Lindsey
Even though there was action in this volume, I found it to be a bit slow. Also, the banter between all of the characters was very repetitive and therefore annoying.
I love how raw these personal essays were and how easy they are to relate to in one way or another. Although I think anyone could read this book and get something out of it, I think it does help to already be familiar with/a fan of the author through her other creative outlets.
This graphic novel made my inner child so happy. This is the younger sibling to the show “6 Feet Under” as it starts with people dying, it's set in a funeral home, and the funeral homeowner can talk to the dead. So, if you like the show “6 Feet Under”, you will certainly like this. Macabre and funny, perfect for this time of year!
If you love poetry and Tarot then this is for you! This is an amazing supplement to any Tarot reader's arsenal. The only reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that quite a few of the interpretations did not line up with the traditional RWS Tarot meanings. Although there's nothing wrong with another perspective, I can see it causing confusion for beginners.
A cute quick and dirty look into the Frankenstein novel, but it was a little too quick. Loved the art style, though.
The only thing that brought this down a star for me is that most of the poems more or less said the same thing. However, I do get they were from the same “portal” and that is probably why. The solar return edition is definitely the way to go. It is super fun to use as an “oracle” book by flipping to a random page.
My favorite book of hers so far! I really loved the memoir-ish direction this one went in.
This was a wonderful ambiguous story of being either about ghosts or an insane woman. However, the suspense it kept building up never lead to a real horrific moment. I kept waiting and waiting and one never showed up. I wonder if that is to keep the story tame enough to tell children? Additionally, the language was in a beautiful old victorian style that while wonderful felt intentionally obtuse most of the time. It was as if the author had a thesaurus out and looked for the most complicated version of every word in the sentence. Which ultimately came off as very pretentious imo.
This started off so strong with the sentiment that “living your life is a spiritual act”, but then lost it by being too heavily focused on cauldron/cauldron work. Cauldrons are the heart of olden times hearthcraft, but one chapter or even just a section of a chapter would have been enough to get that point across. There were some modern ways you can utilize a modern home spiritually, but that was few and far between amidst the hearth/fireplace/cauldron talk.
After reading bits of this book for over a year and getting 3/4 of the way through, I had finally decided that I did not want to waste anymore of my time on it, so I DNFed it. I think I just had a particularly difficult time reading this because the treatment of women, despite being historically accurate, gave me the ick. So much so I could only read a bit at a time, then I had to read something else entirely, then read a bit more, and so on (hence over a year). I kept trying because it was well-written, and I do find learning about his life very interesting. I just think I'd rather learn about it from Wikipedia than through a novelization.
I've been thinking about reading Shakespeares' Macbeth soon, so when I saw this I thought it would be the perfect introduction to the story. And it was, it was concise and the art style was great. I especially liked how it pulled actual quotes from the play and gave food-for-thought questions at the end.
The movie, of course, is a cult classic and uses the main storyline and characters in this book. However, to compare the two would be a disservice to both. The book by itself without being compared to the movie is a magical experience that allows you deeply know the characters on a whole other level.
This book was amazing!! I listened to the audio version, and the performance took some getting used to since the performer sounded sort of robotic. I can't wait to watch the show to see how it compares.
2.75
This book felt so slow, I was never really excited to pick it up and continue reading it. Almost DNF'ed it. The misdirections for “ who dun it” just seemed so obviously like red herrings. Most of the characters that died didn't really matter because you never really got the chance to know them enough to care. When the action picked up toward the end it become more enjoyable, but by then I was already mentally done. I think the story would have benefited being a novella or even a short story.
The BEST memoir I have ever read! This MUST be listened to on audio, he not only narrates it himself but sings, does voices, plays music, etc. Adding it to my favorites shelf.
It was okay, not bad, but nothing special. It got really repetitive at times. I mean, I get it, she's a tired mom. I think it could definitely been shorter, a novella would have made more sense. I don't really like stories about motherhood in general because I have no interest in being a mother. This book helped me solidify that. I like the weirdness, and it started off strong because of that, but that and the commentary on motherhood is the only good thing it has going for it. I wish it leaned more into the horror and werewolf aspect, nothing scary really happened, it was just all shock-value stuff. Still glad I read it because the movie is coming out, and even more glad I got it from the library so I didn't waste any money on it.
I really enjoyed the poems in this collection. However, I feel scammed due to the fact that each poem came with an accompanying full-page illustration. Which would have been cool if each one was made specifically for the poem instead of just the two same images repeated throughout the book. I got so sick of them by the end, I would be happy to never see them again. So really the amount of actual content in this collection is only half of the book.
A cute and interesting recount of her life so far. Felt more like a podcast with her and her parents talking than an actual book, though (I listen to the audiobook and I think it's the way to go). Which is fine in its own way.
I am so happy that this is being made into a limited series because it is amazing! The oral history documentary style of the novel is so unique and allows for fun and interesting use of people's unreliable memories. This throws the reader into the 70's rock scene and all the good and bad that comes with it. Another book to add to my favorites shelf!
Another favorite, I am enjoying this new series of hers even better than the “women are some kind of magic” series. I cannot wait until the third comes out!
I think this may be my favorite so far. The direction it went in for portraying the Cinderella fairytale by writing poems as ‘characters' was so unique. Also, I really enjoyed how much more empowering and uplifting this collection was compared to the others so far.