jess

I heard about this book on a podcast a couple of years ago. And then, I forgot the title. I finally heard about it again and got in the queue for the audiobook from my library.

After all that waiting, I am glad to say that I have finished this one. Robin has one message: dear progressive white people, you are still racist - you are going to do things, think things, say things, experience thing that are shaped by the world that we live in. That does not make you a bad person, necessarily - stop the false dichotomy. Robin says this clearly and repeatedly throughout the book where she uses metaphors and stories to help make her point.

The metaphor of the bird cage was very powerful to me. She describes how being aware of and looking very closely at one bar of a cage, we might wonder why the bird doesn't just go around. As she relates the bird cage to the many different ways that racism binds people who are not white in America.

Perhaps the most important part of the book, in my mind, is where she talks through many ways that people might deflect or think that they are not racist. One of them is the idea that people know/love/live with/work with black people so they can't see color. She argues that idea is bunk - imagine her being married to a man, loving him, living with him and trying to say she can't see the difference in men and women.

She weaves this all together with a solid narrative. Do read.

I enjoyed this story. The world and mythology draws readers in. As an avid epic fantasy reader, I wanted so.much.more. This book should be at least 4 books that allow for deeper exploration of the interesting cultural and religious divides that the author has given the people. Because there is so much ground to cover, we end up slightly shorted - the author has to cut down or ignore paths and keep the characters somewhat simple.
I am hoping that she will revisit this world, perhaps in an earlier time, and draw it out more.

If you like epic fantasy - with dragons and magic - with castles and witches - you may like this book. It even has political intrigue and family drama. Go in being aware that it is an entire fantasy in one book. There are some romantic scenes, but they are mostly PG - nothing too graphic. Violence is also fairly PG.

I can still picture this book on my childhood bookshelf, but I do not remember this story at all. Perhaps I never read it or had it read to me.

The setting is well described - I can imagine myself jumping around the mountainside with Heidi and the goats. The backstory and beginning set you up for a drama, but the book reads like an advertisement for isolated mountain life or a morality play. The book covers a few years of Heidi's childhood. Heidi, in her innocence and with her empathy, brings joy to everyone. Along the way, she learns to trust in the dear lord.

This book was not for me. It was recommended as part of the Book Riot challenge this year. I already had completed the non-european novel in translation, but I figured I'd give this one a go, too because it was highly rated and award winning. I even went to the book website and read the book club/thinking questions. Let me tell you that none of that prepared me for this book.

I was constantly confused. At first, I thought, maybe there is a complex backstory for all of the characters to get to the climax of the book. Then, I thought maybe there were parallel universes or perhaps more distance in time than I originally was reading. I got all the way to the end, and I still don't know what happened in this book. Boy runs away from home. Terrible omen plays out. There is another inner/outer/universe place that is held in space time that is only accessible when some things line up. Humans suffer. Boy ends up back at home.

Along the way, we meet a 21 year old who is the fountain of all knowledge and nuance, often speaking like a wise and learned person (not sure if that is metaphor...or maybe it seems that way because our POV characters are not wise or learned?). This character seems to only serve this purpose - and to constantly try to help our hero. We also meet a character that may be the hero's mom or maybe lover in a past life? both? My favorite character in the story is Mr Nakata when he is talking to cats. That is the best. However, his story takes a turn to suck him into the madness, and then he doesn't talk to cats anymore. Only one character, a sidekick to our Mr Nakata, Mr Hoshino, seems to grow and change in the story. While the main characters are off making no sense whatsoever, Mr Hoshino finds himself, frees himself from guilt by seeing from his benefactor grandfather's point of view, and realizes what is important and beautiful to himself in life. It's such a tiny part of the story.

I was also caught off guard by the graphic and detailed sex scenes.

While all of my not getting this book is just me, sure.There is one part where I have a real problem. Our main hero goes to a cabin in the woods/mountains for 3 days. Three days! And on the third day, he is waxing nostalgic about what he “usually” does. As if anyone has a routine in a strange place with usual habits by the third day. The character's way of referencing such a short time as if it were a much longer period of time broke me out of the story. I couldn't accept it. (I know, ghosts are cool, but taking up quick habits is not okay.)

I looked up all the Japanese names in translation to see if maybe there were obvious signs to native readers, but none of them were meaningful in that way to me.

All in all, I have to say it was not for me. I was confused the whole time. If you enjoy the book, and I know you, please walk me through the metaphors I've missed.

The narration was well done with consistent character voices, interest, and pacing.

Wildly imaginative rollercoaster ride of a story. Reality is bent so much here that it is round, but the story doesn't have the feel of science fiction or fantasy...even while containing bits of both.

Definitely worth the read.

Don't let the bunnies and teddy bear fool you - this book is not intended for kiddos.

Imaginative and curious. This story, from the point of view of a young boy is cute and well-paced.

It's not rare in a story to see sibling rivalry, but this pair is unique. The bad get their comeuppance, and we get to learn about some secrets right at the end. The story is full of surprises.

Narration was well done.

A charming and fun bit of magical realism.
I am thinking that Ulysses is one of my favorite characters of all time.
Life is not perfect in this story; Kate DiCamillo gives the characters real problems as well as fantastical ones. Our characters overcome in a delightful way.

A great escape. I listened to this on my run this morning, so it is a pretty short one at that.

Appropriate for all ages. Kids who are dealing with divorce or the loss of a parent may relate to the Flora or William characters. My biased opinion is that everyone will love Ulysses.

Narration is well done.

This was a very sad story, very well written. The characters are so earnest, I felt like I knew them in my heart.

These essays span several topics and are mostly casual, friendly in tone. Her voice changes over time.

Quick read.

This is the third book in the series.
For me, this was not as good as the first two. There were plot points that felt off or forced, and I was hurled out of their world and into the world where I was a reader.

However, the characters are still engaging, and the world is still interesting.

This story is creative, with an interesting plot and a decent depth to the cast of characters.
I did not enjoy the characters. I did not have anyone to root for in this book. I could never relate to the POV.
The story is dark.
The ending was tidy but didn't satisfy. What happened to the dog?!

Fun choices to cover - just like the podcast.

Stuff you didn't even know you needed to know.

This is a relatively lighthearted memoir-type book narrated by the author (comedian). It is not as fast paced or styled quite like the stand up specials, but some of the same stories are included. I enjoyed this slightly deeper dive.

There are parts of this book that are quite compelling - the memoir tinged section on faith, for example (I thought that was very well done). Or, the knowing description of the gap between what college students want upon graduation and what their commencement speeches (and the adults of their time) hand them.

There are parts of this book that are well ordered and clear - the final summary chapter and most of the section on community, for example.

There are other parts that feel insincere or somehow lack passion.

Unfortunately, at least for me, it all seemed to not really connect. The flow or glue did not gel in my head. Instead, I have several separate pieces.

Sweet story from a kids point of view about coping with grief and making friends. It's narrated by an imaginary friend.

Overall, I give this one an okay. I love the characters and how relatable Meg is. I love the fantastic imagination of creatures. I love that there could be problems on the scale of galaxies similar to the problems on the very micro scale. However, the story didn't work for me. It mostly worked...I was mostly there until the last third or so. I dunno. I really wanted to love this book because A Wrinkle In Time is such a delight.

This is a sweet middle grade story about dealing with grief and humiliation and adapting to a new place.
The POV character is an 11 year old boy with an annoying (but also helpful) little brother. He navigates his way through the school year where he doesn't know the language and struggles to make friends. The loss of his father weighs heavily on his heart. It ends on s happy note. Well done.

This is book 4. I don't think you could start here and enjoy it.

Well done. Our little heroes go through a lot. Things are bad, and then better, and then bad again (of course), but it is exciting.

A coming of age non romance. All about family, self, and being real. Topics are tough.

The story moves along. If you get to this one, you are already two books deep. I really wanted to know how it would all turn out for the characters, but their character arcs are stuck in loops repeating the same actions. The larger story gets stuck as well, as the boogeymen keep doing the same things. Then, the mythology breaks down. I did not like this third installment this read.

Sweet story about learning to accept yourself.

Our 12 year old POV character has soul-crushing anxiety. When her best friend moves away, it gets even worse. Compound that with family drama, and things are hard.

However, she makes a new friend and realizes that people don't hate her, and she starts to take control over her anxiety.

This is a good book with a tough subject. Bad things are happening, but we have a brave kid and an absolutely wild grown up ready to save the day.

Adventurous and sweet, but includes violence and human trafficking.

Cute middle grades mystery. There's enough absurdity to keep it funny and enough foreshadowing to make it fun for young readers to have an idea of what is coming.

A series of narratives about parts of the supermarket development. We get a peek behind stocking, marketing, product placement, and more.

Go on an adventure through a crazy tale. This is a bit of high fantasy mixed with absurdism and mystery. You never know what's going to happen.