindness, family, love, confidence, and a few others!
A great look into just accepting your humanness. Relaxing and just going with the flow when it comes to dating. There are some great quotes here that really resonate with me and make me feel validated and comforted, that other people are feeling these same things. I would like to read this one again and remember the good quotes here.
Rating: 3/5 stars
I am enjoying these books enough to finish, however, I really don't know how I feel about them. They're okay, but nothing special. I echo what I said in my review of the first book, I honestly think the wonderfully beautiful (and largely unknown to me) stories of Hindu mythologies are constrained and held back by the Riordan universe/formula. I guess that could be a positive thing though, maybe these stories are more approachable. Not that other mythologies are less beautiful and therefore better with this formula....
I don't really know what it is about this story. This book (and the first) get off to a rocky start. Even though the action starts right away, I think that is actually a weakness. Comparing it (as obviously one will) to Percy Jackson, we got a lot more time in the human world where Percy just... lives his life. I honestly don't feel like I know these characters very much outside of their jokes. The middle of the book is the best part (I thought the inherited powers and traits from past lives is super interesting). I enjoyed the additional characters and story lines and the ambiguous nature of morality with the villains. There is just something about everything that it feels... strange and not as good as it could be.
Perhaps it's because Percy Jackson takes place largely in our human world, so I can connect to the locations better, while this series focuses on magical travel and different realms, so it is hard to place and connect as much. The overhanded pop culture and technology references were annoying, but it makes sense why they are there–I just prefer a more subtle use.
Rating: 3 /5 Stars
Roshani Chokshi and Rick Riordan deliver an entertaining tale of gods, heroines, and other wonderful elements inspired by Hindu mythology and the ancient tales. I don't know much about the fascinating and vibrant array of Hindu tales and I found a lot of beauty and entertainment in this story. That being said, I honestly think Chokshi's tale was held back by Riordan's formula. I am interested in seeing where the story goes in future books, however, I felt like Riordan's comical tone just didn't mesh well in parts with the story. I wanted to know more about the tales, since I am not familiar with them. I enjoyed the latter half of the book. The beginning felt like it was still trying to figure itself out and there wasn't much substance to get me, the reader, to care about the characters. Aru tries to save the group of kids that essentially are bullying her. Why would I care about that? Why would I care if Aru saves them or not? There is mention of her mom being there too, but it was too fast and I don't care about those people enough to care whether or not Aru saves them.
I want the Percy Jackson-spin off books and series, I really do, but I want them to develop their own voices and their own styles. I could match plot points from this book to that of Percy Jackson and the snarky humor is all the same. I ended up being fine with it at the end and I hope that the future books find their own voice and style, but that is mainly why I rated this 3 stars
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Rounded down to 2 stars
The essays themselves were enjoyable. I didn't really take anything from this book, but I enjoyed the author's thoughts. There are some things in this book that I don't know if they are problematic or really I don't know what to make of them. Very small, slight problems but they were there.
Ultimately, a good palate cleanser between other books.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Rounded up to 4 stars
Charlotte's web is an interesting look into friendships, the reality of life, death, and on some levels, could be taken as a comment on how we treat animals and in what things we see value (Wilbur was told he wouldn't be killed for food simply because he was special or clean). I don't know if that was E.B. White's intent, but it definitely could be analyzed in that regard.
It's a simple story. Girl gets pig, pig is lonely, meets an unlikely new friend, spider works to save pig's life by weaving a web, spider weaves egg sac and dies, and pig remembers his friend fondly while getting to know friend's children. It encapsulates a lot of topics for such a simple story.
Overall, not anything AMAZING in my mind, however, it has its strengths and is a classic story that continues to teach and highlight important topics for children and adults alike.
A short, straight-forward look into the #MeToo movement and the numbers behind sexual harassment and abuse. This book is a great resource, as it also includes suggestions for both individuals and organizations on how to make cultural changes to minimize sexual harassments from happening or what to do when one gets reported.
Stars: 4.5/5
Rounded up to 5 stars
This book is... emotion. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. I identified a lot with Henry and his feeling of never feeling like enough.. I identified with Addie's feeling of wanting to be free and to live a live according to her desires.The plot is a bit slow at times, but this was a wonderful book!Quotes:“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives--or to find strength in a very long one.”“Because time is cruel to all, and crueler still to artists. Because visions weakens, and voices wither, and talent fades.... Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end... everyone wants to be remembered”“Stories are a way to preserve one's self. To be remembered. And to forget.”“But a life without art, without wonder, without beautiful things—she would go mad. She has gone mad.”“It is just a storm, he tells himself, but he is tired of looking for shelter. It is just a storm, but there is always another waiting in its wake.”“Listen to me. Life can feel very long sometimes, but in the end, it goes so fast. You better live a good life.”
Richard O. Prom delivers an excellent book on the evolution of beauty in the animal world. Honestly, the book is well-written, well-researched, and seems to be an illuminating take on Darwin's The Fall of Man. I would rate the scientific content of the book as 5 stars, but then again, I don't know any factors or contributing information that would make me doubt or refute Prum's points.
That being said, I was disappointed. I think I read the book's title and focused pretty heavily on the evolution of human beauty. I wanted to hear more about sexuality and the ‘why' behind human behavior. I suppose though that is Prum's point—there isn't much to say about beauty from an evolutionary point of view, and if there is, we can't say definitely as to why we developed in certain ways. (I originally rated the book as 3 stars, but now that I'm analyzing things, I think I will rate it 4 stars because the author did ultimately convince me of these findings.)
I think the largest piece of information that I will take out of this book is two-fold:
1. I absolutely know nothing about bird and ornithology. It seems to be an intriguing field and I am sure the birds are both beautiful and an interesting look into evolutionary forces.
2. All evolutionary biology has a history of eugenics (either directly supporting it, benefitting from it, or cheering it on)
3.5/5 stars
Rounded down to 3 stars
The real magic of this book is the beautiful writing and the perspectives and relationships between the characters. I loved the repetition and connection to the title where you realize that family and relationships are complicated.
What are the things that we never tell the people around us? Are we struggling? Are we happy? Do we wish things were different? It definitely invites the reader to think about these things.
Rating: 2.5/5
This book is much too boring to me, however, I think it was supposed to be that way since it's kind of written like a biography. I didn't care enough about Elphaba to care about her Life and Times. The characters are not explored at all and are kept at a distance from the reader. I thought some of the themes and questions that the author asked were incredibly interesting (hence the 2.5 star rating). The author asks the reader to consider the subjects of relative truths and subjective worlds, through the concepts of moral goodness. What is evil? What makes someone evil? Are they truly evil or is it just they stand in the way of something that the other person wants? Who gets to tell the stories and determine who is good and who is evil?
These questions are fascinating, but I really don't think Maguire does a good job exploring them. I wish he had taken the time to explain the world more and sit and explore more moments in detail instead of covering the Elphaba's entire life.
Rating: 4.5/5
Rounded up to 5 stars
I mean, what can I really say here?
Harry Potter is nostalgic and a classic. It's familiar pages welcome me back every time I have tried to get back into reading. While not perfect, the seventh Harry Potter novel is the culmination of everything before it. I don't love the sudden shift to the Hallows or the epilogue, however, they're fine. They work. I think this read through more than any other I noticed the parallels between Dumbledore and Voldemort. I love the Battle of Hogwarts.
Is this the best book ever? No, it's not. However, Harry Potter holds a special place in both my heart and as a cultural moment in history. It is, at its heart, a children's fantasy novel that speaks to many people on different levels, and I think that is where its power and popularity really comes from.
It goes without saying that I am reviewing the book and how it is presented, not the content material or the historical events of which the book speaks.
This is a harrowing tale of loss, humanity, and hope in a time of incredible pain and devastation during the Holocaust. That cannot be denied. That being said, this book presents the story of 3 individuals in an interesting way. I actually really enjoyed the asynchronous way in which Holden begins their tales–taking time to fully discuss the happenings before each woman was asked if she were pregnant before moving to the next woman and backtracking all the way to begin the tale again. It gave me a sense of how each of their lives were and how separated they were before going into the camps. I loved the direct quotes from the women, however, it seemed to lose those quotes and a certain sense of individual story as the book continued. I appreciated that Holden gave so much information on the Holocaust overall, but it seemed to really lose the focus that the book seemed geared towards. I wanted to know more about the women and the babies, but it gave me general information on the different aspects of the Holocaust and the war. I enjoyed the book, but I think it could have been a much tighter, better paced reading experience.
4.5/5 Stars
An essential read for anyone who calls themself a feminist or a human. Chemaly hits hard and, while the book may be a bit scattered for some readers, speaks honestly and openly about women's rage and what makes them so filled with rage. This book made me angry in a good way and I want to read it again to get more out of it.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
A fantastic look into the multiple layers of race relations, oppression, and violence. I felt like a central question of this book was: In what ways do the realities of this world affect the actions of a person?
Wright delivers a great look into the experience of black people in America and doesn't shy away from the fact that there are many sides of the issues at hand–white and black people alike are guilty and are harmed from the systems that are in place.
This book is entertaining and well written. Even though the author tells you point blank that Bigger has always been heading toward jail, you still wonder how things are going to work out. This book is a great fictional piece for people who want to know more and analyze patterns of society. A great read!
Small Steps is a follow-up novel to the novel, Holes. It follows the character Armpit, who has been released from Camp Green Lake and is trying to change and do better in life. I love the concept of improving by ‘small steps,' however the book itself lacks what made Holes special. There are concepts such as race, poverty, class, expectations, however, not much is done with these and ultimately they go no where. The book is entertaining enough and is a quick read, but ultimately, I found it lacking.
Two stars for being entertaining enough and for the concept of improvement by ‘small steps'.
Rating: 4.5
Rounded up at 5 stars
I am glad I read this book as an adult. I would not have understood it or gotten out of it as much if read earlier in my life.
What a refreshing take on such a controversial topic. Set in the dystopian future, Neal Shusterman's characters grapple with the topic of abortion and childcare. While not a one-for-one depiction of the reality of the pro-life or pro-choice arguments, the book's central question asks the reader to imagine life at the extremes, taking into account what it means to be living and if it is possible to live in a world where people (and topics) are not black-and-white, but rather, muddy and complicated, where both groups can exist together without war or hatred. The author doesn't take a side on the debate of abortion, but rather points out different takes and, ultimately, says that he (through his characters) doesn't know the answer.
While this book starts slow, the end is what ultimately earned this book the 4.5 stars from me, especially the last chapter.
Quotes:
“She thinks about the days before the War, when unwanted babies could just be unwanted pregnancies, quickly made to go away. Did the women who made that other choice feel the way she felt now? Relieved and freed from an unwelcome and often unfair responsibility . . . yet vaguely regretful?
...
Which was worse, Risa often wondered—to have tens of thousands of babies that no one wanted, or to silently make them go away before they were even born? On different days Risa had different answers.”
“In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.”
“You see, a conflict always begins with an issue - a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn't matter anymore, because now it's about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.”
“People aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness all our lives.”
“Maybe it's the best answer of all. If more people could admit they really don't know, maybe there never would have been a Heartland War.”
Ultimately, not the most riveting of topics, however, I couldn't help but be amazed by the world we live in today. Things that we take for granted (GPS, satellite imaging, longitudinal information, etc.) today regularly take on issues that were argued about and were huge concerns for the nations of old.
Additionally, the author mentioned something about money and it just got me thinking how much scientific advancement and even just scientific exploration was done in the name of money and how many projects and ideas were never explored because it wasn't profitable to someone.
I'm trying, really trying to see the points from multiple sides.
This book uses anecdotal and inflammatory language to rile up the reader and cause them to believe everything that he puts down on paper. On more than one occasion while reading, the author was making a point about a given topic and then made a logical leap that, as far as I could tell, had little to do with the point that he was originally making.
My primary complaint with this book is that he didn't actually give any solutions or thoughts on the actual premise. Why is the west worthy of being defended? Why shouldn't individuals look at historical figures or moments and critique them? Why is the United States not worthy of critique and criticism on its historical treatment of marginalized groups and people of color?
Does the author believe that these points or experiences of others don't exist and are not worth analyzing? Okay, that's fine. You don't want or believe that CRT is good. You think that we shouldn't disavow “the West”. It is the same complaint I have against other conservative ideas. So, you don't like [insert thing here]. However, your belief doesn't change what others are going through. There are people who are saying that they experience things differently... In my understanding, it comes down to not believing or not caring about the experiences of others, for if we did, maybe we wouldn't agree on how to solve the issues, however, we would talk and be more open to actually fixing the situation and making progress in some regard.
I want to learn more and I want to see the world from the other side, but I am struggling to get there.
Much like Alexie's other works that I've read, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian paints an interesting picture of what life may be like as a Native American. I want to read more books by native authors, especially focusing on even more contemporary works, as I wonder if the stereotypical image of native Americans, some of which Alexie details in his works, are still things that the native populous deals with. Does alcoholism still run rampant?
Alexie writes about situations where different identities meet and I think that it really powerful. However, overall, the juvenile style of his writing just doesn't jive with me.
I want to like this book. The thoughts and concepts explored in this book are questions that I've had before: What is happiness? Why do difficult things happen to people? Why is this life unfair and what does it all mean?
However, the book itself is just not entertaining or funny enough for me to recommend this or rate this better. It just wasn't for me and I think there is a better way that these questions and themes could have been explored.
Rating: 3.5/5
Rounded down to 3 stars.
Great content, a few great quotes having to do with living in the gendered world, and the debunking of the age-old myth of male and female brains. However, I struggled with reading this one and I don't really know why. The complex intertwined nature of nature vs. nurture is interesting to me and I agree with Rippon that we can't know how these two concepts make up a person and to assume something is just one of these may not be representative of the whole truth.
An enjoyable collection of essays on a variety of topics, most of which tie back to reading and the love of it all.
While the essays were enjoyable, they conveyed relatable topics, however, this is not a book that I will think about again. Although, I did love the idea of just reading with my future significant other.