Becca
Having friends from different species is great and all, but it can be hard to find common ground. Gilmore groups an owl, badger, mandrill, turtle, and anteater together as they all take turns trying to convince the rest that their favorite thing is universally terrific.
But some of us can't fly or swim or dig like the others, and that's okay; that doesn't mean we can't have a good time together. And sometimes the strongest force gluing a group together is a common enemy, like a snake dead set on swallowing everyone whole.
I don't know why I waited so long to read this, but I could not stop listening to it, and I also never wanted it to end, and I also loved the ending. It is a masterpiece.
Desiree and Stella are twins who grew up in a teeny tiny town called Mallard, like the duck. Mallard is an interesting town, founded on the idea that there must be some middle ground between violent mistreatment of Black Americans and the elusive impunity of being white. The result is rampant colorism, a topic I am wholly unqualified to elaborate on.
The twins decide while teenagers they have had enough of Mallard. They strategically bolt, and for a time galivant around together. But soon they part ways with each other, too. They've not picked different colleges or careers or cities. No, they've picked to live as different races. This decision cements the foundation of a winding, multigenerational tale of denial and acceptance of self.
Bennett helps us ponder who and what must be left behind to access certain opportunities, and whether it's worth it. All of the characters are dimensional and human, with deep-rooted and believable motivations. She expertly toes the line of adding context and sympathy without letting characters off the hook for their choices.
I am fascinated by the idea of Stella leaving everything behind for a lifestyle and education that her own daughter wanted nothing to do with. It's actually a lot like High School Musical. No it isn't.
It's hard for me to talk through more specifics, because I think everyone should just read the whole thing. The audiobook narration was excellent. For some reason it reminded me of [b:The Warmth of Other Suns|8171378|The Warmth of Other Suns the Epic Story of America's Great Migration|Isabel Wilkerson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433354252l/8171378.SY75.jpg|13341052], which I realize is nonfiction, but is nevertheless a sprawling and moving journey over several decades. Fans of [b:Little Fires Everywhere|34273236|Little Fires Everywhere|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522684533l/34273236.SY75.jpg|94930152] may also enjoy this, as both are slow-building domestic fictions about the complexities of race, class, and family in America.
A sweet book about a little girl whose view of her favorite thing is compromised by a penguin classmate unafraid to tell it like it is. I feel like a little more thought could have gone into the take-home message, but I still found this hilarious and great. I loved the reveal of Randy studying abroad. Comedy gold.
A creepy little sweetie book about two people trying to help the other find a friend, until they realize they've already done so by finding each other.
The color scheme and tone bring to mind (in ascending maturity level) [b:How to Make Friends with a Ghost|33414849|How to Make Friends with a Ghost|Rebecca Green|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498800452l/33414849.SX50.jpg|54174621], [b:The Skull|60539545|The Skull|Jon Klassen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671459705l/60539545.SX50.jpg|95411730], [b:A House Called Awful End|330053|A House Called Awful End (Eddie Dickens Trilogy, #1)|Philip Ardagh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867483l/330053.SX50.jpg|526468], [b:A Series of Unfortunate Events|78411|The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)|Lemony Snicket|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436737029l/78411.SX50.jpg|1069597], and [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414845473l/18659623.SX50.jpg|26477611]. The illustrations are really interesting mixed media with tons of little details to pore over. Good stuff!
I started this and liked the story so far (I got about 12% through), but really struggled with the volume and inflection on the audiobook. To me it felt like when ads come on way louder than the show or music was playing. This absolutely may be a me(sophonia) problem, not anything bad about the narrator or book! I may circle back later in print.
This Libby audiobook came in for me as I eagerly await Shiny Happy People's release. God's timing, I tell you.
This review will be obnoxiously long (even more than usual), as I have been fascinated by the Quiverfull movement for well over a decade. I watched a lot of the Duggars on TLC, and grew especially interested when several of the older daughters (who arguably bore the brunt of childrearing) started getting married, their ticket to leaving home.
With that many children, it's easy for siblings to blur together. But Jinger has always stood out to fans. Not just because of her name (why), but also because she loves coffee and city life and fashion. People watching the show have long hoped she would wrestle her way out of a lifestyle that stifled her interests and personality.
Well, this book is not that. Though she wears jeans now, Jinger makes sure to distinguish her journey from deconstruction—a term describing interrogation of past religious convictions. Deconstruction does not have one set outcome (e.g., becoming an atheist), but Jinger is nevertheless careful to distance herself from the term. Towards the end she suggests that stepping away from your faith is the “easy route” (laughs in ex-Mormon), so there we have it.
Instead, this is basically a drawn out testimony sprinkled with critiques of Bill Gothard, a vile man whose grave I look forward to dancing on. I would argue it's also the no true Scotsman fallacy stretched across 200+ pages, wherein Jinger repeatedly argues This Christianity is bad and dangerous, but That Christianity is undeniably right and true and good, which is exactly how she described This Christianity a little bit ago. At one point she says of Jesus, “I would be happy to be his slave,” and I didn't like that.
What's especially puzzling are the attempts to separate how she feels about Gothard/IBLP from her loved ones. She was introduced to Gothard's dangerous ideas by her parents, but insists her parents were discerning enough to push back against his most pernicious views and provided a loving, supportive home life. Her husband showed her the error of Gothard's ways, but really all he was doing was encouraging her to think for herself.
Jeremy tells Jinger she's not a Stepford wife (a reference predictably lost on her), but I wonder if they would have ever married if she didn't agree with his view of Bill Gothard. Is it fair to describe that as simply encouraging critical thinking? Plus, how can anyone know whether she was receptive to Jeremy's differing view of IBLP precisely because both her parents and Gothard taught her to view men as authority figures? I don't know, I'm not feeling as disentangled as she is.
At the same time, I don't want to minimize that Jinger was filmed from early childhood through her daughters' early childhood. She talks about how filming exposed her to freeing opportunities and relationships, while also taking over her life in a way she deliberately wants to protect her own children from. The line about “filming people who didn't watch television” was great.
Bill Gothard's view of faith is basically sexually predatory manufactured OCD. Jinger opens up about her superstitions around basic aspects of day-to-day life like food and clothing. She talks about someone stealing her teenage diary to sell it for six figures on eBay, only to return it after realizing how boring and squeaky clean it was. Even while journaling, she held back and was careful about how she presented herself. Where can a teenage girl be herself if not in the pages of her diary?
I suppose I am rating this more kindly than other books. Maybe I'm as naive as Jinger, but I think boldness and bravery is relative. Something that underwhelmed me (so much zoning out during Bible verses) can still be a big step for someone else. I can't say I'm impressed, but I also can't say I expected to be.
When it comes to boundaries, we are training the people in our lives how to treat us.
Self-help is a challenging genre for me. One I sporadically dabble in (usually to read specific titles friends loved), only to become immediately incensed by self-righteous vague advice. As I once heard on a podcast about Jordan Peterson, it feels like everything offered is either 1) obvious, or 2) false. The genre feels so individualistic, and I just cannot buy into solutions that turn a blind eye to systemic barriers. It feels like sidestepping reality.
Real Self-Care manages to balance acknowledgment of institutional injustice with actual action we can take to address untenable circumstances and workload. These strategies are derived from evidence-based therapeutic interventions, while reiterating that the book is not a substitute for therapy or meds. Dr. Lakshmin also provides extensive resources at the back for finding therapists and psychiatrists, and barometers throughout the text about how to tell whether you might benefit from either.
This is everything I wanted [b:The Emotionally Exhausted Woman|60062210|The Emotionally Exhausted Woman Why You're Feeling Depleted and How to Get What You Need|Nancy Colier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664631572l/60062210.SX50.jpg|94706608] to be and more. It starts by quoting Audre Lorde's The Master's Tools, for chrissake (and comes back to Lorde throughout the text, among other prominent Black feminists).
Dr. Lakshmin does a good job helping readers to view certain obligations as 1) less dichotomous 2) choices we are making. She talks about how to create boundaries in a way that frees us of responsibility for others' reactions to our boundaries. She is upfront about the fact that we will feel guilt and discomfort when advocating for ourselves, especially as we start doing so more regularly.
I also loved what she said about how individual changes create feedback loops within systems to encourage institutional progress. This is what drives me to talk about therapy or to take breaks at work: the desire to work somewhere as supportive of mental health and work/life balance as possible. The personal is political, and our individual choices can in turn empower others to share their experiences and speak up for what they care about — or just take a nap!
I'd recommend this for anyone who has ever felt trapped, overwhelmed, or exhausted by the way we do life. See also [b:Laziness Does Not Exist|54304124|Laziness Does Not Exist|Devon Price|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607877126l/54304124.SY75.jpg|84737407]. I haven't read it yet, but I think [b:Burnout|42397849|Burnout The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle|Emily Nagoski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551216612l/42397849.SY75.jpg|66080282] may pair well with this, too.
A sweet little book for the shy and/or introverted kids, showing them that they can seek out others in quiet corners and find their people if they put themselves out there just a little.
I like that it debunks some stereotypes about not being fun or friendly just because you are the type of person who gets overwhelmed in big groups or loud settings.
15 years ago, Jason decided to put his illustrious career on the backburner to see through an unexpected pregnancy with his now-wife, Daniela. Daniela's talent as an artist and Jason's cutting-edge physics research were replaced with marriage and raising their son, Charlie.
On his way back from drinks with a friend who put his own career first and has the prestige to prove it, Jason finds himself unexpectedly abducted while carting home ice cream for Daniela and Charlie. Dark Matter follows his desperate effort to be reunited with them.
I thought the beginning of this was interesting, and it did pick up at the end, but I found it dragged in the middle, especially for how wild the events transpiring were. I have read a handful of other speculative fiction authored by men where the premise is excellent but the execution is lacking ([b:The Humans|16130537|The Humans|Matt Haig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353739654l/16130537.SY75.jpg|21955852], [b:Reincarnation Blues|33571217|Reincarnation Blues|Michael Poore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500555996l/33571217.SY75.jpg|54372404], [b:The Perfectly Fine House|52294362|The Perfectly Fine House|Stephen Kozeniewski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583945288l/52294362.SY75.jpg|77451566]).
Usually where it falls flat for me is the characters. The women are not dimensional humans insomuch as reductive motivators for the men. The men are plagued with ennui but fundamentally good and strong. This makes exciting plots incredibly boring.
Take Jason. He loves his wife and son. He doesn't regret leaving science behind for his family, unless? He appreciates his life as is, unless? The takeaways are painfully trite. Family will always be the most important thing, no matter how much you achieve financially or professionally. You don't realize what you have until it's gone. The quiet comfort of loved ones is fleeting, not something to take for granted. It's like Blake thinks his audience is a toddler watching a Hallmark movie.
Amanda was a particularly hamfisted addition, with competing roles as “free therapist” and “would-be mistress.” She spells out obvious psychological principles to redirect Jason's entire mindset, tries to sleep with him, then bolts in the night, never to be heard from again. There were so many other and better ways to accomplish the same things. I also pondered whether this book is traditionalist propaganda about the nuclear family, but I think that may just be a bad case of my Too Online Brain.In fairness, I think Ned Fulmer probably knocked this down a star as well. 2024 Becca is definitely leery of Wife Guys, and Jason is definitely a Wife Guy. Which I guess makes sense for how Daniela was written. She and Charlie immediately believe Jason about the multiverse and wander off into another universe. We really needed to have Jason kill zombie Daniela instead of giving him a few more pages with his actual wife for her to ask some follow-up questions?
Anyway, I am still thinking about this a lot days after finishing it, and I am still interested in [b:Recursion|42046112|Recursion|Blake Crouch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543687940l/42046112.SY75.jpg|64277987].
Jonathan Abernathy is hopelessly, crushingly in debt. One night, Abernathy dreams he should go to a certain building and ask for a job. In his waking hours, he finds the building and fills out an application. He is offered the job.What job, you may ask? First of all, one which ensures he will never ever be free of work, because all his shifts will take place while he is asleep. He is to audit others' dreams. Corporations are now allowed to (secretly) opt their employees into dream auditing. The goal is to improve employee productivity by having people invade their subconscious, to identify and vacuum out any yucky or mentally ill or disturbing bits. As the saying goes, what you don't know can't hurt you! Why not take an eraser to your sleeping underlings' brains so invoices are submitted in a more timely manner? Seems risk-free and fine.Throughout the novel, Abernathy is trying and failing to keep touch with reality, and to spin his job in a positive light. Because despite it all, his job provides a glimmer of hope that he may escape debt and live a life before he dies.He was sought out precisely because of his desperate circumstances, and this could be his only way out of them. He may not be able to dream while sleeping anymore, so he compensates by dreaming while awake. He can finally hope for the bare minimum with a little less irony. Being able to make plans, to look forward at all, feels unfathomable. It is a feverish depiction of the primal tunnel vision that kicks in when you are routinely denied the smallest of wins. Les Mis could never.McGhee's writing is funny, devastating, and surreal. Jonathan Abernathy is so sympathetic and tender and awful and wonderful and human. The audiobook is one of the best I have listened to in a long while, and where I live is available immediately for free on the library app hoopla. I am all in on any fiction that starts with a nonfiction [a:David Graeber 29101 David Graeber https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479657149p2/29101.jpg] quote.The book is unique, but calls to mind lots of other media, like Severance (the TV show and the unrelated [b:Ling Ma book 36348525 Severance Ling Ma https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507060524l/36348525.SY75.jpg 58029884]), The Double, The Good Place, [b:Disposable Women and Other Myths of Global Capitalism 1213463 Disposable Women and Other Myths of Global Capitalism (Perspectives on Gender) Melissa Wright https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347559260l/1213463.SY75.jpg 1201878], workplaces in [a:T.J. Klune's 5073330 T.J. Klune https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1546275989p2/5073330.jpg] books, [b:I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself 60679392 I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself Marisa Crane https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1648063139l/60679392.SY75.jpg 95655500], [b:Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine 31434883 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493724347l/31434883.SY75.jpg 47327681], and [b:Klara and the Sun 54120408 Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603206535l/54120408.SY75.jpg 84460796]. Please read it so we can talk about it!
I liked the illustrations quite a bit, but was expecting more explanation into why people use they/them pronouns. To me, it felt abrupt to go right from “Good morning” to “Not he or she, I'm me.”
This is a sweet and quaint (yet also vibrantly depicted) story about the course of a child's day, getting ready, going to school, and making new friends. I did also appreciate the “them even when alone” page — how it showed that while gender has to do with how others refer to us, it has as much (if not more) to do with how we think of and refer to ourselves.
Our Flag Means Death is back, which means I am back, to suddenly loving piracy.
Chef Owen Wedgewood is minding his (high strung, but passionate) business, cooking up elaborate delicacies for his wealthy shareholder boss. Said boss is almost immediately murdered by Hannah Mabbot, a pirate captain who then takes Owen captive, having heard good things about his culinary skills.
Mabbot tells Wedgewood she will continue to spare his life if he cooks her a meal once a week. If she likes the meal, he can survive another week. Wedgewood asks for some scraps of paper to write down recipes, and instead begins journaling about his horrific predicament. His journal entries comprise Cinnamon and Gunpowder.
There was a lot I liked about this. Owen's narration is first person, but flowery and misguided. He recounts action-packed scenes like a time traveling historian determined to jot down every detail while hiding behind a table in the corner sobbing (I am not exaggerating). He does not seem to feel shame over his fear, failure, or weakness. It was oddly refreshing to see this from an adult male protagonist.
I like how Owen learns from the pirates, who he assumes to be barbaric and sinful. Time and again the pirates are tender-hearted and accepting in ways Owen can hardly comprehend, let alone match. At one point he quite literally accuses someone of bestiality when they are getting yarn to knit. The pirates open his eyes to the horrors of colonialism, imperialism, and forced Christianity. He (oh so) slowly learns to stop condemning things just because they are unfamiliar to him.
Similarly, things he once considered lies about his employer gradually morph into damning evidence. I like stories where the villains make compelling points about whether heroes deserve to be uncritically revered.
And last but not least, I liked how much this little guy loved to cook. He was so inventive and reverent. This is high praise, but he rivaled Remy in Ratatouille. Given the cost of groceries these days, I greatly admired his ability to turn trash into elegant meals.
The main issue I have is something that I cannot come up with a name for other than Men. I like when books have stakes, but what I don't like is when men realize the obvious or have a long overdue change of heart only after something(s) like: • A pregnant woman dying• The love interest's son dying• The love interest dying.
We veered into fridging territory, which I find lazy and gross. I get that Wedgewood is supposed to be obtuse, but come on. Still, it has an excellent cover:
Chef's kiss (do you guys get it? because he's a chef). Alright bye.
Annie Bot is one of those books that makes me, against my better judgment, strongly desire to return to academia so I can teach a Gender Studies class where it is one of the readings. It also falls into my “I'm so scared of a man in this I don't fully enjoy consuming this piece of media,” camp, accompanied by Nate Jacobs in Euphoria. Why is he so scary? Why are men so scary?
Annie is a highly sophisticated android, a Stella whose primary function is having sex with her owner Doug. This is glossed over with the euphemistic label “cuddlebunny.” Other Stellas serve as maids or nannies, though there is overlap between the categories.
This book provokes questions about humanity. What makes a human? What turns a something into a someone?
An organic vessel teeming with organs and blood, requiring food and water to survive? What about having independent aspirations and preferences? Passing a certain threshold of self-awareness? Feelings, strong ones, including empathy? A base need for autonomy and independence? Deep, warranted resentment for the inherent violence of being owned by someone else?
Some may think there are simple answers to these questions, or that comparing any robots to humans is offensive, naïve, or both. Playing God or becoming sympathetic to machines are dangerous slippery slopes.
Still, as Annie progresses, the water is muddied. Just how sentient and free-thinking must a robot be before consent is relevant? If you are literally programmed to please your owner, does that include lying to spare his feelings?Annie finds herself caught in a central bind, warring with whether to share that Roland had sex with her. This demonstrated so perfectly how women are not believed. We speak up and are dismissed or villainized. We withhold the truth because we know this, have experienced it. We shoulder this weight, then maybe say something long after the fact, when we cannot bear to not. Only then, not speaking up immediately is disqualifying. Why now? Why are you trying to ruin someone's life? He has a wife, a child, a family, a career, whatever it is. He has made something of himself and you are trying to erode that by telling others who he really is.It is not simply disbelief. You are never seen as more duplicitous than during your most vulnerable and truthful admissions. Your credibility is never more undermined than when you are finally saying what actually happened. Women are just dramatic. They are irrational. They have unrealistic standards. They need to calm down. They lie. That's not what really happened. Meanwhile, their partners are idolized. They are being ungrateful. They are so lucky. Many other girls, er, I mean, women, would gladly take their place in a heartbeat. Which Annie does not even have!The main issue I had was the author's choice to cast Annie as an equal and willing participant with Roland. That knocks it a full star down for me, to be honest. I kept waiting for it to be different, for realization to dawn. I think in order to keep us in the dark about Annie's inevitable escape, far too much time and effort was spent trying to lull the reader into a false sense of complacency, with little time left for Annie to come into her own. This was a big disappointment for me. A real letdown, if I'm honest. I think it undercut Annie's motivations in a crucial way.
For fans of [b:Klara and the Sun|54120408|Klara and the Sun|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603206535l/54120408.SY75.jpg|84460796], [b:Stepford Wives|52350|The Stepford Wives|Ira Levin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554371721l/52350.SY75.jpg|1534281], Ex Machina, and [b:Ella Enchanted|24337|Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted, #1)|Gail Carson Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410727190l/24337.SY75.jpg|2485462]. If you are interested in emerging technologies, relationship dynamics, and fiction about free will and freedom, I think you would enjoy Annie Bot.
I've been meaning to read [b:Wrong Place Wrong Time|59947696|Wrong Place Wrong Time|Gillian McAllister|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659457434l/59947696.SY75.jpg|91884344]for a while, but when I saw McAllister had a new release I decided to start here.
Just Another Missing Person follows Julia, a chief detective looking for a young woman who walked down a dead end alley and never emerged.
Chapters alternate between three characters, all of whom are parents warring with the actions of their teenaged or newly adult children. Though a mystery thriller, the underlying theme really is parental love. How dangerous, preposterous choices become inevitable when you feel that protective over someone, when you love them that much.
I think the book is written well, and the audiobook is produced well. I was really liking the first 80% of the book. I was pausing the audiobook to stop and think through all these moving parts. I was stumped and also hooked. I thought this might be a rare exception to my general distaste for thrillers. But then the ending was just so....dumb. Somehow both absurd and obvious.
The biggest issue I have with the ending is not the reveal, but that I don't think the characters we are supposed to think are good, actually are good. I love characters who are morally gray and unlikeable. But Lewis was let off the hook pretty immediately for being a blackmailer. He's just a sad dad, who can blame him? If anything, everything he did was vindicated by finding Sadie alive. I suppose it would have been hypocritical of Julia to go after Lewis while committing so many crimes for her own child. But hypocrisy rarely seems to stop her. Julia and Genevieve are wholly let off the hook for killing Zach and then covering it up. This is because Lewis makes Price, poor Price, break into the prosecutor's house and threaten her with violence. Why couldn't Lewis do his unhinged idea himself? He already has the homemade balaclava. Everyone leave Price alone. I like him.Also, wasn't Lewis just working with Zach's brother to ruin Julia's life? Are we worried about Zach's brother? Poor Zach. It may be strange to feel for a mugger, but it just doesn't sit right with me for his death to be swept aside so completely, especially when almost all the characters ended up being criminals. It's like Zach's life wasn't worth anything because he was less effective than the police at crime. It is gross copaganda. Maybe it's because I just read [b:Miracle Creek|40121959|Miracle Creek|Angie Kim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537287675l/40121959._SX50_.jpg|55758063], but I would have been more swayed by the parents being willing to pay the price to protect their child, and then they ACTUALLY pay the price. Not some weird trial of faith, but rather a world where consequences move beyond the hypothetical. And, maybe, just maybe, the kids themselves could have taken some accountability. I wish there had been some reckoning, some honesty, anything other than a series of tidy coincidences where the characters we're supposed to like are bailed out. Julia doesn't even learn anything about being too invested in the job, after it threw her marriage into an awkward stalemate and threatened to imprison her daughter, after she herself narrowly escaped murder by a colleague. She's just like, “Let's get back to work. I am more dedicated than ever.”I also didn't love how Julia was surrounded with so many men and so few women of import. Art, Jonathan, Price, Lewis. For one dollar, name a woman. Other than her daughter. Other than “attractive” young blonde women who are missing and presumed dead. Please, McAllister, may I have one Bechdel test. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.
For me this was a solid four stars for the first three quarters of the book. In the end it undercut itself and tied up too many things in ways that rubbed me the wrong way. Even still, I would try [b:Wrong Place Wrong Time|59947696|Wrong Place Wrong Time|Gillian McAllister|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659457434l/59947696.SY75.jpg|91884344]. Just probably not for a while.
“I could buy you a house somewhere, and a rug with flowers on it. I would do that if you let me. So please, just...let me.”
As an ardent fan of [b:Foolish Hearts|33275690|Foolish Hearts|Emma Mills|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487081647l/33275690.SY75.jpg|53998283] and an Elmify viewer back in the day, I was interested to see Emma Mills tackle her first fantasy! At first I wasn't really taken with it, then I was like “ok, this is cute,” then a few hours later I was unexpectedly crying. I loved it.
The characters remind me of a perfectly balanced ragtag D&D campaign, including a neglected magical baker, a wise practical troll, a hard exterior/marshmallow center bounty hunter, and a fashion-minded himbo prince. They take turns finding and rescuing each other, with some broader searches for treasured objects and missing persons thrown in the mix.
The plot started to feel a little scattered, but Mills managed to tie everything together neatly at the end. Except for all of Iliana's Stuff, which I've decided means a gay(er) sequel is forthcoming. She's a talented writer, and can get a lot across with few words, while still evoking emotions and creating an atmospheric reading experience. Chapters 44 & 45 were a complete delight.
I really liked Aurelie. I related to her reticence to step into a more lively, fulfilling, and — let's face it — good life. When you're used to things going wrong or feeling hopeless, allowing yourself to believe that life can be better than it has been, and that you are as deserving of love and excitement as anyone else, can feel like a scary or even foolish leap.I love, too, that Mills made sure Aurelie's freedom was not bestowed by a powerful wealthy love interest. The last bakery scene was not one of a knight in shining armor whisking away a helpless damsel. It was about Hapless keeping his word and Mrs. Basil finally facing the consequences of her actions. In the end Jonas was not forgotten, and Aurelie won herself independence.
Tiny qualms: the word “truly” was used too much, and younger generations do not use ellipses like this in written correspondence.
I'd recommend this to fans of a slew of things, including Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern, [b:Matilda|39988|Matilda|Roald Dahl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388793265l/39988.SY75.jpg|1015554], [b:Mooncakes|44774415|Mooncakes|Suzanne Walker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565183719l/44774415.SY75.jpg|57982519], [b:In Other Lands|31944679|In Other Lands|Sarah Rees Brennan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496783711l/31944679.SY75.jpg|52603350], [b:The Way You Make Me Feel|35704397|The Way You Make Me Feel|Maurene Goo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505855827l/35704397.SY75.jpg|57200490], and [b:Small Spaces|36959639|Small Spaces (Small Spaces, #1)|Katherine Arden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539180297l/36959639.SY75.jpg|56656020]. Kate Forrester's cover art is also gorgeous.
A colorful, short, simple introductory message about bodily autonomy, consent, and personal boundaries. I enjoyed it much more than [b:Will Ladybug Hug?|37825430|Will Ladybug Hug?|Hilary Leung|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523871873l/37825430.SX50.jpg|59503670].
I don't know! It was cute and exciting and Cinnamon is a hilarious main character who holds her own against many powerful people and forces. I also grew fond of a lot of the side characters.
Still, I am picky about romance with an overconfident man. If they start out arrogant, I at least want them to get nervous and weird over time because I find that endearing. Overconfident all the way through is less my jam, because I do not like when men smugly inform women “I know you want me too and eventually you'll admit it and we'll be together” and then that just ends up happening in the end? It is coercive and undermines respect for someone telling you “no.” Also it implies that men know better than women, what women want. Based on all my experiences with men, that is the most fantastical element of this fantasy novel. And the love interest is a dragon.
HOWEVER, I was won over by the Cheese Queen chapter as someone who once got drunk and ate so much Trader Joe's smoked gouda that I messaged several friends individually begging for reassurance that I “would not die of the cheese.” Hotter still was the idea of a man who can just put his hand on my forehead and take away my physical ailments. As a frequent (yet brave) head and tummy ache sufferer, this is as intriguing as Twilight (and inexplicably Confederate soldier) Jasper's emotional powers to smooth over adolescent Becca's undiagnosed clinical depression. Why am I oversharing in a Goodreads review.
The pacing is pretty quick, which I kind of liked but at times felt rushed, and more like telling than showing. As always I am a prude and the sex scenes and dirty talk made me feel like an awkward voyeur after a point.
Despite what may seem like a lukewarm review I am absolutely picking up more of this series as it becomes available. I've found I like this certain subgenre of fantasy a lot. There needs to be more dumb fantasy and superhero media! I'd recommend this to fans of [b:Legends & Lattes|61242426|Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)|Travis Baldree|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654581271l/61242426.SY75.jpg|94968745], [b:In Other Lands|31944679|In Other Lands|Sarah Rees Brennan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496783711l/31944679.SY75.jpg|52603350], [b:My Roommate Is a Vampire|60041932|My Roommate Is a Vampire|Jenna Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665612756l/60041932.SY75.jpg|94663345], and also [b:Get a Life, Chloe Brown|43884209|Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)|Talia Hibbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614273529l/43884209.SY75.jpg|66903616].
This book walks young kids through how to regulate their emotions, specifically anger. Miles' younger brother accidentally breaks something special to Miles. As Miles talks through his emotions (with a giant red monster symbolizing his destructive energy), the anger dissipates and eventually disappears altogether. When his little brother returns, cowering behind Mom, Miles suggests they repair the toy together and all is well.
It was okay, but I wish that Miles had talked about his initial reaction and apologized for yelling at and scaring Max. Instead of glossing over the outburst and going right to a resolution, it would have been nice to show that when we do act in anger, tempting though it may be to skip right to “Everything's fine again,” it's good to acknowledge our moments of unkindness and mistakes.
I have some loftier points about how feeling anger or frustration is not necessarily a bad thing (for example, in [b:Miles Is the Boss of His Body|18770519|Miles Is the Boss of His Body|Samantha Kurtzman-Counter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384159176l/18770519.SX50.jpg|26673508], his anger indicates a strong sense of personal boundaries), but that was my main gripe.
A translated Dutch picture book about the hollow denial of grief, not knowing how to stay solemn or what to do or say, and sharing in sadness with others. I did not like the art style, which feels mean to say, but is true about me. The tone also felt a little bit off, but I am sure it could mean a lot and resonate to different readers.
A beautifully bright picture book about all the different ways nature lights itself up, from events as commonplace as the sun rising and setting, to meteor showers and aurora borealis, to a rare breed of fireflies that light up all in sync in the Great Smoky Mountains. Beckerman can do no wrong.
Kind of a less creepy version of [b:Love You Forever|310259|Love You Forever|Robert Munsch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348832754l/310259.SX50.jpg|277308], Call Your Mother is about how people lean on their moms throughout their lives, including when they themselves become parents.
It is a focused narrative, without much room for dads or other parental figures, but it does not claim to be otherwise. The pages are nice and thick, and I can see this bringing comfort to moms and their little ones alike, while also encouraging readers to ask for help when you need it.
Though I have been gravitating (PUN INTENDED, though it barely works) to science fiction recently, I do not usually pick up climate change fiction/cli fi. I read to escape reality, not face its worst case scenarios head-on. However, I listened to a Libby sample of this, and it hooked me right away.
Yours for the Taking imagines a United States a few decades into the future. Many of the attempts to stave off climate change were too little, too late. One such attempt was introduced by a wildly wealthy corporate feminist named Jacqueline. She created refillables, a setup where consumers have their items refilled by drones that fly in to snag and top off your empty toothpaste tube or olive oil bottle. I greatly desire for refillables to exist. I should be able to walk into any grocery store and buy one teaspoon of star anise and that's it. LET ME DO IT.
The combination of generational wealth and refillables wealth has given Jacqueline a tremendous amount of power. So when the global government decides to create a handful of hubs called Inside, she claims one as her own. And without the knowledge or permission of the government, she decides to run her Inside a little bit different. A little bit without any men.
Chapters of this story alternate between a small group different characters over the course of decades. We have chapters set on Earth (outside and Inside), and in space. We see the routines people fall into and the pockets of joy and meaning they find for themselves in the most desperate of circumstances. We see how people adapt and survive and (easily, frankly) overcome the violent, self-serving tendencies so many of us fear are inevitable in any crisis.
The pacing and the reactions of character are both very strange. Things come to a head so suddenly and absolutely towards the very end. There does not seem to be an internal struggle or the pure panic of your life being a lie. People's moral judgments are immediately accepted as they pivot course entirely. The drugs explain some, though certainly not all of this, and lazily at that. I think Jacqueline is let off easy (obviously just kill her, I say as someone opposed to capital punishment lol), and also has too much pinned on her. That is not how culture works. Why wasn't Ava more upset with Olympia? Why did Olympia calmly go along with everything until one moment when she didn't because she was horny? Why kill Ellory, one of the few men (really, boys) of color we know of like that, as some fridging plot device? I kind of liked that the ending was open-ended, but because of the nothing turned to everything turned to nothing again leading up to it, it was difficult for me to keep buying what was happening. And also, what a cop-out to just fade to black on Jacqueline's entire venture. Everyone seemed to be underreacting, or speeding through processing any new information. I can't figure out what it was trying to communicate about power and gender and a just society, because everything turned slippery, as if I was supposed to accept that certain characters were wholly good and others wholly bad. Many of the big reveals were embarrassingly obvious. Ava, if anything, felt like a Bella Swan-esque self-insert. I did grow attached to some of the characters with time, but I don't think the depth of any of them was enough to carry us through the gaping plot holes. I can't explain why I read it so eagerly when all of that is true, but I cannot pretend it hit hard.
One of those cases of the premise not living up to its execution. I felt the same way about [b:The Power|29751398|The Power|Naomi Alderman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462814013l/29751398.SY75.jpg|50108451]. Fans of [b:The Measure|58884736|The Measure|Nikki Erlick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656427584l/58884736.SY75.jpg|88976673] might enjoy it? There was a lot about this that I found intriguing, but the ending ultimately let me down.
A pretty delightful nonfiction picture book about nocturnal animals that roam even densely packed cities. The bottom corner of the right page has questions to prompt readers to guess what is coming next. It's confusing to me that the publisher has the same name as a burger chain. However, the covers for this series are excellent and I think it is a nice idea for kids living in more metropolitan areas to still be aware of the nature around them.