Chandler

Summary:
Volunteer librarian, Martha Storm, is gifted a book containing fairy tales that she wrote during her childhood, which was published by her grandmother three years after the day that the grandma died. This leads her to discover a family secret.

A quaint, very light reading. I love books about books and libraries, however I was a bit disappointed with how little presence books/libraries truly had in this book. Sure, it was a major plot point and setting, however with a title like The Library of Lost and Found, you would think it would be more of the focus. Characters were the highlight of this story, but even then, disappointing. Just not for me.

Rating:
4/5 stars

Re-reading because I don't actually think I understood this book when I was a teenager.

I'm waffling back and forth between 3.5 stars and 4 stars. The book was good overall. It seemed to draw inspiration from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and seemed to also be in the conventional style of the mythical Epic. I could imagine a bard somewhere telling this great story of this boy wizard who met a master, was trained, went to wizarding school, and continued on to greatness.

The book introduces the reader to the fantastical world of Earthsea, where dragons, wizards, witches, and a diverse group of people live together. While the wizards and dragons are immensely powerful, they worry about the equilibrium of the world and what it means to be a good adult.

This book is filled with adventures and hardships, which Le Guin covers superficially and everything sort of just resolves quickly and she moves on to other adventures, which is mostly the reason why this is not a 5-star book for me. The concepts and story is interesting enough, especially being that this was one of the first books to establish the boy-wizard going to wizard school. I enjoyed the philosophical reasonings of the older wizards as they attempted to teach young Ged. I would have liked more depth in character and in plot.


Regardless, this book has its place in the history of culture and the fantasy genre.

Quotes:

“From that time forth he believed that the wise man is one who never sets himself apart from other living things, whether they have speech or not, and in later years he strove long to learn what can be learned, in silence, from the eyes of animals, the flight of birds, the great slow gestures of trees.”

“But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium. A wizard's power of Changing and Summoning can shake the balance of the world. It is dangerous, that power...It must follow knowledge, and serve need.”

3.5/5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed the subject matter—obsession with orgasmic sex, being on the pill, beauty standards, and virginity. Great topics, but lacked some depth in parts. I enjoyed the author's take on society and standards between sexual partners and men & women. I do think there are better books out there that speak on the matter, but this is a quick, conversational take on some great topics.

Quotes:
“We lie because it makes our day-to-day lives easier; we lie to keep ourselves safe; we lie because no one believes us when we tell the truth. But most of all, we lie because the world expects us to live up to an impossible standard – and frequently, lying is the only way to get through life with our sanity intact. The question isn't whether women are trustworthy. The question is why women lie – and what those lies are trying to tell us.”

“Women lie because they're told, over and over again, that their truths are an impossibility. And – perhaps paradoxically – the best way to combat these everpresent falsehoods, the best way to get women to stop lying in the first place, is with trust, respect, and, above all, belief.“

Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Rounded up to 4 stars

I actually really liked the snapshots and interesting timeline of this book. Everything was told from the perspective of the progressing present. At least with the audiobook, it was easy to understand who was speaking and in what time we were in.

The messages about loss, family, time, and life are very cute! I liked this book! Sure, it's dated and has stereotypical presentations of minorities with racist descriptions. It spoke to me on a few different levels, and I liked the book

Quotes:

“Don't you think it's better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?”


“Love the world and yourself in it, move through it as though it offers no resistance, as though the world is your natural element.”


“It's dark now and I am very tired. I love you, always. Time is nothing.”


“Why is love intensified by absence?”


“Time is priceless, but it's Free. You can't own it, you can use it. You can spend it. But you can't keep it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.”


“We laugh and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or dead, or far away: right now we are here, and nothing can mar our perfection, or steal the joy of this perfect moment.”

While I love some of the music and themes and moral questions brought up in the play and in this book, I think there are much better ways to talk about mental health, sexuality, and suicide. It's a fine starting point and was for me when I was dealing with suicidal thoughts, but now analyzing the work from a different point of view, it could be better.

I think I've read maybe one or two graphic novels before... but this one was gay and cuuuute! It definitely reads with a juvenile tone and isn't always the most realistic way of speaking–at least I don't think I talked like the kids do in this story, although maybe I did. Some cute, soft queer boys who just love and flirt with each other.

Great art. I love and dream of stargazing and cooking with a cute boy with the obvious flirting and making out. I think we all deserve that.

Read for Salt Lake City Gay Men's Book Club

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.

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.

I appreciate the notes of feminism and larger lessons learned that Dunham mentions, however, the majority of what was said honestly felt like mindless drivel. Just not my type of book, and I don't know who Lena Dunham is and don't have any connections to her, so this book just fell flat for me.

This book was a classic in my house and will be one that I'll reread from time to time. It isn't complicated, but tells the story of two young boys and their connection to each other and to the past. Entertaining and enjoyable. Nothing to fawn over, but just a good, enjoyable 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'.

3.5/5 stars

I just finished a chemistry class and it was really interesting to read this as it details scientific information that detail the fields of chemistry and physics. Stephen Hawking does a great job making the concepts of such a large, complicated field seem approachable and easier to understand. I loved comparing what I learned in my chemistry class with what the book discussed, as almost everything was the same, except for the advances in sciences, so it was fun to see those differences.

I also found in incredibly interesting how Hawking was interested (at least in this book, I know nothing of his life or beliefs) in how science and God mix.

Very interesting read.

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.

I definitely need to go out and buy this one.

I originally watched Brené Brown's TED Talk and wanted to read more of her work. This book takes some of the concepts discussed in the TED Talk and expounds on them. I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author herself. Fantastic voice and personality, and very strong concepts. I want to get the book now to have and to reread some passages.

Favorite quotes:
“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”

“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”

“When we spend our lives waiting until we're perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make. Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don't exist in the human experience.”

“I'm not perfect and I'm not always right, but I'm here, open, paying attention, loving you, and fully engaged.”

Not necessarily a page turner–yet a very interesting read that covers the lives that are involved in a single moment: the death of an actor named Arthur. Each character's story is shown both before and during a deadly plague that wiped out humanity. All things are connected and we all play a part in each other's lives, even if we don't know it.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Rounded up to 4

A beautiful world filled with legends and myths that affect the cultures of the place. Wonderful worldbuilding–favorite thing was the different stories of the original races and the queen. I thought the magic system was interesting. All in all, I just wanted more. More action, more romance, more descriptions, and definitely more character development.

Great final reveal. Loved it. Really interested to see where it goes next.

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: 3.5/5 stars
Rounded down to 3 stars

Absolutely beautiful language and writing! I enjoyed the depiction and sense of black culture among the people. There are many things highlighted in the book, including sexism, racism, internalized racism, elitism, and others. Janie's journey to self-fulfillment, love, and peace was filled with troubles and I enjoyed the ending with her realizing that she had arrived at where she wanted.

I didn't connect with this book as much and, even though it is beautifully written, that causes me to rate it lower. I can recognize its goodness, but it just didn't hit as hard for me as it does for others. Still a good read though

This is a book that my teenage self would have enjoyed. Closeted kids talking and everything working in the end. Now I largely was uninterested in Simon's world. The people in Simon's life are flat and uninteresting, and the emails between the teens are just that–between teenagers who speak and think in a very juvenile kind of way. The book is not horrible, just not what I want to be reading now that I am in a different part of my life.

There There is one of my favorite books written about the Native experience. It touches on different experiences and different realities of the modern native American without (at least to my knowledge) contributing to stereotypes. I loved learning about native culture and I loved the way the narratives weaved together with the culmination at the Pow Wow.

What an interesting book. While there is a story of some sort, Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle is just dripping in satire and a dry humor about the end of the world, religion, and the silliness of people. I don't think I even caught everything of what the author wanted to say about the world around him.

Is this book for everyone? Definitely not. It is strange, humorous but not in an overtly humorous fashion. I found myself agreeing with many of the points that Vonnegut buries in his text. Definitely worth another look at and to see what others have said about such an iconic read.

Quotes:
“Sometimes I wonder if he wasn't born dead. I never met a man who was less interested in the living. Sometimes I think that's the trouble with the world: too many people in high places who are stone-cold dead.”

“There is love enough in this world for everybody, if people will just look.”

“Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.”

“Science is magic that works”

3.5 rounded up to 4

Susannah Cahalan details her month of madness when a rare auto-immune disease ravaged her mind and took from her her speech, her personality, ability to make memories, and her trust in reality. She was able to find a treatment that helped her gain most of her health back, but the month of madness and the fear of it happening again left its mark on Cahalan.

The book is straightforward and well-written. Underlying Cahalan's plight and her recovery is the medical systems that are still in place in today's world. It is no one's direct fault, but the current system doesn't allow everyone to get tested or to have access to the healthcare that Cahalan had. Her comments about the system remind me of my psych professor's rant about capitalism and how in this current state of things, there are health concerns that frankly don't get diagnosed or treated because they aren't profitable.

The major takeaway of this book is just how fragile reality truly is. Cahalan remembers things vividly that never happened and heard her boyfriend or others say things about her. The mind is a truly powerful thing and I find it incredibly interesting. We are truly all brains in skin suits pretending that we have a grasp on reality on this tiny blue marble of an Earth.

I have a lot of thoughts on this book and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I think of it.

The authors do a decent job analyzing both sides of the political divide in modern America (although, I think one could say that things are more right-leaning, since the majority of the book discusses college campuses and the left opposing the right).

In short, I agree with the major points of this book. I do think that we need to disagree with the three “Great Untruths” (which are as follows:
1. The Untruth of Fragility: What doesn't kill you makes you weaker.2. The Untruth of Emotional Reasoning: Always trust your feelings.3. The Untruth of Us Versus Them: Life is a battle between good people and evil people.)
I find the book's main concept to be mostly agreeable. I can see their side and see how safetyism is a component in modern life, however, the book seemed to be speaking in a completely idealistic version of our society.. yes, idealistically, we could listen and debate one another about certain topics and have civil discourse about topics, yet, what does that matter if we continue to pass laws and have policies that make life difficult for individuals.

Additionally, from the other perspective, which the authors don't mention or consider, it could be argued that when students shut down or get a speaker disinvited to speak, the students are simply pushing back against the opinions of the person, and, if we are keeping an open-mind on both sides of the divide, people should listen to them just as much as they should that speaker.

I enjoyed many of the concepts of this book, however, I think it is flawed. The arguments seem to stem from the disagreement of our current and then found psychological and philosophical reasoning that backed up the disagreement without mentioned, considering, or refuting the other side of the argument. Why is it that the “liberal college students and faculty members” need to allow for a diverse range of speakers (I know that the authors aren't totally advocating for this, however, the majority of discussion on this point in the book was focused primarily on liberal or left-leaning individuals and topics), yet it's never talked about that right-leaning individuals (church-goers, politicians, townspeople, etc.) need to listen and learn about other ways of life and have an open-mind on things–again, I know the authors did criticize and discuss both sides, however, the majority of their arguments and anecdotes were focused on universities and left-leaning individuals.

Again, I am still trying to figure out what I think of this book.

Robin DiAngelo writes about White Fragility, a term coined by her. DiAngelo is a diversity and racism consultant for businesses and individuals. The book is largely told through her experiences and what she has learned through her work. Wonderfully written and a great place to start recognizing racist behaviors and the reality of living in a racist system.

Quotes:

“If we block out other realities by not discussing them, we can pretend that they don't exist.”

“Stopping our racist patterns must be more important than working to convince others that we don't have them. We do have them.”

Rating 3.5/5 stars
Rounded up to 4 stars

Joe. Goldberg.
Goodness, Caroline Kepnes does a great job at making her protagonist likeable. Joe Goldberg is something else and Kepnes' book makes you start to side with him. He's just a poor, misunderstood, lovesick individual... or so he believes. Great book, and a great adaptation on Netflix.