Mercer
This book kept me hungry the whole way through and ended with a true bang. As a Shakespeare scholar, I appreciate the level of attention given to the original texts. Honestly, this was terribly well-crafted and I will likely read it again to see the things I didn't see the first time.
Some poetry feels trite or forced. There is none of that with Joy Harjo. I'm so glad that I listened to the audiobook of this, because the poet included some singing and music interspersed with the poetry. It was lovely. I am still with some of the lines, and will be for a long time. This is, I think, a must read.
Really enjoyed reading this with my 5 year old, outside of learning after we finished that he thought there was a literal dead body in the secret garden.
Outside of that, this book promotes really good conversation about positivity, avoiding snap judgements, nature, kindness. We had some great chats about it and likely will continue to do so. Definitely was interesting having to...clear up a cholera corpse in the magical secret garden, but here we are.
This was a good, brainless and quick read. If you are a fan of 50 Shades, this will do it for you. Much more of a romance than a thriller, in my opinion.
The consideration of the humanity of AI is just...so good. I love that this wasn't just a continuation of the first book, and that it tackled many of the same issues that the first book did.
A good gentle-ish parenting book. Lotsssss of anecdotes. Someone needs to give the parent, Tony, a big hug and some help with inner-child healing. Dang.
This book was very good, but there were some VERY explicit parts which felt out of tone with the rest.
If you love(d) Twilight, this book has very similar vibes. I actually was recommending it to basically any friends I knew that liked that series, however after finishing the book I felt I had to caveat and warn people.
Were it not for the very explicit parts I would likely be running right on to the next book. However, it really took me out of the story and I just don’t know that I want to carry on and experience any more.
Oh MY GOD THIS BOOK DEVASTATED ME. So much interpersonal drama. Really appreciated how the cast of characters was slimmed down and we were able to focus on the motivations and exploration of good and evil for each.
This was good. There was a lot happening: commentary on blackness, queerness, family dynamics, and, of course, folklore. I think Becayse there was so much happening I didn't get everything and maybe it was because of that that I gave it a three. I may revisit someday, but I don't know that I enjoyed it enough to do so.
Best since sandman.
This series fills up the Sandman shaped hole in my heart. So well crafted and so beautiful. I can't recommend it enough.
The concepts in this book are excellent. Really great read. However sometimes it felt really heavy-handed and the resolution came too easily for me to really feel it.
I hated this book to start. The format made me feel frustrated at its disjointedness. By the end, though, I had come to love the wry tone of the narrator and the ability to learn some random facts while enjoying a memoir.
I was familiar with the midnight assassin, but had not gone out of my way to learn more. To be frank, this book felt more to be about socioeconomics in Austin rather than about the murders themselves.
Similarly, it feels like the author just tried to cram all of their research into the book, whether it adds to the narrative or not. The text could have been much more incisive and quickly-paced if all the meandering sentences about one-off characters had been cut.
Not excellent, not terrible. I wonder if I've gotten too old to appreciate Klosterman with the fervor that I used to.
Aw, this was sweet. Outside of the fact that the author referred to the ENTIRE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND as if it were just one small town, this was very enjoyable and sweet. I love these “rom com” type of books rather than anything raunchy. I enjoyed this and didn't want to stop reading it!
I am so happy to be done with this book. I can't bring myself to read the other reviews, Because they looked to be positive when I picked it up and that terrifies me.
The only redeeming piece of this was talking about the importance of sex education and importance of teaching HUMANS (not just boys, but folks of all gender identities, in my opinion) the strength and power within their own body and sexuality.
A solid business book. I found this to be most impactful for its information on level 1. There are many folks that have never been a part of level 1, and to educate those folks on what it is like to be there may be actually life changing.
My gosh I wish the third book was up on my holds. So lucky to have this to listen to while up with a sick kiddo in the night.
This book was a stinky pile of trash with some minimally interesting stuff tossed in the middle. Much less referential than RP1, though, for those of you that are into that.
This book is insufferable. In fact, the person who had it before me wrote the same thing at the end of each chapter. Bryson is so self-indulgent and smug, this felt impossible to get through.
I learned a ton from this book! It was really interesting hearing stories from this time which was so formative for me.
For people that enjoyed Meet Me In the Bathroom or Please Kill Me, this will be a hit.
This series is such a classic of fantasy. Definitely the characters and plot points that I think of when creating worlds in D&D or other role playing games.
I first read this book back in the early 2000s, and have reread it a few times since. What a delight! Great characters, great action, easy to digest unlike some higher fantasy series. Definitely my first and probably all time favorite books in the genre.