Overall I really liked this book. It is a mystery with a lot going on and a literary sensibility. The way Moore weaves timelines and POVs is so so so Overall I really liked this book. It is a mystery with a lot going on and a literary sensibility. The way Moore weaves timelines and POVs is so so so good. It really works for this book and she is totally in control. Thankfully, because if this was done wrong it could've been really bad. I couldn't predict the end but also didn't feel like it came too far out of left field (I hate that). The book is very much white people problems, and I loved that escape. This book isn't trying to do more than it should/can. It knows what it is and I appreciate that. That being said, it is a really well written and engaging book with great plot and character development. My biggest complaint was the book went on too long, at almost 500 pages I would find myself totally invested and then zoning out in certain parts. But overall this is a big yes from me....more
I was underwhelmed with this book. The idea was there but I found the pacing was so off I couldn't get into the book at all. At half the length the plI was underwhelmed with this book. The idea was there but I found the pacing was so off I couldn't get into the book at all. At half the length the plot would've worked for me. This book was trying to hit on some questions of autonomy and family, but because of the pacing and lack of character development, I never felt like it got there. There were a lot of cliff hangers to try and make the reader care, but none of them paid off because the character's motivations made little sense. I needed more in the form of details and less in the form of vibes. There was also some serious stuff in this book that was handled so poorly. I don’t want to spoil but certain topics must be treated with depth and that didn’t happen here. ...more
I was surprised by how strong the writing and structure of this book was. I liked that it was memoir and famous scams plus some personal scams Laci haI was surprised by how strong the writing and structure of this book was. I liked that it was memoir and famous scams plus some personal scams Laci has been involved with. It feels additive to the podcast and not just a rehashing of the show. ...more
I enjoyed this no frills guide to making kids lunches. It’s a cookbook but also not one bc there aren’t recipes just combos and philosophy behind kidsI enjoyed this no frills guide to making kids lunches. It’s a cookbook but also not one bc there aren’t recipes just combos and philosophy behind kids lunches. ...more
Overall I really liked this especially for a first novel. I liked the writing and how it shifted from interior and exterior. I liked how the book is oOverall I really liked this especially for a first novel. I liked the writing and how it shifted from interior and exterior. I liked how the book is organized. I liked the ideas around girlhood, competition, and also the male gaze. My biggest issue with the book is that it started so strong but not a lot happens and so the uniqueness of the style/structure wears off and there isn't an emotional payoff for the reader, I felt like I wanted to be left with more....more
I really liked this book. It captured me from the start and I was invested in the characters. I think this is a very strong "COVID novel" and it exploI really liked this book. It captured me from the start and I was invested in the characters. I think this is a very strong "COVID novel" and it explores a lot of ideas around who we become in moments of crisis. I think there were a few too many perspectivs in the book overall, but think Porter pulled off a really solid book....more
A super well written and researched history book about sports history I knew nothing about. Waters writes a very clear and compelling narrative about A super well written and researched history book about sports history I knew nothing about. Waters writes a very clear and compelling narrative about a complicated topic and includes so many facets. If you like sports, Nazi history, queer history, or stories for "hidden" figures this books does all of that and more. ...more
I really liked the writing in this fragmentary novel. It is relentless in how fucked up everyday marriages can be. There is nothing extraordinary hereI really liked the writing in this fragmentary novel. It is relentless in how fucked up everyday marriages can be. There is nothing extraordinary here and yet it is brutal. The husband here is a total jerk and the author does not let up on that. We can feel how trapped she is. It reads like a memoir. My biggest issue is this book is too long and bc not a lot happens, it could be shorter by 75 pages and been a really tight strong book, instead it get a little redundant in the end....more
I had so much fun listening to this book. It is a total delight. It is a bit of a send up or maybe subversion of the western genre and I loved it. I lI had so much fun listening to this book. It is a total delight. It is a bit of a send up or maybe subversion of the western genre and I loved it. I loved the characters and the story. It is so wholesome while still having, well, grit. Portis captures the voice of a teen girl so well. There is fun. There is drama. I really liked this one....more
This is a YA book about a magical Black HBCU, I loved the idea but think the execution was flawed. The book is way too long, and slow, and I felt likeThis is a YA book about a magical Black HBCU, I loved the idea but think the execution was flawed. The book is way too long, and slow, and I felt like most of the twists were just there to twist, but didn't move the plot forward. It was hard to follow and I never really cared about the characters, I also struggled to keep them all straight. The book has potential and the author has a great imagination, but the editor needed to be considerably more rigorous with this story....more
This is a sweet little memoir in essays from a celeb. There isn't anything here about his life as an actor or his journey to becoming one. It is all aThis is a sweet little memoir in essays from a celeb. There isn't anything here about his life as an actor or his journey to becoming one. It is all about his childhood, which he tells us clearly from jump. It isn't a life changing book, but it is also totally unoffensive and readable, with some fun antidotes stories, and childhood mess ups....more
This is one of those books you have to piece together as you go. There is a murder mystery at the center and you're trying to figure it all out. I likThis is one of those books you have to piece together as you go. There is a murder mystery at the center and you're trying to figure it all out. I liked the world building and the characters. I did sometimes feel lost in the motivations of the characters and who I was supposed to be rooting for (which I think was intentional). I saw the big twist coming from pretty far away (at least 150 pages out). Overall this is a solid book but I do have some smaller nits to pick (pacing mostly). I saw so much growth for the author from their debut to this....more
This could’ve been a podcast or article. The subtitle gives it all away and I’m not sure the author earned the full length. I liked it and was entertaThis could’ve been a podcast or article. The subtitle gives it all away and I’m not sure the author earned the full length. I liked it and was entertained but found myself so far ahead of the story. ...more
This was a wild book and blast from the past. I loved seeing the images from 1986 and how frozen in time they felt. The photogs did a great job of capThis was a wild book and blast from the past. I loved seeing the images from 1986 and how frozen in time they felt. The photogs did a great job of capturing the extreme and the mundane of life in America. I wished the book included more POC and their cultures and their experiences. It is an overwhelmingly white book which is a bummer....more
A really sharp meditation on memoir, memory, art, power, and of course abuse. I appreciated how Ciment would pull chunks from her memoir to compare wiA really sharp meditation on memoir, memory, art, power, and of course abuse. I appreciated how Ciment would pull chunks from her memoir to compare with her current thinking. I liked the writing style so much. Its a short book and lost a little focus for me in the middle, but overall really good. I would have loved for her to share why she wanted to go back and tell this story in a new way. ...more
A well written romance novel that deals a lot with grief and trauma and healing. I liked the story, but found the book to be excessively long and repeA well written romance novel that deals a lot with grief and trauma and healing. I liked the story, but found the book to be excessively long and repetitive. If it had been shorter and moved a little more quickly I could've really loved it. I think the sex scenes were pretty good, not overly graphic but also not too tame either....more
This is an extremely well researched and detailed history of the Holocaust. It is very dense. I enjoyed it but struggled a bit with the writing style,This is an extremely well researched and detailed history of the Holocaust. It is very dense. I enjoyed it but struggled a bit with the writing style, finding the prose clunky and repetitive in parts. I deeply appreciate the reframing of so much of the Holocaust and the horrors being clearly and plainly stated. I do recommend this book but not as an entry point to the Holocaust bc of how much this book challenges and complicates well held beliefs. ...more
This is just a little Dr. Seuss book for adults from 1986. It is exactly what you expect from Dr. Seuss but doesn't really have much to say at all besThis is just a little Dr. Seuss book for adults from 1986. It is exactly what you expect from Dr. Seuss but doesn't really have much to say at all besides a joke about how horrible it is to grow old and how silly the poking and prodding of medicine are. ...more
Ok look the writing in this book is pretty terrible, but overall it was better than I was expecting. I didn't like the book at all and found it to be Ok look the writing in this book is pretty terrible, but overall it was better than I was expecting. I didn't like the book at all and found it to be extremely cringe but it is readable and I understand how and why folks might like it. I think it also depends on why you come to reading. And this is now why. So yes, it is serviceable fluff, but also like there is much better fluff....more
I liked this book. It is a wild ride and not for the faint of heart. I think this book is going to be very polarizing, especially for folks who need lI liked this book. It is a wild ride and not for the faint of heart. I think this book is going to be very polarizing, especially for folks who need likable characters. You're not getting that here. My biggest gripe is that the pacing stalls out (a bit long) in the middle third and I saw the ending coming miles and miles away. ...more
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